Radiant Life Adult Teacher Volume 3

By Radiant Life Resources

Explore the Scriptures for yourself or with a group using these 52 Bible-based lessons. Composed of a full year of Radiant Life adult curriculum lessons, this volume will help you prepare for every session. Designed to be used by Sunday School teachers or small group leaders, this curriculum is also great for individual study. The commentary, thought-provoking questions, and applications will challenge you to seek a Spirit-filled life as you grow in your faith. Third in a 7-volume series that covers the major themes of the Bible, you'll want to collect the entire series as part of your digital library. Unit topics in this volume include:• Early Human History• Christ in the Book of Hebrews• Celebrating Advent• Building Strong Families• Truths from the Tabernacle• The Book of James• How to Study the Bible• Acts of the Apostles, Part 2• The Life and Writings of Solomon• Special lessons for Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost Sunday

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gospel Publishing House
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781607316688

Book preview

coverimage

RADIANT LIFE

ADULT

TEACHER

3

VOLUME

Curriculum for Spirit-filled Living

Radiant Life Adult Teacher Volume 3

September 2022–August 2023

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved.

Radiant Life Adult Teacher Volume 3 is available online via download, at https://digital.myhealthychurch.com/Digital-Items/Radiant-Life/Adult-Teacher.

Accompanying videos and PowerPoint® files are also available at RadiantLifeCurriculum.com/Adult. At this website, scroll down to find the appropriate free video when you see this symbol in the lesson: .

Use the free PowerPoint® files at the appropriate time in the lesson when you see this symbol:

These lessons are based on outlines developed by the Pentecostal-Charismatic Curriculum Commission ©2018. Used by permission.

© 2022 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri 65802. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the copyright owner.

Visit www.MyHealthyChurch.com or call 1-855-642-2011.

Cover images (clockwise from left):

Corinthian-style columns in Caesarea, photo by Jorge Tobar; Overlooking modern-day Bethlehem, photo by Jorge Tobar; Dead Sea scroll, Getty Images;

Wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, Jorge Tobar.

Images used by permission.

Printed in United States of America

Contents

How to Use the Adult Teacher

Lesson Planning Example

Planning the Session Sample Worksheet

Planning the Session Worksheet

Letter to the Adult Sunday School Teacher

Tips for Teachers

Building Community

Give Me This Mountain

Teaching Adults to Love the Bible

Alternative Uses for the Adult Resource Packet

Adult Resource Packet: A Useful Tool for Teachers

Fall 2022

Unit 1: Early Human History

Writer: Paul Zinter

Lesson    1 God Created Everything

Lesson    2 God Made Husband and Wife

Lesson    3 Human Sinfulness Begins

Lesson    4 Human Sinfulness Increases

Lesson    5 God’s Judgment: The Great Flood

Lesson    6 God’s Covenant with Noah

Lesson    7 One Race, Many Nations

Unit 2: Christ in the Book of Hebrews

Writer: James Meredith

Lesson    8 God the Son

Lesson    9 The Matchless Savior

Lesson 10 Our Compassionate High Priest

Lesson 11 The Divine Mediator

Lesson 12 All-Sufficient Sacrifice for Sin

Lesson 13 Author and Finisher of Our Faith

Winter 2022–23

Unit 1: Celebrating Advent

Writer: Richard Schoonover

Lesson    1 The Savior’s Coming Foretold

Lesson    2 The Virgin Conceives

Lesson    3 Our Savior Has Come

Lesson    4 Responding to Christ’s Coming (Christmas)

Unit 2: Building Strong Families

Writer: Richard Bennett

Lesson    5 Make God’s Word Central

Lesson    6 Keep Marriage Sacred

Lesson    7 Principles for the Christian Household

Lesson    8 Protecting the Christian Family

Lesson    9 Value Senior Adulthood

Unit 3: Truths from the Tabernacle

Writer: Louis Smith/Adapted by Staff

Lesson 10 The Courtyard of the Tabernacle

Lesson 11 The Holy Place

Lesson 12 The Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place)

Lesson 13 Sacrifices and Offerings

Spring 2023

Unit 1: The Book of James

Writers: Scott Harrup; Clancy Hayes

Lesson    1 Practicing True Religion

Lesson    2 The True Life of Faith

Lesson    3 True Wisdom

Lesson    4 Warnings against Worldly Attitudes

Lesson    5 Practicing Patience and Prayer

Lesson    6 Death Destroyed (Easter)

Unit 2: How to Study the Bible

Writer: Kari Brodin

Lesson    7 Scripture Fulfills Scripture

Lesson    8 Scripture Interprets Scripture

Lesson    9 Prioritize Personal Time with God

Lesson 10 Memorize and Meditate on God’s Word

Lesson 11 Study Scripture in Community

Lesson 12 God’s Word Cites Outside Sources

Lesson 13 Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Pentecost)

Summer 2023

Unit 1: Acts of the Apostles, Part 2

Writers: Paul Zinter

Lesson    1 Gospel Proclamation to Jews and Gentiles

Lesson    2 Guarding the Gospel

Lesson    3 Suffering for the Gospel

Lesson    4 The Gospel Makes a Difference

Lesson    5 Commending Leaders to Gospel Ministry

Lesson    6 Testifying to the Gospel

Lesson    7 Committed to the Gospel

Unit 2: The Life and Writings of Solomon

Writer: James Meredith

Lesson    8 Solomon’s Coronation

Lesson    9 Solomon’s Wisdom

Lesson 10 Building the Temple

Lesson 11 Dedicating the Temple

Lesson 12 Solomon’s Apostasy

Lesson 13 Solomon’s Writings

Index of Study Texts (Volume 3)

How to Use the Adult Teacher

The Adult Teacher is a Bible-centered curriculum, written by Spirit-filled authors with a goal to clearly communicate the teachings of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible is covered in a period of seven years. This cycle presents all major Church doctrines, as well as important topics to help us live as Christians in our world.

