Today, I want to lead you in a celebration of the Sunday School. Why do we promote Sunday School since it is not mentioned in the Bible and Jesus did not establish it? Where did it come from? Sunday School began in the 1700’s in Gloucester, England with a man named Robert Raikes. Mr. Raikes, a member of the Church of England, had a burden for poor children who were forced to work long hours each week with no opportunity for education. Thus, he established schools that met on Sunday. These schools were not necessarily for religious instruction. Those early Sunday Schools were characterized by several important traits.
1. They used paid teachers. (Tease: wouldn’t you Sunday School teachers like to get paid?)
2. They taught secular courses.
3. They taught mainly poor children.
Over the years Sunday School has evolved into what we know today. It is an organization that focuses on teaching the Word of God. When Robert Raikes started the Sunday School Movement, the Archbishop of Canterbury called together the bishops to see what could be done to stop him, for, he said, it was a violation of the Sabbath.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by A. Todd Coget)
In celebrating the Sunday School I want to speak with you about its purpose. Before doing that I want to address two important principles.
1. The first principle is that purpose is what makes something special. Sometimes we get confused and celebrate things because of their tradition. There is nothing in the name or the function of Sunday School that makes it special. It is special because of the purpose it fulfills. It is an organizational tool for reaching, ministering and helping people to grow spiritually. A tool is no better than the purpose that stands behind it.
2. A second principle involves organization. There is nothing sacred about organization nor is there anything evil about organization. Over the years I have run into people who opposed certain practices because they involved organization. Some people oppose Sunday School because it is an organization. Even Jesus used organization. When he fed the 5,000. (Mk. 6:39-40) he instructed the disciples to seat people in groups.
There is nothing inherently evil about organization. However, there is nothing sacred about organization. For example a cemetery is one of the most organized places in the community but I do not want to live in one.
Sometimes we start traditions and organizations and then act like they fell out of Heaven as a gift from God. In our country, when the Sunday School movement began, it was looked upon with suspicion. Park Street Church in Boston had a major rife in the early 1800’s over whether to allow Sunday School. Their arguments:
1. It might be a desecration of the Sabbath.
2. Children ought to be instructed by their parents at home.
3. Professing Christians ought to be at home engaging in reading, meditation and prayer, instead of going abroad to teach children of other families on the Sabbath. (Illustration 6234 in 7700 Illustrations…Editor Paul Lee Tan)
Now that we have those matters out of the way let me address the purpose of the Sunday School. As we celebrate the Sunday School I want to use Acts 2:41-42, 44 as a text. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers… Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common.” In this text we see the early church fulfilling three functions or purposes. The church was reaching people with the truth of Jesus Christ. The church was ministering to people. The church was helping people grow spiritually. That is the purpose of Sunday School. Lets look at the three functions (purposes) individually.
I.The Sunday School is organized for reaching people. That is the overall purpose of the church. In Acts 2:41 we find that there were 3,000 people who placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The churches purpose is to reach people for Christ.
This purpose is stated in the Great Commission found in Mt. 28:18-20. This command is summarized in verse 19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus repeated this command before ascending to Heaven. In Acts 1:8 we find His words “you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’’
In Luke 19:10 Jesus repeated His purpose. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’’
You may ask, what does reaching people have to do with our Sunday School class? Reaching people should be the focus of every organization in the church. If people are not your focus then you have the wrong focus.
Illustration: Several weeks ago our AWANA ministry planned a family Easter picnic. Their goal was to reach people. The goal was not to have an Easter egg hunt. The goal was to use an Easter egg hunt to reach people. There were 6-8 guest families who joined us for this picnic.
Illustration: On May 6 our Men’s Ministry is planning an out-reach garage sale. We plan to use the garage sale to meet and reach people. The emphasis is not the sale but reaching people.
Illustration: A sad letter of an anguished Baptist Sunday School teacher was published in a Dallas newspaper after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The teacher told of having a boy in his Sunday School class whom he never reached for Christ. His name: Lee Harvey Oswald, who later assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
(Illustration 6253 in 7700 illustrations…edited by Paul Lee Tan) It should disturb us when we are unable to reach people in our community.
