Archives For Bible Lessons

Free Easter Curriculum: God To The Rescue

samluce —  March 16, 2011 — 56 Comments

I’ve shared here and here about the how and why leading up to the creation of a free resource for the kidmin community by the kidmin community. We are really excited to be able to offer it for free on our blogs.

What we did was create a 5 week curriculum that unveils God’s rescue plan unveiled in the Old Testament and seen in action in the days leading up to Good friday and Easter. I love how the clear emphasis is on Christ and what he did and what we can do in response.

The format of the curriculum is pretty basic.

-Icebreaker – K-2nd Grad and 3rd – 5th Grade
- Video Skit
- Bible Story
- Video Skit
- Application Small groups - K-2nd Grad and 3rd – 5th Grade

Also included are Family connection pieces. The Art and video elements will be available very soon.

What I loved most about this project is that it was a team effort put together though collaboration with 4 very different churches with very similar passions. Elevate christ,communicate the gospel in a clear compelling way to kids, give the parents tools to reinforce and rehearse the gospel with their kids.

I respect the heck out of each of  the people involved. Love their passion and their heart. Each one of them will further break down what we did make sure you read their posts because in my opinion why we did what we did is really more important that what we did. At the end of each of our posts is a short form for you to fill out once you submit it you will receive a link for the content.

Jonathan Cliff – Small Groups - God to the Rescue Release Party

Gina McClain – Parent Take Homes -Engaging parents on the Journey

Dan Scott – Large Groups - Easter Curriculum: God to the Rescue

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Free Bible Lessons: Proverbs "The Book of Wisdom"

samluce —  March 2, 2011 — 1 Comment

PROVERBS

– Book of  Wisdom

Key point – God makes me wise!

Memory Verse – Proverbs 9:10 “Respect and obey God this is the beginning of wisdom…”

 

Skit – Boy needs help on his test – The bible tells us that we need to ask God to give us wisdom – The Bible also says that he gives to everyone who asks. – Have three kids sit down to take a test before the test is handed out they are discussing how they studied. One kid states that she studied and asked God for help because the bible tells us that God gives wisdom to all who ask, the next kid explains that he didn’t study he is going to just trust God to give him wisdom like the Bible says, the last student says that he didn’t study and he doesn’t need God’s help because he is naturally gifted in school he doesn’t need God’s help. They all three take the test turn the test into the teacher she returns them with their grades in Bright red marker. The first kid got an a the other two got an F they are upset and angry because they both got F’s while their other friend got an A. The first student explains that to the second student that even though God will give us wisdom we must “study to show ourselves approved unto God” we must do our part and God will always do his part. To the third person she says that not only do we need to study but we also need to ask to help us. That is how I (the first student) did so well because I did my part by studying and God helped me to be wise.

 

Skit – Professor Smartypants – someone comes out dressed like a college professor explaining to the MC that he is wise and he doesn’t need God. The MC asks why he thinks that he is so smart Professor says because I have a very smart brain. The MC explains that it is God who gives us wisdom and it is God who made that smart brain of yours. Professor doesn’t know what to say, he stammers and says that he didn’t know that God created his brain. The MC says confidently that he did.

 

Object Lesson – God gives us wisdom (have a peanut hold it up and ask the kids if they can come up with a use for a peanut that is not invented yet)– George Washington Carver – used to hold a peanut in his hands and ask for God to give him wisdom and he gave us over a hundred uses for a peanut with God’s help. People told him that it couldn’t be done but because he asked God for wisdom we have many of his inventions around us today, like peanut oil, peanut butter, margarine and many more, because he asked God to give him wisdom and God did.

 

Object Lesson – How to become more wise – Proverbs 13:20 “Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.” You become wiser when you hang out with wise people. You become foolish when you hang out with foolish people. Have two kids come up have two paper hats made up one saying wise guy and the other saying foolish guy. Have the MC ask each of the kids a few questions the first one  – What is 2+2? The wise kid will say 4 the foolish kid will say 8. Next ask what the first commandment is. The Wise kid will say “you shall have no other Gods before me”. The foolish kid will say always step on nails with no shoes on. Explain to the kids that if you hang out with wise people you will be wise but if you hang out with people who are foolish you will become foolish.

 

Puppet – The wisest thing that you can do is honor God. Have an old puppet come up and explain that through out his life the thing that he learned that when he was young he thought he didn’t need God but as he has grown he has learned that true wisdom is obeying and respecting God and the Bible.