Some people misunderstand the role of the Holy Spirit in teaching and using curriculum in study preparation. They ask, How can you follow the Holy Spirit if you are using a curriculum?

The Holy Spirit’s Role in Teaching

God has given teachers to the Church in order to instruct believers and equip them for life and service. The role of the Spirit is to quicken or illuminate what teachers teach and students receive. Without this teaching of the Spirit, all learning is merely head knowledge (see 1 Corinthians 2:10–16, especially verse 14). Teachers cannot give what they have not received. And students cannot learn what they have not studied (2 Timothy 2:15).

Why Use Curriculum?

Using the Adult curriculum in your Sunday School class does not circumvent what the Holy Spirit wants to do. Rather, by using Radiant Life Adult curriculum, you benefit from the work of Spirit-filled writers who have taken the time and effort to study and write a commentary about the passages under examination. You also are able to complete an overview of the entire Bible in seven years!

A good curriculum should:

1. Ensure important information will not be omitted or overemphasized.

2. Weed out false teaching and doctrinal errors.

3. Provide a variety of resources. Remember that the Bible is the teacher’s textbook! The curriculum serves the teacher by offering biblical insights and instructional ideas.

4. Help teachers ask the right questions.

Curriculum and Questions

A study discovered that teachers ask their classes an average of forty-five questions weekly. Of these, one-third are rhetorically directed to students or are class functionality questions (i.e., asking students to distribute materials or discussing class issues). Curriculum materials provided teachers with one-third of the discussion questions asked in class, of which most were asked word-for-word from the curriculum. The other one-third of questions asked weekly were teacher-generated.

Teachers who did not utilize discussion questions from curriculum were five times more likely to be asking lower-level questions (questions asking for simple recall or understanding—no application questions). The study verified that these lower-level questions resulted in much less discussion than those asked at higher levels. Those who utilized curriculum were more likely to ask higher-level questions that required students to think through issues and apply the lesson material to their lives.

How Long Should You Prepare?

When preparing your Sunday School lesson, use the 3 to 1 rule: three minutes of study for each minute of class time. A forty-five-minute class session, then, would call for two hours and fifteen minutes in lesson preparation. Using that amount of time as the minimum to prepare, the following steps offer teachers a mental framework in which to budget time for planning lessons:

1. Skim the lesson (10 minutes).

Become familiar with the contents and direction of the lesson.

2. Pray for guidance (20 minutes).

This is a great time to pray for class members. The Holy Spirit can steer a teacher’s thoughts toward specific students’ needs.

3. Study the commentary (30 minutes).

•Pay close attention to the relationship between the Scriptures and their interpretation in the Bible commentary section.

•Avoid the temptation to recite or read the commentary text in class.

•List the issues raised in the Bible commentary that might meet needs of students.

•Consider the Response to the Word, as well as items from the Adult Resource Packet to provide potential activities.

•Examine how each question relates to the Bible commentary section.

•Focus on elements that seem to leap off the page.

4. Write the lesson objective (15 minutes).

Customize each lesson objective to fit your class. The objective will begin by saying: Students will . . . paired with a verb: believe, discuss, accept, respond with, role play, or write, etc. Each activity should be geared to accomplish the objective.

5. Plan for student response in What Is God Saying to Us? and Ministry in Action (10 minutes).

Use What Is God Saying to Us? and Ministry in Action sections to close the class session in prayer or in a time of personal dedication. (You may need to customize these sections for your students.)

6. Prepare Introducing the Study (10 minutes).

Begin the study with a story or activity that will capture students’ attention.

•Avoid starting with definitions.

•Use case studies, agree-disagree statements, and news items to spark interest.

7. Organize the Bible commentary (10 minutes).

•Use the outline in the Adult Teacher to guide you.

•Allow personal insight to flow from the Bible and lesson materials.

•Decide on two or three main ideas to focus on, then highlight the other topics.

8. List discussion questions (10 minutes).

Carefully select or write two to five questions that will stimulate discussion.

9. Select the presession activity (5 minutes).

Involve students before the class session begins by using an activity to help them interact with the lesson objective while drinking coffee and sharing with their friends.

10. Pray for anointing (10 minutes).

Ask God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to teach the lesson and for students to receive the teaching.

11. Gather needed materials (5 minutes).

Organize and collect all materials you will need to teach this lesson.

