My friend, Bob Mayfield, is a great thinker, strategist, and writer. He is the Sunday School/Adult Discipleship Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Bob has recently written a 44-page book entitled, Missional Pivot Points: Gaining Leverage for Meaningful Change. You can find a PowerPoint presentation of the material HERE. To order a copy of the book for $2.00, contact Bob at 405.942.3000 extension 4656.
Anyway, I have recently been struggling with similar issues that he tackles in the book. In fact, I had planned to write today about brokenness and obedience being crucial to Sunday School. But Bob has said it so well that I wanted simply to share one paragraph from page 5:
We could write a new formula for church growth: Surrender + transformation = fulfillment. It is biblical and it is true. Surrender is what we do. It is an act of humility and brokenness. Transformation is what God does. We cannot transform the human heart; that is God’s work. Fulfillment is the culmination of our surrender and God’s transformation. This formula is true of an individual believer, a small group Bible study, a church, and even a denomination. If we really want to show that Jesus Christ offers the people around us fulfillment in this life and life to come, then we must surrender our preferences. The results will be transformed lives, small groups, churches, denominations, and ultimately…a transformed world.
God will never be able to use us as teachers, directors, pastors/staff, or members until we surrender. There is no such thing as partial surrender. That is one of our problems today. We are only willing to commit some of our money, time, and commitment. Christ hates lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). We cannot build a house on the sand. We cannot serve God and money (Luke 16:13). You get the idea.
Each of us needs transformation, and surrender is the choice/action we take in order to allow God to transform us. When we are transformed, then God can grow us and use us as He intends. As a result, we are fulfilled and fulfilling to His Kingdom purposes.
What if Sunday School leaders really surrendered? What if that surrender led to completely transformed lives? What might happen in our lives, classes, churches, and world? That is what revolutionary Sunday School is about. What do you need to do to surrender today? Allow Him to transform your life, class, church, and world. Be revolutionary!
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