Bible story – Wise man built his house upon the rock – foolish man upon the sand.

Matt. 7:24-29

Wisdom comes trusting God. Jesus told his followers that if you want to be wise you need to not just hear what God says but do what he says.

The difference between the wise and the foolish man is the wise man heard and obeyed the foolish man heard and disobeyed.

If you want to build a life that is not moved no matter what storms come your way listen and obey.

  1. How does God speak? -
    1. He can speak verbally – although this is rare it has happened at times in the Bible and can happen today
    2. He primarily speaks to us through His word the bible
    3. He speaks through our parents
    4. Through our pastors
    5. Through our leaders

 

  1. How do we know it’s God speaking to us? Sometimes you may think it’s just you making up thoughts how do you know they are from God? You check everything against the bible. If you think you should tell your parents that You love them, is that God speaking to you? The bible tells us to honor our parents so yes. If you feel like you should punch your brother, what does the bible say? We are supposed to be kind to one another.
  2. Wisdom is knowing what is right and doing it. It’s building your life upon the Rock (God’s word) by trust and obedience. If you want to be wise hear and do.
  3. This week practice what you have heard today by listening to God’s voice and do what he says. When your parents ask you to clean your room do it. When your teacher asks you to be quiet do it. When feel like you should help out someone who needs help do it. Don’t just hear the word, obey and you will grow in wisdom.

Small Group

Activity –

Retell the story of how the wise man built his house upon the rock and the foolish man built upon the sand Mt. 7:24-29. Have a stone and some salt in a bag to represent sand. Have the kids touch each item then explain what they think is stronger and why they think that. Then explain how the Bible is like the rock and the world like the sand.

 

Questions –

What makes us wise?

What does it mean to be wise?

Do your friends wise or foolish?

Where do you need help being wise?

Where do you need God’s help?

What can we do to become more wise?

Who is the wisest person you know?

Why are they the wisest?

What can you do this week to become more wise?

 

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Free Bible Lessons: Psalms "The book of Worship"

samluce —  January 17, 2011 — 2 Comments

PSALMS

– Book of Worship

Key Point – Worship comes from a relationship with God.
Memory Verse – Psalm 8:21  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise

Skit – What you spend your time doing is what you worship. – We worship what we spend our time doing. Where do you spend most of your time? Have someone mime the entire skit with someone speaking as his thoughts. The person miming the skit wakes up looks around as the person speaking his thoughts says “I am so excited to worship God today.” He gets up walks around thinks “I should read my Bible and pray.” As he is going over to his desk to read his Bible and sees a sports magazine he thinks, “what should I do read my Bible or read this sports magazine?” He decides to read the magazine. He then decides to pray as he is praying he sees his xbox he thinks, “should I play my video games or should I pray?” He decides to play videogames. He then feels bad and decides that he is going to pray. As he sits in his chair to pray he starts to think about one of his friends from school that he hasn’t talked to in a while. He gets up and gives his friend a phone call they talk for a short while he hangs up sits down in a chair facing the kids and looks up to heaven frustrated and says out loud “God how come it seems so hard to worship you today Lord?” “Why don’t I hear your voice any more or feel your presents.”  He looks down and freezes.

Object Lesson – Rocks can cry out – Have a rock explain how this rock can praise God but worship comes from knowing him. How many of you think that this rock can sing? What for a response; no, I don’t think that it can sing either but the Bible does say that if we do not praise God that could cause even the rocks to cry out.

Object Lesson – Don’t need fancy instruments to worship. You can worship God anywhere anytime. People in the Bible didn’t always have fancy instruments to praise God with sometimes they had very crude simple instruments. God is not looking for perfection from us but just for people who love him and are willing to make a joyful noise.

Puppet – I’m ok because I don’t worship idols like people in the bible – The MC points out that even if you don’t worship carved pieces of stone you still can have idols anything you put before God. That is an idol.

Bible story – 2 Samuel – David worshiping before the ark.

12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
21 David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

Worship Comes from Relationship – We worship as a response to who He is and what he’s done -
Exodus 15:1-3
The Song of Moses and Miriam
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
“I will sing to the LORD, 
   for he is highly exalted. 
Both horse and driver 
   he has hurled into the sea.
2 “The LORD is my strength and my defense[a]; 
   he has become my salvation. 
He is my God, and I will praise him, 
   my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 
3 The LORD is a warrior; 
   the LORD is his name.

