RCCG Sunday School TEACHER’s Manual 8 December 2019 Lesson 15 – Avoiding Debt
TOPIC: Avoiding Debt
OPENING PRAYER: Father, please help me overcome financial challenges.
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Kings 4:1-7 KJV (RCCG Sunday School TEACHER’s Manual 8 December 2019)
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
MEMORY VERSE: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” – Romans 13:8 (scroll down for RCCG Sunday School 8 December 2019 HYMN)
LESSON INTRODUCTION: Debt occur when something, usually money, is owed by one part (the borrower or debtor) to a second party (the lender or creditor) especially when it is becoming difficult to pay what is owed. Debt is a common problem in our society, and debts have a way of growing faster than expected. Anyone who comes to the realisation that he or she has taken on too much debt, becomes uncomfortable. The fear of the debtor may also overwhelm the debtor. It can also lead to psychological or emotional breakdown. Although, the bible neither expressly forbids nor condones the borrowing of money, the wisdom of the bible teaches us that it is usually not a good idea to go into debt (Prov.22:7; 2 Kings 4: 1-7).
TEXT REVIEW: 2 Kings 4: 1-7
A. There are lessons to learn from the story of the widow of a prophet and her family.
i. Debts can bring pains,tears, sorrow, etc. v.1a.
ii. Debt can lead into bondage or slavery. v.1b.
iii. Those in debt should not hesitate to seek help. v.2
B. There are practical steps given to the widow by the Prophet for her to come to out of debt. These are:
i. ………………………………………………. v.3.
ii. ………………………………………………. v.4a
iii. ……………………………………………… v.4b
iv. ……………………………………………… v.4c
C. The widow obeyed the instruction of the Prophet. v.5-6.
D. She was completely delivered from debt. v.7.
2 LESSON OUTLINES
LESSON OUTLINE 1: SOME LIKELY CAUSES OF DEBT
Allow the students to mention some of the likely causes of debt from experience.
Debt can occur through different means. Some of the likely causes are:
i. Poor spending habits, mismanagement of resources (Lk.15: 11-13).
ii. Lack of employment or underemployment (2Thess.3.12).
iii. Medical challenges (Lk.8:43).
iv. Failed business/reduction in income (Lk.5:5a).
v. Living outside your means (Pro.28:19).
vi. Lack of contentment, gambling, covetousness (1 Tim.6:8-10).
vii. Divorce/widowhood/single parenthood (2Kgs.4:1).
viii. Expanding families, unexpected emergencies, unfavorable economic factors or inflation (2 Kgs. 6:25).
ix. Impulse buying (Lk.15:13-14), lack of financial knowledge or poor investment (Pro. 23:5).
x. A misunderstanding of needs versus wants (Lk.15:13), laziness (2 Thess. 3:10b), education cost fraud, etc.
CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Teacher should award ten (10) marks for every student that participates.
LESSON OUTLINE 2: HOW TO AVOID DEBT
A. Allow the students to mention what they are doing to avoid debt.
In order to forestall going into debt, believers should do the following:
1 Honour God with your financial/material giving ( tithe, offerings, first fruits, etc) and also help the needy (Lk.6.38; Pro.3:9-10, 28:27; 1 Cor.9:7).
2 Develop a saving culture (Pro.21:20).
3 Prepare a budget based on your actual monthly income and actual expenses (Lk.14:28).
4 Avoid unnecessary/discretionary spending. Do not spend compulsorily on what is not your primary need (Isa. 55:2).
5 Do not be idle/lazy, find something doing (1Thess.4:11; 2 Thess.3:10; Matt.20.6; Pro.6.:9-11).
6 Be satisfied with what you have and avoid covetousness (Pro.15:16; Heb.13:5; 1Tim.6:6)
7 Seek financial counsel and invest wisely (Pro.11:14, 14:22).
B. Ask the class to suggest the way out for those already in debt.
Any believer who is already in debt should do the following in addition to the points raised above:
1 Pray for divine intervention, then seek wise and godly counsel (2 Kgs 4:1-7; Pro.24:6).
2 Commit to making changes to drastically reduce your lifestyle expenses (Rom.12.2; Phil.4:5).
3 Negotiate with your creditors for a possible review of the payment plan (Lk.16:5-8).
4 Be committed to paying back what you owe (Rom.13.8a).
5 Maintain discipline in financial matters (1 Cor.9.:27).
CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Award ten (10) marks for every student that participates.
SUMMARY: It is important for every believer to stay out of debt.
CONCLUSION: Debt should be avoided as much as possible. However, as long as money is being handled wisely and debt payments are manageable, a Christian can take on the burden of borrowing if is absolutely necessary.
EVALUATION: Students should mention practical ways of getting out of debt.
CLOSING PRAYER: God, give me divine wisdom to plan on my financial resources in order to avoid debt.
ASSIGNMENT: Identify five (5) effects of debt on the and/or his/her family.
