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Plan at least four social activities for your class outside of the Sunday school hour.
Why should you plan at least four social activities - outside of the church - per year? This is important, first, because our goal in Sunday school is not simply to present a lesson, but to develop disciples. Discipleship happens in the course of relationships. While relationships can be developed in an hour-long session, activities outside of the class may create stronger bonds of friendship. A second reason for social activities outside of the church is to provide entry-points for unchurched people. While the unchurched person may be reluctant to attend a Sunday service, they may be much more receptive to join you for a barbecue, board games, etc.
This best practice suggested at least four social activities per year. By planning one special activity per quarter, this could be easily accomplished. Special consideration, however, should be taken as to the purpose and promotion of such events.
- Will your activity be simply for fellowship of believers, or for outreach to unchurched friends?
- If the former, how can you design the event to encourage deeper fellowship among your class?
- If the latter, when would be the most appropriate time, in order to give them an easier transition into your class (e.g., a week or two before the next quarter begins, in order to encourage them to start the next study with you)?
- How should you balance a social activity with promotion of your class?
The Triumphant Christ
Lesson 10 - August 7, 2016
Focus Text: Revelation 19:4-16
Central Truth: No power is able to prevent the triumph of Christ.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list ways that knowing that Christ is triumphant gives purpose to a Christian's life.
Lesson Outline:
- Praise to the Father (Revelation 19:4-6)
- Wedding of the Bride (Revelation 19:7-9)
- Triumph of the Son (Revelation 19:10-21)
Prayer – Lesson 9, The Rule of the Antichrist
Heavenly Father, as our classes study about the Antichrist today, help them to be encouraged by the fact that despite his power he is still subject to you, that his time will be short-lived, and Christ's reign will be eternal! In Jesus' name we pray this, Amen.
How should we apply John's vision of the end times to our lives?
In Doctrinal Discussion, Don Englund answers this question, writing:
First, we should release ourselves from any hope that mere human government will bring lasting peace in this world. Second, we must be aware that the forces of Antichrist that deny Christ and seek to delude us are present and active in our world. As Satan in his anti-God ruse demands worship of himself, let's pray that our worship will be wholly focused on Christ, the Incarnation of the Father.
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 55.
What do we sometimes miss about the Antichrist?
In "God's Word for Today" Steve Oliver writes:
We are given a significant amount of information about Antichrist in this passage. He is a powerful world ruler, deriving his authority from Satan, the ruler of this world. The “name of blasphemy” (13:1) points to an ingrained contempt for the things of God, and in keeping with this, his words are full of blasphemy. His mimicry of Christ, seen in seeming resurrection, is not surprising since this beast is attempting to take the place of God himself. What is surprising is that Antichrist can “make war with the saints, and . . . overcome them.” Throughout history, persecution has resulted in the spread of the gospel and widespread conversions; but here the persecution by Antichrist is more or less successful in stamping out Christianity. In the midst of this description of nearly limitless power and blasphemy, it is easy to miss a minor but crucial part of the description: Antichrist is merely a pawn in the ongoing war of Satan against God. He is permitted to have authority and to persecute the saints. But ultimately, God is in control even in these terrible circumstances, and Antichrist can do no more than God allows.
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 52.
Who is the Antichrist?
In "God's Word for Today" Steve Oliver writes:
Antichrist is a much-studied and much-debated topic. There are some schools of thought that see him as only symbolic of human rebellion against God, and others who view Antichrist as a movement or religion rather than a per-son. Among those who think he is an individual, some peo-ple speculate wildly in their search for this future world ruler. Six-six-six becomes the key to a secret code, which will enable them to identify him before he is revealed. Others equate his mark with some element of culture, such as VISA® credit cards or Monster Energy® drinks.
One of the effects of this search for Antichrist can be that we lose sight of the most important things about him — his evil and his futile rebellion against God. Rather than trying to figure out how quickly this prophesied individual will appear, we need to understand his character and guard against emulating that.
Discussion: How can we avoid "missing the forest for the trees" as we study Revelation (and even other scripture passages)?
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 51.