Last week we had a Khmer holiday. Because of this, half of our students were away at province. We decided for this week to do a combined class of elementary and youth, and then have the afternoon off. Because we had been doing different Bible studies for these two groups (the youth are going verse by verse through Mark and the Elementary are going through the whole Bible as a story overview), we decided to do a topical study for this week on God's commandments. We have been doing a back to the basics focus on Tuesday night small group (using the verses from the Navigator's Topical Memory Verse System and teaching our way through them), and we just finished John 14:22 and Romans 12:1. Both these verses speak on being obedient to God. We focused on the first verse (John 14:22), and spent five days on it. Here is how our days worked out:
Day 1: Why does God have commandments?
We discussed the purpose of God's laws. I started by talking about why I have rules in our classroom. I asked, "Why do we raise our hands to speak?" and the kids came up with great answers. I had them all tell me their favorite colors at the same time, and then asked Varee if she could tell me what Linda said... no. Of course, because they both spoke at the same time. We have the rules for a purpose so that everyone feels heard and so that we can show respect to one another. I also asked why we had the rule of not going to the internet cafe, and they all know that it is for their protection. That is why God has laws and commandments, so that we know how to live in unity with each other and so that we can stay away from those things that bring us harm.
Day 2: What does it mean to love God?
On this day we discussed what it means to love God. Jesus said that if we loved Him then we would obey Him. This seems obvious to me, because for me to say that I love my mom but then to be rebellious is to speak with my words love and speak hate with my actions. So that is what we talked about: loving God with our actions and obedience. To love God is more than to just simply have good feelings towards God. To love God is to follow Him and do what He says, and not out of some robotic response, but out of trust in Him as our Father. He knows what is best for us, and we trust that He does what He says, and does everything in our best interest, and that is why we obey Him.
Day 3: How do we obey God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of Jesus' work on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin, and the necessity of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and leading us in holiness. I gave the analogy of being locked in prison. You can not get your chains off or escape by yourself, and you aren't even really sure you want to. Jesus comes and opens the door to your cell and unlocks your chains. You are free to leave, but you still have to make the choice to leave. When you decide to leave, you find that you are completely lost in the prison. There are so many halls and doors, but the Holy Spirit comes and leads you step by step through it all, until you finally reach the exit. In this picture, Jesus has done the work on the cross so that we are no longer trapped by sin in our life. We are able to leave it behind. The Holy Spirit teaches us to walk according to God's ways, and He will continue to work in our lives showing us sin that needs to be dealt with, until that glorious day we see God face to face, and we will finally be made perfect, but we must continue to walk with Him, listening to His guidance, or else we may stop in another cell and decide to stay, because of the luxuries in that place. We must continue to follow until we finally exit this wretched prison of our own wills and flesh and are given new bodies of immortal glory. Ultimately, the answer to the question is that we can not obey God's commandments on our own. It is only by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus' work on the cross that we are able to obey God.
Day 4: How do we learn/know God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of being in God's word. We believe that God's word is the instructional manual for our lives, and so to learn to have life to the fullest, we need to be studying it daily, and memorizing it. But not only reading God's word, asking Him to reveal to us areas in which we fall short and allowing it to change our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We learn God's commandments by reading His word and also listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in our daily lives. Obedience to God starts with knowing what He expects of us.
Day 5: What happens when we disobey God's Commandments?
I decided to use an analogy on this day that I have used before but, this time, I added something to it. Here is the analogy, and I know that it is not perfect, but I hope that it is helpful:
Pretend that you have just received a brand new toy. It is fantastic. It has movable parts. It lights up and flashes, and walks across the room without you having to touch it. The person who gave you this toy also gave you three rules: 1. Do not touch the button on the back of the toy, because it will shock you. 2. Keep this toy dry. 3. Keep this toy away from small children. So the first thing you do is turn the toy around and push the button on the back, right? I mean come on... "It will shock me"? That just doesn't make any sense. And BUZZ!! You get shocked. The next day, all your friends are going to the pool, and you really wanna go, but you also don't want to leave your new favorite toy behind, so you decide to put it in a plastic bag... that will keep it safe. But inevitably, the bag breaks and the toy is ruined. All the lights stop working. It doesn't move on its own anymore. But at least it still has the cool pieces that come off and on, so you still think it is fun to play with. The next day, you decide to let your little sister play with the toy. She picks up one of the small pieces, eats it, and chokes to death.
So what happens when we disobey God's commandments?
1. We get hurt.
2. We ruin things that God gave to us for our enjoyment.
3. We hurt others.
Why do we disobey God's commandments? Or How do not take God's commandments seriously?
1. Because we do not trust that the consequences are real or that we will face judgement
(Just as Eve believed the lie of the serpent when he told her that she would not surely die).
2. We decide that if we are careful that we can get as close to sinning as possible and still not feel the consequences. We think, "Just one time won't hurt" or "I will be careful" and then everything is ruined and we are trapped in habitual sin.
3. We just simply do not care about others. If something does not effect me, then I do not care if hurts someone else. This is the core of our selfish nature that God is trying to root out of us. The truth is that no sin is contained to just myself. This is why there is evil in the world, and why God allows it (we have the choice to obey or disobey Him--so that we can have genuine love--and when we disobey, our sin hurts others around us).
So that is what we have been studying at School of the Nations. I'm not sure if this is at all interesting for anyone to read, but I hope that it helps all you Bible teachers out there. I appreciate all the prayer for our kids and for myself. It gets difficult sometimes to teach the Bible every single day, but God is good and He is always providing great lessons not just for the kids but also for me. Please continue to pray for us, as we teach. Pray that God would speak through us, and that His word would penetrate the hearts of the kids. Pray that we would not just teach with our lips, but also with our lives. Pray that the kids would not just be hearers of His word, but also doers of it. Thanks in advance for those prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
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