Acts of Love | Showing God's Love to Others - Sunday School Lessons for Kids

I've learned a few things lately and one of those things is that 'acts of love' as Christians doesn't come as easily as I once thought. Right up front, I want to say that when we ask Jesus to be our savior, we don't magically start loving people the way God wants us too. It's true that for a little while when accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, we want to tell everyone about God and how that Jesus died for us and we want EVERYONE to know him like we do.

Overtime though, the 'newness' wears off and the things of this world start weighing us back down. People begin to irritate us. We start getting annoyed by the way people act. So, instead of wanting to help those types of people, we steer ourselves toward those who are more willing to listen about Christ or those who show an interest in him (which isn't very often in today's world). We may even limit ourselves to those we see at church or the kids in our Sunday school classes. But, what about those we encounter daily?

Showing God's love to others should come easily. So, why doesn't it?

Showing God's Love to Others

Today's lesson is on 'acts of love' or 'showing God's love to others' and how easy or hard it truly can be. Children (and adults) may have a hard time understanding the numerous different ways that we can show God's love to others, but hopefully by the end of this lesson, they will see how truly easy it can be.

Ask for a show of hands to the following questions, but ask the kids to refrain from talking about the people they feel this way about.

"How many of you have someone in your life that you don't like?"
"How many of you have someone in your life that irritates you badly?"
"What about a teacher or principal?"
"What about a neighbor?"
"Do you have someone who used to be your friend until something happened and now they are no longer your friend?"

The bible tells us in Mark12:31 KJV ~ Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Jesus didn't say, "Try to love thy neighbor as thyself". He said, "Thou shalt!"

That lets us know that as Christians, no matter what happens, we are to love our neighbours. So, exactly who are our neighbors? Well, if you look at the parable of The Good Samaritan, we find that everyone is our neighbor.

Okay, so exactly how can we show God's love to others?

We can show God's love to others by the acts of love we do. These small (or big) acts of love show others God's love through us. Jason Gray, a Christian music artist, has a song about this exact thing. Take a moment to watch it below, then show it to your kids in your Sunday schoool class. My kiddos learn better when they can visually see something rather than just me telling them.

Whenever you get a chance to show your kids visually, I recommend you do so!

Jason Gray's Acts of Love Video




Now, as you can see in this video, even the smallest acts of love can help build the kingdom of God. I used the reference in the song about how God put a million million doors in this world for his love to walk through. I told each child that they were a door for God's love and that they needed to open that door to let His love out.

Showing God's Love Activity

I saw this activity somewhere and I'd link to it if I could find it, but I can't. It is a really good 'visual' example of how showing God's love to others helps his love to spread from one person to another. 

Get a colored sheet of paper and scissors. Any sheet of paper will do, but if you are in front of a larger class, colored paper can be seen better. Now, have the kids count how many corners are on that piece of paper. Of course, there are four corners.

Next, tell the kids you are going to cut off one corner of the piece of paper and that that corner will represent a piece of God's love. Once you have cut off the corner, have the kids count how many corners the paper has now. It has 5!! 

So, even though you took some of God's love out, it grew more!!! 

Now, cut another corner off and give that part of God's love away to someone. Count the corners again. There are now 6!!!

You can continue this to the next couple of corners to make sure the children understand what you are doing.

The more we give God's love away or 'show God's love' the more his love grows in others!! Sometimes, people may not want your kindness, but give it anyway! 

Here is a reminder craft about God's love being inside of us and how we need to let his light shine:

God lets each of us choose whether or not we will give his love to others or hold it in. God never makes us do anything. So, when the time comes and you have the choice to do an act of love, like in the video, do it! Don't hesitate because if you don't show an act of love, God's love won't grow through you. 

Be the door that God's love can walk through!! Just like the song above!!!

If you'd like another activity for your kids, here is a free crossword puzzle centered around The Good Samaritan. 

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King David Dances Before the Ark of the Covenant - Sunday School Lesson

What does the word "presence" mean?

Not like gifts, but like being in the presence of someone. What does that mean?

Right, it means to exist or to be somewhere.

Today we are going to talk about being in the presence of God. But before we do that, I want you to imagine with me for a second.

 

What if, right now, Olaf (from the movie Frozen) came walking through the doors and into this room? What if you were in Olaf's presence?

What would you do? What would you ask him?
 

It would be pretty cool to be in his presence, huh?
 

