NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 7, 2021 : TOPIC – CALLED TO EVANGELISE

By | February 6, 2021

NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 7, 2021 : TOPIC – CALLED TO EVANGELISE

Read previous NBC Sunday School Manuals here

NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL PREVIEW

FEBRUARY

Our theme for this month is “The Call of Women.” The texts will be taken from the gospel of John, Luke, Mark, the books of Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians. The Lessons highlight women ministry. Particularly, it centres on how they supported Jesus in His work and carried on His teaching after His resurrection. We shall discuss:

• The woman at the well, who became a witness and brought others to Jesus after her encounter with Him.

• How Mary Magdalene demonstrated her unwavering loyalty to Jesus through her action.

• How Priscilla, Aquila and Paul partnered in fulfilling ministry.

• Lydia’s response of faithfulness and generous hospitality to the gospel message.

The role of women in the ministry of Jesus Christ cannot be overlooked. At different times, they played their roles to enhance the ministry of Jesus. It is expected that the class will be interactive and learner-friendly, so that the outcome will be transformation, which will lead to commitment and spiritual maturity.

BELOW ARE THE SUGGESTED TEACHING METHODS TO PREPARE FOR THIS MONTH.

They can be used during the general opening or in the classes.

FEBRUARY 7 DRAMA:

Let a woman dramatise how the Samaritan ran to the city and told the people about her encounter with Jesus.

FEBRUARY 14 GROUP DISCUSSION:

To encourage group participation, the leader should assign the questions under each subtitle to the discussants ahead of time.

FEBRUARY 21     Personal Testimony:

Allow two (2) Volunteer members to give testimonies of how they were disciple and the effects in their ministries.

FEBRUARY 28     LECTURE: 

At the beginning of the lesson, the lecturer should briefly discuss the motivation for his service to God. Class members should freely ask questions and make contributions after the lecture.

NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

CALLED TO EVANGELISE

Devotional Reading: John 1:37-5

Background Scripture: John 1:37-51; 4:25-42

Lesson Scripture: John 4:25-42

GOLDEN TEXT

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” – John 4:39

Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:

• Discuss how our understanding of the Scriptures about the messiahship of Jesus Christ can affect our  witness for Him;

• Identify and discuss reasons Christians are no longer committed to the task of evangelism;

• Write their commitments to be more dedicated to personal witnessing.

INTRODUCTION

The Nigerian Baptist Convention is unique in so many ways. Every Church bus has different inscriptions boldly written on it like “Evangelism”, “Gospel on the Wheel” and “Missions.” The questions some people often ask is ‘how dedicated are these Churches to the great Commission?’  It is possible that some of these Churches do not have yearly budgets for evangelism and the few that have not fully committed to it.

According to the account of John, when the disciples heard the news of Jesus’ resurrection, they went to Galilee, where He had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshipped, even though some doubted whether He was truly Jesus. He announced to them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Thereafter, He commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations. The command was with the instruction to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and to teach them to obey all things that He had commanded them. It was a matching order for the furtherance of His Kingdom business, here on earth. It must be noted that this commission is the major task of every age. Therefore, Christians have the responsibility to carry on with this mandate. The import of this lesson is to challenge believers in Christ to be more involved in evangelism/soul winning, in response to the command of Jesus.

THE LESSON EXPLANED

JESUS IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS THE MESSIAH – JOHN 4:25-26

The discourse between Jesus Christ and the Samaritan woman reveals the hostility that existed between the Jews and Samaritans. After returning from exile, the people of Israel separated themselves from those who were descendants of Israel who had foreign wives (Ezra 10:10-11; Nehemiah 13:23-25). Consequently, the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans became aggressive. Jesus was on His way to Galilee but He had to go through the city of Samaria, where He had an encounter with a woman who came to fetch water from the well. Jesus’ discussion with the woman was unusual because the Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans (John 4:1-24). The woman displayed her ignorance about Jesus’ true identity when she said, “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, He will explain everything to us” (v. 25) According to verse 26, Jesus seized the opportunity to reveal His identity to the woman as the Messiah. He said, “I who speak to you am He.”

Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, Liberator, Defender and Saviour. The title ‘Messiah’ or the Greek word ‘Cristos’ connects with the Old Testament prophecy of a coming prophet. The Jews expected a kingly son of David to bring political deliverance and to establish the earthly kingdom. However, Mathew affirms Jesus to be the divinely anointed Messiah, the fulfilment of the Old Testament expectations and the true heir of David’s throne. Thus Jesus Christ was right to have disclosed His true identity of His messiahship as confirmed by the Samaritans who believed in Him through the woman’s witness. Finally, they confessed saying, “This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” Unless we recognize Jesus as the true Messiah – the one who was spoken of in the Old Testament – we may not be able to bear witness of Him as the Saviour of the world. The challenge to Christians, therefore, is that we should strive on daily basis to know Jesus and desire to grow in His likeness so that we can effectively teach and witness about His messiahship.

DISCUSSION TIME

1. What does Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman teach us about prejudice as a result of gender, tribe and religion?

2. How can we, as Christians, be motivated to spread the gospel of Christ in our neighbourhood today?

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN’S TESTIMONY – JOHN 4:27-38

The Samaritan woman’s response to Jesus’ statement in verse 26 about His true identity as the Messiah is startling. The disciples were greatly surprised that Jesus was talking with the woman even though it was not right for a Rabbi to talk in public with a woman who is not related to him, especially a Samaritan, yet they could not ask questions. Nevertheless, the woman became convinced of Jesus’ identity and immediately left her water jar and went back to the town. Her testimony was simple; she said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (v. 29). Having heard the woman’s testimony, the people came to Jesus. Addressing His disciples, Jesus declared in verse 34 that His disciples who wanted Him to eat some food. He used the analogy of the grain harvest to illustrate the urgency of spreading the good news with a command in verse 38, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labour.”

The importance of personal testimony in witnessing cannot be overemphasized. Like Apostle Paul, who made use of every available opportunity to teach and preach about his salvation experience on his way to Damascus. The woman’s testimony reflected the impression Jesus had made on her and her question: “Could this be the Christ?” suggest her long expectation of the Messiah. Jesus’ comparison of those ready to hear the Gospel to a field of ripe grains is parallel to His words, when He first sent His disciples on a mission (Mathew 9:35-38). This same understanding of the ripeness of the field (winning the lost), as used by Jesus in the passage, should motivate Christians to be more committed to the task of evangelism. Although it is risky, especially in this contemporary time when there is much persecution against Christians; however, we should be encouraged by God’s promise to always be with us to the very end of the age (Mathew 28:20b).

DISCUSSION TIME

1. Discuss the importance of testimonies as instrument for witnessing.

2. What are some things in the life of the woman that would have been a hindrance to witnessing to her people and what lessons does it teach us about life, with and without Christ?

3. What made the Samaritan woman run to the town to invite other people to Jesus Christ in spite of the bad reputation and reproach?

MANY SAMARITANS BELIEVED IN JESUS CHRIST – JOHN 4:39-42

The story of the Samaritan woman and her encounter with Jesus Christ at the well is a remarkable experience and a hallmark for all ages. Having heard her testimony, especially as a woman who probably may have been ostracized because of her way of life, many Samaritans believed in Jesus Christ because she said. “He told me everything I have ever done” (v. 42). Eventually, they begged Jesyus Christ to stay with them, and He stayed with them two more days. According to verse 41, many more Samaritans believed in Jesus’ message. In their response, they turned to the woman and said, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard Him, and we know that He is really the Saviour of the world.”

Ultimately, the fact that Jesus Christ told the woman everything she had done became an effective instrument in arousing the interest of her fellow Samaritans. Obviously, the woman’s encounter with Jesus Christ and her testimony about His power to transform is an attestation of the importance of testimony in evangelism. She was not deterred by the revelation of her previous lifestyle, which contradicts the standard of God. Instead, she spread the good news of Jesus Christ and invited her fellow Samaritans to come and see a man who told her everything she had ever done (v. 29. Noteworthy in the passage is the simplicity of her message, “He told me everything I have ever done.” In their excitement, they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not becaiuse of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (V. 42).

DISCUSSION TIME

1. Discuss some hindrances to the spread of the Gospel in our contemporary time.

2. How can we overcome obstacles of gender and culture differences in order to witness to others?

FELLOWSHIP AND MINISTRY BUILDING ACTIVITIES

• Let the class members list questions that were probably in the mind of the Samaritan woman as she was going to share the testimony of her encounter with the people.

• They should have partners with whom they will share the easiest ways to present the message of the Gospel.

TAKE HOME

• Christians have been called to proclaim the Gospel.

• Testimony can be an effective tool for witnessing.

• Believers should be concerned about the salvation of others, especially or family members and neighbours.

• We should strive to obey God in all things.

• The gift of salvation is for all tribes and nations.

• God depends on Christians to reach the whole world with His Word.

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