Sunday School

CENTRAL THOUGHT All children of God would suffer persecution.   Text: Mark 13:9-13, John 15:18-25, Acts 8:1-3   INTRODUCTION The Lord Jesus Christ forewarned His disciples that since the world of His days did not love Him; did not know or accept Him, they would not love, accept or even know them. It is common to have falsehood contend with genuine. In the same way, darkness contends with light, although it cannot overpower it (John 1:4-5). In the history of Christianity, God’s children have experienced severe persecutions in the hands of kings and kingdoms, politicians, religious organizations, even Christian professors! In our days in this part of the world, anyone who would like a godly life would be persecuted in different forms (2 Timothy 3:12). Moreover, the bible warns against suffering for evil doing. The child of God should be fully convinced and aware that he is living in a place where his life pattern is not accepted in totality. In all he does, he should avoid falling into error. And we should differentiate between suffering as a result of our errors and suffering as a result of following the Lord (1 Peter 3:17, 4:15-16). There is a class of people in the church that do not look different,...

CENTRAL THOUGHT Only Christians can season and give light to the world, thereby making it more habitable.   Text: Matthew 5:13-16   INTRODUCTION This lesson draws inspiration from two all too common features of our existence. They are salt and light. Though only a minute fraction of the world’s population understands their chemical and physical composition and characteristics, all humans have need of them. Salt is a commodity, while light is a form of energy. According to Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia, salt was so valuable in ancient times that it was used for money. In-fact our modern word salary is derived from it. The Latin word salarium means “salt money” and referred to the allowance of salt that was paid to Roman soldiers. “Salt is valuable as a preservative and it is essential to the health of humans and animals. Light on the other hand, is not a commodity that is tangible to the sense of touch but a form of energy like fire, wind, etc. Though it cannot be handled, humans, animals, and plants cannot do without light for a sustained period of time. Its use for plant growth via the process of photosynthesis, and our dependence on plants for our existence underscores the importance of light. It is...

CENTRAL THOUGHT The Christian life is a life of integrity.   HYMN:  OVER THE RIVER, FACES I SEE   Text: Psalm 15:1-5   Introduction: Integrity is uprightness of character, honesty, unimpaired state or soundness. It is an undivided or unbroken state or completeness. This is a virtue, which should characterize every born-again person. The Lord Jesus Christ came to give abundant life (John 10:10) to everyone who would believe in Him. Life in its fullness means favor with God; it means peace with God, blamelessness, righteousness, truth in the inward parts: it means integrity! Many people claim to know the Lord; one way to separate the professors from the children of God is probity or morality or integrity. Integrity is for the disciplined and renewed; the born again. This virtue makes a man to guard his heart from thinking evil and his lips from speaking deceit. It keeps a man’s steps in the path of righteousness. The world can speak of good but lacks the strength to do good. Everyone can speak of what is good, but few people follow up their words with good actions. Integrity makes a man to follow up his pronouncements even when it hurts him. He does this because he knows that it tells...