May 22nd Lesson Six: Rejoicing in the Lord

Paul was under house arrest in Rome. It was his first Roman imprisonment, around A.D. 60-62. Paul wrote a letter to the Philippian church, describing himself as "in chains for Christ." His future was uncertain, but whether he lived or died, his main concern wasn't for himself; Paul's passion was for the glory of Christ and the advancement of the gospel.

The Epistle to the Philippians emphasizes several key doctrines and themes: the sovereignty of God, the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, Christ as our example, union with Christ, justification, sanctification, the communion of saints and the sufficiency of Christ Jesus. In this lesson with the children however, we will explore just a couple of the themes found in Paul's letter in ways the children can understand. We will study the great hymn to Christ in Chapter 2 and what it means to pattern our lives after him in humble sacrifice, giving thanks to and for him always.

Bible Truth: Paul encourages the Philippians to stand strong despite opposition, to maintain their unity, and to rejoice in the Lord always. They are to have the same attitude as Christ in humility and service.

Scripture: Philippians and Acts 16

Memory Work: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6

KID CONNECTION: When You Make Unwise Choices

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

When you make a mistake due you get really mad at yourself...or maybe really, really, really mad? Hopefully not! After all everybody makes mistakes, and nobody is expected to be perfect .

Even when you make mistakes, God loves you....so you should love yourself too!

So the next time you make a mistake, make the smart choice: choose to learn from it. And after you've learned your lesson, try never to make the same mistake again. But don't be to hard on yourself. God doesn't expect you to be perfect, and since He loves you, you should feel that way too.

MoRe StUfF tO tHiNk AbOuT...

God is able to take our mistakes and when we ask for forgiveness to Him, He makes them something for our good and for His glory. Wow!

Hey....OnE mOrE tHiNg....

When you make a mistake (and you will) the best time to fix those mistakes is now, not later...

Well your vacation from Mr. Bruno is over (LOL) as I will be back in class this coming Sunday. I missed you guys and look forward to learning the Bible with you again!

May 15th: Lesson Five - Putting on the New Self

The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesian Christians from Rome around A.D. 60 while under house arrest. Paul had spent three years in Ephesus, a Greek city in Asia, Minor, on his third mission trip and used it as a center for regional evangelistic work. Ephesus was a large and important city in the Roman Empire. The biggest attraction and the center of it's pagen culture was the temple of Artemis (Diana), a revered greek goddess.

Paul begins his letter with praise to God for the grace he has lavished upon believers in Christ. "In Christ" is an essential idea in Ephesians; every blessing comes to us through Christ. This week's Bible Truth is Paul celebrates the Church's blessing in Christ. He tells the Ephesians to live out their new life in Christ by putting off the old self and putting on the new.

Scripture: Ephesians

Memory Work: It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5

Student Questions of the Week!

Here are a few of the questions from the children that were asked during the May 8th class:

Why didn't God stop Adam and Eve?
Where is heaven?
When Jesus was on the cross didn't people know he was going to rise?

Great questions to discuss with your child and see if they remember the answers!

KID CONNECTION: TOTALLY TEASING

Hey...it's Mr.B...I recently watched a television show that told the story of Nick Vujicic. I was familiar with Nick's story but it made me think "I can only imagine how much this guy was teased as a kid". If you are not familiar with Nick's story he was born with no arms AND no legs. I was teased alot as a kid and I bet a lot of you get teased...and sometimes we tease others too...

I want to take a moment this week to share a little of Nick's story and then I want to give you some examples from the Bible for you to think about. Teasing hurts. It hurts us when someone teases us, and it hurts others when we tease them. A little about Nick...

Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around a friend ; no hands to hold the ones you love; no fingers to experience touch ; no way to lift or carry things. How much more difficult would life be if you were living without arms and hands? Or what about legs? Imagine if instead of no arms, you had no legs. No ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand. Now put both of those scenarios together… no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life?

His parents wondered how would their son live a normal happy life? What could he ever do or become when living with such a massive disability? Little did they or anyone else know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. God uses Nick to touch lives and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to people across the globe.

