Do All to the Glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV - Sunday School Lesson

1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV says "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." This is a hard concept to grasp at any age. Yes, we know that we are suppose to do everything to the glory of God, but how can what we eat and drink be done for God?

Teaching Sunday school children early that doing everything for the glory of God is a way of life instead of just occasionally, will help them to grow to become strong in the Lord and have a wonderful relationship with Him along the way.

Do All to the Glory of God

When beginning this Sunday school lesson, you will need to keep in mind that gentle reminders are a great way to get the point across. Also, a great way to keep kids on track during the week is to text them or email mail them. There are very few children nowadays that do no have cell phones, iPods, iPads, computers, etc. Use these devices to keep in touch during the week:)

As kids come into class today, have them write down any information you may need to get in touch with them. If needed, ask for the parents numbers or email addresses. Then, let the parents know you will be sending out texts or emails to the kids during the week. Most parents will LOVE this idea and welcome it! Also, it lets parents know what their children are learning and can help encourage them:)

What to Do:

Before class, come up with several scenarios that your kids can relate to such as: being bossy, sneaking extra cookies, skipping church to ride bikes, throwing rocks at the neighbors dog, and so on. Also, come up with a few good scenarios such as helping mom carry in groceries, putting shoes away, picking up toys, sharing, and so on.

Now, we are going to use these scenarios to get the idea of doing everything for God rolling!

Begin by mixing up the good and bad scenarios and asking the kids if they believe the scenario is doing something for God or not. This will help to get their train of thought working.

Now, ask, "Do you think that stuffing yourself with a whole extra-large pizza can be done for the glory of God?"

The answer of course is 'no'.

God did not design our bodies to be stuffed full at every meal. He gave us food to sustain us and to enjoy, but not to overeat.

Ask, "What about smoking or drugs?"

1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 

We are to treat our bodies like the temple of God it is! Overeating, smoking, drugs, and other corrupt things were not meant to be used by our bodies.

Now, ask, "Since we know that putting things inside our bodies that shouldn't be there is not glorifying God, what do you think about what you drink?"

Of course many children will know that alcohol will not glorify God, but what about other drinks? God wants us to enjoy what we drink as long as it isn't hurting us, but drinking sodas, sugary drinks, and other drinks that were not designed by God for us to drink can harm us if drank in over abundance! Believe it or not, drinking too much water or milk can even harm our bodies!

Read about the risks of drinking too much milk here.
Read about the risks of drinking too much water here.

We are to partake food and drinks to sustain us and not for gluttony or to look cool.

What Else?

There are ways to glorify God in all that we do even as children. Have the kids think about their every day activities: soccer, basketball, fishing, hunting, school, and so on.

Express the importance of using all of their activities for God. All of our actions, words, and motions we portray can let others see God in us. We can let God shine in us so others may want to know more about God.

Have you ever heard the saying, "I like your God, but I don't like your Christians?"

This can be very true about so many non-Christians. Non-Christians look at us and can't see Jesus anywhere in us! What a sad thought.

Think about it...

How often do we gripe, complain, grouch, yell, get angry, and so on. These are not attributes of God.

Philippians 2:14 KJV

 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

 

 

We are all guilty of these things, but because of God's mercy, we can ask forgiveness and start again! Praise the Lord we serve a loving God!

 

I learned a lot myself from this Sunday school lesson!

 

 

Image of reading the bible courtesy of Photo-Monique

Image of basketball courtesy of Ixitixel



Continue

Woman at the Well and Living Water Sunday School Lesson

No matter what age children you teach in Sunday school, they need to understand the importance of asking Jesus to be their Savior and living a life for God. While sharing bible stories is an important part of teaching God's word, our main goal is to lead these children to Christ and to teach them how to lead others. So, as you teach each and every lesson from here on out, do it with one goal in mind - winning souls for Christ!

Woman at the Well
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Introduction - Sunday School Lesson

Begin your Sunday school lesson by recalling Jesus' birth. Children need to understand Jesus didn't have to leave heaven to come to earth as a baby. He chose to. He wanted to.

