Studying God's Word During the Summer

Studying God’s Word During the Summer

Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-15: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 

 It's never too early to begin planting God's Word into the hearts of children. Preschool-age children can learn powerful Biblical truths that will impact their lives. Timothy was taught the Scriptures when he was very young. God used these lessons to help shape Timothy's character and prepare him for the man of God he was to become.  In much the same way, you can help your child become all God intends for him to be.

As we all know, sometimes it takes creative Bible lessons to keep little ones interested. Teaching young children the truth of God's Word can be both challenging and fun! Here are some things to keep in mind:

· They are curious - they want to learn! Answer their questions. Choose one simple Bible truth or verse for each lesson and repeat it often. Ex. "God made everything."

· They are imaginative - they want to create!  Be creative. Don't just read the story; become the Bible character. It's time for "pretend" mode! 

· They are full of energy - they want to do! Keep them active. Use a variety of activities that stimulate all five senses.

· They openly trust - they want to believe! Share your heart and model what you teach. Show your enthusiasm and excitement for God’s Word.

Here are some suggestions to help guide you in finding fun and engaging Bible Lessons for your child:

· Plan preschool Bible lessons with plenty of short, but meaningful, activities. "Hubbard's Cupboard" offers an entire year's worth of free preschool Bible lessons along with crafts, games, and Bible memory tunes! (http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/christian_resources.html)

· Object lessons are also effective for capturing preschoolers' attention and imparting Bible truths in simple, memorable ways. (http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/christianobjectlessons.html)

· Preschool Sunday School Central offers great preschool Bible crafts including five free preschool craft ebooks! You can also find free Bible verse memory cards for preschoolers with simple memory verses and Bible pictures that correspond. (http://www.psscentral.com/index.php?pr=Preschool_Crafts)

· Preschoolers are capable of learning so much. There are many creative ways to help them memorize simple Bible verses or the Books of the Bible. (http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Biblememory.html)

· Preschool printables for games such as Memory Match or Bible Bingo, along with crafts and verse cards are great for reinforcing a story or concept. ( http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/MiniBooks.html) and (http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/ChristianGames2.html)

· A Bible Timeline for small children can help them get a glimpse of the "big picture" and how the Bible all fits together. This one has pictures along with the most familiar Bible stories and the dates in which each occurred. (http://www.psscentral.com/index.php?pr=Bible_Timeline)

· Preschool is a wonderful time to read aloud to children too! Try our children's Bible lessons written to go along with these great Christian children's books and picture books. (http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/christianchildrensbooks.html)

· In addition, here are some Christian Bible lessons which correlate to Dr. Seuss books. (http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Dr-Seuss-books.html)

We know that we’ve given you a lot of information, but hopefully not so much that you are overwhelmed. Our prayer is that you will continue to study God’s word with your children, and learn alongside them.  You won’t know all the answers to their questions and that’s okay! May God bless your journey!

Jesus Loves You

Matthew 19:13-15 & Mark 10:13-16

 

Matthew 19:13-15

Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that he could put his hands on them and pray for them. When his followers saw this, they told the people to stop bringing their children to Jesus. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.” After Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there.

Mark 10:13-16

Some people brought their small children to Jesus so he could touch them. But his followers told the people to stop bringing their children to him. When Jesus saw this, he was displeased. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.

Discussion Questions

• Why did people bring their children to Jesus?  So he could put his hands on them and pray for them.

• What did Jesus say to his disciples? “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.”

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for loving us and thank you for going with us wherever you go, to help show others your love.   

Amen.

Bible Verse for May

“Love your neighbor"     Matthew 22:39

Singing: Have You Ever Seen Jesus

Tune: “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?”

Have you ever seen Jesus, seen Jesus, seen Jesus,

Have you ever seen Jesus, turn children away?

He loves us, we love him, he loves us, we love him.

Have you ever seen Jesus, turn children away?

Safe in a Shipwreck

Based on Acts 26 & 27

Paul was on trial before King Agrippa.  When it came time for him to tell his story, he talked about Jesus instead.  He told King Aprippa about Jesus and about why he believed Jesus was the Son of God.  When he was done, the king asked Paul, “Are you trying to turn me into a Christian too?”  Agrippa decided that Paul must go to Rome to speak with Caesar.  He would sail on a big ship with other prisoners.

The prisoners were put on a boat and they sailed across the open sea.  They sailed along slowly for many days.  After a lot of time had passed, the sailing had become dangerous.

So Paul gave them a warning.  “Men,” he said, “I see that our trip is going to be dangerous.  The ship and everything in it will be lost.  Our own lives will be in danger also.”  But they didn’t listen to what Paul said.  Instead, they followed the advice of the captain and the ship’s owner.  The harbor wasn’t a good place for ships to stay during winter.  So most of the people decided they should sail on. 

