The Heart of Sunday School

31 Mar 2010 10:41 am

Once there was a man who received word from his cardiologist that he had a 99% blockage in one of the arteries which fed blood to his heart. The doctor then shared with him the good news the situation was correctable. All the man needed to do was to work with his health care providers as a team player. If he would take their lead and do as they instructed then he should be able to return to his normal activities. The man received the good news and did as his doctor instructed, had surgery, changed his lifestyle habits which led to the blockage and now lives with a new lease on life.
Once there was another man who received the news that he too had a blockage of 99% in one of his arteries. His doctor also shared with him the good news that his situation was correctable. All he needed to do was to work with his health care providers as a team player. If he would take their lead and do as they instructed then he should be able to return to his normal activities. The man refused to listen. He refused the surgery and made no lifestyle changes. The good news had fallen on deaf ears. The man died within six months of his diagnosis. Which of these men would you consider a wise man? The choice is obvious as the one who listened to the advice of his doctor lived.

The heart of our Sunday School is the good news of the gospel of Christ. The heart thrives on that good news when it is shared by every Sunday School class. The result of this sharing leads to healthy growth and vitality. Unfortunately in some of our classes the good news is stifled because we are not organized to receive new persons with whom to share the good news of the gospel. In these classes there exists a blockage in the artery which leads to the heart of our Sunday School. Perhaps fellowship has replaced the sharing of the good news with the lost and now fellowship is a blockage to our health and well being. Perhaps in some we are more directed toward fulfilling a few missions projects each year that take precedence over inviting the lost to be a part of our class so that we may share the gospel with them. Or maybe it is that we are just content with attending our class and worship with no real concern for the lost. I do not know what the blockage may be but I know it exists in any class where the teacher is expected to do it all from teaching to reaching. Recently all of our teachers were given the leadership material necessary to organize their classes to effectively fulfill all functions from teaching to fellowshipping to sharing the good news with the lost. Many have already organized but others have met with resistance from a seeming lack of interest on the part of their class members to take a team player position. The result will be a blockage which will hinder us from effectively sharing the good news of the gospel. One teacher said recently, "Nick my class is not interested and it fatigues me." Please relieve some of the burden from your teacher today by taking a position on your class leadership team.

By : nick | Category: Commentary | Comments [0]