Sunday School Philosophy

Acts 2:40-46 give us insight into the actions of the early church. Often it is difficult to “translate” what they were doing into our modern, large church context. This is not to say that these things are invalid today. Quite the contrary, I believe they show us how the church should function. While we see these ideals taking place in many venues of church life today, I believe the functions of the early church are best accomplished through the Sunday School. Over the next several months we will look at these principles and see how we can best accomplish them through our Sunday School.

Verse 40 – he bore witness… continued to exhort them. – Peter (and the Apostles) were presenting the Gospel message. This should be a key component of our Sunday School teaching time. Strive to work the gospel message into every teaching time. The verses that follow indicate that it was effective. 

Verse 42 – devoted themselves to the apostles teachings – They were teaching doctrine. Sunday School should be about teaching the doctrines of the faith: learning about God and Jesus, how to live righteously, the truth of the Bible, etc… 

Verse 42 – fellowship and breaking of bread – The early church spent time together building a close community. Sunday School classes need to build relationships among each other. This does not happen in the large worship times; it is best accomplished in Sunday School. Fellowship opportunities outside of the class time are best suited for this, as well as providing great opportunities for inviting lost friends. 

Verse 42 – prayers – the early church was sharing prayer requests and praying together. This should be a key part of our Sunday School time. We must be careful that our prayer time does not get out of balance. We should place a priority of praying for the lost.

Verse 45 – (whole verse) – We see in this passage that they were meeting the needs of one another. There was evidently a closeness among them that they knew one another’s needs and burdens, and sought to meet them. Our Sunday School classes should be seeking to do this for each other when possible.

Verse 46 – day by day – The early church had a lifestyle of following Jesus – a daily faith. Too often the church has been viewed as just another activity on our weekly schedule. Following Christ is a daily occurrence. Sunday School should reinforce this idea.

Verse 46 – attended the temple together… breaking bread together – These two verses illustrate the early church gathered and scattered. Just as they did, we gather on Sundays for worship and Bible study. When we leave our facilities we do not cease to be the church. We are then the church scattered – going onto the marketplace, workplace, schools, gyms, restaurants, etc… We must become outwardly focused as a church and as Sunday School classes. 

I shared with the group Sunday a passage from the Apology of Aristides. Aristides was a pagan Greek philosopher from the second century. He did a comparative analysis on the four major in his native Athens. His Apology is a report given to the Roman Emperor Hadrian, probably around 125 AD. I have included the excerpt I read below. The entire document can be found here: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/aristides-kay.html

XV. But the Christians, O King, while they went about and made search, have found the truth; and as we learned from their writings, they have come nearer to truth and genuine knowledge than the rest of the nations. For they know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from whom are all things, to whom there is no other god as companion, from whom they received commandments which they engraved upon their minds and observe in hope and expectation of the world which is to come. Wherefore they do not commit adultery nor fornication, nor bear false witness, nor embezzle what is held in pledge, nor covet what is not theirs. They honour father and mother, and show kindness to those near to them; and whenever they are judges, they judge uprightly. They do not worship idols (made) in the image of man; and whatsoever they would not that others should do unto them, they do not to others; and of the food which is consecrated to idols they do not eat, for they are pure. And their oppressors they appease (lit: comfort) and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies; and their women, O King, are pure as virgins, and their daughters are modest; and their men keep themselves from every unlawful union and from all uncleanness, in the hope of a recompense to come in the other world. Further, if one or other of them have bondmen and bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. They do not worship strange gods, and they go their way in all modesty and cheerfulness. Falsehood is not found among them; and they love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. And whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them according to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his burial. And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food. They observe the precepts of their Messiah with much care, living justly and soberly as the Lord their God commanded them. Every morning and every hour they give thanks and praise to God for His loving-kindnesses toward them; and for their food and their drink they offer thanksgiving to Him. And if any righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort his body as if he were setting out from one place to another near. And when a child has been born to one of them, they give thanks to God; and if moreover it happen to die in childhood, they give thanks to God the more, as for one who has passed through the world without sins. And further if they see that any one of them dies in his ungodliness or in his sins, for him they grieve bitterly, and sorrow as for one who goes to meet his doom.

XVI. Such, O King, is the commandment of the law of the Christians, and such is their manner of life.

Keep in mind that these are the words of a pagan philosopher, not a believer. One person Sunday noted that he was not telling the king what the Christians “believed”, but rather, what they did. To me the last line says it all – they lived out what they professed to be true. My prayer is that this testimony would be said of us. Not for our glory, not for mere numbers filling seats, but for the growth and glory of the Kingdom. May we be about building the Kingdom!

Todd Belmear
Minister of Education
719-598-2139
todd.belmear@vgbc.org