What if, instead of Olaf, the President of the United States came through the doors? Regardless of how you feel about him, I bet we all would show him respect. The room would probably be very quiet and we all would watch as he walked to the front.

Being in the presence of a President is a big deal!
 

I have one more for you. Imagine with me for a moment, if right here, right now, we were in the presence of God. What do you think that would be like? What would we say?
 

Well, a couple thousand years ago, we know about one group of people who experienced the presence of God.

They were called the Israelites. After leaving Egypt they went into the wilderness and built a beautiful tent called the Tabernacle. This was the place where they would meet with God. Inside the Tabernacle was a gold box called the Ark of the Covenant.

 

This ark was where a small part of the presence of God would come and visit. So whenever the people saw this Ark of the Covenant, they were reminded of the presence of God.

One day, the Israelites are in battle and things aren't going very well. In fact, things are going really bad:

The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.

  ~ 1 Samuel 4:2

The Israelites are fighting the Philistines and they are losing. They have to do something to turn this around. So they have an idea:

 

 

Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.

  ~ 1 Samuel 4:3b

They say, "Let's go get the Ark of the Covenant (God's presence) and bring it to the battlefield. That way we will win this fight."
 

This sounds like a good idea, right? They are saying that God's presence will help them. They want God to fight for them.

But here's the problem. The only reason they are interested in God is because they are in a bad situation. They are losing the battle, so they turn to God.
 

They are treating God's presence as a lucky charm. They are interested in God's presence only because they are in trouble, not because they always depend on Him. They've tried fighting by themselves and that hasn't worked; so now they will try God. Maybe that will work.

So they hope by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield that they will turn the war around and end up winning. They are hoping God's presence will bring them good luck.
 

So they go to Shiloh, they get the ark, and they set it on the battlefield. Then...

"all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook..."

      ~ 1 Samuel 4:5b
 

Everyone shout with me!

The Philistines heard them and realized what had happened. They knew that Israel's God had come to the battlefield.
 

The fighting continues and sure enough...

"So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his
tent....and the ark of God was captured.

                ~ 1 Samuel 4:10a, 11a

So the Philistines win the battle and take the Ark of the Covenant. But they didn't want to worship God or have His presence near. No, what they wanted was to add to their collection of gods. In a lot of ancient cultures, there wasn't one god that everyone worshipped, there were many gods they worshipped. So when the Philistine army captured the Ark of the Covenant they figured they'd add it to their collection.
 

So the Philistines put the ark in front of one of their most powerful gods, Dagon. I guess they figured Dagon would look after it.
 

But the next morning they woke up and saw Dagon had completely fallen over. They were horrified! They set Dagon back up and when they came back the next day he had fallen over again, and this time he was in pieces.

 

 

 

What was causing the statue of Dagon to fall over? Did someone come in and secretly push him over?

No! It was the presence of God!
 

Well, the Philistines had to get the ark away from Dagon, so they start passing it around to different cities. And everywhere the ark goes it causes mayhem. People get sick, they have terrible things happen to them, and pretty soon word spreads and nobody wants the ark anywhere near them.

So eventually the Philistines give it back to Israel. They throw some extra gifts on a wagon, and a couple animals haul the cart back to Israel. The Philistines want nothing to do with it!

For the next 80 years the ark sits in silence.

Saul becomes the king and isn't that interested in God's presence. He is more interested in himself. And so, during his time as king, no one really sees the Ark of the Covenant.
 

Eventually, God chooses another king - a shepherd. You remember his name?

That's right! King David takes the throne.

And one of the first things he does is move the ark, which reminds people of God's presence, back to the capital city.
 

David wants the Ark of the Covenant back in Jerusalem.

So he gathers a whole bunch of men to get it.
 

I imagine David probably led the line of people carrying the ark back into the city.

One thing we do know is that David didn't dress like a king. In fact, he changed clothes to look like the other people. He didn't want to stand out. This moment wasn't about David. This was about celebrating the presence of God.
 

And they had a big parade!
 

First Chronicles 15 describes some of the people involved. They had singers. It says that Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass... And it goes on to tell us who played the harps, and who sang, and who played trumpets.
 

There is a whole list of people who helped with the music in the parade.

Then David might have been the most excited of them all.
 

"Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling..."

1 Chronicles 15:29a

So you know what David was doing? He was doing something like this:

 

 

That's right, David was dancing. The presence of God inspired David to dance!
 

