What's the big deal about Sunday School???

I don't know about your church, but our church has Sunday School.

Adult Sunday School, as well as Sunday School for the younger kids.

Why?

Well, it's another opportunity to grow and to learn about the Lord.  But it's so much more than that...

In a classroom setting, you have an opportunity to ask questions.  How many times have you sat in a preaching service and wondered: Just what exactly did the preacher mean by that?  And what in the world does THAT word mean??

It's just a tad bit awkward to raise your hand to ask those questions in the middle of the morning service.

But not in Sunday School. 

In fact, most teachers - mine included - long for some class participation! 

It's also an opportunity to get to know other adults in your church on a more personal level.

Most classes are organized by "theme" if you will - some classes are for "Young Marrieds" or "Young Families".  Or maybe "Senior Saints" or "Homebuilders" or "Parents of Teens."  Some classes are more topical, such as our class, which is called "Foundations" - where we study the basic foundations of our faith in Christ.

So, all that to say that often the people in the class with you have similar interests or are in a similar life-stage as you are.  Sharing testimonies and prayer requests in this small group setting allows you to know & understand that person you're sitting next to just a little bit better.  And then, of course, a class fellowship, often outside the church setting, is a great way to build friendships and relationships with other adults that you really don't have an opportunity to do in a normal Sunday morning service setting.

Of course, the most important thing about Sunday School is the Lord Himself.  I have to admit, I was SO encouraged this morning in my own class...the teacher dealt with some very practical, very applicable information.  Here's what  I mean:

If you've been saved for any length of time, you understand that a believer's "go to" answer to almost any question is this:  Go to church, read your bible, and pray.  For example:

How do you grow in the Lord?
How do you gain the courage to go soul winning?
How should I deal with this challenge I am facing?
How do I become a better mom? dad? wife? daughter?

 Go to church, read your bible, and pray.

Get the picture?  But here's where going to Sunday School gets down to the nitty-gritty - this morning, our teacher asked this question:

How do you know, where you're seeking God's direction, if you're hearing GOD - or someone else??

Well, you could throw up the answers above - but they're not very helpful on the nitty-gritty level.  But here's what we learned this morning:

1.   First and foremost, you must be saved - you must have a personal relationship with the Lord.  "My sheep hear my voice and I know them..." John 10:27  You can't begin to hear the voice of someone you don't even know.

2. After that, hearing God's voice begins with a willing heart.  You won't hear God if you don't give him your attention; if you're not willing to hear.

3. We have to listen carefully - God does not SHOUT!  Elijah didn't hear God in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire - but in a still small voice. 

4. God's voice always lines up with His Word - he will NEVER contradict himself.  Example - God is never going to tell you to do something that is going to put Him anywhere but your FIRST priority  - so if that job offer, or that move, or that committee is going to cause you to miss church, or miss service opportunities, or miss anything that would keep you close the Lord, it's not God's voice that you're hearing.

5. Don't "follow your heart" - this is worldly advice!  How do I know?  Scripture says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?"  Isaiah 17:9.  My heart is wicked!  It's wants what pleases self, not God - don't follow it!

6. Don't trust in circumstances - they are ever changing!!  How do you trust something that is never the same from day to day or moment to moment?   But God NEVER changes -he is always the same, yesterday, today & forever.

7.  And then, as in the answers above, read God's Word - faithfully, EVERY day.  All the answers you seek are there.  And the world, your flesh, your lost family & friends - they don't have God's answers.  They only have their own wisdom and their own ideas.  Which do you think is more trustworthy - the God of all creation? the One who created YOU?  the one who is wiser than anyone you could ever know - or another man, like you, who on his best day is still just a man?

What's the big deal about Sunday School???  If you're not in it, you're missing a vital part of your Christian walk and a huge opportunity to become more like Christ.

Get in Sunday School - God wants you there.