PreK-5th Grade Lesson: How Believers Live--BE BOLD! (8/02)

How Believers Live—BE BOLD!

Bible Reading: Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-47

 

Main Idea: God has given us the Holy Spirit. It lives in us. It gives us the power to do bold and brave things for GOD.

 

MEMORY VERSE:

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 

-    2 Timothy 1:7 

 

We need to understand that the Holy Spirit lives in us and it helps us be bold and brave for God. It’s time to be brave and share Jesus with others. Our world is broken and there’s so much hurt, pain, confusion. Share the light with others for we do not have to fear…BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! 

 

Read Acts 2: 1-47 

At Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave a fantastic message on salvation and to turn away from sin to thousands of people…but a few months before he did that, he was scared to tell just a small group of people that he knew Jesus. 

(Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit coming down on Jesus’ apostles and followers in Jerusalem.)

 

Application:

Who can you share Jesus with this week? Do you have a friend, a family member, a stranger in need? 

Coloring Pages:

Click here to download & print this coloring page!

Click here to download & print this coloring page!

PreK & Kindergarten Lesson: How to Train Your Emotions~FEAR (7/26)

Preschool & Kindergarten-July 26th

How to Train Your Emotions: Fear

Bible Reading: Luke 8:22-25—Jesus Calms the Storm 

Introduction:

Jesus’s friends were so scared when a really bad storm hit their boat. Jesus steps in and shows that He is in control and made the storm stop. Whenever you feel afraid, we can control our feelings of fear by talking to Jesus and remembering that He is in control.

Main Idea: God turns our fear into joy. 

The bible tells us that God is always near and when we feel fear, He can turn it into joy. Jesus and His disciples were sailing at night and Jesus fell asleep on the boat. A really bad storm came and the wind blew and waves tossed and rocked the boat from side to side. Water was being washed onto the boat and they were in danger. The disciples were very scared and they went and woke Jesus up. Jesus woke up and spoke to the waves and the wind and told them to “Be still.” Everything stopped. Jesus was there with the disciples and they realized that they didn’t need to fear because Jesus was in control. 

When we fear, God is always near. 

Memory Verse: “I will be glad and full of joy because of you.” --Psalm 9:2a

  

Coloring Page: 

Jesus Calms the storm

Click here to download & print the coloring page!

(This lesson is adapted from https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com)

1st-5th Grade Lesson: Bible Bad Guys~The Big Bad 1 (7/26)

1^st-5^th Grade-Bible Bad Guys: July 26th

¯ The Big Bad 1 

Main Point: The best and smartest way to keep from being lied to by people who are teaching you about God is to study the Word of God. 

Bible Reading: Revelation 13:1-10, Matthew 7:15-20

Memory Verse: Psalm 1:5-6

Introduction:

Introducing Bad Guy #6, the Anti-Christ. He is a false god and he is coming. False teachers lead people away from the Jesus and the Gospel. If we don’t want to be lied to, we need to get closer to God, spend time with Him in prayer and learn His Word so that we know His teachings and can tell if someone is trying to lead us away from the true God. 

Main Lesson: 

What comes to mind when you think of a bad guy? In the movies, the villain looks bad, they wear black clothing, masks to hide their face, have an evil smile and/or laugh. I think of Darth Vader or the Green Goblin in Spiderman. In real life, I think of Hitler. 

When we think of villains, we don’t think of them as nice-looking people dressed in suits with a joyful personality and really convincing personality. However, the Bible explains of a villain exactly like that and we will call him the “Big Bad” …The “Big Bad” in the Bible is called the Anti-Christ. He is a false prophet who will come to Earth during the last days and convince millions of people to follow him.

Read Revelation 13:1-10

A nice man who is well-dressed, with a great smile, that doesn’t shout ‘bad guy’. The antichrist will most likely have these qualities and he will be teaching people things that are NOT truth. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What does this mean?? A wolf attacks, is vicious, hunts his food, etc. A sheep is gentle, kind, not aggressive, etc.

What can you do so that you are safe and know the one true God? 

Read Matthew 7: 15-20

We need to stay close to Jesus. It starts by accepting that Christ is the Savior of the world and forgiver of our sins. We need to know that He is the Lord of Life and Lord of All. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Spend time in His Word, getting to know who He is and understand His truths. Pray that your relationship with Him will grow strong. You need to judge every teaching you hear by going back to the Bible to check it to make sure it’s truth. 

Conclusion:  

The Big Bad is coming. BUT we belong to Jesus and the Bible was given to us so that we know a false teacher when we see one. 

Accept Christ as your Savior. If you have not made this decision yet and you’d like to, talk to your parents, your Sunday School teachers, a family member who knows Jesus and can help you. 

Spend time with Him daily and learn what the Bible says. 

Discussion Questions: 

1.                Have you ever heard of the antichrist? What have you heard about him? 

2.               What’s the best way to prepare ourselves when faced with false teachers? 

3.               Do you spend time in God’s word on a weekly basis outside of church? Create a plan to start doing that.    

Coloring page: 

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Click here to download & print the coloring page!