So David finishes the parade, feeds everyone, and sends them all home.

After everyone has left, David goes home to his wife, Michal.

Now you have to understand; Michal is the daughter of King Saul, The king that David replaced. King Saul's daughter was Michal, who ended up marrying King David.
 

So David walks into his house to bless his family. He was excited to celebrate more when he got home!

So he walks in the door and Michal, I imagine, is just standing there.
 

She looks at David and says:
 

Look at the king making a fool of himself. What were you doing? What was all the dancing and carrying on for? You are the king! You should act like it! My father would NEVER have done that. What are you thinking?!!

David's wife is embarrassed and upset. She did not appreciate David's dancing and celebrating God's presence.
 

So David says something to his wife that I think is very helpful for us. This idea should be front and center in our minds when we think about the presence of God:

 

 

"It was before the Lord"

      ~ 2 Samuel 6:21a

I think that is like some of us here.
 

When we sing songs, when we pray, when we says verses out loud...anytime we worship the Lord we need to remember it is for the Lord.
 

Too often we are so concerned about being cool and looking good to our friends and not embarrassing ourselves. What we should really be focusing on is our God and our worship of Him.

You see David wasn't so concerned about what the people around him thought of him. David was focused on what God thought of Him. David's worship wasn't for the other people in the parade; David's worship was for God, alone.

God's presence is no longer inside the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, you know where it is now?

It's in us. God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is inside every Christian.

So in a very real way God's presence is in this room. I think it's time that we worshipped like it was.


*Sunday School lesson and images were submitted by author, Nathan Johnson.


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May God bless you.
 

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Deborah Goes Into Battle - Sunday School Lesson

I love this bible story because not only does it show the bravery of women, but it also shows that God uses women as well as men. So, listen up girls and boys - God can and WILL use you no matter what age, color, or even if you are a boy or a girl. There are so many stories in the bible about God using women and children - like the story of Ruth or the little boy who gave his lunch to feed the 5,000!

Isn't that wonderful to know!!! If we allow God to use us, there is no telling what can happen.

Just like the bible stories above, the story of Deborah is also a true story of how God uses women to get the job done. In this Sunday School lesson, you'll learn how God not only uses one woman, but two and just how important they are.

Sunday School Lesson

The story of Deborah begins in Judges 4 when Israel turned away from God yet again when the Judge
Ehud died. Teachers - don't just go by the Sunday School lesson below. Turn to Judges 4 and read it for yourself. You may find more information about the story you'd like to share with your class.

Deborah Goes Into Battle

During this time, Deborah, who was a prophetess, began to judge the children of Israel. The bible tells us that she lived under a palm tree. Often, the children of Israel would come to her for help and for answers.

You see, the Israelites were afraid of Sisera who was the captain of the Canaanite army. Sisera had a strong army with 900 chariots of iron and thousands of men. The bible tells us that for twenty years he kept the Israelites under his control, or mightily oppressed them.

Finally, Deborah called for a man named Barak and said to him, "Barak, the Lord said for you to take 10,000 men into the mountains and He is going to lead Sisera's army down to the river. There the Lord will allow you to win the battle."

But, Barak didn't want to go even though the Lord said he would win!

Instead, Barak told Deborah, "If you will go with me into battle, then I will go. But, if you don't go with me, then I won't go."

Imagine, this big strong man who is more than capable of leading an army of 10,000 men is afraid to go into battle without Deborah by his side!

What do you think Deborah said to him?

Deborah knew the Lord would keep his word and that they would win the battle, so she immediately said yes she would go would Barak. (Of course, I believe Deborah would have went whether or not she knew they were going to win because she loved the Lord and wanted to do his will.)

But before they left, Deborah told Barak, "You must know that the Lord is going to let a woman take care of Sisera the captain of the Canaanite army. You will not have the honor of killing him yourself."

The Battle

Just as the Lord said, Barak and Deborah led the Israelite army up to the top of a mountain. The Lord led Sisera and his army down near the river.

When every thing was in place, Deborah said to Barak, "UP! For this is the day that the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand!"

What did this mean?

It meant that it was time for Barak to take his men into battle! It was time to charge! The Lord had said that today was the day the Israelites were going to win the battle against Sisera and his army! It was time!

We know they win, but how did it all happen?