Lesson Planning Example

The October 23, 2022, study, God the Son, will serve as the basis for this lesson-planning example. Please take a few minutes to skim this study and its resources. A filled-out sample of the Planning the Session form follows to illustrate study planning. Here is a sample entry from a teacher’s journal:

Sunday, October 16, 4:00 p.m.

I open the Adult Teacher Guide and skim through the table of contents. This unit is titled Christ in the Book of Hebrews. The unit introduction provides insight into what the lessons in the unit are about and helps me think about how these studies could apply to the life of those in my class. Then I read through the entire lesson for next Sunday.

With the general busyness of life, and any unexpected events coming this week, I want to be prepared to teach. Plus, experiences and conversations that happen during the week often relate to the lesson in some way, providing me with ways to help students connect God’s Word to everyday life. As I conclude this overview, I ask the Spirit to prepare my heart to receive His truth and to anoint me to teach my class.

Tuesday, October 18, 6:00 p.m.

I observe the helpful information at the beginning of the lesson: the Study Text and Key Verse are given to me for easy reference. I note the Central Truth, which is: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.

I read through the Learning Objectives to understand where I want students to be by the end of this lesson. I also visit RadiantLifeCurriculum.com/Age-Levels/Adults for the free PowerPoint® slides to accompany this lesson.

I notice this sentence in the introductory paragraph (that starts with Say): The Epistle to the Hebrews is foremost a book about Jesus Christ: who He is, what He has done, and why it is important to fully grasp what the Bible says about what He has done. I highlight it to use in my opening comments. The Say statements help me know how to begin each section without reading the lesson aloud.

I plan to use the Opening Activity, which is a question for the students: "If someone asked you to describe who Jesus Christ is to you personally, what would you say?" I want the students to understand from the very beginning of this lesson that we can personally know Jesus. Using this question will stimulate discussion.

I want to also emphasize the following statement from Introducing the Lesson: This week’s lesson begins an in-depth look at who Jesus Christ is and what He has done on our behalf. I anticipate hearing how my students respond.

I will plan to move to Part 1—A More Excellent Name and highlight this sentence, Hebrews 1:1 opens with the proclamation, ‘God spoke’ (1:1, NLT), a good reminder that Hebrews is filled with references to the activity of God on behalf of and among His people. I want to be sure my students understand this concept.

The Resource Packet item mentioned under Main Point 1 is called Many Times and Many Ways, which will help the students discuss ways in which God speaks to us. I will plan to use this activity in class.

Main Point 2—Lord of Creation is focused on establishing Jesus as greater than creation. I highlight these points in my Teacher’s Guide, so I won’t miss conveying these thoughts:

1. No angel, nor any person or any other created being, was ever singled out and given the status described in Hebrews 1:5–9. Only Jesus would, and could, hold the position described in Hebrews.

2. Hebrews 1:10 continues to contrast the eternal Savior with the temporal world. When the foundations of the world were laid (i.e., the world began), Jesus was already present.

3. Jesus’ divine status is cemented in verse 13, which places Him at the right hand of the Father, unlike angels, who stand before God in His presence (see Luke 1:19; Revelation 8:2).

I also note the text surrounding these three subpoints. And I decide to write out my own answer to the Discuss question which asks: How is your life impacted by recalling that your Savior is eternal? I will use this question in class and challenge my students to perhaps write out their answers after class as well.

I move on to look at Main Point 3—Wondrous Savior. The first subpoint discusses how easy it can be to drift away from truth. I’ll choose the second Discuss question, which asks, Why is attentiveness to the truth of Christ so important? The second subpoint is Don’t Ignore Salvation, underscoring the greatness of salvation through Christ.

A Resource Packet item, Danger Ahead emphasizes what happens when someone drifts from the gospel. I make a note to send that home with my students.

When I get ready to close the session, I want to emphasize this statement from the What Is God Saying to Us? segment: In the face of eternity, Christ provides security. We must not drift away from the gospel, but instead resolve to stand firm in our faith in Christ no matter the temptations or struggles that surround us. I will also plan to challenge my students by using the first point of Ministry in Action to invite students to ask God to help them recognize when friends or loved ones are struggling in the faith, so they might offer encouragement or help. I will close by praying for the students to stay strong in their faith and to recognize when others might be struggling.

Wednesday, October 19, 6:00 p.m.

When I go to church on Wednesday, I will take the Daily Bible Reading work-sheet and the other worksheets with me to make copies to avoid the rush for the copier that often happens on Sunday morning.

Saturday, October 22, 8:00 p.m.

I read over the lesson and my notes again to plant the flow of the lesson firmly in my mind. Then I fill out the Planning the Session worksheet to use as a guide to manage the class time wisely. I pray for those in my class, myself, and all who will be ministering God’s Word on Sunday.

Sunday, October 23, 7:30 a.m.

I scan through the Planning the Session worksheet I filled out during my prep time to refresh my thoughts about the lesson. Then I take a few minutes to pray for the Spirit’s help and anointing, knowing that without His help my efforts are futile.

Dear Teacher,

Thank you for your service to God, your church, and your students. The preparation time and the instructional time you invest will certainly reap eternal rewards. Your task is one that requires a call from God as well as dedication, patience, and creativity.

