Dear Pastors and Teachers,
WELCOME to our website.  At Bharat Sunday School we believe that Sunday Schools form a vital and central part of the life and mission of the church and the Great Commission.
 
We believe this because this is the mandate of  Scripture and so let us look briefly at what the  scriptures have to say about teaching.

WHAT THE SCRIPTURES  SAY ON TEACHING:
1.Matthew 28:19,20-Teach these to disciples to obey all commandments.

2.Ephesians 4:11 - We see five types of ministries listed here.
Apostles- men with special ability
Prophets- inspired preachers
Evangelists- soul winners
Pastors- caring the flock
Teachers- teaching them the ways of God.

3.Deuteronomy 11:19 urges us to teach  God's word to our children at home- at bed time and before breakfast. It is a command from God.

4.What is the outcome when there is no teaching?
Judges 2:10 “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel”. In the absence of teaching denominations founded by individuals will disappear with the death of the leader.

5.OBLIVION TO GLORY: Shivaji lost his parents when he was young. He was brought up by his step mother Jijabhai. She narrated  heroic stories and great contributions of great leaders like Asoka, and the Gupta kings. These  stories inspired his young mind and he spearheaded guerilla warfare against Mogul ruler Aurangzeb in the sixteenth century. Finally he was crowned as the King of Marathas in 1678 A D. It shows  that any child when taught systematically can achieve great things.

6.Similarly “Moses learned in all the wisdom of Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” Acts 7:22.
God trained Moses in the Egyptian palace so that he would be competent enough to lead God’s people, Israel who numbered around 30 lakhs, from Egyptian bondage to Canaan. As a child, his sister and mother taught him the ways of God and was he proud of his heritage. That training led him to choose affliction with the people of God rather than the passing pleasures of sin. Heb11:24,25.

7.In 2 Kings 5:1-5 we read the story of a young girl brought there as a captive from Israel. She spoke to Naaman’s wife about a prophet in Israel who could pray for her husband, a leper. Surely this was because she had been  taught about the miracle working God of Israel.

8.In  the New Testament period, we read of how Jesus was taught as a child. Luke 2:52 says “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”.

9.When  the disciples refused permission to the children to see Jesus, he rebuked them and commanded the children to be allowed to come to him and then proceeded to bless them.Mat19:13,14; Mark 10: 13,14; Luke 18:15-17.Attending Sunday school classes  allows a child to listen to Jesus’s sweet words.

10.Saul was taught  lessons from the Old Testament  in his early days. Acts 26:9-12. That made him proud of his religion. He could not tolerate a new faith – Christianity. So he vehemently opposed it. But God caught him on his way to Damascus in  His time.

11.SUNDAY SCHOOL IN MODERN TIMES:
Robert Raikes was an Anglican evangelist and a philanthropist in England  who lived in the seventeenth century. During  the Industrial Revolution
(1750-1850 A D) children had to work like slaves for their livelihood for six days and on Sunday they were let free. They did not have even primary education. Their ignorance led to idleness and crimes.  They behaved very badly especially on Sundays. Fighting and crimes spread among them everywhere. They were like sheep without shepherd. Seeing their unruly life style Robert Raikes was pained in his heart and called them for story time. Though disobedient initially, many came to his classes. The society of the day called his classes as "criminal school (ragged school)". Many children had previously been jailed in their younger age and there was one cruel judge in England who used to punish them severely and filled the jails with them.However as time passed he found out  that many juvenile criminals were not coming in front of him for punishment. The Police also reported the reduction in crimes. The Judge wanted to know the reason and  in the meantime someone told him about Robert Raikes Sunday school classes held on a Sundays on the streets. The very next week the judge went to watch these classes. He could not believe what he saw. Children were sitting, kneeling down with folded hands, closing their eyes and praying and singing  in unison on the pavements. Seeing this, his eyes turned wet. The very next day he went to his office, submitted his resignation and became a Sunday school teacher under Robert Raikes. Soon such schools spread throughout England and America. That was the beginning of the modern Sunday school. Following this many reforms were passed for the welfare of children in England. Robert Raikes was eventually honored by the queen of England.