NBC Sunday School Manual For February 5, 2023 :Topic – Preview For February
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SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR YOUR PREPARATION
NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE
Theme of the Month:
GOD’S CALL AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.
DATE: SUNDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY, 2023.
PREVIEW FOR FEBRUARY
Welcome to the second month of the year. The theme for this month is “God’s Call and Its Responsibilities.” The texts shall be taken from the books of 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, James, and 1 Peter, with different sub-lessons throughout the month. These lessons emphasise that God’s call and all the responsibilities are without regard to an individual’s past lifestyle. Nevertheless, we shall be discussing issues like:
● God chooses those who are neither wise, nor powerful, nor of noble birth.
● Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to embrace the suffering that accompanies preaching the Gospel.
● Warning against showing favouritism.
● The challenge to check our attitudes, as people who have been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light.
People sometimes worry about where to find true wisdom while facing life’s challenges. But God has called us into a relationship with Jesus – the Source of wisdom, understanding, and guidance. When we put our trust in Him, we have the assurance of accomplishing what He has called us to do. Sunday school teachers and class members should prepare their hearts to be blessed with a sense of hope and assurance that their worship will truly be acceptable to God.
BELOW ARE THE SUGGESTED TEACHING METHODS to prepare and teach the lessons. They can be used during the general opening or in the class.
Week 1 – Memorisation: Let the class members recite the Golden Text (1 Corinthians 1:28-29) repeatedly until they have memorised it.
Week 2 – Recitation: Ask a volunteer to retell a saying or advice that was regularly communicated to him/her, as a child by his/her parents or grandparents.
Week 3 – Soliloquy: Let a class member, preferably a male soliloquize the words of James, in James 2:5 while walking to and fro, in the class.
Week 4 – Recitation: Class members should recite the Golden Text several times in unison, and other related verses they know.
TOPIC: WISDOM AND FOOLISHNESS.
Devotional Reading: Psalm 25:1-15.
Background/Lesson Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
GOLDEN TEXT:
“God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:
● Define wisdom and foolishness;
● Differentiate between the wisdom of God and the foolishness of the world;
● Appreciate the supremacy of God’s wisdom, as against human wisdom.
INTRODUCTION:
He was a new convert who was attending the Sunday school class for the second time since his conversion. The topic for the day was “The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Midway into the lesson, the young man who was already looking confused asked, “How on earth will someone who has only one son allow the innocent and guiltless child to die for a wicked world?” He argued that for Jesus to leave His throne of glory and honour, so as to dwell among humankind is simply a demonstration of foolishness. Of course, the teacher who understood that he is a new convert and, therefore, may not easily comprehend the message, took time out, after the lesson, to explain the message of the cross and its implications to him. The message of the cross, despite being preached for over 2000 years is still meaningless to many in our generation, especially those who view it from the viewpoint of the world. Unfortunately, the cross of Christ seemed like foolishness – both to the Jews, who expected a powerful Messiah and to the Greeks, who placed high value on human wisdom. They thought of themselves as thinkers and took pride in their supposed intellectual superiority because they were still bound by the world’s way of thinking. The world’s definition of wisdom is knowledge that is gained from many experiences in life, or the natural ability to understand things that other people cannot understand. But foolishness is having or showing a lack of good sense of judgment or discretion. Nevertheless, Paul’s view of the Wisdom of God is Christ Jesus.
Apostle Paul worked among Jews and Greeks who were represented in the Corinthian church. In his attempt to explain the difference between God’s wisdom and foolishness, he reminded them that human cleverness is different from God’s wisdom. In other words, it is not the proud and clever people they assume that appreciate God’s plan of salvation through the death of Christ on the cross, but those who are spiritually wise. This kind of wisdom is God’s gift to humankind through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. So, humankind must become foolish in the world’s eyes in order to be really wise (3:18). The focus of today’s lesson is Paul’s emphasis on Christ, the Wisdom and Power of God.
THE LESSON EXPLAINED…
A. THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS:
[1 Corinthians 1:18-21]
The church in Corinth was a mixed congregation that comprised the Jews and Greeks. Paul learned from Chloe’s family that there was division in the church. He wrote and made it clear to them that such division is as a result of the display of the wisdom of the world rather than God’s wisdom. In verse 18, he said that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but it is the power of God to those who are already saved. By implication, those who are being saved have acknowledged their powerlessness and God’s power, and they understand that they cannot conquer sin. Therefore, they have learned to trust in the grace of God (v. 18). He reminded them what God said through Prophet Isaiah, “… I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (v. 19) He added, in verse 20, that God has made foolish the wisdom of the world (the wise men, scholars and the philosophers of this age). Supposedly, God desires that worldly wisdom should not be the basis for knowing Him. Thus, in His wisdom, He made it impossible for people to know Him through their human wisdom, but rather, by means of the so-called “foolish” message that was preached, God decided to save those who believe.