Many of your students have been studying the Bible for decades, so your task is to present the lessons in ways that will continue to challenge and inspire them to grow in their walk with God. In that same class, you likely have students who are new to the church or have not previously experienced in-depth Bible study. What a wonderful opportunity you have to minister to the body of Christ!

Radiant Life Curriculum is prayerfully designed to help you teach and minister to all of your students in a meaningful way. No perfect formula exists to create lessons that work for every group of people. These materials provide enough variety for you to choose the portions that will be helpful to your class, whether they are seasoned students of the Bible or newcomers to the faith.

The deep biblical truths in each lesson provide the foundation for life application concepts woven into each lesson. The overriding question we use to develop each lesson is: How will this change my life on Tuesday? Your Sunday School class should not be a once-a-week exercise but a life-changing experience that helps your students walk closer to God every day and influence others to come to Him.

If you have not been using the media elements in your class, be sure to take a look at them. Normally, you will find two or three videos during the quarter plus editable PowerPoint® slides for each lesson. These media elements are available on the web at RadiantLifeCurriculum.com/Adult. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find the links for them. Each video is two to four minutes long and offers insights relating to the lesson or unit it accompanies.

We hope and pray you will enjoy teaching the lessons in this volume and that both you and your students gain insights to enhance your own spiritual growth and help you reach those around you.

Dilla Dawson, Managing Editor

Radiant Life Curriculum

Tips for Teachers

Building Community within Your Group

by Julie Horner, Ed.D.

How well do people in your group know each other? While group members may come to learn more from God’s Word, we know from Jesus’ example with His small group that He wants us to share more than answers and insights. Here are some things my group does to build community together:

Share what God is doing. Every time we meet, we begin with an opportunity to share God sightings, moments when God showed up in our lives in a specific way. Sometimes these are blessings. Sometimes people share how God used them. As leader, I share big things and small things to demonstrate that God is active and expects me to live out my faith in others’ lives. Choosing to be vulnerable has made a big impact on group cohesiveness. So I make sure to share if God spoke to me about something, but I didn’t follow through or struggled with my attitude about it. My group knows I’m still growing and letting God stretch me.

Allow for discussion. My goal as a leader is to speak less than 50 percent of the time, and for half of what I say to be asking questions and expanding on what someone else has shared. To get people comfortable talking, almost all the questions I ask don’t have right answers. I’ve also found it helps to give people advance notice to be ready to share if it’s something more significant or personal, so I give a heads up early in the group time about a sharing question that will be coming up. I call on each person to share, but I always give them the option to pass. This also helps me make sure that the same people don’t monopolize the conversation.

Here’s a visual of three types of group discussion: Traditional, leader-centered, and true interactive; I work toward true interactive discussion each time we meet.

In traditional teaching the leader does most of the talking and the group rarely responds:

Discussion that is leader-centered looks like spokes of a wheel. Conversation almost always comes back to the leader. When I have each person share, it can look like this:

Discussion that is true interaction should look like this:

This is my goal—for people to talk with each other, rather than only responding to me. After your group meets, reflect on which of these types of interaction happened. When true community is reached, interactive discussion results.

Evaluate your room layout. Is your meeting space conducive to building community? If you meet in the sanctuary or any room with rows of chairs, interaction between group members will be limited. Try to meet in a space where everyone can face each other. We’ve recently transitioned to small tables within a larger room to accomplish this. Now clusters of people can talk together and then share with the larger group.

Recruit others to build relationships. Relationship takes effort, and God has gifted some people to be really good at connecting. As the leader, you are focused on the teaching content, so think about others who can help relationally.

•Who is always comfortable talking with strangers? Ask them to welcome visitors.

•Who loves to send cards and is good at follow through? Ask them to coordinate sending birthday cards to members.

•Who is comfortable with hospitality? Ask them to host the group.

Your group will have other ideas like this. Those who share suggestions are often those God is calling to grow in their giftings.

Follow up on prayer requests. How often do we ask for prayer requests and then forget to ask for updates? We sometimes forget to keep praying, and we’re embarrassed. Is there someone in your group who follows up on your requests? They’re a great candidate to keep the group informed on prayer needs. Consider starting a group prayer log, online or in a journal, to record how God moves. A couple in my group calls each member monthly to pray with them individually. This has deepened how connected people feel to the group, too.

Connect on social media. Collect people’s phone numbers and start a text thread. Share their phone numbers with group members (with their permission, of course). Find out who’s active on Facebook and set up a group. Invite everyone to share prayer requests, devotional insights, and encouragement with the group. Make sure to share highlights and updates during group time too, to keep those who aren’t tech savvy connected.

Do church projects together—this is a great way to build community. An upcoming youth event needed volunteers, so our group signed up to serve. Our meeting space needed refreshing; we planned a Saturday paint day and tackled it together.

Serve your community. Look for ways your group can meet some of the community’s needs. One person in our group has a passion for homeless people, so we all pitched in to prepare and serve a meal to them. Raking leaves, making simple repairs, and helping people move are other ways to be a blessing together.

Give Me This Mountain: Encouraging Seniors in Ministry

by Darla Knoth

As you teach the Adult Sunday school class or small group in your church, take notice of the senior adults in your group. Are they functioning and active in the ministries of your church? You could be instrumental in helping them stay vigorous in ministry. When your class studies the unit on Building Strong Families this quarter, ask the seniors of your class to consider Caleb in the Old Testament as a model for courageous faithfulness at any age.

