C.A.C Sunday School Manual For Leadership March 23, 2025, Lesson 10 : Topic - GOD PREPARES ADAM FOR LEADERSHIP

C.A.C Sunday School Manual For Leadership March 23, 2025, Lesson 10 : Topic - GOD PREPARES ADAM FOR LEADERSHIP

Read previous CAC Sunday School Mnauals here

CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH Nigeria And Overseas

 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Theme *PREPARING GOD'S PEOPLE for LEADERSHIP

 JANUARY TO DECEMBER, 2025

MARCH 23, 2025.

LESSON 10* 

Unit 2: Leadership Preparation In The Old Testament (1)

Topic:GOD PREPARES ADAM FOR LEADERSHIP

Memory Scripture

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Gen 1:26). 

God equipped Adam for leadership with wisdom, compassion and stewardship, guiding him to care for creation with grace and integrity, beyond mere knowledge or authority.

 *BRIEF COMMENT* 

Man (Adam) was the last creature mentioned in the account of creation. He didn't evolve; he was created by God on the sixth day. Man was essentially created differently from other creatures. As the highpoint of God's creation, man was appointed as ruler over His Earth. This created being is to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, and every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:26, 28). Man is to have dominion and rule. In other words, the first job ever appointed to man was to be a leader! God's dominion was bestowed and experienced in Adam, the representative of God on earth. Right from the onset, God gave man leadership calling, skills and enablement. May we never fail Him. Amen. 

 *DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS 

 *Mon. 17:* Leaders' Paths, They Twist And Bend (Acts 20:22) 

 *Tue. 18:* Secrets Spill, No Place To Mend (Acts 20:23) 

 *Wed. 19:* Leaders Stand, Their Strength To Lend (Acts 20:24b) 

 *Thur. 20:* In God, They Find Their Trend (Acts 20:24b) 

 *Fri. 21:* With God's Strength, They Transcend (Acts 20:24c) 

 *Sat. 22:* Testifying Grace, Their Stories Blend (Acts 20:24e) 

 *DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS

 1. God prepared Adam, revealed his purpose and leadership role in creation, and required his obedience, trust and action in response.

 2. God gave Adam a purpose and leadership role in creation and expected him to obey His commands, trust His guidance, and lead accordingly. This stresses Adam's accountability to fulfil his role as God directed. 

 *BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:10* 

 *AIM AND OBJECTIVES* : 

 *AIM:* To show how God prepared/equipped the first man for leadership.. 

 *OBJECTIVES:* By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to to: 

a. prove the level of divine preparation man had for his God-given leadership role; and 

b. describe the magnitude of man's leadership failure and its consequences, to challenge self and others to avoid such error.

 *INTRODUCTION* 

 *TEXTUAL SOURCE: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:19-20; 3:9-11* 

We praise God for granting us insight into His will through *UNIT I: LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES AND GOD'S PEOPLE.* We trust that we have gleaned valuable lessons. 

Lesson Ten, "God Prepares Adam for Leadership", marks the beginning of *UNIT II: LEADERSHIP PREPARATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (I).* Leadership holds fundamental roles in the Scripture and the society at large, with men typically expected to lead in various spheres-the home, society, church, etc. It is essential for men to provide effective leaders that can nurture rather than hinder these domains. Successful leadership requires 2 types of preparation: personal development and readiness for the task. Focusing solely on one aspect can lead to shortcomings in leadership. Ultimately, Adam's failure to obey God's specific command resulted in consequences for himself and all humanity. This highlights the importance of both God's preparation and man's responsibilities in fulfilling leadership roles according to divine guidance and principles. Therefore, it is crucial for leaders to align their convictions with God's to avoid failure in their roles. Let us seek God's guidance for becoming the leaders He intends us to be through this lesson.  

 *LESSON OUTLINE* 

 *I. ADAM'S PREPARATION* 

 *II. ADAM'S FAILURE* 

 *LESSON EXPOSITION* 

I. ADAM'S PREPARATION (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:19-20) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). 

a) 1:26-28: God created and equipped Adam to lead not just his family but also his community, society and nation. Why? 

* God desires the extension of His kingdom on earth (cf. Matt. 6:10). He needs one to have dominion over His creation (Gen. 1:27), hence man's creation as the head and God's foreman. 

* Generations will be built on Adam (Gen. 5:1ff) and God expects man to lead his generation aright (18:19). 

b) v. 27: How did God prepare Adam for leadership? To prepare him for leadership, God made him in His Own Image and Likeness. Only humans received this image. Since God is not human (Jn. 4:24), the 'image' here is symbolic. 

c) Adam was given the ability to communicate with God in spirit. God made him in His image and likeness for the sake of sovereignty and dissemination of God's authority on earth. 

d) v. 28: To ...subdue... and have dominion over... suggests supremacy, authority and responsibility divinely conferred on man as the image of God. 

e) 2:19-20: To show that He had deposited some leadership qualities in man (wisdom, foresight, etc.), He commissioned man to name other creatures. Are you allowing God to prepare you? 

f) Adam was given enormous preparation, care and responsibilities by God. God made him a leader, hence he was a leader. Deducing from Romans 13:1, God continues to be the One Who grants humanity leadership. 

