Pastoral Letters

Encouragement – Sunday School

November 11, 2018 Author:Elder Teo Chin Tian
The Adult and Youth Sunday School has completed the study of Gospel of John. We concluded this study with separate Sunday School quiz held separately for both the English and Chinese Sunday School.  The quiz comprises 3 sections: True / False, Fill In The Blanks, and, memorizing a set of 12 memory verses. The memory verses were taken from our church scripture memorisation program.  I trust that everyone has enjoyed the quiz. Congratulations to the winning groups. This is a group effort, so do not be disappointed if your group did not win the first prize. I believe everyone has emerged a winner in your own rights as I trust that you have learnt much from God’s word and become a mature Christian through memorising scripture.  Each participant will receive a prize.

The Sunday School is a vital ministry of our church. It is during the Sunday School that we do Bible study in a systematic manner. The issue today is not about availability or versions of the Bible. The issue today is about reading and correctly interpreting the bible.

Hence, our Sunday School strives to inculcate the skills on bible interpretation. It is critical that we interpret the Bible correctly. It is with correct interpretation that we can know accurately and precisely what God says in His word. Without this, we will perish for all eternity in hell without knowing the truth about important theology, for example, salvation. Without accuracy in understanding God’s Word, it will stifle growth, deprive us of real joy and peace or knowing our Creator God.

The Bible is very clear. It is either true or false, light or darkness, and, life or death. There is no grey area when it comes to God’s Word. Knowing the truth will lead to us eternal life and walking in the light. On the contrary, believing a lie will lead to death and walking in darkness.

Let us be mindful of what God says in Hebrews 4:12 – “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The other aspect of studying God’s word is correct application. It is futile if we cannot apply God’s word to our lives. The Sunday School is structured such that you will know the word of God accurately through correct Bible interpretation. It is essential that you can confidently act on God’s Word in your life after having accurately interpreted and understood God’s Word.

In Sunday School, you would have learned about interpretation and application (IA) of God’s infallible Word. Understanding God’s Word is critical to our salvation, understanding our Creator God and living an abundant Christian life.

I strongly urge you to set aside time to attend the Sunday School. Let us hone the skills of Bible interpretation and adopt practical ways on how we can apply God’s Word to our life. There is much to learn from each other on how we can apply God’s Word in our daily life, our work and our interaction with colleagues, friends, family and the world.

Next year, we will study the Book of Hosea. God’s Word is timeless. While it applied to the past, it continues to be relevant in the present and even in the future. Make it your year-end resolution to come for Sunday School next year. Be a diligent student of God’s Word and reap the life-long benefit of keeping close to our Almighty Creator God and our Heavenly Father.