In Numbers 13 and 14, Caleb was forty years old when he and Joshua were the only two faith-filled spies who entered Canaan to scout out the land. These two measured the giants they found against God’s strength, not against their own strength. But because the other ten spies did not have faith, the Israelites wandered in the desert forty years. Of the twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb were the only two still living when the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land.

It is fitting, then, that as they arrived in Canaan forty-five years later and divided the land, Caleb remembered the promise God made to him through Moses, But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land (Numbers 14:24, NLT).

Caleb reminded Joshua of this promise, and said, Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country [Now therefore give me this mountain, KJV] that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said (Joshua 14:10–12, NLT).

Remind your students of Caleb, and bring out these points:

Caleb Wholly Followed the Lord

When the other spies, not including Joshua, came back reporting in fear, and made the heart of the people melt (KJV), Caleb remained resolute in his faith. The senior adults you teach can also be resolute, wholly following the Lord in all they do.

Your seniors can lead the way in faithfully studying the Bible, in volunteering for ministries as they are able, in praying for others in the church, and faithfully attending services as they can. Sometimes, their presence will speak loudly to those around them that they are wholly following God.

Caleb’s Descendants Were Blessed by His Dedication to God

As we’ve seen in several biblical examples, when a family patriarch leads well, all of the family is blessed. Encourage the seniors of your group to remember that they are paving the way to a steadfast, blessed life for others to follow. Of course, the free will of the offspring can play a part, but a good example speaks loudly. And even if seniors don’t have biological children, they can be spiritual parents to many.

Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash

Caleb Remained Strong

Caleb was eighty-five years old when he declared, I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then (Joshua 14:11, NLT). Seniors can recognize that their life experiences have contributed to making them strong. As they depend on God, He will assist them.

Caleb’s Courage Did Not Wane

When he is remembering God’s promise, he also remembers that the descendants of Anak are living in the hill country, in great, walled towns. But Caleb recognizes this, But the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said (verse 12).

Caleb could have asked for an easier place, but he was not afraid to continue fighting the strong enemies of the land—the Anakim. He knew they needed to be expelled from the land in order for the Israelites to fully possess it and decided he would be the one to take on that task. Caleb also knew that God would give him victory as He had done before.

What promises has God made to the seniors of your church? You can be instrumental in reminding them of the promises God has made to be with them, to support them and surround them, as they continue working and serving Him. God will reward those who remember His promises and believe that He will do what He said.

Remind your seniors that their families are depending on them to be wholly committed to God and to be faithful in His work. Any successful person has wholly given himself to the field where his or her success lies, whether it be a sport, a business venture, an education degree, or another pursuit. Why can we not be successful in pursuing God? Even if the seniors you lead cannot be strong physically, others can glean much from their strong faith and example.

Courage is not affected by age or physical ability, but by maintaining a strength of spirit and faith. Your seniors can find ways to share their faith, their experiences, and their courage as they remain active in the local church.

Teaching Adults to Love the Bible

by Dilla Dawson

In Psalm 119 (NLT), the Psalmist declares six times, I love your commands [commandments] or, I love your instructions. Then in verse 165, he states, Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble (NLT).

Likely, there are some in your class who do love God’s Word with that kind of intensity, poring over it daily and communing with its Author. Most of those people probably fit into one of two categories: (1) longtime believers who have walked with God for many years or (2) new converts whose eyes have just been opened to the fact that God speaks to His people through His written Word.

Unfortunately, many churchgoers see the Bible as a necessary part of life that they dust off and carry to church on Sunday. Or they use an app on their phones to access information from Scripture much as they would Google answers to occasional questions. If they have personal or family devotions, they may see that time as an obligation rather than a privilege. They may understand the basics of Scripture but feel little emotional attachment to serious study of the Bible.

As the teacher of this diverse group of students, how can you help that middle-ground crowd truly fall in love with God’s Word and with God himself? And how do you keep the new converts from losing the wonder of God’s Word in their life? Perhaps you have tried encouraging them to do the Daily Bible Readings in their student guides or some other Bible reading plan, but they soon lose interest, or the exercise becomes just that—an exercise.

While you have a limited time of influence each week, there are a few things you can do as you interact with your class members. Let’s examine a few of them.

Increase Your Own Love for Scripture

Spend time each day in God’s Word—not just for lesson preparation but for your own spiritual growth. Look for principles you can apply to your life. Cultivate your prayer life by praying for needs around you, especially for the students in your class. Ask God to give you insights into His Word that you can apply in your life and share with your students. As your own relationship with God grows, your effectiveness in the classroom will grow as well.

Share Your Love for the Scriptures

The people in your class are drawn there each week by the Spirit. Let your love for the Scriptures show in your class time. Be transparent and open about the things you are learning from God’s Word. Show them that applying the principles of the Bible to everyday life is a natural way to live.