(This lesson is adapted from https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com)

PreK & Kindergarten Lesson: How To Train Your Emotions~ANGER (7/19)

Preschool & Kindergarten-July 19th

How to Train Your Emotions: Anger

Bible Reading: Exodus 17:1-7—Water from the Rock.

Introduction: Click here to watch this week's lesson introduction video!

God’s people were in the hot desert with no water to drink. They were hot, tired and angry and were complaining up a storm. Even though God heard their grumpy complaints, He loved them so much he still provided water for them in a very unusual and miraculous way. 

Main Idea: God can turn my mad into glad. 

The bible tells us that God can turn anger into joy. God can turn YOUR mad into GLAD! God’s people were grumpy, whiny, and ungrateful in the desert and He told Moses, their leader, to walk up to a large rock and hit it with his staff.  When Moses hit the rock, enough water came rushing out for all of the people to have a drink. God could have ignored His people and their anger but He loved them so very much that he took their anger and replaced it with joy! No matter how mad we get we can always ask God for help turning our mad into glad. 

Memory Verse: “I will be glad and full of joy because of you.” 

-Psalm 9:2a

Next Week: We will be learning about how Jesus calmed a storm and how God is always near when you are afraid.

Coloring Page: 

Moses Brings Water Out of the Rock

Click here to download & print the coloring page!

(This lesson is adapted from https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com

1st-5th Grade Lesson: Bible Bad Guys~Saul & Ananias (7/19)

1st-5th Grade-Bible Bad Guys: July 19th

¯ Saul and Ananias

 

Main Point: Nobody is too bad for God to save and as believers we need to welcome everyone into the family of God. 

Bible Reading: Acts 9:1-19, Luke 6:27-28, Matthew 5:43-44

Memory Verse: Psalm 1:5-6

Introduction: Click here to watch this week's lesson introduction video!

Christianity had a #1 enemy in Jesus’ time and that was Saul.  After living his life as a bad guy, an encounter with Jesus changed Saul’s life and he became Paul--the most important missionary in all of church history. No one is too bad or too “far gone” for God to save and we need to be welcoming to everyone no matter what their pasts may hold. 

Main Lesson: 

Last week we began by talking about one of the worst bad guys of all time--Darth Vader!  Darth Vadar began his life as Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who did all he could to become a kind and selfless Jedi knight.  However, Anakin found himself corrupted by an evil villain, Darth Sidious, and eventually became one himself. 

Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Star Wars movies, was Vader’s son and when he learned that he was the son of an evil villain he was very upset. Knowing that good can overcome evil, Luke was convinced that Vader could once again become a good guy and it turns out he was right! Vader died destroying Darth Sidious and saving his Luke’s life in the process. 

It seems far fetched to think that such a horrible bad guy like Darth Vader could become a good guy but there is a very similar story in the bible! This bible bad guy was named Saul and he is the bad guy we are focusing on this week. 

Saul was a Pharisee and the Pharisees knew the Old Testament very well. When Jesus came into the story and Christianity blossomed, Saul didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah and saw himself as a defender of the Old Testament.  He stood watch as the Jewish people murdered the first Christian leader, Stephen, and went on a mission to kill many many more. 

Then Jesus stepped into Saul’s story. 

Read Acts 9: 1-9

Can you imagine what it would have been like to come face to face with the man he was fighting against? For three days afterward he was blind! In that moment Jesus was no longer just a crazy heretic preaching things Saul thought were false...Jesus was REAL and clearly revealed as the son of God!

When you come face-to-face with God you can no longer deny who He is or that Jesus is His son who died for our sins.  Jesus can change the heart of even the most wicked bad guy and make it clean again.

That was just the first part of Saul’s story.

Read Acts 9:10-19

Enter Ananias, an early Christian who lived his life in fear of Saul.  Ananias had witnessed many stonings, including Stephen’s, and knew how wicked Saul was.  So when Jesus told Ananias to go see Saul how do you think he felt?!  

However, Jesus had a plan for Saul and he needed Ananias to help him carry it out.  Ananias was most likely very scared when he went to see Saul but he went anyway and became one of many believers to extend a loving hand to Saul. Saul’s sight was restored, he was baptized, and he started to usher in a new chapter in his life...a chapter that included Saul becoming Paul and championing Christ in such an impactful way that believers have been touched by his stories for centuries.

Read Luke 6:27-28

Conclusion:  

The hardest thing for us to do is to pursue our enemies in love and pray for them. Deep down we tend to want those that bully us and attack our faith to be hurt in the same way or we want to see them brought to justice. Yet, Jesus teaches us thatwe are not to seek revenge. Jesus’ gift of salvation, grace, and the freedom from shame and guilt he bought us on the cross are for EVERYONE--not just those who have done and said only good guy things. 

We need to pray for and love our enemies so that they too can feel the love of the gifts that Jesus wants to give them.

Discussion Questions: 

1.                Do you think it is possible for a super evil bad guy to turn good? Why?

2.               How do you think Saul felt after his encounter with Jesus? How would you feel?

3.               Why is it important to pray for our enemies?

4.               Is there someone in your life who may not be a friend or “good guy” that you can pray for?

Coloring page:

Ananias Helps Saul

Click here to download & print the coloring page!

(This lesson is adapted from https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com)