What is the purpose of your Sunday school? Why are people asked to attend a small group meeting throughout the week?  Frankly, why does your entire ministry or church exist?  Think about it.  Sunday School originally started in England to teach literacy to children on Sunday because they worked in the factory Monday through Friday, sometimes through Saturday. So, the name Sunday school took literal meaning. Over time, biblical teaching was added and, eventually, the secular teachings were dropped as Labor laws were created and enforced while public school education became a part of life. Once you understand the roots of a movement, you can see why so much emphasis is placed on “teaching”. Teaching is not a bad thing, but another phase needs to be added to round out the missing piece of discipleship or spiritual formation.  That is—transformation!

When the church’s ultimate goal is to see lives transformed by the power of the resurrected Christ, we must pay attention to what content we are teaching. Is our curriculum biblical?  Is it Christocentric or anthropocentric?  Does it start with what we need to know about God, or how we can help ourselves out of the next hangnail of life?  Message matters.  Even more, the basis of each piece of content matters.  If our focus is merely transferring information, one could argue that it essentially doesn’t matter what content we teach in our classes and groups.  If our focus in transformed lives by Christ, the inerrant word of God must always be our foundation.

If our goal is to pack minds with information, it might be that we never get to the most important question every Church should be asking:  Do you know Jesus personally? Every class and group should be asking this question on a regular basis because it is the avenue where true Christ like transformation takes place.  And, this life doesn’t stop once someone answers the question.  However, it seems we presume that everyone has already answered the “Jesus/Savior” question when in reality, many have not.  If we want others to know about Jesus – we will choose the information path in our ministry.  If we want others to know Jesus personally – we will be all about asking the Do you know Jesus question because we believe in the reality of Jesus’ ability to change lives.

Information transfers facts.  Transformation calls for a decision and direct application. It is high time we do something significant for Jesus with what and who we know.  The fact is we need to rediscover the application phase of life transformation.  Too many times, we have informed and even saved people who turn around only to serve themselves.  People can be like this.  Sunday School classes get stagnate this way.  Churches can too.  A transformed life is to be an eternal relationship lake of active faith that has an inlet and an outlet of grace and truth.

The outcome of transformation is Christ like behavior on a daily basis.  While information will influence a mind, transformation changes a complete life.  Habits are changed by the power of Christ when we emphasize and pray for transformation.  Life has a tendency to carry on as usual when we only disperse data.  Transformation covers lifestyles.  Information covers the facts.

So, what is the reason you do what you do in the Church? Is it information alone?  Believe, lead, teach, and serve in the transforming power of Jesus Christ?

Tags: formation, Jim Dunn, preaching, sunday school, transformation

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