Jesus left his beautiful wonderful home in heaven where there was no sin, no sickness, no hurt, and no sadness to come to earth where all of this existed.

He grew up just like all children do. He was a toddler, a young boy, a pre-teen, a teenager, and then a young man.

He obeyed his mother, Mary, and his earthly father, Joseph. He learned how to work with wood because Joseph was a carpenter. He also got hungry and tired. He needed sleep just as we do.

For around 30 years, Jesus lived as any of us would have except for he never sinned. Try to imagine never doing anything wrong. It's impossible! Some people believe they have never did anything wrong, but we all do.

When Jesus was 33 years old, he died on the cross for our sins. Of course, he didn't stay dead. Praise God! After they placed Jesus' body in the tomb, it stayed there for 3 days and then a miracle happened!

He arose from the dead!

It was because Jesus died on the cross for our sins that one day we can live with him forever in heaven.

Now, here is where you will begin telling the bible story of the woman at the well.

Woman at the Well - Bible Story

Today's bible story is about a Samaritan woman who came to a well to draw water out of it. Jesus disciples had went into town to buy meat, but Jesus decided to rest beside the well. Of course, it wasn't by accident he was sitting by the well. He knew a woman would soon be approaching.

John 4:6-15 KJV

⁶ Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
⁷ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
⁸ (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
⁹ Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
¹¹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
¹² Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
¹³ Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
¹⁴ But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
¹⁵ The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Leather bucket drawing water from a well.

What Happened in the Bible Story?

When the woman came to the well, Jesus asked her to give him a drink of water.

She was a bit taken aback that he even spoke to her because she was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew. In those days, Jews were not very fond of the Samaritan people.

Jesus said to her, "If you only knew who I am, then you would have asked me and I would have given you living water."

The woman didn't understand what Jesus was talking about. Jesus had no bucket or rope to get water with, so how could he give her 'living water'?

You see, wells were often very deep and without something to draw up water with, you couldn't get to the water.

Think about it: Water was often hard to get. Women and children would have to work hard each day to get the water needed to cook and to drink. What about the water for animals? It was no easy task!

Jesus wanted this woman to understand that the water she drank would only keep her from being thirsty for a little while. As the hours passed, she would become thirsty again. The next day, she would have to come to the well to get more water to drink, wouldn't she?

Have the kids think about that for a minute.

Say to the kids, "When it is in the middle of summer and you are outside playing, you like to drink water, right? (wait for answers) But, just because you get one drink of water, it doesn't mean that you won't need another drink. After you play for a while, you'll get thirsty again, won't you?"

Of course they'll get thirsty again.

The living water Jesus was talking about was eternal life!

Only Jesus could offer this woman a way to live forever. Salvation is referred to as living water and only through Jesus Christ can we have eternal life - a life where we can live forever in heaven with him!

The woman wanted this 'living water' and ran to get others in the town to come to hear what Jesus had to say!

We should be like the woman at the well and bring others to church with us to hear about the Word of God!

If you'd like to read a bit more about 'living water', visit the website Got Questions.




Photo of well courtesy of Neogeolegend, Wikimedia Commons


 

Continue

Foot Washing - Being Humble Sunday School Activity

Kids today don't know what it means to subject themselves one to another. In fact, many adults don't know what it means either. Maybe because they have never been taught to subject themselves to others or maybe they just don't understand what it means. Either way, you are going to have fun teaching your class what it means today!

Sunday School Activity - Foot Washing (Well, sort of.)

The bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:5 KJV:

⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Have the kids in your Sunday school class to read the verse aloud, quietly to themselves, or read along with you before you begin the following Sunday school activity.

This activity is so much fun, but you'll find that older kids tend to be shy while doing it. Stress the fact that Jesus wasn't embarrassed or ashamed to wash his disciples feet and he was the Son of God!

