ENVIRONMENTAL CARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Review of Previous Lesson (5 Minutes)
- What did you learn in the previous lesson?
- How are you applying what you learned in your life?
Main Text: Deuteronomy 23:9-14.
Memory Verse: For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. – Deuteronomy 23:14.
Introduction
The creation narratives indicate that GOD (Elohim) created the Heavens and the earth. At the apex of His creation, God made humankind and put all that He had created into their care. Thus, as stewards of God’s creation, we are responsible for how we care for God’s property. For us as Christians who acknowledge God as our heavenly Father, the responsibility is even greater; that is, we must take better care of the earth and do more robust advocacy for environmental care, because it is our Father’s property. In this study, we discuss environmental cleanliness within our communities as the responsibility of Christians in the local church.
Discussion Questions
- How does God want us to keep the environment? Verses 9-11.
- Why were the Israelites instructed to ensure environmental cleanliness? Verse 14.
- How can we contribute towards environmental cleanliness in our communities?
- Discuss practical ways by which the local church can advocate for better care of the environment in their communities.
- What are some of the setbacks in the Environmental Care Campaign? How can we deal with these setbacks?
Conclusion
God intends humankind to live in harmony with all creation, and to use its resources in a responsible and sustainable way. However, humans continue to abuse and exploit the earth’s resources leading to global warming, pollution of water bodies, land degradation, etc. These things must be our concern as people entrusted with the stewardship of the earth’s resources. In the passage, the Israelites were to take practical steps to maintain cleanliness in their environment. Likewise, keeping the environment clean is the responsibility of every believer and thus, requires stringent measures that will ensure environmental cleanliness at all times. The Environmental Care Campaign (ECC) of CoP’s Vision 2023 is to create the awareness of this great responsibility entrusted to us as Christians. We must be committed to sustaining the gains made so far while finding practical means to dealing with the challenges hindering the successful implementation of the ECC in our local churches.