Worship is part of the reason we were created – Everyone worships something. It doesn’t take long to see what consumes some people. Some people love Justin others love iCarley the curious thing about worship is you become like what you worship and at the same time the thing that consumes you causes you to worship.
Psalm 95:6-7
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.

How should we worship? David modeled it for us in the story.

With Passion – Because of what he’s done
With Focus – Because of who he is.
With Joy – Because of what He will do.

SMALL GROUP

Activity –

Have a cup ask the cup if they know why this cup was created (allow time to respond). Explain to the kids that this cup was made for one reason to be used as a cup, just like us we were created to worship God. That is the only reason we were made to worship Him.

Questions –
When should we worship God?
Where should we worship God?
What can we use to worship God?
Who was a famous worshiper?
Why was David so happy worshiping God?
What do you do when you are happy?
We raise our hands jump around because we are happy.
What were we made to do? (praise Jesus)

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Free Bible Lesson: JOB

samluce —  November 15, 2010 — 5 Comments

Book of Job

Book of Suffering.

(Why do bad things Happen?)
Key Point – No mater what God is good.
Memory Verse – Job 1:21 “…The Lord alone gives and takes, Praise the name of the Lord.”

Skit – Boy has bad attitude because he had a bad day at school – Have a child go to school and kids pick on him, he gets an F on a test, he forgot his lunch he goes home and is very upset. Parents explain that he must respond right no matter what. If we respond right God will bless us. Even if bad things happen God is still good.

Skit – I am a Christian nothing bad will ever happen to me! – An adult goes to work thanking God that he is never going to have a bad day ever again because he is a Christian. He walks to work sets up his desk one by one people come tell him bad news he gets more and more upset until he breaks down and a co-worker comes over and asks him if everything is ok. He says that he is very confused because he is a Christian he thought that bad things could no longer happen to you. His co-worker explains that just because you become a Christian doesn’t automatically mean that you will no longer have a bad day it means that you have someone to help you when you do have a bad day, someone who loves you no matter what.

Object Lesson – Superstitions – How many people believe that a horse shoe or a rabbit foot will give you good luck and will cause good things to happen to you? As Christians we need to put our trust not in things but in God. If you were ever in a tight spot you needed some help how many would say Mr. Horseshoe Mrs. Rabbit foot can you help me. We could ask but there is nothing that they could do to help us. We know, because the Bible tells us, that God is in control of everything that happens to us our lives they are not run by luck.– Even when bad things happen God is still good.

Object Lesson – What to do with lemons – Make lemon aid – When things don’t go your way they sometimes seem sour you can do one of two things you can either have a sad sour face or you can make lemon-aid. How we respond determines how other see us. Have you ever eaten a raw lemon it is very sour and not many people like it but if you respond to God he will make lemon-aid out of you lemon situation and you will be refreshing to all those around you. Even when bad things happen God is still good.

Puppet – Why does God let bad things happen? MC explains that we don’t know everything but what we do know is that God is good and his mercy endures forever. There will be things that happen that we may never understand but the only thing that will never change is that God is good no matter what.

Bible story – Tell the story of Job how he was very rich – lost everything – didn’t blame God – and was blessed even greater.

This is Such an important lesson for our kids ever kid will at some point wonder why God allows bad things to happen. How we answer that question is huge because in the framework we build based on the question they are asking will determine their view of God and faith for most of their lives.

  1. Bad things happen to good people – In the story of Job the bible tells us that Job was an extremely righteous man. He was good and yet lots of bad things happened.
  2. WHAT happens to us we can’t control HOW we respond to our circumstance we have TOTAL control over. -  When we go through a hard time we can either blame God or Trust God, it’s our choice.
  3. Job lost everything but God never left him. Hard situations grow our faith. Faith is simply knowing God loves us and because he loves us we can trust him.
  4. In the end Job trusted God and responded right and he was blessed because of it. – When we respond right we will always be blessed.

In Job’s life he did nothing wrong yet lots of bad things happened. Job didn’t give up but trusted God more even when his friends told him God didn’t love him and he should give up Job didn’t he trusted God. When you go through a tough time, if it’s kids picking on you at school, or maybe your parents are splitting up. Perhaps you and your brother fought a lot this week, or maybe your favorite pet died. What can you do about it. Well often times when bad things happen to us we don’t always have the power to stop them, just like Job. His animals died his house fell down, he got sick all of those things he couldn’t stop and didn’t have the power to fix. We don’t always have the power to change our situation but we always have the power to respond right. To have a good attitude and to trust God rather than blame him. I want to challenge you when bad things happen in life press into God don’t push Him away.