Well - When Sisera and his army saw Barak and his men coming down off that mountain, the bible tells us that the Lord confused Sisera and his army so badly that Sisera jumped down off his chariot and took off running. While Sisera's army was confused, Barak and his army took care of them all. There was not a single man left.

Now, while this was going on, Sisera was still running. He ran until he came to a tent. There was a woman inside the tent named Jael. Jael told Sisera he could come into her tent and when he did, he laid down and she covered him with a blanket.

Sisera told Jael he was very thirsty so she gave him some milk to drink.

After he finished drinking, he said to Jael, "You stand by the door of tent and if anyone comes looking for me, you tell them no one is here."

So Jael waited. Finally, Sisera fell fast asleep because he was so tired and worn out from all that running away.

While he was asleep, Jael took a tent stake and killed Sisera. Which is exactly what Deborah had said, remember? Deborah told Barak that Sisera would be killed by a woman.

Now, Barak was still chasing after Sisera and came to the tent where Jael was. When Jael saw Barak, she told him, "Come into my tent. There you will find the man you are looking for."

A Final Note

Depending on the age children you have, you may want to tell them exactly how Jael killed Sisera. The bible tells us that she took a tent stake and drove it deep into his temple and fastened it into the ground.



**Note: There are many times in the bible where God allows people to kill and often children and adults wonder how this is so when one of the Ten Commandments clearly states - Thou shalt not kill. When the scrolls were translated, the word kill was actually the word murder. What does this mean? It means that God commanded us - Thou shalt not murder. We are not to let hatred fester inside of us where we devise a plan to murder someone.


If you like this Sunday School lesson, please share it with others. Also, be sure to add your email in the upper right side to get free Sunday school games and lessons!
 

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Teach Kids to Pray - Sunday School Lesson

How many times have you heard a child say, "I don't know how to pray" or "I don't know what to
say" when you ask them to pray? While this may be all right for very small children, it is extremely important for kids to learn to pray as soon as possible - actually, for us ALL to know how.

For most of us, we pray without giving it a second thought about if we are doing it right or wrong. And for the most part, as long as we are talking to God, it can't be truly wrong. But, it can be so much more right!

In this Sunday school lesson, you'll find out what your Sunday school kids know about praying and may learn a thing or two yourself - I did.

Sunday School Lesson on Prayer

 

Before beginning your lesson, ask the kids if they have anything they would like the class to pray about. While taking prayer requests, take a few notes on what the kids say. You'll probably hear things like: pray for my mom and dad, my dog is sick, a kid in my class got hurt, my daddy's working, or even I'm sick.

Write these things down as you will use them later in the lesson.

Once you've taken prayer requests, go over the following verse.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

Pray without ceasing.

After you go over this verse a few times, ask the kids what it means to pray without ceasing. You'll

find that often kids will repeat bible verses without actually thinking about what they mean. As they process the meaning, you may get a few questions about how you can pray all the time or pray without stopping.

This is where you want your kid's train of thought to be as you start the Sunday school activity below. This activity will be your lesson as well. You'll find that by doing this activity, the kids will learn so much more about praying than by just 'telling' them how to do it.

Let's begin.

Note: The following activity was inspired by a lesson from Kids' Travel Guide to the Armor of God.

Gather these items or come up with some of your own: pencils, paper, a picture of your pastor, a photo of your church, food items, drinks, articles of clothing, and a mirror.

Divide up the items into stations around the room. Then, divide the kids up into groups for each station.

Tip: The pencil and paper can be used to draw family members, friends, pets, etc. You can decide on this by what the prayer requests were at the beginning.

The purpose of these stations is to get kids thinking about what God has given them and what each one means to them. For instance, the articles of clothing may spark thoughts of having warm clothes to wear or money to buy the clothes. But what about, the child that sits next to them in school that doesn't have many clothes or kids in other countries that don't have socks or warm coats to wear?

The mirror will represent them looking inside themselves. Kids may think about the outward appearance, but what about how they can be better Christians or live the way God wants. Maybe some kids have trouble controlling their temper or always are wanting something they don't need.

The food and drinks will let them see that God gives this to them and they need to be thankful. Also, there are many who don't have food and water. This is something we need to pray about as well.

Get the kids thinking outside the box!

Walk through the stations with your kids and talk about each one before you let them begin their own journey through each station. By walking through each one with them, you will be able to talk about each one and give them some things to help them think outside the box.

