This coming Lord’s Day we look forward to resuming our Bible teaching ministry of Sunday School at 9:15 AM.  As you know, we have classes for all ages, each designed to fulfill our Savior’s ‘Great Commission’ to engage faithfully in “teaching them [disciples of Jesus] to observe all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:20).

Acts 2:42– And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 5:42– And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

1 Corinthians 4:17– That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

Colossian 1:28– Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Colossians 3:16– Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.

1 Timothy 4:11– Command and teach these things.

2 Timothy 2:2– and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teachothers also.

2 Timothy 3:16– All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

While many more verses could be added to these, we can draw two important conclusions about the Church’s duty to teach in addition to preach.

First, there is no healthy New Testament Church that does not faithfully teach God’s Word. And from the verses above, we can see that there is a distinction between preaching, what the Pastor does, and teaching, what the Elders and other such gifted people do.

Second, there are no healthy New Testament Christians who are not taught by those gifted and appointed to teach the Word in the local Church.  A disciple is, after all, a learner.  And disciples of Jesus are to be learners throughout the entire course of their lives if they are to grow toward maturity.

For these reasons, we are committed to a Bible-teaching ministry and to Sunday School.

Perhaps the label ‘Sunday School’ seems a bit outdated, and indeed, it has been abandoned by many local churches altogether.  But I would argue that it remains a very useful and accurate description of what Jesus commanded us to do.

When we participate in Sunday School, we are enrolled in our Lord’s ‘school of discipleship.’  And being what it is, this is no trivial or optional exercise.  It is nothing short of our Savior’s holy commission to us! A true disciple of Jesus is always ‘in school.’  And, as the New Testament makes abundantly clear, the Elders of the Church are divinely commanded to see that all of our Lord’s Word is taught to all of our Lord’s people.

Let me encourage you to come to ‘school,’ or to come back to ‘school.’ Let me encourage you to be taught the Word yourself, and to make sure that the members of your family, from the youngest to the oldest, are also faithful students in the Lord’s school of discipleship. The truth is that Sunday School is not a program.  It is a blessed duty.  And it yields eternal dividends!