Look for engaging ways to share the excitement of the Bible in class. The Adult Teacher Guide offers a variety of teaching methods, but be sure your love for Scripture shows in your face and mannerisms as you teach. If you are not excited about the Bible, your students won’t be either. During class, offer opportunities for students to dig into the Scriptures and share their own insights. Use the discussion questions and resource items to prompt them to discover the truths of God’s Word and share them in class. As students become comfortable talking about God in class, they will also be more comfortable sharing Him with unbelievers in the community.

Build Relationships with Your Students

It has been said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Pray for your students and demonstrate God’s love to them by checking on those who are absent, offering to pray for any needs they may have, or organizing help such as delivering meals or coordinating rides to medical appointments as needed. When they observe your love for them and your love for God’s Word, they will follow your example and come to love God’s Word.

Get Everyone Involved

Inspire your class by giving opportunities for class members to share their excitement about what God is doing through His Word in their lives. One Sunday School teacher begins each class period by asking participants to share God sightings from the week. These may be answers to prayer, unexpected blessings, opportunities for witnessing, or any other way they are seeing God at work in their life and the lives of others. Often these sightings are the outgrowth of what the class discovered in the Word during previous classes.

Don’t Be Discouraged

God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). As you prepare for class each week, ask God to let your love for the Scriptures show through your teaching and impact your students. No matter how many times you have taught the same passage of Scripture, your love for God and His Word can stay fresh and exciting. Your students will catch that love from you, apply it to their own lives, and share it with others. A vibrant love for God’s Word will keep your class engaged and grounded in God’s Word through every stage of life.

Small Group/Large Group Learning

by Dilla Dawson

An experienced teacher has learned to adjust his or her methods of teaching according to group size. Group dynamics impact how a teacher can best use discussion questions, worksheets, case studies, or other teaching activities. As the group size increases, some students become increasingly reluctant to participate. Learning to understand how adults act in groups, then adapting your curriculum and teaching style to fit the class size will prove valuable in reaching your students.

How can you adapt curriculum for small groups?

Teachers of smaller groups may notice their adult students speaking to the rest of the class longer and more often. Students may answer individual questions more easily in a smaller class. An informal spontaneity seems to exist in smaller classes where adult students are encouraged to be themselves in their own characteristic ways. And students can feel a sense of camaraderie in completing worksheets or in studying Scripture together. A teacher’s task in a smaller classroom is keeping the class on track to finish the material in the designated amount of time.

How can you adapt curriculum for large groups?

In larger groups, most adult students tend to be passive, enjoying obscurity. Many would rather listen to the teacher than speak out in class. These learners may not appreciate extra activities, because they have little experience sharing their insights. They may consider worksheets or inductive Bible study to be unbeneficial busy work. However, many of the items in the Radiant Life Adult Resource Packet provide opportunities for students to discover concepts as they do the activities rather than having the information fed to them.

The passivity that accompanies individuals in larger groups can also affect discussion. Only the more vocal students will share with the entire class. Over time, the class will consider these contributors as the unofficial designated spokespersons. A teacher will learn to manage these sometimes over-eager students.

Adaptation is more complicated in larger groups, usually because large adult classes often meet in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, or another large room. When using the sanctuary, encourage students to sit together in one section. If the space is large enough that students cannot hear each other, then provide a microphone in each aisle or assign someone to walk around to hand the microphone to the next speaker.

When class size exceeds twenty to twenty-five learners, a teacher must intentionally include new voices by calling on individuals to answer specific questions or by dividing the larger class into small groups who then designate one small group member to report back to the full class.

Forming groups in a sanctuary filled with pews can be awkward; ask two or three adults in the same row to share together. Two students can also turn around to discuss an item with two to three adults sitting behind them. Provide clipboards to students when you use worksheets or other curriculum materials that require note-taking.

Round tables make the best classroom setup, even in a fellowship hall or gymnasium. Recruit a host or hostess for each table to function as a group facilitator. If possible, provide facilitators with the discussion questions, worksheets, or other materials a few days early. The amount of group time allotted may vary from week to week, from a few minutes to one-fourth or even one-half of class time. When possible, provide a schedule for facilitators to help them prepare.

Reading Scripture in a large group can be intimidating for some adults. When you need to have passages of Scripture read aloud, ask for volunteers. Perhaps you could ask for those willing to read aloud to raise their hands, then keep a list of those individuals in your notebook or Bible for future reference.

In large or small groups, adult learners may choose not to write down their responses to worksheets; verbal responses work better for some people. If adult members are reluctant to complete worksheets or other curriculum materials during class time, then distribute them to be completed at home. Some of the items in your Adult Resource Packet are designed for further study at home. Sending the handouts to absentees (by email or postal service) will help them feel a sense of belonging even when they are not able to attend.

Encourage your students to use their Radiant Life Adult Student Guide as they prepare for each week’s lesson. They will find the opening activity in each week’s lesson so they can plan ahead to share with the class during this warm-up time. This activity is designed for broad participation, even if the students do not have a lengthy church background or strong biblical knowledge. Some of the discussion questions also appear in the Student Guide so students can be prepared to enter into the discussion.

Radiant Life Adult curriculum offers a variety of methods and resources for adult learners. Not all of the activities will benefit every group, but they are designed to help students grow in their faith, regardless of the size of the group or the background of the individuals. Experiment to discover what teaching methods work best for your class. Then return to those methods frequently, teaching your students to be participatory learners.