This is one of the major purposes for the Sunday School organization. We age grade Sunday School classes and assign each class the responsibility of reaching people in that age range. Youth reach youth. Children reach children. Young adults reach young adults.
Let me ask each Sunday School class a question. When was the last time your class welcomed a new member? Is your class concerned about reaching new people? When a new person comes do you reach out to them and make them feel welcome? If we are not careful our Sunday School class can become a glorified social club or a Holy huddle.
Let me ask each individual in this room an important question. How many people are you cultivating for Jesus Christ? How many lost people can you call by name that you are praying for?
II. The second purpose of Sunday School is to minister to people. We gather people into ministry groups called Sunday School classes. In the text we read a few minutes ago the Bible explains that, after people were saved, the church ministered to them. As we assign Sunday School classes we assign responsibility for ministry. A Sunday School class can fulfill several ministry responsibilities.
A. A Sunday School class fulfills a caring/shepherding ministry.
Example: I have seen Sunday School classes carry meals to a member who has been through a surgery.
Example: I have seen Sunday School classes carry meals to a member after the death of a loved one.
Example: I have seen Sunday School classes sit with a member when their loved one is dying.
Example: I have seen Sunday School classes cry with a member when they were hurting.
B. Every believer needs a family group with whom they can share, care and grow. A Sunday School class provides a place for fellowship with other believers. It has been said the Sunday School class helps the church grow larger by growing smaller.
C. A Sunday School class provides a place to build supportive Christian relationships. Loving relationships are a vital need in every person’s life.
Another word about organization. Every Sunday School class has a ministry book called a class roll. Every teacher, care group leader and deacon should look at that roll on a regular basis to determine the needs of the flock who are missing or hurting. In the Bible we learn that the shepherd examined his flock on a regular basis to asses the needs of his sheep. His care for his sheep was not a haphazard thing. Several years ago I shared an acrostic that will help teachers, care group leaders, deacons and class members to minister effectively. The acrostic was the word RISK.
R---we should examine our flock regularly.
I---we should examine our flock individually.
S---we should examine our flock systematically.
K---we should examine our flock knowingly.
The greatest honor in life is to minister to the needs of another person. Sometimes we forget the important value of ministry or downplay the significance of it. In Mt. 25 we read where Jesus identified seemingly insignificant ministry tasks that have huge value. He mentioned giving a cup of water. He mentioned clothing the poor. He mentioned visiting the sick. In the church we sometimes lose sight of that fact. We sometimes get stuck in the trap of maintaining an institution. That places us in bondage. We are not here to maintain an institution. We are here to minister to people for Jesus Christ.
III. The third purpose of the Sunday School is to teach the Bible and help people grow spiritually. Bible teaching is at the center of all that we do. Teaching the Bible is not always an easy task. At church one morning, my friend Gwen was about to start her 4-year-olds’ Sunday school class when a little boy showed up without any identification. Gwen managed to get his first name, but couldn’t find out his last name. "Brian, what’s your daddy’s name?" she asked. "Daddy," he replied. She tried again, "Brian, what’s your mommy’s name?" "Mommy," he answered. Suddenly she realized exactly how she could get the answer she needed. "Brian, what does your daddy call your mommy?" His face lit up. With a grin and a deep voice, he replied, "Hey, Babe."–
(Susan Boatright, Savannah, GA; Contributed to Sermon Central by Darren Ethier)
In the Great Commission Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples and teach them to observe all things he had commanded us. Over the years I ran into a few Sunday School classes that spent 40 minutes of an hour eating donuts and drinking coffee and 15 minutes studying the word together. I have also seen classes use their class time to complain about politics, the church or to belly ache and gossip.
As we teach and study the Bible we should always keep in mind this formula. We teach the Bible for information, so that people might receive inspiration and it will result in life transformation.
Today we have taken a look at the purpose of the Sunday School. For some of you that may seem insignificant. When you examine the role of the Sunday School you are reminded of God’s love for you. God desires a relationship with you. He is seeking you. God desires that you have a spiritual family. That gives you love and support. God desires that you grow into spiritual maturity. He has given you a Bible to help you with that task.
