Conversation Starters: One Great Savior!
Posted by Karah
CONNECTION POINT: Families love because of Jesus.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Why would Jesus save me? When we come face-to-face with our sin and failures, we can become despondent. A feeling of doom can settle in. After all, we have earned the wrath of God. But the story doesn’t end there. It is amazing that God—the holy, righteous God who has condemned our sin—also loves us and stepped in to save us. We deserve judgment and hell, but God offers the only way out through Christ.
Concept: One Great Savior
Preschool
Genesis 4:1-7
LIFE POINT: Adam and Eve were the first people God made. They had two boys named Cain and Abel. As the boys grew older, Cain worked in the fields and grew plants for food. Cain saved some of his plants and food to give to God. Abel was a shepherd. His job was to take care of the sheep. He fed the sheep and kept them safe. Abel gave some of his firstborn sheep to God. God was pleased with Abel. Cain became mad when he saw that God was pleased with Abel’s offering. God told Cain to do what was right and love his brother, Abel. Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel were the first family.
LIVE IT OUT: Take time to look at family pictures in an album, especially members your child may not see often. Help your child become more familiar with those members by telling him things you know about them. Remind your child that God made his family.
Kids
Genesis 4:1-16
LIFE POINT: Adam and Eve had two sons named Cain and Abel. The two boys were different, but each grew to be a man. Cain grew up and farmed the land while Abel became a shepherd. One day, Cain and Abel each gave an offering to God. God liked Abel’s offering. He did not like Cain’s offering. Cain was angry. He asked his brother to go into the field with him. While they were there, Cain attacked and killed Abel. Soon God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” Cain lied to God. “I don’t know,” Cain said. “Is it my job to take care of my brother?” God said that Cain would never be able to grow anything again. He sent Cain away and to wander for the rest of his life. God put a mark on Cain to keep him safe from people who might hurt him. Then Cain left God’s presence.
Students
Romans 5:6-11
THE POINT: God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. When was a time that you got lost and needed someone’s help? Why is it hard for us to recognize that we are helpless? What are we offered in a relationship with Christ? Discuss the following quote:
“In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus’ fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.”1—A. W. Tozer
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: Create a list with your student of people you personally know need to be saved. Post your list on the fridge, and each night as a family, pray for every name on the list.
• COMMUNITY: Share your personal testimony with your student and encourage him or her to also share.
• CULTURE: Pray with your student for the opportunity and courage to share his or her testimony. Sharing our stories of Christ can be powerful ways of bringing the gospel to those who do not yet know the truth.
1. A. W. Tozer, Preparing for Jesus’ Return: Daily Live the Blessed Hope (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2012), 111.
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