The Sunday School Mantra
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 07:11AM I have the great pleasure and privilege of teaching Sunday school every Sunday morning to three young 'sponges.' Together, we have completed a verse by verse study of the Book of Acts and we are now engaged in a verse by verse study of the Gospel of Luke. I call them sponges because it is my prayer that they will soak up the Word so that when they are squeezed (as they surely will be in this life) the hope of the Gospel will pour from their lips and from their lives, refreshing themselves and watering those around them.
Each time we come across the word 'gospel' I ask them some or all of these questions:
What is the Gospel?
The good news of the Person and the Work of Jesus Christ.
What is the good news of His Person?
Jesus is the Eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He lived an obedient life in our place and fulfilled the Law in our place.
What is the good news of the work of Jesus Christ?
His birth, His obedient life, His earthly ministry, His sacrificial death, His life giving resurrection, His ascension into heaven and His present ministry interceding for us before the throne of God and His ruling and reigning over all things.
What is the power of the Gospel?
It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
A simple list, but not simplistic. The answers forms the framework for understanding what they are reading and which, hopefully, will give them confidence to proclaim the Gospel to others.
Rebecca's monthly theme for October is simply The Gospel. She's inviting us to join her on Tuesdays and Fridays. I'm inviting you, too!
Reader Comments (2)
I like it! Repetition, the mother of learning...(A Russian saying)
That's a great proverb! Repetition of the Gospel is what preserved it in Russia during the dark years of communism.
What ages do you teach Kim? You sound like a wonderful teacher...they are learning a lot from you that will help them throughout their entire lives.
Angie in OH
2nd, 5th, and 6th. It is a challenge to balance the needs of a 2nd grader with that of a 6th grader, but the truth of each verse is the same regardless of age, so it with God's help, it works. Obviously, the older ones grasp more and grasp it more quickly, but the great themes of the Gospel both repeat and expand throughout the Gospel books, so it works for both age groups--repetition for the youngest and expanding understanding for the older two.