Remember to pray for your pastor. The kids can pray for his health, but also that God gives him wisdom to lead your church as God needs it led or any number of things your pastor may need prayer for.

Once you have walked through the stations, let the groups go through each one taking time to kneel down and pray.

It may feel awkward to them at first, but by the time they get through each station it will be less awkward and you may find they are spending more time at each one.

Finishing the Lesson

After the kids have finished each station, have them come back to you and sit down. You will need your notes you took of prayer requests at the beginning.

At this time, you will be asking for prayer requests again here at the end of the lesson. You will find that once the kids have had time to think about the items in each station, their prayer request will have changed a bit.

This is a good thing as they will have realized that prayer is more about asking for stuff. It is about thanking and praising God for what they have and praying not only for themselves, but for others. Of course, it is good to ask God to help yourself because we can't do it alone! Actually, we can't do it by ourselves at all!


A final request:

Please pass this along by clicking on one of the social media links below. I love the Lord and want to share my posts with as many Sunday school teachers as possible. Thanks and have a great day!


 

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Paul and Silas Sunday School Lesson

I love the bible story of Paul and Silas. It isn't your typical bible story you'd tell in your Sunday school class. But, if it is important enough to be in the bible, it is important enough to tell your kids.

Are you wondering what is so different about this Sunday school lesson that you may be a bit apprehensive about sharing it with your kids?

This story tells of a young slave girl who can tell the fortunes of others because she is possessed by an evil spirit.

Now, before you shy away from this story, you can reassure your kids right off the bat that when they accept Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, they will never have to worry about such a thing happening to them. Of course, I've discovered over the years, that smaller children just take the story as is and don't question this part of it.

The bible isn't sugar-coated and we shouldn't sugar coat it either!

1 John 4:4 KJV

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 

 

 

Paul and Silas Sunday School Lesson

Before beginning this lesson, look up this bible story in your bible. You'll find it in Acts 16:16-40. Of course, the whole chapter is great, so read it all if you'd like!

It is always best to prepare yourself before attempting to teach a lesson. I have often found that when I get in a hurry and don't study enough, one child will ask me a question I am unsure of how to answer.

After you've read the verses, let's begin.

Here is the bible story of Paul and Silas:

One day Paul and Silas were on their way to prayer, when a girl who was possessed with an evil spirit met them. Because she was possessed, she could tell the future.

Now, this wasn't an ordinary girl. She was a servant and because she could tell the future, she made a lot of money for her masters. The bible tells us in the book of Acts chapter 16 verse 17, the girl followed Paul and Silas as they went.

As she followed, the girl shouted, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

Of course this was true. Paul and Silas were servants of God and they could show the people how to be saved, but day after day the girl followed them saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." which made it difficult for Paul and Silas to show anyone anything.

You may want to repeat what the girl said several times to emphasized that what the girl said became a bit annoying and made Paul and Silas' job hard. What was their job? To show people the way of salvation of course!

Here is a good time to ask the kids if they know what salvation means.

Don't take for granted that kids understand this at any age. You'll be surprised at some of the answers you may receive.

Wait for volunteers to give their meaning of salvation before telling that salvation means that you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior. You believe that he came to earth as a baby, grew up, died on the cross, arose again, and now lives in heaven! When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. Salvation is a gift from God that saves you for eternity.

Here is what Paul and Silas say near the end of this bible story when they are talking to the guard:

Acts 16:31 KJV



³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Let's continue the story.

Finally, Paul had had enough of the spirit and turned to the girl and said to the spirit, "I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her."

And guess what. He came out of her!

Just by the sound of Jesus' name, the spirit obeyed.

James 2:19 KJV

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

But when the girl's masters saw that she could no longer tell the future of others, they realized that she could no longer make them money. You see, the girl's job was to tell people their fortunes and the people paid her masters. Now that the evil spirit was gone from her, she could not tell anyone's future. Her masters were so mad that they caught Paul and Silas and took them to the rulers.

The masters told the rulers that Paul and Silas were causing trouble and teaching things they shouldn't. Without even giving Paul and Silas a chance to talk, they beat them and threw them into prison. Their feet was also put into stocks.

A jailer was in charge of the prison and all the prisoners. It was his job to make sure no one escaped.

Now, for many people, if they would have been beaten and thrown into prison when they had done nothing wrong, they would have been crying, yelling, screaming, complaining, grumbling, or any number of things.

But, guess what!

The Earthquake!!

