All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
My earliest memories of going to church were being in the nursery. From there I went into Sunday School when I was old enough and what I called “big church” or the service for adults. My mom saw to it that I was in Sunday School every Sunday. As I got into my teen years, I figured that I pretty much knew all I needed to know about the Bible. I opted out of Sunday School in my later teen years.
I always went to church because I felt obligated to do so. I had grown up in church, I tried to make it to church at least a couple times a month. I wanted to let God know that I still cared. But I didn’t need Bible study. I was sure in those 15 or so years of Sunday School I had learned all I needed to know.
My mom taught the adult class at our church. At 18, I left the Baptist church and joined a Methodist church. I wasn’t pressured to go to Sunday School there. But years later, I returned to my Baptist church home where my mom still taught the adult class. She wanted me in Sunday School. I resisted. When my husband and I started dating, we began going to church together. He wanted to go to Sunday School and I reluctantly agreed. I was amazed at all there was that I didn’t know. I learned so much. I dug deeper into those stories like David and Goliath and Daniel and the Lion’s den and the parables that Jesus taught in the New Testament. I was amazed at how with each new lesson, I learned so much more.
Once I re-dedicated my life to Christ, I was like a child starting school. I wanted to soak it all in. I wanted to learn more and more. I wanted to dig deeper and deeper. I had gone from thinking I knew it all to realizing that I would never know it all. When I was asked to teach Sunday School I was worried that I was not competent enough to do that. But a dear friend, who taught Sunday School at her church, said she learned each week along with her students. Sometimes my students know more than me, but that’s okay. We study the lesson and learn together.
The other thing that has happened is I can’t get enough. God’s word is so awesome. It’s just like our Scripture passage says, God’s word is profitable for teaching. We can never learn all there is to know about God and His Word. God’s Word is profitable for reproof. How will you stand up against false teaching if you don’t really know God’s Word. It’s good for correction. What good is it to learn that something is wrong if you don’t intend to correct it? It’s a training tool for training us up in righteousness. We are told to be imitators of Christ in Ephesians 5:1. We can’t imitate someone without first studying them and getting to know them, right? It helps to train us to imitate Him and to strive for righteousness in our lives.
God’s Word is addictive. The more you study it the more you want to. The more you learn, the more competent you become. When we become competent, we are equipped to do God’s Work. God calls us to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). That’s a tough job, but God’s Word equips us to do that.
If you think Sunday School is just for kids, think again. If you are not in church, find a good Bible teaching church. Go to Sunday School and Bible study. Many churches now zoom Bible studies or post them on Facebook live. If you are not studying God’s Word, you have no idea what you are missing.
Remember, there is still a lot to be learned in Sunday School, why not go this Sunday? Don’t let the devil talk you out of it.
Have a great day!