MONTHLY ARCHIVES: September 2018

Conversation Starters: Encourage One Another

Posted by Karah

CONNECTION POINT: People should help others know about Jesus.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: New parents certainly love their infant children, but they want to see them grow and mature. That child cannot grow without the assistant of the parents and other caring adults. It’s the same regarding our growth as Christians. We need each other. We have the opportunity to challenge and encourage others to grow spiritually and be all they can be in Christ.

Concept: Encourage One Another

Preschool

Acts 13

LIFE POINT: God told Paul and Barnabas to go and tell people about Jesus in other places. The Antioch church sent them out as missionaries. Paul and Barnabas got into a boat and sailed to an island called Cyprus. They taught the people there about Jesus. Next, Paul and Barnabas went to a different part of Antioch. They went to the synagogue. The synagogue was a place where people went to worship God. The people in the synagogue asked Paul and Barnabas to speak, so Paul began to teach about Jesus. The people asked Paul and Barnabas to come back the next week. Paul and Barnabas went back to the synagogue the next week. Almost the whole city had gathered to hear what Paul was teaching about Jesus. Paul and Barnabas continued to be missionaries and tell
people about Jesus in many different places.

LIVE IT OUT: Find some information on missionaries to share with your child. You might have a missionary from your church. Help your child write a thank-you note to the missionary. Be sure to
pray for the missionary before you send the note.

Kids

Acts 13

LIFE POINT: God’s Spirit said to the church people in Antioch, “Set apart Barnabas and Paul for My work.” The church men obeyed. They prayed for Barnabas and Paul and sent them off. The men traveled to Cyprus. The men went to the synagogue to tell the people about Jesus. One official wanted to hear Paul’s message. Another man tried to keep the man from listening. He told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. The people begged Paul and Barnabas to come back the next week. When Paul and Barnabas came back, the whole town was there! Some people were jealous. They did not want anyone to believe Paul’s message. Paul said he would preach to people who were not Jews. The people of the city made them leave their town, and God led Paul and Barnabas to the next city.

LIVE IT OUT: Research, or help your child research, well-known missionaries (ex. David Livingstone, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, or Amy Carmichael). Talk about their lives and what they had to sacrifice to tell others about Jesus. Start with Paul and his missionary journeys in the Book of Acts. Paul literally carried the story of Jesus throughout the known world.

Students

Acts 11:19-26

THE POINT: Encourage people in their relationships with Christ and other believers.
• When have you seen something go viral?
• Why do we sometimes avoid certain groups of people when sharing the gospel?
• What are some advantages in doing God’s work together?

Discuss the following quote:

“If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it…is changed by it.” ¹ —John C. Maxwell

LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your student to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture:
• CHRIST: Talk honestly with your student about the ways that you have been encouraged by the Holy Spirit. Consider how the Spirit may be encouraging your student this week.
• COMMUNITY: Ask your student if he or one of his friends is facing difficulties at home or at school. Pray with your student this week over those difficulties.
• CULTURE: Be intentional this week about encouraging your student with words, notes, and actions. Go beyond the home and encourage others you meet to develop a culture of encouragement.

 

¹. John C. Maxwell, “John C. Maxwell Quotes,” BrainyQuote [online], [16 November 2016]. Available from the Internet: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johncmaxw600868.html.


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Conversation Starters: Share Christ

Posted by Karah

CONNECTION POINT: People should pray and ask God to help others.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: A relationship with Jesus Christ colors every other relationship. The love of Christ—and our love for Christ—leads us to love others and ground every aspect of those relationships in love. The best way we can love others is to introduce them to Jesus—the One who leads us to love them.

Concept: Share Christ

Preschool

Acts 12:5-19

LIFE POINT: King Herod put Peter in prison. Peter’s church friends found out what the king had done. They prayed to ask God to help Peter. One night when Peter was sleeping, an angel appeared. The angel said, “Get up! Put on your coat and sandals and come with me.” Peter did what the angel told him to do. Peter followed the angel out of the prison. The angel led Peter into the city. The angel left and Peter knew that God helped him. Peter hurried to the house where his friends were praying. He knocked on the door. The girl who came to the door was so excited that she forgot to open the door and let Peter in! “Peter is at the door!” she told the friends who were praying. When they opened the door, the friends were happy to see Peter. Peter told his friends how God helped him. Peter said, “Tell our other friends what happened. Tell them how God helped me.”

LIVE IT OUT: Make a list of people who are important to your family and your child. Pray with your child for each person on the list. Be sure your child knows that she can pray and ask God to help other people.

Kids

Acts 12:5-19

LIFE POINT: Peter was in prison. Peter’s church friends met together and prayed for God to help Peter. That night Peter slept, chained between two guards. An angel appeared. “Quick, get up,” the angel said. “Get dressed, put on your sandals, and follow me.” Peter’s chains fell off! Peter thought he was dreaming, but he followed the angel as they went past the guards, through the prison gates, and into the city. Then the angel left. Peter realized that God sent the angel to help him. He hurried to the house where people were praying. Peter knocked on the door. A servant heard Peter’s voice and ran to tell the people that Peter was there. Peter kept knocking and they finally they opened the door. The people were amazed! Peter told them how God had answered their prayers. Then Peter went away to a safe place.

LIVE IT OUT: Help your child commit to a time of prayer every day. Assist your child in writing a list of people he knows who need prayer. On the top of his paper tell him to write the verse, “Pray for one another.” James 5:16, followed by a list of names and needs. Encourage him to place the list in a visible place.

Students

John 1:35-49

THE POINT: We have a responsibility to introduce our friends to Jesus.

• When have you needed courage to introduce yourself to someone?
• How did Jesus first catch your attention?
• What often holds us back from telling others about Jesus?
• When have you felt led to tell someone about Jesus?

Discuss the following quote:

“When a man is filled with the Word of God you cannot keep him still. If a man has got the Word, he must speak or die.” ¹ —Dwight L. Moody

LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your student to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture:
• CHRIST: Encourage your student to spend time getting to know Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible.
• COMMUNITY: Consider opening your home as a place where students can gather to learn about Jesus.
• CULTURE: Help your student to understand the strength of his or her testimony. Share your own testimony as an example.

 

¹. Dwight L. Moody, Anecdotes & Illustrations of D. L. Moody Related by Him in His Revival Work (Ottoway, 1878), 38.


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