JOB SMALL GROUP

Activity – Have a band-aid ask the kids if they have ever needed a band-aid before? Then explain how bandaids don’t keep bad things from happening but they do help us heal.

Questions –

  1. Has anything bad ever happened to you?
  2. What do you do when you are sad?
  3. If people around you tell you to stop going to church or stop loving God what would you say?
  4. What did Job lose in this story?
  5. Did Job blame God for his problems?
  6. What is the biggest problem you have ever faced?
  7. What did you do?
  8. Have you ever thought that God doesn’t love you?
  9. Who do you talk to when you are having a bad day?
  10. What happened to Job in the end?
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Free Bible Lesson: Esther

samluce —  October 20, 2010 — Leave a comment

Esther

– Book of God’s Love

Key Point – God’s love never ends!

Memory Verse – John 3:16 – “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only son,”

Skit – God loves us no matter what – even when we do something we shouldn’t he still loves us – Have a bully type boy steal something have a Christian boy see him steal something the Christian boy follows him out and tell the Bully boy that Jesus loves him and the Bully says that God couldn’t love me I am to bad. The Christian explains that he saw the bully steal something the bully puts his head down and says see God can’t love someone like me. The Christian boy explains that God love for us never ends! It says in the Bible In Romans 5:8 that when we were still sinner when we hated God he still loved us. Many people have done worse things than you and God still forgave him. The bully: really you really thing God’s love never ends! The Christian boys says nope never ends what do you say we return the candy bar you stole ask the shopkeeper to forgive you and then God to forgive you. Bully: It’ll be hard but it sounds to me like it is worth it. Christian boy: lets go. (both leave the stage skit over)

Object Lesson – (Mt. 7:10) God is a good father he loves us he would not give us a stone if we ask for bread he would not give us a snake if we ask for fish. Have a kid come forward and ask the MC for a gift the MC then gives the child a broken toy. Another child comes up asks for something to eat the MC gives the child an empty bag with only crumbs in it. The MC asks if he was being kind or mean the kids will say that the MC was being mean. The MC will then explain that God is nothing like that. If you ask for a gift he will give you a gift you ask for food he gives food. God is a good father who loves you and me!

Object Lesson – Christmas Gift – You give gifts to people you love God gave us Jesus as the first Christmas present. How many of you give gifts to people you can’t stand. Most people give gifts to people they love. God showed us how much he loves us by sending his son Jesus to earth. God gave us all a gift to show us his love and his mercy. God is a good father who loves you and me!

Object Lesson – God’s love never ends – have you ever counted ever star in the sky the sand in the ocean – it would take forever (ask a kid to come forward and have a bucket of sand or dirt ask the child to count all the individual pieces of dirt if they can’t do that offer them the option of counting every single star in the galaxy it can’t be done it is unending– God loves us with that same kind of unending forever love.

Puppet – Comes up singing Jesus loves me this I know. Another puppet comes up and asks if the puppet knows what he is singing about. The first puppet says its just some song he heard somewhere. The 2nd puppet explains to the first one that God loves us so much that not only did he come to earth and die for our sins that is how much he loves us it is more than a song you are singing you are singing about God’s great love for us.

Bible story – Tell the story of Esther how God used her to save God’s people – Even though in the book of Esther God’s name is we see God in action demonstrating God’s love to his people by rescuing them.

God demonstrates his love for us.

  1. God has a plan for us. – God placed Esther in the kingdom for the special purpose to preserve His people
  2. God uses people to carry out his plan. – God used Esther to carry out the plan that he had to rescue his people. God also sent his son Jesus to earth as a man to rescue us. We can be used by God to show the love of God to others.

Where has God placed you? Who has God called you to show His love to? This week remember that God loves you and that he has placed you where you are near others for you to demonstrate the love of God.

Esther Small Group

Activity –

Have hearts cut out – inside the hearts draw a picture of the things you love the most. Explain to the kids that no matter how much you love something or someone, God loves them more.

Questions –

How did God show us how much He loves us?

Does God love some people more than others?

Will God ever stop loving you?

Can you measure God’s love?

Can you do anything to make God love you more?

How do you know that God loves you?

How did God show His love for Esther and her people?

How do you know that Esther loved God?

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