Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit, the "Spirit of truth," would lead believers into a knowledge of the truth, and that the truth applied would change them. As a Sunday School leader you are in a unique position to experience the work of the Holy Spirit on a weekly basis. Are you interested in having more power in your Sunday School? Here are five goals you can establish that will allow you to participate in the work of the Holy Spirit in your Sunday School.
Recruit leaders who will participate in training. When Jesus was teaching His disciples about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he said, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever." (John 14:16). The purpose of Sunday School is to tell people the truth about God - both who He is and how to know Him personally.
Develop teachers who understand the importance of preparation. As Jesus continued to instruct the disciples about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He said, "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13). In other words, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to take the Word of God, which reveals the person and work of Christ, and communicate it to both saved and lost alike through thoroughly prepared, Spirit-directed leaders.
Commentaries, Bible dictionaries, Bible handbooks, Hebrew and Greek word studies, Bible study courses, and quarterlies all provide invaluable research information about historical data, word meanings, and the overall context of a passage. They are tools designed to help in the preparation stage of a lesson. Once prepared, Sunday School leaders must make the Bible the center of attention in all Sunday School classes.
Develop effective personal evangelism. Every Sunday School leader must have the ability to share the gospel with someone who is lost. When Jesus taught His disciples about the role of the Holy Spirit, He said, "When the Counselor comes,... He will testify about Me. You also will testify..." (John 15:26-27). Notice, the Holy Spirit bears witness to the saving ability of Jesus Christ: as His disciples and those entrusted with teaching others, Sunday School leaders are to bear witness to Him also. Sunday School leaders must always be looking for ways to communicate the gospel of Christ.
Regularly call believers to personal repentance and renewal. The role of the Holy Spirit is not only to convict the nonbeliever of sin and a need for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ but also to convict believers of sin and the need for personal renewal by allowing the righteousness of Christ to be active in their lives. The Holy Spirit is interested in calling believers to personal holiness. To facilitate this, every class session should incorporate some time, generally at the end, for personal reflection in response to biblical truth.
Consistently apply biblical truth in practical ways. In fact, successful Bible study, which includes both an emphasis on evangelism and personal spiritual renewal, is the result of the conscious application of God's word to the people who attend Sunday School. Four times in John's gospel, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our "Helper" (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). One of His key roles as our Helper is to equip Sunday School leaders to communicate truth in a way that impacts the lives of people and causes them to become more like Christ. When the Holy Spirit is at work, there is life change taking place in God's people. The people who attend Sunday School need to know how the Bible applies to their daily lives.