In Luke 6:17-26 Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, teaching us to store up our treasures in Heaven and not on Earth. Younger children won’t understand all the blesseds and woes but they can understand that Jesus taught us the right way to act and interact with others and to store up our treasures in Heaven. Through this lesson they will learn that the BEatittudes teach us to BE kind, humble, loving, and gentle. Bible Reference: Luke 6:17-26
The Bible teaches us that we are to love everyone, even our enemies. For young children, and really everyone, the natural response is to respond to anger with anger. This lesson teaches children that they should do the opposite and love their enemies instead of hate them. Lesson Title: Love Your Enemies Bible Reference: Luke 6:27-38 Learning Context: Children’s Church or Sunday School Target Time Frame: 1 ½ hour Learning Aim: Jesus wants us to love your
Our children are bombarded with cultural messages. From friends at school, the media, and messages all around, they gather information that insists they dress, eat, or act a certain way to “fit in.” They feel pressure to do certain things and see people focusing so much on temporal matters, and then hear a twenty-minute Sunday school chat on fixing their eyes Heavenward. What does that mean, exactly? This lesson hopes to illustrate the principles of Philippians 3
This is lesson 16 of 33 in a series of lessons called “Praise God Through the Psalms.” Lesson focus: Through the book of Psalms and the worship of the people of Israel, we get a glimpse into the character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 28, God is seen as the Great Protector who serve as a Rock a Shield and a Shepherd for His people. In each of
As the romanticism of sin continues to increase in our culture, it becomes even more imperative for teenagers to be equipped to battle temptation and sin. In this lesson, “Is Sin Bringing Me Down?” youth will learn that sin’s fleeting and deceptive nature causes severe harm to their walk with Christ. Furthermore, they will be equipped through numerous scriptures to battle specific sins and move forward with confidence as believers.From Pastor Ken Gray’s sermon entitled, “The Downward
This is the 2nd part in a 6 part series on the book of Daniel. Chapter 2 covers: The King’s Forgotten Dream, The Secret is Revealed to Daniel, and The King’s Dream & Daniel’s Promotion. Don’t miss all our lesson and teaching ideas about the Book of Daniel. ————————————————————————————————— Daniel Chapter 2 The King’s Forgotten Dream: Daniel 2:1-18 Characters: Sign Holder, Narrator, Nebuchadnezzar, Group of Servants (magicians, conjurers, sorcerers), Chaldean 1, Chaldean 2, Daniel, Arioch, Hananiah, Mishael,
This is the 5th and final part in a mini-series of lessons/ activities for a one day Easter VBS event called “A Week with Jesus.” You can find the introductory materials about this event and the teaching materials for the opening ceremony here, the activities for stations 1 & 2 here, the activities for stations 3 & 4 here and the activities for stations 5 & 6 here. SERIES INDEX – part one – part two – part
This is the 4th part in a mini-series of lessons/ activities for a one day Easter VBS event called “A Week with Jesus.” You can find the introductory materials about this event and the teaching materials for the opening ceremony here, the activities for stations 1 & 2 here and the activities for stations 3 & 4. SERIES INDEX – part one – part two – part three – part four – part five In this post you’ll
There are many ways that we might use (and/or abuse) the term “love” in today’s culture…we say we love God, sure…but we also love our families, or our favorite sports teams, or pizza! As we prepare for Easter and begin the Lenten season, we think about how much God loves us and we love Him. This lesson reminds us how reliable He is and reminds us that truly loving something means sacrifice and steadfast determination. Lesson focus:
For children, it sometimes seems that life meaning and purpose are a long way off, and that only adulthood brings significance. But God promises that all of us have a special job to do. He has planned out our lives before we were even born! Prophets are not always widely studied in basic Sunday school classes, but looking at these ancient proclaimers provides important insight that emphasizes God’s power and control in our lives. This lesson takes
The Trinity can be a difficult concept for anyone to grasp, but it is especially tough for youngsters who tend to be quite literal-minded. The transfiguration of Jesus offers a glimpse of the Trinity, as well as a wild display of God’s glory and confirmation of who Christ is. Needless to say, nothing is simple about this event, but we can emphasize elements of it for kids that will create a practical and meaningful lesson. These activities
It’s your turn to teach, you have the lesson, now what? How do you take the lesson printed on paper and present it to a room full of kids? I regularly have new volunteers begin serving in children’s ministry and the top concern I hear from them is something along the lines of… I’m happy to help, but I’m not a teacher. If you have ever thought along those lines, you’re not alone. And, just because you don’t feel