 *II. ADAM'S FAILURE (Genesis 3:9-11)* 

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Gen. 3:9-10). 

a) vv. 6,7: When the first human leaders took hold of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they impaired their ability to be God's image-bearers 

b) Adam was a perfect creature, who had never sinned, but he was a free moral agent, who had the liberty to choose between good and evil. God made Adam a king with dominion (1:26 ff), but a ruler can only rule others if he can successfully govern self. 

c) vv. 1-4: Where was Adam when the serpent chatted with Eve? Could he have gone AWOL? He might be in the wrong place even in the Garden of Eden. When they fell, God never called on the woman but the man-everything rises and falls on leadership. 

d) One sin leads to another. Lack of focus will lead to disobedience and idolatry. Because you have heeded the voice of your wife... He put her counsel before God's, thereby breaking the first commandment (Exod. 20:3-6). 

e) v. 6: God has always wanted His creatures to love and obey Him of their own volition. So, He allowed the serpent to use the physical desire for food to test Adam's level of obedience and spiritual discernment. 

f) Decision-making process in leadership must start with spiritual reflection, not physical appetite. If Satan wants to attack anywhere, he usually goes after the leadership to make them faulty. 

g) Adam, whom God had appointed as leader of the family through which He intended to populate the Earth, led the entire humanity in him into depravity. What a high level of disappointment! 

h) The Image and likeness of God that made man the leader of God's creation was disfigured by Adam's indiscretion and disobedience. But thank God for Christ Who has later come to perfect our redemption (1 Cor. 15:57). 

 *LESSONS DERIVED* 

 1. Leadership is not funfair; it needs cooperation with God in Christ Jesus for quality all-round preparation.

 2. You have power over your choices in leadership but the far-reaching consequences, you cannot control. 

 *QUESTIONS* 

 1. How well did God prepare Adam for the task of leading His creatures?

 2. Effective leadership requires both working and watching. (Gen. 2:15 NLT). Why was Adam neglectful in watching over Eve while he was preoccupied with work and other responsibilities in the Garden? 

 *SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS* 

 *ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:* 

* Refer to part I. 

* God created Adam in His own image and likeness, endowing him with authority and dominion over all living creatures (Gen. 1:26-28). 

* Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, a lush and abundant environment, to tend and care for it (Gen. 2:15). He instructed him to tend it and not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He gave him clear guidance and responsibilities. 

* God provided Adam with companionship by bringing Eve as his suitable partner. This shows his understanding of his leadership and relational role and demonstrates the importance of relational support in leadership (Gen. 2:18-24). 

* Adam was given the responsibility to name all the animals. This signifies his God-given authority, stewardship and leadership roles in creation (Gen. 2:19-20). 

 *ANSWER TO QUESTION 2* 

* Obviously, Adam wasn't present when the serpent deceived Eve. 

* 1 Timothy 2:14 confirms that Adam was not deceived but Eve was. Adam's response and Eve's statement suggest and that Adam was not involved in the interaction with the serpent; Eve explicitly mentioned that she was deceived, not both of them. 

* Instead of blaming the serpent, Adam blamed his wife, indicating his unawareness of the serpent's deception. 

* The Bible records the serpent addressed Eve alone, and she responded without Adam's involvement, making it improbable that Adam was part of the conversation. 

* Had Adam been present, they would likely have chosen different fruits instead of Eve eating first and offering it to Adam. 

* The serpent's approach bypassed God's created order by directly targeting Eve instead of addressing Adam first. 

* It is more plausible to deceive one person than two (cf. Eccl. 4:9ff), suggesting why the serpent targeted Eve alone. 

* The sequence of events, from the serpent's deception to Eve eating the fruit and involving Adam, likely occurred swiftly. 

* Adam's failure stemmed from neglecting to oversee Eve. Don't joke with watching over whatever God puts you in charge!

LIFE APPLICATION

In a company, experienced executive John provided mentorship to talented employee Sarah, preparing her for a position of leadership. By offering guidance and assigning challenging projects, Sarah was able to cultivate her leadership abilities and enhance her self-assurance. John placed great emphasis on ethical leadership, setting a positive example for others to follow. As Sarah took on more responsibilities and participated in senior-level meetings, she consistently displayed initiative and strategic thinking. Ultimately, Sarah's well-deserved promotion serves as a testament to the effectiveness of mentorship, akin to how God guided Adam in preparing him for leadership.  

 *CONCLUSION* 

Here, ere, we draw the curtains on lesson 10 in this series. We have better understood the significance of both spiritual and physical preparation. Neglecting this preparation may lead to failure in our responsibilities. Let us embrace God's preparation in our lives and follow the example of our earthly mentors, ensuring success in the tasks entrusted to us by God on earth.