As the verse above says, we are to help older people and each other. Maybe you've seen kids rush past the older folks as they are walking or trying to get through a door. Remind the kids that it is more important to stop and help the older folks than rushing in front of them. For instance, maybe they can hold the door for the older folks in the church, carry their bibles or help them pick up papers when they drop them. Think of ways they can help those who need help even other kids that are the same age as the ones in your class.

Sunday School Activity

Everyone will be participating in this Sunday school activity, so no one has to be embarrassed that they are doing something and no one else is.

First, you'll need some paper towels or hand towel and some hand soap. A sink will work great for this activity. If you don't have a sink, improvise with baby wipes or bottles of water.

Have the kids line up in a line near the sink. Talk to them about the passage John 13:4-9 KJV (below). You don't have to read it word for word. You may also find the Jesus washes his disciples feet Sunday school lesson can help you explain this activity a bit better.

⁴ He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
⁵ After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
⁶ Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
⁷ Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
⁸ Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
⁹ Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

What You'll Do

Have the first child wash your hands. Then, the second child will wash the first child's hands. The third child will wash the second child's hands and so on. Have paper towels or hand towels ready for the children to dry their hands on. You can wash the last child's hands so that all children will wash someone's hands and have their hands washed too.

Believe it or not, even kids ages 10 and 11 will have trouble washing other children's hands. You may have to give verbal instructions as each child takes a turn. They will wonder whose hands to put the soap on and should they hold them under the water. They will be very unsure of how to do this because it is something new to them.

I was surprised when we did this activity.

The eleven year olds had just as much trouble washing someone's hands as my six year olds.

It was a great experience for them all!

It gave them the understanding that when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, it wasn't easy. And, it probably took quite a while to finish all twelve of them.

Kids learn so much more when they have something visual to go by and learning by doing is a great way to teach the Word of God. This Sunday school activity is great for helping them grasp some of what Jesus did that day so long ago.


Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Thibault fr
 

Continue

Jesus Washes His Disciples Feet Sunday School Lesson

Teaching children to be humble can be hard. We all want our children to be proud of what they accomplish, yet being too proud can lead to the opposite of humble! Think about the children you see on the playground, on the ball field, at competitions.

Many children nowadays tend to be arrogant. All too often, I hear the words, "Your going to lose.", "You can beat me!" or "I'm better at this than you'll ever be."

These are not words Jesus wants us to say to others.

Teaching our Sunday school class about being humble and how Jesus was humble is a step in the right direction. Talk to them about putting others first, thinking of others feelings, and helping others when they need help. Of course, teaching them to compliment and encourage others isn't a bad thing either.

Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

Being by talking to your class about what the word humble means.

As you being this Sunday school lesson, talk about how wonderful Jesus is. Have the kids think about all the wonderful things Jesus did while he was here on earth.

They may come up with words like:

• perfect
• loving
• kind
• mighty
• powerful
• famous
• forgiving
• tender
• miracles or miraculous
• and many others

Be sure to compliment their words and encourage them to think of more. You may even want to have a few of your own written down to add to their list.

After they have finished thinking of words that describe Jesus, say, "There is one word we are forgetting - humble." (More than likely, they will not think of this word to describe Jesus.)

If your class consists of older children, have them turn in the bible to John 13:4-9 (KJV below) and let them take turns reading the verses below. After each verse, tell about what the verses mean so they grasp the story more fully (see below the verses for more).

⁴ He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.⁵ After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
⁶ Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
⁷ Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
⁸ Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
⁹ Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Verse 4

We see in verse 4 that Jesus is setting at supper with his disciples - The Last Supper. Jesus laid aside his garments which simply means he removed his robe. Taking a towel, he placed it in his belt.

Verse 5

Jesus poured water into a bowl and stared to wash and wipe the dirt with the towel from each of the disciples' feet.

Verse 6

When he was ready to wash Simon Peter's feet, Simon Peter asked Jesus why he was washing his feet. Peter didn't understand.

Verse 7

Jesus tells Simon Peter that there is more to what he was doing than just washing feet. Even though Simon Peter didn't fully understand what was going on and why Jesus was doing this, he would soon enough.

