Well, it's another First Sunday. We have a special page for First Sunday classes and it explains what we are doing on First Sunday, but I thought some more explanation might be useful.
A lot of years ago, while teaching young people, I realized that all they do in Sunday School classes is sit and listen. The topics are chosen by the teacher, who is not in their generation at all. So, I decided to have a Sunday every month where they could ask questions. We did it on the First Sunday and the idea has stuck with me.
Teachers, you see, really don't know what is going on in the lives of their students. The range and scope of the issues faced by a class of 40 people is stunning, and I cannot possibly anticipate or address everything they have to face. From the false teachers they will encounter on TBN and the local "Christian" station to just everyday ideas they hear from friends, they face challenges all the time, challenges I do not know.
So, once a month, we have a free class where they can ask whatever is bothering them. We have all kinds of questions in our First Sunday classes and the first question is the question we answer. This has all kinds of benefits for the class and the teacher.
Not only do they get their questions answered, but they also get to learn how to work with the Bible and with the truths of God. Whatever they ask is important to them and they need to see how to use scripture. It is not about giving them a pat answer, but about walking them through the whole process of using scripture to answer a real life question.
It is also good for the teacher, because it forces me to actually address something I have not prepared to address. Here is the oddity for most preachers with whom I speak -- they cannot imagine doing this. They will take questions in advance (so they can prepare), but they will not answer questions from a group of people. How can this be true?
After all, we tell our congregations to go out and witness, to share their faith, to address the unbelievers around them. In doing so, they will have to answer questions and respond to objections for which they are not prepared. Why do we think they can do, with unbelievers, what we are not willing to do in the family of God?
And it shows people that you know what you are doing. There is nothing quite the same as being able to ask a question and get an answer right away. It shows not only how to use the Bible, but how well the teacher knows the Bible.
So, listen to some of our First Sunday classes. You may be surprised at how pleasant it is to share scripture with a group of believers on a Sunday morning.
A lot of years ago, while teaching young people, I realized that all they do in Sunday School classes is sit and listen. The topics are chosen by the teacher, who is not in their generation at all. So, I decided to have a Sunday every month where they could ask questions. We did it on the First Sunday and the idea has stuck with me.
Teachers, you see, really don't know what is going on in the lives of their students. The range and scope of the issues faced by a class of 40 people is stunning, and I cannot possibly anticipate or address everything they have to face. From the false teachers they will encounter on TBN and the local "Christian" station to just everyday ideas they hear from friends, they face challenges all the time, challenges I do not know.
So, once a month, we have a free class where they can ask whatever is bothering them. We have all kinds of questions in our First Sunday classes and the first question is the question we answer. This has all kinds of benefits for the class and the teacher.
Not only do they get their questions answered, but they also get to learn how to work with the Bible and with the truths of God. Whatever they ask is important to them and they need to see how to use scripture. It is not about giving them a pat answer, but about walking them through the whole process of using scripture to answer a real life question.
It is also good for the teacher, because it forces me to actually address something I have not prepared to address. Here is the oddity for most preachers with whom I speak -- they cannot imagine doing this. They will take questions in advance (so they can prepare), but they will not answer questions from a group of people. How can this be true?
After all, we tell our congregations to go out and witness, to share their faith, to address the unbelievers around them. In doing so, they will have to answer questions and respond to objections for which they are not prepared. Why do we think they can do, with unbelievers, what we are not willing to do in the family of God?
And it shows people that you know what you are doing. There is nothing quite the same as being able to ask a question and get an answer right away. It shows not only how to use the Bible, but how well the teacher knows the Bible.
So, listen to some of our First Sunday classes. You may be surprised at how pleasant it is to share scripture with a group of believers on a Sunday morning.