People Get Ready, There’s a Change Coming

The stated purpose of children’s ministries at Berachah Bible Church is “to assist parents in stirring the hearts of their children through the truth of God’s Word, to fear the Lord our God and to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.” From AWANA to children’s choir to Sunday school, this is what gives us direction in all our diligent labors.

As we are always reevaluating how best to work towards that purpose, at times there is change that needs to take place to do this more effectively. One such adjustment will take place in a few weeks regarding the children’s Sunday school curriculum. Beginning Sunday, September 16, the teaching materials used for K-6th grade will be updated to better reflect the priorities and needs of Berachah Bible Church. For the 1st through 6th grade classes, we will begin using the the Generations of Grace curriculum. For the 4-5 year-old class, we will begin using Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Preschoolers Can Know God series. More information on each of these curricula can be found at www.generationsofgrace.com and www.cefonline.com.

What are the benefits of using the Generations of Grace (GOG) curriculum?
1) God-Centered Focus. This was, in my mind, the greatest strength of the curriculum we have been using over the past several years. Our new material will maintain that distinct God-centeredness. We long to see our children develop a big view of our big God. We don’t teach Sunday school to “make good little boys and girls.” We want the children of Berachah to become enamored with our great and glorious God and then let their behavior be affected by a heart-level relationship with Him.
2) Scope and Sequence. The material for the 1st-6th grade classes will run on three-year cycles. During each cycle, the children will work through the whole counsel of God, giving special attention to the historical books of the Old Testament, the life of Christ, and the books of Acts and Revelation. Between 1st and 6th grade, each child will have studied through the entire Bible two times.
3) Continuity. One of the most exciting aspects of this curriculum is the fact that each grade level will be studying the same passage each week at an age appropriate level. This means that families with multiple children in these grades can discuss ONE lesson with their children each week rather than three or four. This provides greater opportunities for family discipleship to flow out of what the children are learning at Sunday school.
4) Teacher Helps. Sunday school teaching is not easy. It requires diligent work in studying and applying the Bible. We want our teachers to labor hard in handling the Scriptures. However, we also realize that every teacher is not gifted equally. Some need more helps than others in the “presentation” of the Bible lesson. The GOG curriculum provides numerous creative aids (illustrations, questions, skits, songs, activities, crafts, etc.) to assist teachers in communicating God’s Word to children. The GOG website also has a discussion board in which Sunday school teachers from around the world can exchange ideas on teaching truths in age-appropriate ways to children.
5) Cost. The new material is purchased exclusively in electronic format. We can save money this way by printing only what we need. No more costly student workbooks to purchase for the children. The digital format will also be a tremendous help to teachers and substitute teachers. For example, if a teacher gets sick on Saturday afternoon, it will now be easier to get the lesson material to a sub. Rather than having to drive and meet half-way between houses, the lesson can be e-mailed to the sub and printed out in their home.

As was mentioned, the GOG material will be used for the 1st-6th grade classes. For the Kindergarten class (4’s and 5’s), we wanted these younger children to study around certain themes in Scripture (creation, God’s sovereignty, the miracles of Christ, etc.). We desire that they grasp a handful of important truths about God during these formative years rather than focusing on the chronological sequence of the Bible. The CEF curriculum should serve us well in seeing this accomplished.

If you have considered being involved in teaching or helping in children’s Sunday school, now is the time. This is an exciting day for us as we better position ourselves to accomplish the purpose before us. Whatever your gifts or abilities are (teaching, music, organization, helping, etc.), we can find a place for you to serve in this vital ministry. Contact Kent Gardner if you would like information on opportunities that are available for you to serve in children’s Sunday school.

Please pray for our current teachers and helpers as they make adjustments during the implementation of these new curricula. Pray for the parents of Berachah’s children as they labor in the home to see Christ formed in the hearts of their little ones. And pray for the children—that God would arrest their hearts with His grace at a young age and that He would mature them “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

Justin Culbertson
Berachah Bible Church

The Mind in the Mirror

Do you know who you are? No, this is not a question about whether you have dementia or not. This question is how aware are you of the kind of person you are? Do you talk too much? Do you talk too little? Are you too critical at times? Are you cheerful or gloomy in disposition? Are you comfortable or uncomfortable around people? Are you self-disciplined? Do you appear to be a know-it-all to others? Is it difficult to hurt your feelings? Have you admired yourself in the mirror more than a few times? Do you avoid making decisions? Are you disorganized? Do you tend to procrastinate? Have you been wrong and wouldn’t admit it? There are many other questions that could be useful. The purpose of this push toward self-analysis is not to fan the flames of self-centered introspection. We need to ask hard questions of ourselves as a part of a biblical self-judgment. The apostle Paul said “if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged” (1 Cor.11:31). The context of this statement is prevention of divine discipline, and the point of the passage is the necessity of distinguishing between what we are and what we ought to be. So here we are back to the basic question. Do you know what you are? What do you see when you look at your mind in the mirror? Are you thinking right about life, relationships, responsibilities, yourself?

