Archive for Sunday School – Page 2

Prayer as a catalyst for a focus on serving others

By Tim Turner · Comments (0)
Monday, April 20th, 2020

Think back to when you first met Jesus. Would it not have been easy to selfishly grab hold of only what salvation had to offer you? Security. Eternal bliss. Future promises. Walking with God. But what about focus on others? What? One could easily be caught up in the things that God has in store for their life or family, but what about the people of whom God has placed around them? Prayer should actually lead to that type of discipleship mindset. When one humbly comes before Holy God, the main focus cannot be self only. Initially, yes, the heart is drawn to God, but will eventually bend thoughts toward others’ needs – completely outside of oneself.

Consider the passage in Mark 10:37 when James and John asked Jesus, “Allow us to sit at your right and your left in glory.” — asking for a place at the table of glory! We tend to think, “How could they ask such a selfish question?”. In reality, all Christians are capable of such selfish behavior because of a Genesis 3 world. Outside of Christ, no one would be able to live unselfishly. Jesus replied, “On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be slave to all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (CSB)

Then one should ask, if that is true, where is that biblical principle expressed with prayer. Two strong examples come to mind. First, we find Jesus in the upper room with the Twelve. Jesus knows exactly what is about to unfold, yet He prays a prayer over them instead of himself. In John 17:11-16, “Holy Father, protect them . . . that they may be one . . . joy completed in them . . . so that they may be sanctified by the truth”. (CSB)This narrative is an amazing example of selfless servanthood. Through Jesus’ intimate prayers, He called upon the Father to minister to these men who would become future pastors, leaders, and martyrs.

Secondly, the greatest example is found in Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will but what you will.” (CSB)It could be quite easy for a believer to simply wash over these verses and go on to another activity in their life. Jesus not only placed the Twelve at the top of His priority list, but the entire world of sinners. He died to show that servanthood was more important than glorification.

What does it take for a believer to come to the realization that serving others trumps glorification? Answer: Prayer that leads to humility. When one prays, unworthiness rises to the top. That unworthiness subsequently points to others and challenges one not to serve themselves. Therefore, the goal is to resist selfishness through vibrant prayer that leads to true servanthood.

Written by Dr. Tim Turner, Dir.of Evangelism & Discipleship, WV Convention of Southern Baptists

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Could this work with my Sunday School class?

By Dwayne Lee · Comments (0)
Thursday, April 16th, 2020

Anytime we form smaller groups from a large group we have a better chance of creating community.  Large groups have community, but it is not until we begin to pare down these groups that real community has the opportunity to manifest itself.

With that said, true community does not happen without intentionality.  I know this personally because I was part of a group for eight years that did not create community.  There were times I was away for weeks and I never received a phone call, email, text or face to face encounter to inquire about how I was doing or where I had been. You get the picture.  Relationships can, and should, be built by leaders creating an atmosphere that precipitates people getting together.

In this short section of the book on page 25, there is a question that is raised, and I think it is a good question to ask, “What about prayer and the role it plays in building community within a Sunday School class?”  When I read the question I immediately thought about our friend and colleague David Francis.  In one of his “Franciscan Epistles” entitled “Connect 3” he proved that when a class purposely incorporated prayer, they not only changed the atmosphere of the gathering, but also changed how they prayed.  General prayers about saving the world, or healing the sick, or blessing our church, became more specific in nature.  The lost now had names and many were people they knew.  It is amazing that when prayer becomes a center point to any group, it changes the dynamic of the group and enhances the community being built.

We should not be asking if prayer should be a part of our community, but rather, how much time will be allotted for prayer when we gather.  

Written by Dwayne Lee, Associate Team Leader for the Bible Teaching/Leadership Resource Group of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio

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The Problem with Group Gatherings

By Ken Braddy · Comments (0)
Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

Group gatherings. Some groups forego them altogether. A group member in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently approached me at the end of a workshop I led at the state’s annual evangelism conference. She lamented the fact that her teacher does not believe in group gatherings and their class has dwindled because of it. In his opinion, the teaching time should be enough.

Groups do need to be together. We are seeing this during the COVID-19 crisis. Churches and groups have scrambled to find ways to keep people connected online. The church has realized the power of fellowship and gathering as the church, even if it is digitally.

But the author of It Begins with Prayer challenges us to consider the problem with group gatherings in chapter 2. Exactly how could gathering together be a “problem”? Groups organize fellowships, like picnics. People bring food. Games are played. Friendly competition takes place. People enjoy their time together. But the author asks a haunting question: “…But have we done anything that really builds community?”