Early Human History

Philosophers and scientists of every sort have written volumes in an attempt to explain the origin of the universe and the people who inhabit it. However, the Bible is clear and unwavering in its description of the origin of the world and humanity. It is no less clear in its description of humanity’s failure to obey God and God’s plan to redeem fallen humans because of His deep love for those He made in His own image.

This unit examines the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Those chapters show God’s plan for humanity and His promise of redemption when the first humans yielded to temptation and disobeyed the one prohibition He had given them.

The first lesson covers God’s creative work, including heaven and earth and living creatures, culminating with humanity made in His image. Lesson 2 explores Adam’s need for woman and God’s provision for that need as well as His plan for the man and woman to be joined together in the beautiful institution of marriage.

In lesson 3 we will discover the entry of sin into the very good world God had created and the punishment He enacted for that sin. But all is not lost, because we also see the hope God provided in His promise of a Redeemer. Unfortunately, humanity was unwilling and unable to achieve the level of holiness required for a relationship with God and continued to grow more sinful as the generations passed. Lesson 4 focuses on God’s plan for destroying those who sinned and saving a righteous man and his family to repopulate the earth. In lesson 5, that plan is carried out, and Noah emerges from the ark to become the ancestor of all the earth.

But Noah was not left alone. In lesson 6, we examine God’s covenant with Noah and the blessings promised to him. Lesson 7 concludes the unit with a study of the many nations who descended from Noah. All of these nations were valuable to God and included in His ultimate plan to provide a Redeemer through the line of Abraham, a descendant of Noah through his son, Shem.

We can be confident that God had a plan for us from the beginning of time. His plan will not fail, even in the face of the evil in the world around us.

Study Text

Genesis 1:1 through 2:3

Central Truth

Everyone and everything have been created by God.

Key Verse Genesis 1:31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good (KJV).

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good (NLT)!

Learning Objectives

•Students will be able to describe how God created the world and all living things, culminating with human beings in His own image.

•Students will be inspired to praise God for His power to create and sustain life.

•Students will be challenged to devote themselves to the God who has given them life and everything else.

Introducing the Study

Say: Everything—but God—has a beginning. The Book of Genesis takes us back to the beginning when there was nothing but God, and tells us how He made the universe, planet earth, and all life. God’s creative work reached a crescendo when He made human beings, who reflect His own image and likeness in this world. (Play the video available at RadiantLifeCurriculum.com/Adult.)

Opening Activity—Something Big

Ask: What does it feel like to plan something really big—a family event, a major project at work, or even building a new home? Can you stay calm and focused, or do you come unraveled over the details? Student responses will vary. Note that it’s natural to get nervous when faced with creating something big, but preparing yourself for the task, through study, enlisting the help of others, and turning to God in prayer makes the task easier.

Say: God’s boundless ability to create and maintain the world is clear to everyone with the eyes of faith. The wonders of the natural world—from mountains to oceans to forests and plains—and every creature that lives on earth, display the God who spoke them into being. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

In an orderly process covering six days, God created the heavens and the earth and all there is, including the human race. He was satisfied with the goodness of His creation, but He was not satisfied to keep it to himself. God made people in His own image to care for His creation, to build lives and families together, and most importantly, to enjoy walking with Him in a daily relationship.

Say: Before there was anything else, God existed—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Genesis takes us back to the beginning of the material world, revealing to us the power, authority, and creativity of the God who started it all. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

The first verse of the Bible is also one of the most familiar: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1, NLT). The Bible speaks of God’s existence as an undeniable fact, never questioned nor argued. Further, there is only one God, not the collection found in non-Christian religions (see Isaiah 45:5–6). When God created the world, no other god was found to compete nor to challenge Him.

God is eternal, without beginning or ending (Psalm 90:2). Therefore, the beginning in Genesis 1:1 refers to the moment God chose to create the material world. He existed prior to all things and is greater than all things. And He is not synonymous with His creation, contrary to the false doctrine of pantheism.

Rather than making all things complete at once, God created in stages. His first action brought forth the earth as formless and empty (verse 2, NLT). Some divide the six following days of God’s creative work in this way: Days one through three are days of forming the earth that was yet formless; days four through six are days of filling the earth that was newly formed, but yet empty.

The first biblical mention of the Holy Spirit appears in verse 2. While the Spirit’s person and work are explained more fully in the New Testament, the beginnings of the doctrine of the Spirit are present in the story of creation. Here, the Holy Spirit is pictured like a bird hovering or fluttering over the waters. By comparison, John witnessed the Spirit descending from heaven as a dove and resting upon Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:21–22).

Resource Packet Item 1: From the Very Beginning

Before class, use one copy of the worksheet to cut into strips with one Scripture passage on each strip. Give each strip of paper to someone in the class to be prepared to read aloud. Then distribute the worksheet and ask those who have each passage to read it aloud. Ask for a volunteer to tell what the Spirit did in each case.

All three members of the Trinity participated in creation. Along with the actions of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Jesus Christ, was also involved. John 1:3 states that God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him (NLT; see also Colossians 1:15–17; Hebrews 1:2–3).

Discuss

?How would you respond in both truth and love to someone who denies that God exists?