In order to experience a transformation of life into the image of Christ, we must see ourselves in the mirror of reality. When we were conceived, a fashioning process began while in the womb (Psa. 139:15). Our physical, emotional, and mental traits were shaped by God’s sovereign hand through the instrumentation of family genetics. When we were born and began to develop our environment played a role in shaping us. This interplay between nature (genetics) and nurture (upbringing) has long been debated. But the fact remains that because of our inherited sinful nature we will choose certain self-centered paths. Some sins will appeal to us more than others. At the same time we observe those who have found ways of disobeying God’s law and we emulate them. Sin dwells in us all and we become skilled at practicing it. This can happen because we think of ourselves more than God or other people. Sin-darkened understanding guides our steps in a life of unbelief. We develop a self-concept (what I think about myself) that needs supernatural transformation.

When a person becomes a new creature in Christ there are immediate and significant changes that take place. The tyranny of our old sinful nature is broken. It doesn’t have the same ruling power that it did before we were born again. But sin still indwells the believer (Rom. 7:17). It is indeed an unwanted guest, but a guest nevertheless. We have an inclination to want our own way and to practice the very evil that we do not wish to practice (Rom. 7:19). We have formed sinful habits. Our minds will still want to take us off in directions away from God’s law. All this means that we have grace-work to do. We can’t change without God’s help. That is grace. Sin and self-centered living have to be fought. That is hard work. One of the first orders of business in the Christian life is to establish, develop, and maintain a biblically-balanced self-concept. A wise teacher helped me with this many years ago. Allow me to restate some of what he taught me.

The first truth is that I must see myself as a significant person. We were created in the image of God (Gen. 1-2; Psa. 8). There is importance to my life. This is not pride. Pride is that outlook that seeks to dispose of God and create self-importance by my own standards. What do other people do, or not do, that makes me feel unimportant? What do other people do that makes me feel important? There is biblical work to be done to develop and maintain a biblical balance with regard to my being important in God’s sight.

The second truth is my individuality. I am a unique person (Isa. 45:9-10; Psa. 139:13-16; 1 Cor. 7:7). God has sovereignly endowed me with a certain personality and a set of natural gifts. What I look like, what I can do and not do have all been determined by God. We should thank God for our abilities and accept our limitations. Sadly, some live their entire lives ticked at God because they are not taller, shorter, smarter, prettier, more handsome, more athletic, or just about anything one is not and others are. This is not the way to live. Have you been able to identify some of your sovereignly endowed areas of strength (gifts and talents)? Are you aware of some of your obvious, sovereignly endowed areas of limitation (non-strengths)?

The third truth is my sinfulness. I am a sinful person. I sin and have sinned (Rom. 3:23; 1 Jn. 1:1-10). Even as Christians we are not perfect. We choose to do the wrong things. We have weaknesses, make mistakes, and fail to do the right thing. Sin has touched every facet of our being, our thoughts, our deeds, attitudes and actions. Have you accepted this fact? As believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the penalty of sin. We do not have to live under its power and one day we will be free from its very presence. Do you tend to be a perfectionist (e.g. “I can’t be happy until the house is absolutely clean”)? How does this square with the fact that we can’t do everything exactly right? What are some of the side effects that occur as a result of my perfectionism?

The fourth truth is my immaturity. I am a person who can and needs to grow in Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18). Every believer ought to be experiencing change in his life. My wise teacher said, “It is not always wrong to be immature, but it is always wrong to remain immature.” This reminds us that it is possible to be mature in some areas and immature in other areas of our lives. Can you identify areas in your life where you have made progress? Are you more patient than you used to be? Are you more discerning, more self-disciplined, more caring? Remember, the growth process involves time, plus truth, plus obedience (Heb. 5:14). In what areas of life and ministry do you tend to be immature? Are you willing to ask this of someone who knows you well? Husbands, ask your wife if you love her as Christ loved the church. Wives, ask your husband if you are showing respect for him.

The fifth truth is my independence. I am a person who needs to function on my own (Gal. 6:4; Matt. 7:5; 2 Cor. 13:5). We cannot expect other people to make decisions for us. God holds us responsible for making biblically informed, wise decisions, so that we can stand on our own two feet spiritually. Am I expecting others to do for me what I should be doing for myself? Am I guilty of doing things that can make other people dependent on me? Why do I do this? Do I have a tendency to be indecisive and procrastinating? What am I doing about this? Jesus spent much of His earthly ministry preparing and equipping His disciples to be able to function without His physical presence. How am I practicing this in the lives of those for whom I have responsibility?

The sixth truth is interdependence. I am a person who needs others (1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 10:24-25). God has spiritually gifted us so that we can contribute to the spiritual growth of others. Do you acknowledge the necessity of full participation in the life of your church? Can you identify an area of expertise (gift or talent) which someone else in your family or church possesses which you do not and seek to encourage them? Have you been a team player throughout your life or have you tended to be a loner? In what areas are you dependent on others? In what areas are others dependent on you? It is God’s desire that we function together harmoniously in our homes and churches.

These sixth truths, when practiced, will enable us to see ourselves in the mirror of biblical realism. I am thankful for my teacher, Dr. Grant Howard who is now in heaven, for his wise words. It would be beneficial if you answered the questions in each area. Self-awareness, when it is stimulated and informed by biblical truth, is vital to a Christ-exalting walk of faith. A mind that is being renewed by God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit is a mind that knows how to think about oneself.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church