Wednesday, February 25, 2009

For March 1, 2009

News

1. Attendance 2/22/09 -- We had 537 in Sunday School Sunday!! 286 at 8:30 and 251 at 9:45!

2. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

3. Spring Sunday School Curriculum -- All adult classes will be using Explore the Bible curriculum during the March, April, and May months.

4. Summer Sunday School Curriculum -- I would like for teachers to let me know if they plan to use Explore the Bible curriculum for the Summer Quarter or the Bible Studies for Life curriculum by March 8 so that we can order the correct literature at the early bird discount. I will be sending by e-mail to each teacher an outline of the summer lessons for both series so that you can make your choice.

A Note About Our Current Curriculum!!

All adult classes are using the Explore the Bible curriculum series this quarter. The reason is that the lesson topics for March, April, and May in this curriculum series fit best with our 2009 emphasis on Spiritual growth and development. It's all about "Living for God Today." The three units covered in Explore the Bible during the quarter are, "Maintain Spiritual Health," "Affirm Spiritual Certainties," and "Choose Spiritual Paths." This will be a study of the books of Isaiah and Micah. I think you will find it to be a rewarding study experience, and I expect great things from it.

For the summer quarter, I need teachers to let me know which curriculum you choose to use. I need this decision by March 8 so that we can get the early bird discount on our order. I will send you an outline of lessons for the summer in both series so that you can make your choice.

A Word from Lifeway's Internet Producer for Sunday School

Dan Kassis is the Internet Producer for Sunday School at Lifeway. He wrote a comment on last week's blog, and I wanted to make sure you see it because this can be another useful tool for you as you prepare your lessons each week. Thanks Dan!
Lesson Supplements for March 1

Explore the Bible
"Meet Divine Expectations"
Isaiah 5:1-14

Intro. -- As we prepare for this month's lessons, remember that the topic for the unit is, "Maintain Spiritual Health." The title of each lesson for the month then answers the question, "How can I maintain spiritual health?" If we look at it this way, then the lesson for Sunday would have us to understand that we can maintain our spiritual health by meeting God's expectations ("Meet Divine Expectations"). If we are going to be vibrant, fruit-producing, God-honoring Christians, then we have a responsibility to meet His expectations.

Isaiah 5:1-2 -- Through the use of a story in a song format, Isaiah expresses the fact that God has expectations of his followers. He used a parable, an earthly, every day, story to teach a divine truth. In the work of a gardener, Isaiah describes the work of God. One key truth that comes from this story is that God, like a gardener, does have expectations. A good question to consider in class is, "What expectations does God have of us?" A second key truth is that God, like a gardener, provides everything needed for his "vines" to be successful. A second question for consideration would be, "What has God given us to enable us to meet His expectations?"

Isaiah 5:3-6 -- We are responsible for our own sinful choices. God has provided everything we need to be successful in meeting his expectations. When we fail to meet them, we have only ourselves to blame. God will discipline those He loves. The discipline we receive is not to condemn us but to draw us back to Him in repentance. His discipline is an act of love and grace. In the introduction of your teacher's book on page 8, I find these meaningful statements, "Christians who choose to obey the Lord and His Word will experience His blessings. Believers who rebel against the Lord will experience His discipline. Unbelievers reject the Lord and will experience His wrath." The Lord responds to sin (not meeting His expectations). We should anticipate that as we endeavor to maintain spiritual health.

Isaiah 5:7-14 -- Judah had turned to other gods, especially the gods of wealth and power. The choices they made to follow these gods produced rotten fruits of injustice, greed, jealousy, and selfishness. This is not the kind of fruit God expects from His vineyard. God expects fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If we are going to be spiritually healthy individuals and spiritually healthy churches, then we need to adopt God's standards as our own and make our daily choices in life using these standards as our guide.

Summary -- To maintain spiritual health, we must (1) acknowledge that God has expectations and we need to follow them, (2) utilize the resources He has provided to give us success in this endeavor, (3) realize that our choices do not go unnoticed by God -- He will respond accordingly, and (4) adopt His standards as our own and base our daily decisions on them.

Lesson Planning -- Pay particular attention to "Encourage Life Change" in the margin on page 21 in your teacher's book. This is a good exercise to lead students to make a commitment in light of the lesson's truths.

Comments Welcome -- Any ideas for illustrations, other scripture, or class activities to enhance the lesson?
Posted by at

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)