Do You Love Them Enough

DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH?

INTRODUCTION:

Someone has said, “Children workers are special. Children are special.”

Today, I am talking to a group of special people who have tremendous power in their hands.

Do you remember the question that God asked Moses, “What is that in thine hands?”

So what kind of power is there in the hands of a Sunday School teacher? Your realm of influence reaches into eternity. But, you might ask, “What can I do?”

You can give a child, who lives in a world of hate, an hour of love.

You can make a child, who lives in a dangerous world, feel safe for a few minutes on Sunday.

You can make a child, who feels worthless, feel like he or she is the most important person alive.

You can point a child, who sees no hope and nothing worth living for, toward the ONE who gives life . . .eternal.

But, to do these great things that God wants done in His Kingdom, you must love them.

To all of us, there has been a commission given. It is clearly stated in Matthew 28:18 – 19.

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given

unto me in heaven and in earth. 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Why Sunday School?

The Church is to carry out the Great Commission:

To reach people.

To teach people.

To care for people.

This is your commission!!!

If I should ask, How many of you love the children that attend your classes?, 100% would raise their hands. You wouldn’t be in this Sunday School session if you didn’t love children.

But, how much do you love them? Just like many other things, we love in varying degrees.

The question here this morning is not, “Do you love them?” The question here this morning is, “Do you love them enough?”

I John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:

and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Love lived out requires SACRIFICE.

I. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . . TO PRAY?

II. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . . TO PLAN?

III. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . .TO PREPARE?

IV. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . .TO PERFORM?

V. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . . TO PERSIST?

I. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . . TO PRAY?

A. Prayer for self.

1. Pray for a teachable spirit.

2. Pray for the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit in your class.

3. Pray for guidance in lesson preparation.

You will never be able to fight the spiritual battle for others until you learn to be

victorious yourself.

B. Prayer for members of your class.

During the week pray for the children by name. Send a postcard to each child

occasionally saying that, “Today, I prayed for you.”

C. Prayer for prospects.

D. Prayer for lost.

E. Prayer for Fellow Workers.

F. Living Prayer Lesson (Teaching Tips ? http://www.berean.org/bibleteacher/tip.html)

1.If you want to teach your children not only about prayer, but to pray, then you will

have to live a life of prayer yourself in class and out of class.

2. Be sure that prayer has a prominent role in your class or club. Open and close in

prayer, give time during the class for the children to praise, thank and ask God

in prayer.

3. The children will begin to get the idea that prayer is not only something you

believe, but something you do.

II. DO YOU LOVE THEM ENOUGH . . . TO PLAN?

A. Developing An Agenda (Teaching Tips --- http://www.berean.org/bibleteacher/tip.html)

One of the best things you can do to prepare is to write up an agenda for each session. The agenda will include:

1. The main truth to be brought out in each aspect of the session.

2. What you will teach?

3. Who will teach it?

4. How much time will be spent on that item?

Drawing up an agenda will keep you on track and on target. It will give you greater control over the lesson and the class by making you more prepared.

B. When you plan take into account Learning Styles

It is important to remember that different children learn differently.

Children are left out and discipline problems multiplied when different

learning styles aren’t taken into account. Learning styles have been divided

into three major groups:

1. The auditory learner.

a. Listening is the primary, not the only way they learn.

b. It also doesn’t mean that they learn just as well from a monotone voice.

c. Use your voice and other sound effects too. Be creative with anything