The bible tells us that at midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God!!

The other prisoners heard Paul and Silas singing and praising God! I wonder what they thought!

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake. All the doors of the prison were opened and all the prisoner's bands came undone! You would think that all the prisoners would have taken the chance to escape, wouldn't you?

Let's see what happens.

When the jailer woke up and saw that all the doors were open, he knew he was in a heap of trouble because all the prisoners were gone. He didn't want find out what the rulers would do to him when they found out that he lost all of the prisoners, so he took out his sword and was going to kill himself!

But, right before he did, Paul yelled, "Do thyself no harm for we are all here".

Can you believe that?

None of the prisoners escaped!

The jailer grabbed a light, ran into the prison and fell down before Paul and Silas wanting to know how he could be saved!!

He realized that whatever Paul and Silas had, he wanted too.

Paul and Silas told the jailer, that he need only to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved and all that was in his house.

Right then and there the jailer was saved!!

The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house and they told all that was in his house about the word of the Lord and everyone in the jailer's house was saved too!

Imagine - because of the evil spirit inside the girl, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, but because they were thrown into prison, a whole family was saved!



 

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Wise Man and Foolish Man - Sunday School Lesson

We all have a little bit of the wise man and the foolish man in our lives. While this story about thedoes not obey is foolish, helping kids understand this and how it affects them is crucial in their Christian lives.

wise man and the foolish man was told by Jesus to help us understand that anyone who hears the word of God and obeys is wise and anyone who hears the word of God and

Below is a Sunday school lesson that can be used for any age kids. This is a simple lesson that can be used to dig deeper into the word of God with teens and adults by adding more verses and discussing what God expects of us as his children.

I've added a video at the bottom with the "Wise Man Song" with motions which is great for younger kids!

Wise Man and Foolish Man Sunday School Lesson

There are many ways to add visuals to this lesson, but for today, we are going to keep it simple and

have the kids interact more with you and each other. Often, interaction and discussion helps kids learn more than you think. Let's get their minds geared toward Jesus' lesson.

Foolish Man

Start by asking, "Have any of you been to the beach?" Or, "How many of you have played with sand?"

"Did you make a sand castle?"

"What did the water do to the sand castle when it washed over it?"

After each question, wait for answers. Younger kids will love to tell about what happened to their castle at the beach or even in a sandbox. Of course, the castle was washed away!

Now, get the kids thinking by asking, "What do you think would happen if your mom or dad decided to build a house on top of a pile of sand?"

Then ask, "Do you think if a big rain came and flooded the area it would make the house fall down?"

Of course it would and kids will be able to visualize this because they know sand isn't strong nor can it stand up to water.

The bible tells us that we are foolish if we build our house (lives) upon sinking sand. Be sure to find out if the kids know what 'foolish' means. Explain that Jesus doesn't want our thoughts, actions, or words to be centered around foolish things.

Ask, "What are some foolish things we might do or say that would keep us from growing closer to God?"

Answers may include: being jealous, lying, not obeying mom and dad, worrying, missing church for no reason, being a bully, and so on. Adults and teens will have more complex answers.

Wise Man

Now, let's talk about the wise man. Jesus tells us in the bible that the wise man built his house upon a rock. Did you know that in the bible Jesus is called the solid rock? There is a song that says...."On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand."  (see the bottom video)

When we put our faith, trust, actions, thoughts, and words in line with Christ the solid rock our Christian lives become stronger and others around us will be able to see Jesus in us.

To begin about the wise man, ask, "How hard is a rock?"

Say, "Rocks are really hard. We already know that we don't want to build our house on sinking sand. So, we should build it on something hard and solid, right?"

Ask, "If our house was built on something hard and solid, what do you think would happen if the rains came down and the floods came up? Do you think it would wash away like the house built on sand?"

No. It wouldn't!

That's what we want our lives to be like. When bad things happen, someone does something mean to us, we need to make choices, or feel like nothing ever goes our way, we need to think about Jesus and how he is like a solid rock. If we trust Jesus in everything we do and pray to him when we don't know what to do, he will help us build our lives on him - a solid rock.

We can be strong in Him and with Him. No one can do it alone. That's why Jesus says he will never leave us. He wants to be there helping us each day and guess what - He is with us every hour, every minute, and every second.

We never have to worry about sinking sand because with Jesus we are standing on a solid rock!

Enjoy the songs below!