Shortly after they had set out, a strong wind blew.  It had the force of a hurricane.  The ship was caught by the storm and tossed to and fro.  The ship took a very hard beating from the storm.  Some gave up all hope of being saved.  Paul said, “Men, continue to be brave.  I have faith in God.  It will happen just as God told me.”

When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach.  They didn’t recognize the place, but they decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could.  They headed for the beach, but the ship hit a sandbar and got stuck fast.  The back of the ship was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves.

The soldiers were afraid the prisoners would escape and thought about killing them.  But the kind commander wanted to save Paul’s life.  So he kept the soldiers from carrying out their plan and ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and swim to land.  The rest had to get to shore by hanging onto boards or other pieces of the ship.  Everyone reached land safely. 

Discussion Questions

• When Paul was on trial what did he talk about?  Jesus

• He had to go on a ship ride.  Was the ride smooth?  No it was very windy and dangerous

• Did Paul remain brave when the ship was in the bad storm? Yes.  He told the others to be brave God would protect them.

• Did they make it to the beach safely?  Yes

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for reminding us to be brave even in the storms of life.  We know we can always trust you in all situations.  Thank you for that blessing. Amen.

Bible Verse for May

“Love your neighbor.”   Matthew 22:39

Activity:  See, Feel, Hear

Supplies:         

• Large sheet of plain white paper
• Markers
• Watch
• Tape

Prepare:

Tape the sheets of plain paper on three walls.  Then write the word “See” on one sheet,

“Feel” on another sheet, and “Hear” on the third sheet.

Guide Your Child To:

Say:  Imagine that you are on a ship that is wrecking.  What kind of thing might you see? (waves, sharks, people swimming)  What kinds of things might you feel? (wet, afraid, cold,

seasick)  What kinds of thing might you hear? (water rushing, people yelling, people praying)

You can write the answers down or the children can write the answers or draw pictures of how they

 might see, feel, or hear. 

Ask:  What are some good feelings, sights, and sounds that you wrote or drew?  Our Bible story

tells us about a shipwreck.  The people of the ship with Paul may have had some of the

experiences we have described here today.  God kept Paul and his friends safe as they escaped a

very frightening situation. 

Remind the children we do not need to fear when God is with us.  Now talk about how God made them feel safe in a very scary situation.

Singing in Jail

Acts 16:16-34

Once, while we were going to the place for prayer, a servant girl met us.  She had a special spirit in her.  She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.  This girl followed Paul and us.  She said loudly, “These men are servants of the Most High God!  They are telling you how you can be saved!”

She kept this up for many days.  This bothered Paul, so he turned and said to the spirit, “By the power of Jesus Christ, I  command you to come out of her!”  Immediately, the spirit came out.

The owners of the servant girl saw this.  These men knew that now they could not use her to make money.  So they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the city rulers in the marketplace.  Here they brought Paul and Silas to the Roman rulers and said, “These men are Jews and are making trouble in our city.  They are teaching things that are not right for us as Romans to do.”

The crowd joined the attack against them.  The Roman officers tore the clothes of Paul and Silas and had them beaten with rods again and again.  Then Paul and Silas were thrown into jail.  The jailer was ordered to guard them carefully.  When he heard this order, he put them far inside the jail.  He pinned down their feet between large blocks of wood.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God.  The other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly, there was a big earthquake.  It was so strong that it shook the foundation of the jail.  Then all the doors of the jail broke open.  He thought that the prisoners had already escaped.  So he got his sword and was about to kill himself.  But Paul shouted, “Don’t hurt yourself!  We are all here!”

The jailer told someone to bring a light.  Then he ran inside.  Shaking with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.  Then he brought them outside and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?”

They said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved — you and all the people in your house.”  so Paul and Silas told the message of the Lord to the jailer and all the people in h is house.  At the hour of the night the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds.  Then he and all his people were baptized immediately.  After this the jailer took Paul and Silas home and gave them food.  He and his family were very happy because they now believed in God.

Discussion Questions

• Where did Paul and Silas have to go?  Jail
• What did they do in jail?  Pray and Sang
• There was an earthquake that shook the jail door open.  Did all the people inside leave?  No
• What did Paul and Silas tell the Jailer?  How to be saved.
• What do you have to do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Paul and Silas.  Help us to remember to trust in you even when things seem very bad.  Just like in this story you always love and protect us and we thank you for that. Amen.

Bible Verse for May 

“Love your neighbor.”

Matthew 22:39