Francis Chan's new book, Forgotten God, is available for free in the month of June 2010 at Christianaudio.com . Each month Christianaudio.com releases another free book online, don't miss out!
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - #2 - The Holy Spirit's Work
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - #2 - The Holy Spirit's Work from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13 "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." 1 Peter 1:2 “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”
Quote - Corrie Ten Boom
"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." Corrie Ten Boom
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) - Teacher Tips #1 - Preparing
Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) Teacher Tips - #1 - Preparing from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season”
Quote - Charles S. Robinson
"Success is the world's criterion of merit; fidelity is God's." Charles S. Robinson
Studying Millenials - Spiritual Beliefs & Practices
Lifeway Research has published data from it's study of millennial (born 1980 thru 1991: currently 19-30 years old) that show their spiritual beliefs.
Summary: "Two-thirds of American 'Millennials' – those born between 1980 and 1991 – call themselves Christian, but far fewer pray or read the Bible daily, attend weekly worship services, or hold to historical positions on the Bible and its teachings"
Practices:
- 31% pray by themselves at least once a day
- 20% never pray
- 8% pray with others on a daily basis
- 65% rarely or never pray with other people.
- 67% say they rarely or never do read "sacred texts"
- 8% read the Bible or other sacred texts on a daily basis
- 21% percent do so at least once a week
- 25% attend religious worship services once a week or more
- 66% rarely or never visit a church, synagogue, mosque or temple
- 20% meet with others at least monthly in a small group to study the Bible or other sacred texts, but 80 percent rarely or never do so
Beliefs:
- 65% identify themselves as Christian
- 14% say they are atheist or agnostic
- 14% list no religious preference
- 8% claim other religions
- 53% disagree (strongly or somewhat) that the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all it teaches
- 46% agree strongly & 26% agree somewhat that God is a real being, not just a concept. 28% disagree somewhat or strongly
- 40% agree strongly or somewhat that the devil, or Satan, is not a real being but is just a symbol of evil
- 50% agree strongly or somewhat that "when he lived on earth, Jesus Christ was human and committed sins, like other people." Only 30% strongly disagree.
- 31% agree strongly that Jesus is the only path to heaven.
- 70% believe heaven in a real place; 60% believe hell is a real place.
- 25% believe they will go to heaven after they die, because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior
- 16% believe they will go to heaven after they die because they have tried their best to be a good person and live a good life
- 4% believe they will go to heaven after they die because "God loves all people and will not let any of them perish."
Quote - William Booth
"God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the impossible." William Booth
Studying Millenials - Priorities of Life
Lifeway Research just summarized a study of Millenials (those born between 1980 & 1991: currently 19 to 30 years old) that shows what is most important in their lives.
The findings... (permitted to list more than one priority)
- 61% place family at the top of their priority lists
- 25 % Friends
- 17% Education
- 16% Careers/jobs
- 13% Spouses/partners
- 13% Spirituality/religion
- 12% Finances
- 12% Happiness
- 11% Raising kids
- 10% Health
- 9% Activities
- 9% Well-being
- 5% The future
- 5% Nature/pets
- 4% Use of time
Some concerning aspects of this study:
- "two-thirds of those who indicate they trust Christ as Savior mention nothing about faith, religion or spirituality when asked to name what’s really important in their lives"
- “For many Millennials, Christianity is a family heirloom rather than a faith commitment. The Christian faith in America is being passed to a generation that is slow to embrace a relationship with Jesus Christ and even slower to treasure it.” - Thom Rainer
Family, friends, education, jobs, health, marriage, children, etc. are all good things to value. Unfortunately, when those areas of our life take priority over Jesus, they become god-things: idols.
Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me."
May we be a generation that treasures Christ above all else.
Weekly Video Idea - To Be or Not To Be
Got an idea today while talking to some Ministers of Education/Discipleship Pastors from across Kentucky about how we train and encourage our teachers and leaders. Since we can't meet weekly together, I thought maybe I could send out a short (1-2 minute) video via email and my blog. In these videos I'd share some short Scripture, ideas, resources, and encouragement as you prepare for your Sunday lesson. Please let me know if this is something you'd actually use and appreciate!
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - Intro from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
"remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" James 5:20
Quote - Charles Spurgeon
"I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never had chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love." -Charles Spurgeon
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