Verse 8

Simon Peter then objected to Jesus washing his feet! He goes so far as to say never! Jesus calmly tells him that if he does not wash his feet, then he will have no part of him.

Verse 9

Simon Peter loved Jesus. He wanted to be with Jesus and be a part of him and changed his mind quickly. He thought that if he could be with Jesus and be a part of him just by having his feet washed, then he wanted Jesus to wash his whole body too!


Be sure to get the Sunday School Activity that goes along with this lesson. It's FREE!

Meaning of Foot Washing

In bible times, there were no roads or sidewalks. People wore sandals and the dirt on the roads made their feet really dirty and dusty. When someone would enter into another person's house, a servant would normally wash the guest's feet.

Since Jesus had a room prepared to eat the last supper alone with his disciples, there were no servants there.

This was all a part of Jesus' plan. Keep reading....

Dig a Bit Deeper

Think of this first...why didn't one of the disciples think about washing the other's feet? Did they think they were too good to do it? Would they have been embarrassed? Did they worry about what the other disciples would think of them and didn't want to be ashamed?

Thankfully, Jesus showed his disciples, and us, that we should be humble and not ashamed to wash someone else's feet. It also shows us that we should never be ashamed and always be humble when it comes to doing things for the Lord.

Of course, there was more to the feet washing than this.

When we dig a bit deeper, we see that to be washed means to be saved. When you ask Jesus to come into your heart to live forever, the bible tells us that you will be washed as white as snow!

Psalm 51:7 KJV

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Even though Jesus washed the disciple's feet to show humility, their feet became dirty again when they left the room. But, when we are washed white as snow from our sins, we never have to worry about being washed again!

Once you are saved, you never have to worry about not being saved again!

You can rest assured that you will one day be in heaven forever! Jesus died for our sins so that we could live in heaven forever! All we need to do is not be ashamed and step forward to ask Jesus into our hearts.

Leading Children to Christ

Have the kids to close their eyes.

Ask if anyone in the room would like to have Jesus in their hearts. This is what we as Sunday school teachers are there for. To help lead little ones to Christ.

Be sure to read Romans 10:9-10 KJV to prepare yourself for this lesson.

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

With the Lord's help, you can lead a lost child to Christ.

Before teaching this Sunday school lesson, pray that God will open the hearts and minds of the children in your class and that he will help you say what needs to be said to teach his word.


May God bless you.


Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Patricia Sobrino Hoyos
 

Continue

Samson and the Lion Bible Story and Sunday School Lesson

Samson and the Lion
Bible Story
Photo courtesy of Joachim Huber, Wikimedia Commons

The bible story of Samson isn't as well-known as many others, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be told. In fact, Samson has some unique stories (all true, I might add) that kids will love. You'll find that with most of the bible stories of Samson, you will need to be prepared to answer many, many questions as quite a few aspects of his life are things children have never heard of before.

In this Sunday school lesson, we will cover what it means to be a Nazarite and tell the story of Samson and the lion. This story sets the scene to show children just how strong Samson was.

To read this story in full, turn to Judges 13 and 14. Use this time to study the bible for yourself as it is very important not only as Sunday school teachers, but as Christians to study God's word.

Samson and the Lion Sunday School Lesson

Before Samson was born, the Angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of a man named Manoah. The bible does not tell us her name, but it does tell us that she had been unable to have any children.

When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife, he said, "You have never been able to have children, but now you are going to. You are going to have a son."

Can you imagine what it must have been like to have an angel appear out of nowhere to give you a message?

Ask the kids, "Do you think you would have been scared? What about excited? Maybe you would have thought you were dreaming."

Wait for the kids to think about this. Let them talk about this for a moment, then begin again.

Before the Angel of the Lord left, he gave Manoah's wife a few rules to follow as she raised her son.

1. She was not allowed to cut his hair.
2. He wasn't allowed to eat anything that was unclean.
3. He was not allowed to drink wine or other strong drinks.