The brethren in Corinth were divided because they did not fully understand the nature of the wisdom of God; hence they substituted it with human wisdom. No matter how knowledgeable and advanced in reasoning we might be, human wisdom is vain. In God’s plan, the seemingly strongest things are the weakest while some of the seemingly wisest things are the most foolish this is not by accident but by God’s design. In his letter to the Romans, Apostle Paul stressed that although God has revealed Himself plainly to all, some chose to ignore this revelation, claiming to be wise, whereas they are foolish (Romans 1:21-23). Even though the cross of Christ seems foolish to those who refuse to believe, believers should recognise the difference between the two. They should know that God’s wisdom is a standard, as it extends beyond human wisdom and reasoning.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Discuss the necessity of the wisdom of God in the lives of believers.
2. Mention some acts of foolishness that can be described as wisdom in our contemporary time.
B. CHRIST, THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD:
[1 Corinthians 1:22-25]
Today’s text states clearly the difference between God’s wisdom and the foolishness of the world. Paul affirmed that although the Jews demanded for evidence and the Greeks desired wisdom, he said: “but we preach Christ crucified” (v. 23), a message that is offensive to the Jews and senseless to the Gentiles. Ironically, the Jews did not believe that the Messiah could be crucified, and the Gentiles did not believe that a crucified man could be worshipped as the Messiah. However, to those God has called, whether Jews or Gentiles, the cross is not foolishness but the power and wisdom of God (v. 24). Paul again emphasised the strength and wisdom of God, as against humankind’s wisdom and strength in verse 25. He said, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” Apparently, God’s wisdom is in opposition to the wisdom of the world and it is revealed in Christ’s death on the cross. The Corinthian brethren were witnesses that God’s standard contradicts those of the world (James 2:5).
The Jews and Gentiles had different views about Christ’s crucifixion. Nevertheless, Paul established the fact that the message they proclaimed (the crucified Christ) is offensive to the Jews and made no sense to the Gentiles, except those God has called (both Jews and Gentiles). Interestingly, the message is Christ Himself-the Wisdom and Power of God. All God’s initiatives are powerful and wise, including the message of the cross. Therefore, God is both wise and powerful; hence any of His purpose will proceed out of wisdom and will have amazing effects on His creation. Unfortunately, many people do not understand this fact because they depend on their human wisdom or strength. They have refused to find a place in their hearts to accept God’s plan of salvation. The lesson is a reminder that believers in Christ should not depend on their so-called wisdom that is equivalent to foolishness but the wisdom and power of God that can make all things possible.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. What are the benefits of positive response to God’s call, especially when we are faced with opposing human wisdom?
2. Why do humans sometimes view the ways and acts of God as “foolish”?
C. SUPREMACY OF GOD’S CHOICE:
[1 Corinthians 1:26-31]
God’s standard is completely the opposite of the world’s, in every aspect. This claim necessitated Paul to call the attention of the Corinthian brethren to what they were when God called them. He said that not many of them were wise, influential or of noble birth, by human standard. In verse 27, he analyzed God’s standard vis-à-vis the standard of the world. He said,
● God intentionally chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.
● He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
By this, Paul meant that God intentionally chose the lowly things, the despised – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one should boast before God. He said God has brought them into a relationship with Christ Jesus and made Christ their Wisdom, which is righteousness, holiness and redemption. “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (v. 31)
It is God’s plan of salvation that led believers into a relationship with Christ Jesus. Consequently, we have become God’s holy people who have been set free so that we can become wise, powerful, and noble by virtue of our relationship with Him. In fact, Jesus is the embodiment of God’s wisdom and He has manifested it as: our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). More so, we find strength in God’s presence; hence we have nothing to boast of, because it is God’s strength rather than ours that makes us righteous, holy, and redeemed. All of these things mentioned in verse 30 are the handiwork of Christ and not as a result of our human wisdom. Therefore, we should not boast.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Discuss a practical situation in which you realised that your weakness led to wisdom, your om, your healing and salvation.
2. Why is Jesus Christ described in v. 30 as “wisdom from God”?
Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity:
● Divide class members into groups of two or three and ask them to share issues they are facing that they need divine wisdom from God to tackle, then pray for one another.
Take Home: State at least three main lessons you are taking home, based on today’s lesson:
● __________
● __________
● __________
Commitment: Make a commitment to always seek the wisdom of God in every situation.
Remain Inspired & Be Lifted!