?God could have created everything at once. Why do you think He took six days?

Say: The Bible refers numerous times to light—both physical and spiritual. God began His creative work by speaking light into being, light which shone for a few days even before He created the sun and other stars. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

God spoke—and it was done. Light, which supports life on earth, was the first thing created through God’s spoken word (Genesis 1:3). Light reversed the darkness which covered the waters, and made visible the other works of God’s creation (verse 2). In the first of a series of affirmations, God recognized that the light He had created was good. He then created day and night by separating light from darkness (verses 4–5). Notice again, that this was before the sun, moon, and stars were created.

On the second day of creation, God separated the waters above the sky—the clouds—from the waters below the sky—lakes, seas, and rivers (verses 6–7; Psalm 104:1–3). The word heaven (Genesis 1:8, KJV) as it appears in many versions of the Bible is used in several ways. It may refer simply to the earth’s atmosphere (verse 20); to the space occupied by the stars (15:5); or to the realm of God himself (Ephesians 1:20).

God created a habitat for animals and human beings on the third day. By lifting some parts of the earth’s surface and sinking others, He created areas of land and sea (Genesis 1:9–10). On the same day, He caused the land to produce a variety of trees and other plants, each of which was invested with the power to reproduce its own kind (verses 11–13).

On the fourth day God created the lights in the sky, which serve several purposes. They separate light from darkness, and therefore day from night (verses 14,18). Also, their movements enabled human beings to create a system to record the events of their own lives, and history on a larger scale. Think of the way the movement of the earth in the solar system affects our perception of time, from counting a 24-hour day to counting years. What order God provided in this one act of creation! By giving light to the earth, these luminaries support plant, animal, and human life (verses 15,17). In expansive language, the biblical writer declares that the sun, moon, and stars even govern day and night (verses 16,18, NLT).

Discuss

?How does God’s power in creation help you believe that He can help you with anything you are facing?

?Why must believers reject astrology and anything else that credits the stars with power that belongs to God alone?

Resource Packet Item 2: When God Speaks . . .

Distribute the worksheet. Draw attention to the results of God’s voice in our lives and allow class members to share times when God has worked in their lives or in the lives of others.

Say: One of God’s most important gifts is the power to reproduce. Instead of creating countless generations of animals, plants, and human beings individually, He invested each with the power to perpetuate life, and He has commanded them to do so. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

On the second day of creation, God put space between the waters of the earth and those of the heavens. On the fifth day, He created living things for sea and sky (Genesis 1:20–23). Far from being rare, God wanted the oceans to swarm with a variety of life (verse 20). The word translated whales (verse 21, KJV) refers elsewhere to serpents (Exodus 7:9–10) and sea monsters (Job 7:12; Psalm 74:13).

Likewise, the skies were filled with every sort of flying creature, including insects. God mandated these creations in sea and sky to have offspring. The command to be fruitful and multiply was a form of blessing also used later in the Book of Genesis (1:22, NLT; see 35:11; 48:4).

God had blessed plant life to reproduce its own kind (Genesis 1:11). The same ability was also given to the members of the animal kingdom, and to the human race. In His work of replicating life on earth, God not only commands, He also gives all forms of life He has created the ability they need to produce generation after generation of its same kind.

Discuss

?What does the great variety and population of animal species tell us about the nature of their Creator?

?Why must God be glorified as the source of all life?

Say: With great foresight, God created plant life to support the animal life and human life He created later. God knows the needs of each and all of His creatures, and He should be trusted to meet those needs. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

Having exercised His creativity by making all sorts of plants, sea creatures, and birds, God created the land animals on the sixth day (Genesis 1:24–25). Some commentators suggest a special correspondence between God’s work on the third day of creation—the provision of dry land and the vegetation that it supports—and the sixth day, wherein God made the animal and human life to benefit from it.

The animals God created are divided into three categories. First, the livestock (verse 24, NLT), or cattle (KJV), are the larger, grass-eating animals which human-kind soon domesticated. This class may also include sheep, horses, and camels. Creeping things (KJV) are listed second, such as reptiles. The last class are the wild animals (NLT) as distinguished from the tame. Although some animals were soon domesticated and utilized by human beings, all animals fell under the order God gave for human beings to govern them (verse 28).

Discuss

?What does the fact that human beings were the final part of God’s creation tell you about His provision?

?Why do you suppose some animals are easier to domesticate than others?

Say: God’s creation—both the inanimate things like mountains and rivers and the living things including an incredible variety of animals, birds, and fish—show His power and creativity. But the crowning moment of His creative work was making human beings in His own image—a reflection of His nature in this world. (Share your highlights from the following text.)

In the last and most important act of creation, God made human beings (Genesis 1:26–27). Although He had commanded the earth, the sea, and the sky to produce or to be filled with plant and animal life (verses 11,20,24), He used more personal language—Let us make—regarding His human creation (verse 26). Verse 27 states three times the truth that God created us.

God made human beings in His image and likeness (verse 26, KJV). These terms both refer to the same thing; we are a reflection of God, but not a duplicate. Humanity is the only part of creation that God refers to in this way (5:1; James 3:9). This dignity forms the basis for God’s command that human life must be honored