Note: If you have older children, you may want to elaborate on each one. We will discuss number one below.

What Is a Nazarite?

Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth. A Nazarite did not cut his hair at all, eat anything that was unclean (or touch anything that was dead), or drink alcohol.

A Nazarite's long hair let people who saw them know that they were doing God's will and that they were a Nazarite.

The Angel of the Lord even told Manoah's wife that she was not allowed to drink certain things while she was pregnant with the baby.

After the Angel of the Lord left, she ran to tell her husband what the angel had said to her.

Then, Manoah asked God to let the Angel of the Lord come back again to teach them how to raise their son. God heard Manoah.

One day when Manoah's wife was sitting in a field, the Angel of the Lord returned but Manoah wasn't with her this time either.

Quickly, she ran to get her husband and he followed her to back to the angel and he said, "While your wife is pregnant, she is not allowed to drink anything containing grapes. When she has the baby, he is not to drink anything containing grapes, he is not allowed to touch anything dead, and he is not to cut his hair."

Get the Samson and Lion Maze.
Get the Book of Judges Coloring Page.

Samson is Born

Samson - Nazarite
Peter Trimming, Wikimedia Commons

When Samson was born, Manoah and his wife did as the Angel of the Lord instructed.

They did not allow Samson to eat or drink anything that had grapes or grape juice in it, he did not touch anything that was dead, and he never cut his hair.

Samson grew into a man still following these rules from God.

Samson and the Lion

One day, Samson was walking along and came to a vineyard (where grapes are grown). Samson didn't know it, but there was a lion in the vineyard.

As Samson came near, the Spirit of the Lord came to Samson making him very, very strong.

You see, Samson didn't have a sword or a staff that he used to fight off the lion. Instead, when God made him extremely strong, he used only his hands to kill the lion.

Imagine, being so strong that you could take on a lion all by yourself and with no weapons at all!

Of course, without God's help, Samson couldn't have beat the lion. The bible tells us that:

Philippians 4:13 KJV

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

As the years passed, Samson's hair grew. As long as Samson did not cut his hair, he stayed strong. If he ever cut his hair or his hair was cut at all, he would become weak and his strength would leave him.

Guess what.

There was one time when a girl tricked Samson and his hair was cut! But, that is another Sunday school lesson for another day.


Find more FREE Sunday school lessons!

 

Continue

Samson and the Lion Maze - Sunday School Activity

Here is a cross between an activity and a coloring page. As you can see, on the left the kids can color the letters and the lion and on the right, the kids can work the maze.

In our Sunday school class, we have kids who like to color and others who do not like it at all.

So, to help please everyone, we've come up with a two-for-one. Well, sort of.

The good news is that instead of having to print out two different sheets, you only have to print the one. You can choose to give everyone a whole sheet or cut the sheet in half and let the kids choose which they'd like to do. Of course, you could give half the page to the kids to color as they arrive and the other half after you tell the story. It's completely up to you.

Get the Samson and the Lion Sunday school lesson to go along with the activity/coloring page below!

 

Sunday school Activity/Coloring Page

Be sure to share this page with others and let us know what you think!

 

Find more FREE Sunday school activities and FREE coloring pages!

 

 

 

Continue

Joshua in the Bible - Sunday School Coloring Page Craft

Here is a Sunday school coloring page you can use as a quick, easy and fun craft for younger kids. All you need to do is print out the coloring sheet below and have a few other items ready for the kids to use.

The coloring page below is basic and simple on purpose. It is designed to let the kids express their creativity!

Get the FREE Joshua Sunday school lesson!

First Sunday School Craft Idea

If you have smaller kids, go ahead and cut out the rocks as a whole below. There is no need to cut the rocks out separately.

If your kids are old enough to cut themselves, let them color Joshua's memorial rocks below first. Then, let them cut them out and paste them to a colored piece of construction paper.

Have the kids cut out the words at the top and paste it on the construction paper.

Second Sunday School Craft Idea

Another option is a bit messy, but is sure is fun! If it is warm outside, you may want to do this craft outside!

