Our Blog
Prepare thoroughly for each lesson
A second, and vital, weekly best practice of Sunday school teachers is to start preparing for the
next Sunday's lesson early in the week. It is easy to understand the logic, but many fail to develop this habit and inevitably find themselves cramming desperately Saturday night - or Sunday morning - to get ready to teach. With this in mind, let us consider how to break down the task of developing a lesson to be more manageable.
- Set aside some time Sunday afternoon to read the title page of next Sunday's lesson. Read
that week's "Tips for Teachers" for inspiration. Then, open your Bible to the “Focus Text(s)” and read, without referring to the lesson commentary. Read the “Central Truth,” and reflect on how the scripture illustrates or fleshes out this principle. Read the “Objective,” and brainstorm briefly how you can help your class achieve this goal. - Read one page per day, Monday through Friday, of the five remaining pages in the lesson.
- Organize your lesson on Saturday, numbering sequentially various parts of the lesson to cover, as well as adding various other ideas, etc. that you have accumulated while studying throughout the week.
The Essence of Faithfulness
Lesson 2 - June 12, 2016
Focus Text: Revelation 2:1-11
Central Truth: The Christian is marked by a passionate love for God.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list at least three steps that people can take to maintain their love for God.
Lesson Outline:
- Good Works Commended (Revelation 2:1-3)
- Unfaithfulness Condemned (Revelation 2:4-7)
- Faithfulness Rewarded (Revelation 2:8-11)
Prayer – Lesson 1, The Revelation of Christ
Heavenly Father, as we begin this new series studying about Christ, the Triumphant Lord, help our teachers and students to be caught up in the wonder of Your glorious majesty. Encourage us in our faith! In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
How should Sunday school follow-up be conducted?
Are you wanting to do better in following up on visitors and absentees of your Sunday school class. Check out this resource for very practical tips.
The Majesty of Christ
In "God's Word for Today" Steve Oliver writes:
Christ's majesty is not simply a matter of a glorious appearance (though He certainly has that). Rather, it is a visual display of His genuine power and authority. In John's vision, each visual aspect of Christ displays an invisible attribute of Jesus' character, power, or authority. For exam-ple, the depiction of Christ's eyes “as a flame” indicates that He sees and understands everything, that nothing is hidden from Him. If we are in trouble, this is a comfort. If we are try-ing to excuse ourselves for wrongdoing, this is troubling.
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 5.
Why is Jesus called Alpha and Omega?
In "Word Focus" Darrell Grim writes:
The use of the expression Alpha and Omega in verses 8 and 11 is significant. These being the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the obvious reference is to Christ's eternity. No one else can claim this title, so He uses the emphatic expression “I AM.” Since the expression not only includes the first and the last but everything in between, it also connotes the omnipotence and omniscience of God. In verse 8 this concept is revealed in the word translated the Almighty. The Greek word pantokrator is used nine times in the Apocalypse and only once in the Epistles (2 Cor. 6:18). It is, however, used frequently in the Septuagint and is literally the “all ruler.” It represents the Hebrew word translated as “God of hosts.” He is pictured as the one who commands all and is able to overcome any foe.
Discussion: How does this help you to understand better who Christ is?
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 4.