When is the last time you took some real Sabbath type rest? Personally, this past year has been busier and more challenging than ever and I haven’t been taking as much Sabbath type rest as I need. Join me this weekend and rest in God. Here are some social media challenges from this week to give you some things to consider.
Monday: Much of the country has cold weather this week and some of you may even be snowed in. It’s a great time to catch up on our ministry blog posts, read one of our ebooks or spend extra time in scripture and prayer.
Tuesday: You see this at street crossings in countries that drive on the left side of the road. It reminds those from other countries to be watchful of oncoming traffic. Do your Bible students know how to be watchful in life? Watchful for Satan’s tricks? Watchful for opportunities God gives them to serve others and share their faith? Watchful for times to pray and read and reflect on scripture? Watchful for chances to worship God? Watchful to see God at work in their lives, guiding their steps? Teach your students how to be watchful.
Wednesday:Becoming a missionary is looked down upon in some circles today, merely because some missionaries in the past stepped outside of their mission and meddled in areas that were not their concern. That doesn’t mean that God has changed His command for us to go throughout the world preaching and teaching the Gospel. There isn’t one country in this world, including the U.S., who couldn’t use more help in carrying out the Great Comission. The secret is teaching young people how to be empathetic rather than sympathetic. To teach them to be humble. To learn about and from the people they are teaching. To only interfere with local customs when they disobey God. To not insist new Christians in other places sing the favorite songs of the missionary, but create and sing their own hymns and songs. Spending time teaching your Bible students how to learn about and appreciate other cultures…finding the similarities as well as the differences is part of raising up more missionaries – here and abroad. Universal Yums is one company that provides snack foods from around the world. Each monthly box also has interesting information about the culture and the accomplishments of people in that country. (We get nothing for mentioning them. You may find other similar vendors or purchase single items from certain stores.). Spending time to teach young people better missionary habits will make them more effective whether they are sharing the Gospel with their childhood neighbor or in a country on the other side of the world.
Thursday: Man has attempted for thousands of years to control water. Yet water often rebels against those attempts and does what it wants. Did you know your Bible students may be tempted to rebel against God and His commands? Rebellion is easier if they don’t have a close relationship with God. Helping them truly understand who God is and encouraging their efforts in spiritual disciplines like Bible study and prayer can help them be so close to God that rebellion is unthinkable.
Friday: Have Bible students who are interested in baptism, but you or their parents aren’t sure where to start? Try our free baptism study with leaders guide. http://teachonereachone.org/baptism-study/