Nobody can organize, plan, or teach Sunday School well unless there is a burden for doing so in that individual's heart. No Church can actually promote Sunday School unless that church is propelled by a burden, vision or challenges. So, the topic is simply looking at the vision, challenges, and needs that underlie the Sunday School.

The emphasis placed on teaching biblical truths by the Church is clearly seen in the two key passages of the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Any neglect of this commission may lead to grave consequences for the Church and the world as a whole. Hence, the decadent situation we face today is a cause for concern - rebel wars, diabolic tribal feelings, HIV-Aids Pandemic, Poverty, Perversion of Justice, and so on. These are the burdens of a well run Sunday School.

The Sunday School concept is centered around teaching. To better understand its origin and stay true to it, it is a must to search the bible again. Here, we are looking at three case studies:

(1) The Early Ministry of Jesus
In the four gospels the position of Jesus as a teacher and comparatively the best of teachers stand unchallenged. "Jesus was recognized by friend and foe, by believer and doubter, as rabbi, master, that is teacher. Those who gathered about him were best known as disciples, that is, learners. It was following an oral examination of the twelve, which they passed to his satisfaction, that he said, 'I will build my Church'.1"

Furthermore, when Jesus started his Ministry Matthew introduced him as a teacher, not as a preacher. At this introductory stage, Jesus gave his paradigm of Ministry when he immediately became the enemies of the Pharisees and Rabbis, whose theology prove antithetical to his kingdom theology. Matthew noted: "and seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his moth, and taught them saying..." (Mt. 5:1-2)." In this first lecture he covered a vast array of subjects, such as murder, fasting, money, anxiety, judging, prayer, others, kingdom, etc.

(2) The Early Church in Jerusalem - Acts 2:41-47
One of the results of Pentecost in Acts chapter two is the establishment of the first Church in Jerusalem. Those who believed "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (2:42). As a result of teaching and the common life, the Church continues to experience numerical and spiritual growth. "The decline of Christianity in later centuries parallels the decline of the teaching functions of the churches. The recovery of New Testament Christianity has always been occasioned and accompanied by the recovery of teaching"2.

(3) The Berean Christians
Trouble in Thessalonica organized by some unbelieving Jews did not stop Paul form moving further with the Gospel. Finding themselves in Berea, Paul and Silas went into the synagogue as usual and preached the Gospel of Christ. Luke noted that "these were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore, many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few" (Acts 17:11-12).

Serious searching or examining of Scriptures leads to salvation, maturity and evangelism. The verb (anakrino) "implies integrity and absence of bias. Ever since then, the adjective 'Berean' has been applied to people who study the Scriptures with impartiality and care.3

The ugly things we see today have happened before. We only have to come back to the bible to remind ourselves and take caution.

(1) The Church Practicing Injustice (Acts 6:1-7)
Increase in numbers in Church congregations does not always guarantee maturity, peace and fair play. In this instance there is a case of partiality or unjust treatment of people of the same faith. The report is that "in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration" (Acts 6:1). The Apostles summoned a consultation, set their priorities right and advised the people to choose their own officers with requisite qualification - "choose men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and Wisdom." (Acts 6:3). The disciples did accordingly" and the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).

(2) The Church Practicing Party Politics (1Cor. 1:1-3:23)
At this point in time when the Church is engaged in witnessing for Christ, politics crept in secretly and reached its zenith when the Corinthian believers in open confrontation with one another became party promoters and campaigners. They now stand under the banners of three parties that they have created: Paul party, Apollos party and Cephas (Peter) party. In his address to this issue Paul highlighted the following (a) the fact of divisions (1 Thessa. 1:10-17); (b) the causes of division (1 Thessa. 1:18-2:16); (c) the consequences of division (1 Thessa. 3:1-4:5). The same problem plagues many a denomination today.

(3) The Church Practicing Immorality (Thessa. 5:1-13)
This case which represents many others in different parts of the Bible is described by Paul as a case of incest or moral disorder. In his opinion the crime is not only terrible, but one that is not common practice among the gentiles or non Christians. He warned the Church and recommended expulsion as an immediate line of action until the sinner repents.

(4) The Church Encouraging False Teaching
The Church today as before is potentially exposed to false teaching. Paul's letters, and even those of his co-ministers are always full of teaching concerning false teaching. In his letter to the Colossians he taught concerning the following:

(a) Dangerous philosophy - "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and fain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8).

(b) Legalism - "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days" (Col. 2:16).

(c) Mystical teaching - "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind" (Col. 2:18).

(d) Ascetism - "Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are subjected to ordinances: touch not, taste not, handle not" (Col. 2:20).

(5) The Church Misunderstanding the Second Coming of Christ (1 Thessa. 5:1-11)
Many doctrines have sprung up concerning the second coming of the Lord. These doctrines have taken different forms and dimensions - pretribulation rapturists, postribulation rapturists, Amillienialists, etc. The clear teaching on this subject which has been interpreted in diverse ways is clearly set out not only in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and Second Peter 2:1-22, but also in many part of the Bible.

The aforementioned is the burdensome or problematic picture we have of the Church then. The Church today is equally so in diverse ways.

The Focus of The The Sunday School

This section discusses the direction the Sunday School should or must take. This is simply bringing the burden of the Church into the classroom situation. The classroom situation follows a well prepared teaching program, tailored to the needs of categories of individuals:

(1) Teach to Bring People to Christ (personal witness) - Jesus practiced personal evangelism: in relation to Matthew (Mt. 9:9-13), James and John (Mt. 4:21-22), Simon Peter and Andrew (Mt. 4:18-20).

(2) Teach to Activate Evangelism - Jesus not only initiated mass witness or evangelism when he sent (Luke 10:1-16) his disciples to the lost tribe of Israel but also emphasized the Great Commission to all before and after his death (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 1;8).

(3) Teach to meet Needs and Solve Problems - The teaching program of Jesus was geared towards meeting the needs of people and solving their problems. The needs and problems he met and solved were either spiritual or material.

(4) Teach to Prepare for Leadership Roles - Jesus' call of the 12 disciples from diverse backgrounds at the beginning of his Ministry has to do with leadership development in anticipation of future Ministry (Lk. 6:12-16). In that same vein Paul singled out Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1-5) and Titus (2:1-10) for future Ministry.

So, within the context of the Church's nurturing program, comes the Sunday School alongside preaching, midweek Bible Study, prayer, etc. The Sunday School within this superstructure, has immense benefits.4

Conclusion

Reflecting on the decadent world in which the Church finds herself today John Stott in his book Contemporary Christian, has this to say: "Paul's exhortation to Timothy was given against the background of the kind of society he was living in (1 Tim. 3:1-13). It was not at all friendly to the Gospel. Nor could the Gospel possibly be reshaped in order to accommodate to its ideas and standards. On the contrary, Paul was aware of a radical incompatibility between the Word and World".5 The Sunday School today has to address the difficulties the Church faces today but only as it reminds itself of the difficulties faced by the early New Testament Congregations.

End Notes

1] G.S. Dabbins, The Church Book (Nashville: Broadman Press 1951) p. 95.

2] Dobbins, p. 95.

3] John Stott, The Message of Acts. (Bondor: Intervarsity Press, 1990), p. 274.

4] Leopold A. Foullah, Administering the Local Church (Freetown: Missionary Church of Africa Publishing Bureau, 2009).

5] John Stott, Contemporary Christian. (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1992), p. 163.