You will need to have the kids cut out the rocks and glue them to the construction paper. Next, have the kids put glue on one rock at a time. Have colored sand ready for the kids to sprinkle onto the glue making different colored 'sandy' rocks!

See idea number three down the page!

Third Sunday School Craft Idea

Follow the first part of the craft above, except have tissue paper or small cut up colored paper for the kids to glue onto the rocks instead.

Find more Joshua Sunday School material!

 

Continue

Joshua in the Bible - Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

I love to read about Joshua in the bible. So many times as I read through his bible story, I wonder what it must have been like to have been him. Imagine, not only did Moses appoint him to take over for him, Jesus himself came to talk to him face-to-face!

The Sunday school lesson below tells of that one time when Jesus came to Joshua to tell him exactly how he was going to defeat Jericho!

Instead of having to come up with a complicated (and maybe wrong) plan as to how to overthrow the city, Jesus said, "Listen up, Joshua. This is what we are going to do!"

While we can't see Jesus face-to-face yet, he still talks to us. We need only to quiet our minds and listen.

Having a relationship with our heavenly father is more than attending church once a week and reading a bible verse every now and then. It's about talking to him daily and listening as he talks back.

It may not be the way we hear those here on earth, but it could be in nature all around us, in the verses we read each day, in the whispers we hear in our hearts, in the song that just played, through other people, or any number of other ways God speaks with us.

As you prepare for this Sunday school lesson, talk with God to ensure that he helps you deliver the bible story the way he wants you to.

Show your kids the Battle of Jericho Song to get them up an moving!
You can also find more FREE material about Joshua!

You are free to print the images on this page to use in your Sunday school class. The license for using these pictures are located at the bottom of this post.

Joshua in the Bible - Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Bible Story

In this Sunday school lesson, we are going to do more than just tell a bible story about Joshua. We are going to engage our kids to think about what it was like all those years ago when the Israelites fought the battle of Jericho!

You will want to see how to get your kids thinking like Joshua and the Israelites by doing this Sunday school activity!

Whether you choose to use the link above to get the kids fully involved in the story or not, you can still get them moving by following along with the suggestions in parenthesis below.

To begin your story, have the kids sit in a circle in the middle of the room or pull their chairs into a circle. You can either stand or sit in the middle to tell your story or even just pull yourself up a chair to sit with them.

The Bible Story

The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and it was finally time to enter into the land that God had promised to them.

Of course it hadn't been easy to get to this point and it wasn't going to be easy now.

They had to cross the Jordan River to get to the other side. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, right? They could just jump on a boat and sail to the other side or find a bridge to cross - wrong.

They didn't have any boats or any bridges to cross and the river was flooded at the time. Its waters were probably rushing fast and would have swept them away.

Another thing was that there wasn't just a few people. There were hundreds of thousands of people who had to cross the river. Of course, we can't forget about all the animals and the fact that they had to carry all of their belongings with them. So, how do you think they were going to get across?

Joshua told the people, "The priests carrying the ark will go first. Everyone will wait and follow along behind the priests.

Ask the kids, "Joshua said the priests were going first and everyone was going to follow. How do you think they are going to get across?"

A miracle happened that day. When the priests' feet who were carrying the ark touched the water's edge, the water stopped flowing and was held back. The people got to cross the Jordan River on dry ground!

As the people crossed, Joshua told 12 men to pick up one rock each from the river's bottom and carry it to the other side. When they reached the other side, Joshua had the men pile the rocks up. Then he said, "This pile of rocks will serve as a reminder to you all. When your children or grandchildren ask why this pile of rocks is here, you can tell them about this time. The time when we crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!"

The river didn't start flowing again until the priests came out of the river. You see, they had to stand in the middle and wait for all those people to cross before they could come out of the river bed themselves.

Now, Joshua and the Israelites were faced with another problem. They were to take over the city of Jericho, but the walls were so high and thick they couldn't get over them, or around them, or through them. How were they going to get into the city?

