Sunday School Sharing Jesus

In a previous post entitled, Questions about Making Disciples Through Sunday School, I asked twenty questions about how Sunday School can help the church carry out the command of the Great Commission: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). One of the questions I asked there was this one:

How can Sunday School be more intentional about sharing Jesus (leading them to place their faith in Him)?

In a blog post from 2007 entitled Ways Sunday School Can Help Increase Baptisms, I listed seventeen ideas. The focus there was more on baptism, but the ideas are still helpful. How can Sunday School share Jesus in class and between classes? Consider these ideas:

1. Expect lost people to attend. Expect them to accept Jesus.
2. Teach the Bible. God in His Word has the power to change lives.
3. Teach Jesus. Old and New Testament passages point toward Him. Make every lesson evangelistic.
4. Follow Jesus’ example in all things, including teaching methodology. He told stories, used objects, asked questions.
5. Lead attenders to take time to write and practice sharing brief Sunday School testimonies and evangelistic testimonies during class. Ask someone to share with the group once each month.
6. Allow time in every group session for application of the lesson/truth, including the need for forgiveness and Jesus as Savior and Lord.
7. Ask attenders to pray for lost people by name. Pray as a class regularly for lost people. Have people praying for decisions to be made during Sunday School.
8. Regularly invite lost people to class fellowships and Bible study sessions.
9. Encourage attenders to invest in caring, long-term relationships with lost friends and acquaintances.
10. Lead the class to conduct regular outreach, ministry, service, and mission projects which show the love of Jesus by word and deed.
11. Challenge attenders to invite lost people into their homes, meals, and life activities to build relationships and share Jesus naturally.
12. Be sensitive and available to lost people at all times, especially during times of stress and crisis: divorce, death of loved one, job loss, moving, birth, etc.
13. Invite and offer to pick up lost friends to bring them with you to class and class activities. This can reduce anxiety about where to go and give conversation time before and after.
14. Ask attenders to buy a Bible or Bible study book to invite lost friends to study together with you in homes, at a restaurant, or at work.
15. Periodically, have the class study in a member’s home to invite friends and people from the community. Choose a study that is about Jesus.

There must be scores more ideas that I have not listed. What would you add? What has your class or Sunday School done that has resulted in people responding to Jesus? How can we become even more intentional about sharing Jesus? We cannot carry out the Great Commission by only teaching. We also need to lead people to faith in the Lord Jesus in order to make disciples of all nations. Revolutionary Sunday School does this well. Pray. Invite. Care. Share. Expect responses. Be revolutionary!