We might be tempted to say, “Well of course we built community!” But a shared experience doesn’t necessarily build community. Think of it this way. If you attend a sporting event in a stadium of some sort and watch a game with 20,000 others people, did you build community? What about the last airplane flight you took? You flew with 180 people, but did you really build community? Of course you had a shared experience, but did you leave the event knowing people more deeply? Did you really build community?

Do we settle for shared experiences as groups when we really need real community? That’s the question we must answer. Shared experiences are good and needed, for sure. But perhaps what is needed more is a way for people to experience a deeper level of community. In the next blog post, we’ll answer the question, “What is real community?”

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Celebrating Easter as a Group – Not Forsaking the Assembly

By Steve Bradshaw · Comments (0)
Sunday, April 12th, 2020

How ironic that I would be writing on this subject of “Celebrating Easter as a Group” in the midst of a historic pandemic that has stretched the globe and has prohibited gatherings of groups larger than 10 and even then, social distancing of 6 feet apart. 

But regardless of our earthly circumstances, EASTER is NOT CANCELED or being postponed and should be celebrated in many ways, more than ever.  And yes, we can do so without forsaking the assembly.

The writer of Hebrews encouraged us in this way in Chapter 10: 23-25 – and notice his plurality in speech. 
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

So, this common confession of our hope that is in the Risen Christ, stirs up love and good works and creates this desire for us to be with other believers.  So, how do we do that with these unusual restrictions?

Large Group Easter Celebrations
Pastors and church leaders are scrambling to provide large worship experiences via social media or online streaming.  They are recreating live music sets, offering the message from God’s Word and providing opportunities for response through texting.  Some have gone to other lengths to provide a church Drive-in experience, with families remaining in their parked cars while the worship team uses amplification or radio transmission as a means by which to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and therefore, we are not forsaking the assembly.

Small Group Easter Celebrations

For me, I still thrive in an environment of vulnerability and accountability.  So, in these days, we are utilizing live video conferencing in order to be able to see and hear from our Sunday School / Small Group participants.  And yes, I must raise my hand to talk, or put my comments on the chat tool in order to speak or share a prayer request, – but we are all together at one time, on the same computer screen.  And you know what?  – It feels like a small group that is not forsaking the assembly.

Home Group Easter Celebrations
Should we be reminded that the first small groups and churches met in homes?  So, now would be a great time to get back to basics and gather as a family for devotion, Bible Study, participate in an online worship experiencing.  So, even as a family, confined to the four walls of our home, we do not have to forsake the assembling of ourselves, – when we are together. 

Written by Steve Bradshaw, Director of Evangelism and Strategic Initiatives, SBC of Virginia

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What about kids?

By Donna Blaydes · Comments (0)
Friday, April 10th, 2020

Prayer is an important part of our faith, and teaching kids to pray can be so exciting. So, how do we do it? The best way to teach about prayer is frankly to pray.  Pray in front of your kids and pray with your kids. 

Let your kids see you pray.  When kids hear their parents and their teachers pray, they begin to develop their own understanding of its importance, and their belief in it.  As you pray, demonstrate for your kids how easy and natural it is to talk to God.  God isn’t concerned about the eloquence of our words, or the length of our prayers, what He wants is to communicate with us.

It is important that we teach kids how to pray, and not what to pray. Let them pray using their own words. Look for opportunities to teach your kids to pray.  Saying a quick prayer for a police officer when you hear a siren or thanking God that a child wasn’t hurt when he fell down, are ways to teach kids that God is interested in everything.

Make time for prayer. Let kids share prayer requests and bring them to God together. It takes time, but it is so worth it. If your kids are hesitant to pray out loud, let them finish a sentence.  For instance, say “Thank you God for friends.  Thank God for” – and let a child name a specific friend.  Using this format will help children become more comfortable praying aloud.

Create a prayer wall where kids can write down prayer requests and keep track of how God answers them. Pray specifically for these requests throughout the week. Take a prayer walk around the church praying for the teachers who are teaching God’s word. Pray for the Pastor as he preaches God’s word. Pray for the staff as they lead in their areas of ministry.

Encourage your children to talk to God about whatever is on their mind.  They can pray anytime and anywhere. There is no request that is too small, and no request that is too big.  God loves to hear them all.

Written by Donna Blaydes, Childhood Education Specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

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