RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL 3RD FEBRUARY 2019 – HOPE FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL 3RD FEBRUARY 2019 – HOPE FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

*SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN*

*1.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.

*2.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day, Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.

*3.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.

*4.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee.

*5.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.

*6.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?

MEMORY VERSE: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27

BIBLE PASSAGE: 1Timothy 5:3-16

1 Timothy:5.3
Honor widows who are really widows.

1 Timothy:5.4
But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.

1 Timothy:5.5
Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.

1 Timothy:5.6
But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.

1 Timothy:5.7
And these things command, that they may be blameless.

1 Timothy:5.8
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy:5.9
Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, [and not unless] she has been the wife of one man,

1 Timothy:5.10
well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.

1 Timothy:5.11
But refuse [the] younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry,

1 Timothy:5.12
having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith.

1 Timothy:5.13
And besides they learn [to be] idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.

1 Timothy:5.14
Therefore I desire that [the] younger [widows] marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

1 Timothy:5.15
For some have already turned aside after Satan.

1 Timothy:5.16
If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows.

INTRODUCTION:

A widow is a woman who has lost her spouse by death and usually has not remarried.

Orphans are children whose parents are dead, or for whatever reasons are not in their lives (unknown, or have permanently abandoned them). God loves and cares very deeply for widows and orphans.

God, therefore, commands us to protect and care for these people in our churches and communities (Psalm 82:3).

LESSON OUTLINES
1. God’s disposition
2. Our responsibilities towards them

GOD’S DISPOSITION
God is highly concerned about orphans and widows. He is called ‘the Father to the fatherless and the Protector of widows’ (Psalm 68:5). God does not want them to be afflicted or badly treated.

He hears them when they cry (Exodus 22:22-24). God says anyone who maltreats them may invite His wrath. To maltreat could be to ‘neglect, abuse or take advantage of’. God wants us to defend them (Isaiah 1:17).

He sustains and relieves widows and orphans (Psalm 146:9). God makes provisions for them in His law (Deuteronomy 10:18; 26:12-13). He preserves the orphans and expects widows to trust Him (Jeremiah 49:11).

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Widows and orphans are usually vulnerable and need to be helped. Family members and the Church as a body have crucial roles to play in the well-being of orphans and widows so that they will not suffer.

This is seen as a proof of their commitment to God (1Timothy 5:4). Orphans should not be abused or enslaved but should be helped. The Bible makes it clear that our service to God is not complete if we neglect the care for orphans and widows (James 1:27).

Therefore, Christians should identify with the orphans and widows in the church by giving them necessary support (Galatians 6:10). A special welfare scheme can be instituted for widows and orphans as done in the early church (Acts 6:1-6).

However, widows that are still physically strong and mentally active should not resign to fate, rather, they should get busy to meet the needs of the family (1Timothy 5:9). Click To Read – Open Heaven 3 February 2019

They should be good examples to younger women in the family. Young widows are encouraged to remarry (1Timothy 5:14). They should desist from social or moral vices that could tarnish their image and that of the church (1Timothy 5:13).

CONCLUSION

Do not close your ears to the cry of the widows and orphans. Assist them in the church and around you. Widows and orphans should not be lazy and also learn to trust God.

QUESTIONS

1. What is God’s disposition to widows and orphans?

2. Describe your responsibilities to widows and orphans.