One evening, Joshua walked by himself trying to figure out a way to take over the city.

To his surprise, a man holding a sword appeared out of nowhere! Joshua asked, "Are you for us or against us?"

The man said, "I am the captain of the Lord's host." Does anyone know who the captain of the Lord's host is?

It was Jesus before he ever came to earth as a baby! Joshua was talking to Jesus himself!

Jesus told Joshua to take off his shoes because the ground where he was standing was holy and Joshua did as he was told. Then, Jesus said, here is how you are going to defeat Jericho."

(Tell everyone to stand up on the outside of the circle of chairs or a make believe circle of chairs.)

Jesus said, "On the first day, the people will walk around the city walls one time. They are not to speak at all. On the second day, they are to do the same. They are to do this every day for six days. On the seventh and final day, they are to walk around the city walls seven times. On the last time, the priests will blow their horns loud. When the people hear the horns, they are to SHOUT very loud!"

Jesus went on to tell Joshua not to worry or be afraid. Jesus was going to go before Joshua and he was going to be right with him through the whole thing. Joshua had nothing to fear!

(Have the kids walk around the chairs seven times without speaking. This will be hard. Stress how it must have been for all those people to walk around the great city of Jericho seven times without talking. On the last time, have the children shout!)

Joshua followed Jesus orders and on the seventh day when they walked around the city walls of Jericho seven times, the people shouted when they heard the priests blow their horns and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down!

The people of Israel overtook the city.

Photos of Joshua courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing.
 

Continue

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday School Activity

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho is a very well known bible story that kids love to hear. Our Sunday school kids normally say, "Tell it again" just as soon as I've finished. While I love that they want to hear it again, we very seldom have time to tell it again.

That's why I've come up with the Sunday school activities below.

Give the kids more than just a bible story - give them the excitement of learning the word of God!!

Here's the FREE Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday school lesson.

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday School Activity

 

You'll need a few items before getting started.

• cardboard boxes or other building materials (pillows, paper bags, etc.)
• empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or wrapping paper rolls to use as horns (you can also purchase real horns at your local dollar store or order them online)
• chairs
• rocks (real or pretend)

You can either choose to do this activity during the story or after to reinforce what the kids have learned depending on how much time you have.

First, you'll need to line up chairs in two rows. Leave only enough room between the lined up chairs for the kids to walk through easily.

Next, place the rocks halfway down the row of chairs in the floor.

This is going to serve as your Jordan River and the rocks in the center of it.

You can choose to already have the walls of Jericho built using the cardboard boxes or other building material (hint: you can also use small plastic chairs) or let the kids help you make a round wall.

Now, have the kids walk through the Jordan River just like in the Sunday school lesson of Joshua picking up one rock on their way through.

After they have passed through all the chairs, have the place their blocks in a pile just as Joshua did.

Now, give the kids their horns.

Have them walk around the 'walls of Jericho' six times quietly, then on the seventh time have them blow their horns and SHOUT!

After they shout, let the kids knock down the walls!

If you have time, reset and start again.

Photo courtesy of erix! on Flickr.

 

Continue

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Criss-Cross Puzzle

We loving having extra stuff for our kids to do in Sunday school. We especially love extra games and printouts that not only reinforces what they've learned in class, but it's great when they can take the sheet home to tell their parents or other family members what they've learned.

This is our first criss-cross puzzle we've done. We hope you like it.

There are two different versions below. One is for younger kids who are in their early reading years and the other is for middle grade kids and teens. You can also use the bottom one for adults if you'd like.

Get your FREE Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday school lesson!!

Tell us what you think so we can make more of the criss-cross puzzles. Also, tell us what you'd like to see on our site so we can help you as you teach children about the word of God.

Easy Criss-Cross Puzzle

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

 

 

 

 

 

Older Kids Criss-Cross Puzzle

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

 

 

 

 

 

Get more FREE Sunday school Games and Sunday school activities for your class. 

 

Continue