 

Image courtesy of Curt Smith, Wikimedia Commons.

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More of God Less of Me - Teen Sunday School Lesson

Since the release of Colton Dixon's Christian song More of You, it is becoming more and more apparent that we spend our lives centered around our lives here on earth and not our spiritual lives. The bible plainly tells us we are not to do this.

I've added a video below so that you can hear the song, More of You. You may wish to show it to your class to reinforce the fact that everyone is guilty of putting other things in their life before God.

Below is the Sunday school lesson geared for your teens, but can easily be used for younger grades.

What You'll Need:

• dry erase board
• dry erase markers
• paper
• pencils

You'll also need to make sure all of the teens bring their bible with them (some kids just don't think about it for some reason). Text them, tweet them, or even use Instagram to let them know they are going to need it. Using these social media devices is a great way to keep in touch with your kids during the week. Not only can you let them know you are thinking about them, but they can get in contact with you and you can also share a verse or a bible challenge with them.

In this Sunday school lesson, you'll need to focus on today's world and what kids think about on a daily basis.

As class begins and you have taken prayer requests and prayed, go to the white board. Ask kids what is the most important thing on their mind during the day. Of course, some kids will think you want them to say God and say it. That's great, but ask, "Is He really the thing you think about most during the day?"

Let kids give answers and write them on the board.

Some of our answers included: Minecraft (video games), music stars, selfies, school, sports and even homework.

After you've complied your list, have the kids turn in their bibles to Colossians 3:1-2.

Colossians 3:1-2 KJV

 

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

² Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Ask the kids what they think this verse means. Get them into a discussion about it. Discussions help open up their mind to God's Word and allows the kids to relate to each other by hearing what they think. Discussions also open up opportunities for teachers to answer questions that often may not have been asked otherwise.

Now, give each child a piece of paper and a pencil.

Have them write down ways they can put more of God into their lives and less of themselves.

Some of our answers included: prayer, reading the bible, attending church more, and the usual answers kids might give.

After they are finished writing and before you discuss what they wrote, get them thinking outside the box.

Have them open their bibles to Galatians 5:25-26.

Galatians 5:25-26 KJV

²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

²⁶ Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

 

 

Just like above, start a discussion about what they just read. We went through each part of the verse one at a time to allow time for deeper thought. Many kids do the things listed above without even knowing they are a sin and that the bible says not to do them. These every day sins keep us from walking closer with God and therefore causes it to be more of us and less of Him.

Our goal is to reinforce more of Him and less of us.

Once the discussion is over, have kids write anymore ways they feel they can have less of them and more of Him. Let them know that no one will look at their papers. These papers will serve as a reminder for them throughout their week to put more of God into their lives.

Have them hang their papers in their room, carry them inside one of their books at school, or anywhere they will see it often as a reminder.

Before finishing your lesson, think about showing the video below so kids can see that everyone struggles with this and it is something that we need to strive for each day.
 

Image courtesy of Paul M. Walsh. Click image to follow the link.

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Dealing with Your Emotions - Anger Sunday School Lesson

Sunday School Lesson

Date: August 11

Length: 1 hour

Audience: Adults

Lesson: Matthew 21:12-17

 

Opening Prayer

Introduction                                                                                                                       15 Minutes

Have the students read the short story below. After reading, have them answer the question at the end of the story.

It’s Friday!! It’s payday and I’m on cloud 9. It’s going to be a great day. Traffic is light; there are no slow people out driving.  Wait, what was that sound? Oh no, I think I popped a tire. I don’t have time for this. I’m going to be late. What’s that sound? Who’s calling me? Oh no; it’s the boss. Why is he calling me?

Hello.  Hey boss. No, I’m on the way. No, the file is on my desk. It’s  not? Wait, it’s in the car. I took it home to make some final corrections. I’m sorry; I’m on the way.

Well thank God; I’m here, and only an hour late. What else could go wrong? Spoke too soon; here comes “head down Helen.” She is always looking for someone to pick her up. Well, today is not my day. In fact, I’m going to take the stairs.

Did I do something  wrong?

(Allow for open discussion for about 5 minutes)

Answer: I should never allow my anger to interfere with a chance to witness for Christ.

Answer: I should not allow anger to define or consume me.

Ask the class to comment on a time when they made someone angry.

Specifically:

How soon did they apologize?

How fast did they want you to forgive them?