This is lesson 15 of 33 in a series of lessons called “Praise God Through the Psalms.” Lesson focus: Through the book of Psalms and the worship of the people of Israel, we get a glimpse into the character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 27 we see the psalmist crying out to God for rescue as enemies surround him. He knows that God alone is the One who
Believers are told to “Live by faith, not by sight,” in 2 Corinthians 5:7. But what does that look like in our lives? What is faith, and what evidences should be present as followers of Christ? This fourth and last part of the “Walk Series” will help children grasp the concept of faith by looking at the world around them and provide appropriate methods they can use to continually grow in their faith. TARGET AGES: 10-14 OBJECTIVE:
When we look anywhere other than God’s word to define love, an extremely sinful and skewed view is the result. In this part 3 of the “Walk Series,” children will learn that loving God and others must influence our actions as believers. Also, it will be understood that “Walking in Love” requires sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to others and helping those who stray from what is right to see the truth. The children will learn
Truth is not defined by personal preference or conviction: it is defined by the holy word of God. This lesson,”Walk in Truth” (part 2 of the “Walk” series), will teach children that ultimate truth is not determined through erroneous human intelligence. Rather, it is created by our righteous, omniscient God. We can trust that aligning our lives to the incredible truth of the bible will increase our faith and help us identify cultural and sinful lies. TARGET
Because Christ lived a perfect life of obedience, we too can walk in wisdom, truth, love, and faith. “Walk in Wisdom,” (the first of four lessons in this series) will teach children the difference between earthly wisdom and spiritual wisdom. In addition, they will learn practical ways to incorporate wisdom into their lives through prayer, humility, obedience, and a reverent fear of God. TARGET AGES: 10-14 OBJECTIVE: To learn the definition for spiritual wisdom and be able
God’s love for us is extravagant, forever, and incomparable! In this lesson, “God’s ‘Sticky,’ Eternal Love,” children will explore the depth of God’s love for them through bible study, a sticky-note activity, and an energizing seek-and-find game. In addition, the children will learn that the “stickiness” of God’s love is secure, so we can live in assured obedience to his will. TARGET AGES: 10-14 OBJECTIVE: To examine the biblical proofs of God’s eternal love so each child
I will never forget the day a relative commented, “Teaching isn’t difficult. You just get in front of people and tell them what you know.” Sure thing (I replied in my head), if you never want to have an impact on your students. There seems to be a misconception that teaching is a skill anyone can just pick up, but my calling from God tells me otherwise. Having earned a teaching degree and spending even more time
There are many ways to consider how the church operates as a team of believers…the Bible makes it clear that every person has special gifts and abilities. We can use those unique elements to come together and do amazing things. But we have to use each other to make it happen. As adults we may be used to this message, but for kids sometimes it takes a little extra illustration and activity. This lesson aims to emphasize
Even (and sometimes especially) in the church, students are often at a loss to understand or explain some of the basic essentials of Christianity. Sometimes kids grow so used to a routine of “doing church” that they forget why it is important to participate in a church body or go through the motions we are accustomed to doing. It is critical that kids of any age appreciate the importance of the basics, or they will be
When we are obedient to God’s commands, we can count on his order, provision, and protection. In “After the Manger,” children will learn about the events that took place after Jesus’ birth and how those events teach us to boldly obey God. Even among opposition we can have the confidence that the Lord is near because he provides exactly what we need to follow him. From Pastor Ken Gray’s sermon entitled, “Beyond the Manger.” (December 27, 2015) Transcribed
When Jesus was 12, He and his parents travelled to Jerusalem for Passover with a big group of their relatives. During this trip, Jesus was left behind. His parents found Him three days later teaching the elders in the Temple. Mary and Joseph were worried about Jesus, but He was exactly where He needed to be. Even at a young age, Jesus knew who He was and who His Father was and He was preparing Himself for
What did God do for us and why is it important? Why do we need Jesus, anyway? Sometimes we take for granted what it means that we are God’s children and have been redeemed. This lesson emphasizes the importance of a Messiah and reminds us that God used prophets to tell everyone what was coming. It also reminds us that God is our protector and “lifesaver” in all circumstances. Lesson focus: God has promised from the beginning
