Conversation Starters: I Am a Child of the King
Posted by Karah
CONNECTION POINT: The Bible helps people know they are part of God’s family.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Parents generally love their own children to a greater degree than they love other children. Parents may wish the best for others, but they will take care of their own first. God desires the best for us, even when we are outside His family. Through Christ, He made it possible for us to become a part of His family. Those who trust Jesus are no longer on the outside looking in; they are His children.
Concept: I Am a Child of the King
Preschool
Jonah
LIFE POINT: God told Jonah, “Go to the city of Nineveh. Tell the people they have been making wrong choices.” Jonah got on a boat to sail far away. God sent a great storm that almost broke apart the boat. The sailors were afraid. The men woke Jonah and told him to call out to God. They knew Jonah was running away from God. Jonah told the men to toss him into the sea and they would be safe. The men threw Jonah into the water. God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. While he was in the fish, Jonah asked God to help him obey. After three days and nights, the fish spit Jonah onto land. Jonah went to Nineveh. He told the people that God was not happy because they had been doing wrong things. The people listened to Jonah and obeyed God.
LIVE IT OUT: Help your child look through the Bible to find God’s name. Allow him to use a yellow crayon or highlighting marker to mark the name. Say a prayer thanking God for giving us the Bible that helps people know about Him.
Kids
Jonah
LIFE POINT: God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach. Jonah didn’t want to go. He chose to get on a ship going to another place. A strong storm came that nearly sank the ship. Jonah knew that God sent the storm. He told the sailors to throw him overboard. The sailors threw Jonah overboard. Now Jonah was inside a fish. God had sent the fish that swallowed him. Jonah began to pray to God. After a time, God told the fish to spit Jonah out on dry land. Again, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. Jonah preached all over the city. The people believed God’s message. They turned from their sins. God told Jonah that He loved and cared for the people of Nineveh.
LIVE IT OUT: Help your child memorize 2 Timothy 3:16. This verse gives an overview of how the Bible impacts our lives. Ask your child to name some things she has learned from the Bible.
Students
Galatians 4:1-7
THE POINT: Jesus makes us full members of His family.
• What comes to mind when you hear the word “royalty”?
• What milestones have you reached that help you realize you are no longer a child?
• What are the implications of being adopted into God’s family?
• What are some ways we can rely on the Holy Spirit in our daily lives? Discuss the following quote:
“God’s family, which comes into being by regeneration, is more central and more lasting than the human family that comes into being by procreation.”(1) —John Piper
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: We are a part of God’s family and it’s amazing that He considers us His and celebrates that love. Consider ways you can celebrate being a part of Jesus’ family within your own family.
• COMMUNITY: Our church is also a part of our family. How can you serve another family in your church this week?
• CULTURE: Even though we tell others about Jesus and they hear the gospel, they do not always chose to join God’s family. Discuss this possibility with your student and consider ways you can pray for friends who are choosing to live outside our family.
(1)John Piper, This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008) 117.
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