 

 

The title of this Sunday School lesson is: Dealing With Your Emotions.

The lesson will be divided into 2 parts:

(At the end of each section, allow time for questions.)

 

Is there ever a right time to be angry? (12-13)                                                                    15 Minutes

Jesus was upset for a number of reasons:

·         Poor people were being forced to buy defiled animals

·         Those guilty of the crime were the spiritual and well off

·         The crime took place in the temple

Jesus was angry; but never allowed His anger to take control. Too often, we allow the anger to be more important than the reason we got angry. For us, we cannot and should not let this happen to us.

 

Prolonged anger can interfere with your ministry (14-17)                                              15 Minutes

No sooner than He was done cleansing the temple; Jesus was faced with society’s most vulnerable people; the disabled and the children. He could have very easily informed both that He had no time right now.  He could have told the lame to quit feeling sorry for themselves. He could have told the children that this was adult business, and He has no time right now. Instead, He stopped and made time for both.

If we are not careful, the spiritually vulnerable will be at our door right after a heated discussion with your spouse or after you’ve found out that you were not chosen for a promotion. What will you do?

Scriptures that will help you deal with your anger:

·         Ephesians 4:26-27

·         Matthew 18:21-22

Summary                                                                                                                                             15 Minutes

• Anger should never see the sunset.
• When angry; be on the lookout for an opportunity to minister to someone.
• Jesus did not allow His anger to conflict with your salvation.

Closing prayer

Author: Stephen Thomas

chicagocareertransitions@yahoo.com

Image courtesy of epSos.de

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It’s Not Okay - Sunday School Lesson

Sunday School Lesson

Length: 1 hour

Audience: Adults

Lesson: 1 Corinthian 10:12-22

Prayer

Introduction                                                                                                                       15 Minutes

Have the students read the short story below. After reading, have them answer the question at the end of the story.

Friday was Bob’s last day. I was in charge of planning the event. Bob had been a great friend and mentor, and I wanted to send him out in style. I walked through the office making a list of all the people that planned on attending. It was going to be a first class; Christian affair.  We even planned to have prayer for Bob at the end of the party.

I asked Mary if she planned on attending. Mary was recently saved, and I wanted her to feel a part of the Christian family at work. Mary was not convinced. She was a recovering alcoholic, and didn’t think it wise to attend. I told Mary that alcohol does not save or condemn. I encouraged her to come, because the safest place on earth was around believers. Mary nodded, and agreed to stop by.

1 hour and 11 drinks later; Mary was drunk. She made a complete fool of herself, and totally ruined the party. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said: “I shouldn’t have listened to you.”

I felt bad. I only wanted her to be with us, and have a good time.

Was what I did wrong?

 

(Allow for open discussion for about 5 minutes)

Answer: I should have respected the needs of the babe in Christ, and not tempted her into sin. As a Christian, I should have been more sensitive to Mary, and not put her in that position.

(Ask the class to share a time when either they encouraged someone to do something they could not handle.)

The title of the lesson is: It’s not okay! In it, we can and will measure ourselves against ourselves, and get a sense of where we are in our Christian walk. We will divide the lesson into 3 parts:

(At the end of each section, allow time for questions.)

Understanding your strengths (12-13)                                                                           10 Minutes

Even strong Christians will face serious temptation. Those that are strong are sometimes more likely to fall because they let their spiritual guard down. As a Christian, it is never okay to fall; or to make excuses for falling. God does not give you more than you can handle.

Understanding idolatry (14-19)                                                                                      10 Minutes

Flee means run! Sometimes, in order to avoid sin, you have to run. In the 23 Psalms, David proclaimed that he sometimes had to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. David also said that God prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies. God does not remove - He guides.

About Idols:

·         They are not real.

·         The 10 Commandments warns against graven images.

·         Taking Holy Communion unifies our bodies with Christ; idol worship unifies us with the devil.

·         God cannot share space with evil.

Understanding God’s wishes (20-21)                                                                              10 Minutes

The Bible is full of examples of how the Israelites provoked God by doing wrong in His eyes.

Read Numbers 25:9:  Mention how Israel fell due to idolatry.

Summary                                                                                                                            10 Minutes

The strong can sin by doing something that causes the weak to stumble.

God is bigger than what you are going through.

Closing prayer

Author: Stephen Thomas

chicagocareertransitions@yahoo.com

*Image courtesy of Kevin Probst.
 

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