RCCG Sunday School Teachers Manual Lesson 44: 4 July 2026

¹¹And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
¹²He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
¹³And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
¹⁴But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
¹⁵And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

¹⁶Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
¹⁷And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
¹⁸And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
¹⁹And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
²⁰And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

²¹For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
²²And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
²³Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
²⁴And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
²⁵(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

²⁶For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
²⁷But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

MEMORY VERSE:

“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a tar country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” Luke 15:13.

LESSON INTRODUCTION

The phrase “Occupy till I come” is a biblical reference found specifically in Luke 19:13 (KJV). Other versions of the Bible read: “Do business till I come” (NKJV); “Put this money to work till I come” (NIV); “Invest this money for me while I’m gone” (NLT); “Operate with this until | return” (MESSAGE).

In this context, “occupy” means “do business,” “trade,” and “invest.” This phrase is part of a parable told by Jesus, commonly known as the Parable of the Minas or the Parable of the Pounds. Literarily, the Pounds, given to the servants in this parable, are ‘money’

TEACHER’S DIARY

LESSON AIM:

To teach what the pound represents and what can be done with it.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES:

Through this study, students should be able to:

Explain what it means to “occupy.”
Mention some of the things “pound” represents.
Understand what they can do with their “pound.”

TEACHING PLAN:

To achieve the above-stated objectives, the teacher should:

Allow the students to recite the memory verse, read the Bible passage, contribute to the discussion, and do class activities and assignment.
Allow the Assistant Teacher to see to the wellbeing of the class, and mark attendance and assignment.
Teach the lesson outline, summarise, con-clude, evaluate the lesson and give assignment.

TEXT REVIEW: Luke 19:11-27

A. Jesus in this parable implied that His kingdom will not yet be established until His disciples have traded and made a profit from the gifts/talents He has given to them. He suggested that there was an assignment for Him to accomplish before His Kingdom come.

B. Mention four things the ‘pounds’ given from the passage could represent:

1. Strength
2….
3….
4….

C. From the passage, what are the two major (possible) things you can do with the ‘pound?’
1….V16.
2….V20.

TEACHING METHOD:

The Question and Answer Method.

TIME MANAGEMENT: The teacher should apply the two-lesson outline teaching time.

LESSON OUTLINE 1: WHAT “THE POUND” REPRESENTS

Question: What does the Pound represent?

Answer: The teacher should ask the class to give their idea of what “the pound” in Luke 19:11-27 represents and thereatter use the following points as a guide:

“The Pound” in this context represents whatever God gives to a man to make him fulfil his purpose in life.
It is the investment ot God that is sutticient enough to make a child of God productive.
This includes your breath/life (2 Corinthians 5:15); salvation (Acts 9:13-15); good health (Mark 5:18-20); resources (1 Chronicles 22:5; Luke 10:33-35); influence (Esther 4:12-17); anointing/grace (1 Corinthians 15:10); knowledge of God (Ephesians 3:2-5); and spiritual gifts/talents (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1:

Students should mention other areas of God’s investment in man’s life.

LESSON OUTLINE 2: WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH “THE POUND”

Question 1: What can you do with the Pound?

Answer: There are three options available for the servants in the parable of the pound (Luke 19:11-27) and the same applies to every child of God:

i. To spend “the pound;”
ii. To keep “the pound;”
iii. To invest “the pound.”

Question 2: Are there biblical instances of people who spent their “pound”?

Answer: Some people think everything God gives to them is only for their self-satisfaction and comfort (Luke 12:16-21). For instance:

Samson spent his “pound” on strange women (Judges 14:1-3; 16:1). He wasted his anointing and lost his uncommon power on the laps of Delilah (Judges 16:18-21). He killed several enemies without acknowledging God (Judges 15:16).
Solomon enjoyed God’s help (1 Kings 2:12) but he was full of self. He took God’s grace for granted and spent his “pound” on strange women who turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:1-4). The Bible makes it clear that the breakthrough, promotion, deliverance, etc. we enjoy is to do good works and propagate the kingdom of God and not for self-gratification (Mark 15:43-46; Genesis 41:39-41, 51; Mark 5:18-20).
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:29-33): Such people pride themselves in their secular achievements and begin to talk about ‘my hard-earned money,’ ‘my intellect,’ ‘my plan’ etc. They do not acknowledge the ‘God-factor’ in their achievements (Acts 12:21-23).
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:12-13): Some people waste their God-given potential on things that have no eternal value. Some even use their ‘pound’ to entertain the world and not for the propagation of the gospel.

CLASS ACTIVITY 2:

The class should discuss whether it is right to demand pay before using their ‘pound’ to bless the Church of God.

CONCLUSION: RCCG Sunday School Teachers Manual 4 July 2026

What are you doing with “the pound” given to you by God? Make up your mind not to be wasteful like the characters above.

EVALUATION:

Identify three Bible characters who spent their “pound” and what they spent it on.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Father, help me not to spend my “pound” foolishly in Jesus’ name.

ASSIGNMENT: RCCG Sunday School Teachers Manual Lesson 44

Identify five (5) meanings of “Occupy till I come” according to this lesson (2×5=10 Marks).

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RCCG Sunday School Teachers Manual Lesson 44: 4 July 2026