Sabbath School: a Lesson Study or Lesson Review?

1. Worthy of Long Service
   The Sabbath school should be a place where the jewels of truth are searched for and rescued from their environment of error, and placed in their true setting in the framework of the gospel. Precious gems of truth, long lost sight of, are now to be restored to the children of God. The themes of justification by faith, the righteousness of Christ, should be presented in our schools, that the youth and children may understand these important subjects, and teachers and scholars may know the way of salvation. Sacred and eternal principles connected with the plan of salvation have long been lost from sight, but they must be restored to their proper place in the plan of salvation, and made to appear in their heavenly light, and penetrate the moral darkness in which the world is enshrouded. {CSW 12.2} https://egwwritings.org/?ref=en_CSW.12
2. There are souls to be saved, and while in the Sabbath school work there has been much form and a great amount of precious time occupied in reading of reports and records, there has been but little time to really let light shine forth in clear, steady rays in the very instruction needed to save the souls of the children and youth. Less elaborate speeches, less lengthy remarks, and plain, pointed truth presented, not one word uttered to exhibit profound knowledge, not one word in any speech, but the greatest evidence of real knowledge is the great simplicity. All who have taken knowledge of Jesus Christ will imitate Him in their manner of instruction.--Letter 5, 1888, pp. 1-4. (To Brother Morse, Dec. 26, 1888.)
3. Chap. 24 - Danger of Formalism
   The object of the Sabbath-school should not be lost sight of in mechanical arrangements, thus occupying time which should be given to other important matters. We should ever be guarded against forms and ceremonies which will eclipse the real object for which we are laboring. There is danger of carrying system to such an extreme that the Sabbath-school will become weariness, when, on the contrary, it should be a rest, a refreshment, and a blessing. The purity and simplicity of the Sabbath-school must not be swallowed up in such an endless variety of forms that sufficient time can not be devoted to religious interests. The beauty and success of the school are in its simplicity and earnestness in serving God. Nothing can be done without order and regulation, but these may be arranged so as to shut out greater and more important duties. Less should be said to the scholars about the external preliminaries and system, and much more should be said in regard to the salvation of their souls. This must be made the ruling principle of the school. {TSS 89.1}
4. If the teacher is properly prepared, every moment can be used to profit. The active minds of the children should be kept constantly employed. Their ideas should be drawn out and corrected, or approved, as the case may require. But never should the teacher sit down, saying, “I am through.” There is no such thing as getting through with the lesson. {TSS 18.1}
5. The meeting should open at the appointed hour if possible, be there few or many present. {2T 577.3}
6. But these seasons, even upon the Sabbath, should not be made tedious by their length and lack of interest. {2T 583.1}
7. By request I spoke about thirty minutes, warning them against letting their Sabbath school degenerate into a mere mechanical routine. We should not seek to imitate Sunday schools, nor keep up the interest by offering prizes. The offering of rewards will create rivalry, envy, and jealousy; and some who are the most diligent and worthy will receive little credit. Scholars should not try to see how many verses they can learn and repeat; for this brings too great a strain upon the ambitious child, while the rest become discouraged. {CSW 182.1}
8. Do not hold the people in your discourses more than thirty minutes. {10MR 130.3}
9. Sometimes a thirty-minute talk on a Bible subject is given. At a meeting a few weeks ago the soldiers were asked if they would like to have a short Bible study after the song service. About a dozen said that they would; but when the time came to hold the study, more than fifty remained. {RH, July 14, 1903 par. 11}
10. They do not realize that by their long, tedious talks they are killing the interest in, and love for, the school. {SSW, October 1, 1885 par. 2}
11.