Throughout his childhood, Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and being a kid such as bullying and self-esteem issues; but also struggled with depression and loneliness.  He constantly questioned why he was different than all the other kids surrounding him; why he was the one born without arms and legs. He wondered what the purpose behind his life was, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as the strength and passion he has for life can be credited to his faith in God. His family, friends and the many people he has encountered along the way have also encouraged him.

By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfill his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope. “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.” Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we each encounter in our lives, and that our attitude towards those struggles, along with our faith and trust in the Lord can be the keys to overcoming the challenges we face.

Now at 28 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the President of LifeWithout Limbs. Since his first speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes.  He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!” When asked why he does it Nick replied: 

 "If just one more person finds eternal life in Jesus Christ....it is all worth it". 

Wow...what an incredible story...when people told Nick he looked funny, was different, wasn't cool, and never would amount to anything what did he do? Give up? Tease back? Quit? Agree with them? NO WAY! Nick used the special gifts God gave him to help spread the gospel across the world! Maybe someone is teasing you now by saying things about you that is not true and spreading rumors. It's easy to want to do the same to them isn't it? We automatically want to fight back to make them feel hurt or embarrassed too. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good". Hmmm...what doe that mean? Well if someone is teasing you that does not mean they are evil, but how we can use this verse? Let's insert the word "teasing" where "evil" is in the verse and see what happens:

"Do not be overcome by teasing, but overcome teasing with good"...hey now that is starting to make sense...I know it will be hard (and you will have to keep practicing it) but the next time someone teases you, say something NICE or KIND back to them...WHAT? YOU WANT ME TO BE NICE TO THEM? Yes. Think about this...when Jesus was dieing on the Cross for us, many people were mocking (or teasing) him. Jesus did not say anything bad back to them and he did not quit. Yes Jesus was perfect, but we are called to be like Jesus - to be the Body of Christ, so if we remember to say something nice to someone when they tease us and ask them nicely to please not tease I bet the teasing will stop soon. And I bet the kid's teasing you begin thinking inside themselves that you really are pretty cool and it's not right to tease. Even if they don't change or stop, hey remember you control your own actions and you can respond just like them, or with kindness.

When I think about teasing and the Bible I think of some of the following people:

Moses had a speech problem and was afraid to speak to people...and God used his brother Aaron to help Moses tell the people what needed to be heard...

You have heard the story of David and the giant right? David then just a small boy with a slingshot tells the giant he will fight him and the giant laughed and teased him...and God used David and his slingshot to bring down the mighty giant...

What about Saul? After Jesus spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus and opened his eyes to the truth, Saul now Paul went on to be the greatest missionary of all time. But people at first did not think Saul/Paul had changed and told everyone what Saul had done in the past...and God showed He can use anyone to spread the gospel.. 

MoRe To ThInK AbOuT....

It is easy to bring someone down (say bad things about them or tease them), but it is really cool when you build someone up (say nice things about them). Try building someone up the next time you are teased and remember it will take practice!

HeY...OnE MoRe ThInG...

Remember Nick's story..no matter what we go through in life, we all have a purpose. Never quit, never give up. Teasing can hurt, it's not funny, and can have a great impact on someone. Use the opportunity to show kindness when you are being teased, be like Jesus! Nick is an awesome example!

May 8th Lesson Four: Justified by Faith Alone

As Christ multiplied the number of believers who then spread the gospel over much of the Roman Empire, ungodly forces engaged in a fierce-though unachievable-attempt to destroy the fledgling, first-century church. In Galatia, for instance, where Paul had started a number of churches on his first missions trip, Jewish teachers of a false gospel appeared, probably from Jerusalem. By adding to the gospel, they were denying that justification is by faith alone. This contradicted God's word.

It is uncertain when Galations was written, but this controversy might have occurred soon after Paul returned to Antioch in Syria following his first missions trip. Troubled when he received word of it, Paul wrote to the young churches in Galatia, warning them against false teachers and their heresy. He forcefully announces these Judaizers, asserting that they should be condemned for preaching a different gospel, which he declares "no gospel at all."

Scriptures: Galatians

Bible Truth: Paul warns the churches in Galatia to resist false teachers who insist salvation comes by faith in Christ plus obeying the law. Paul says believers are to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit rather than behave according to sinful desires.

Memory Work: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4

KID CONNECTION: Avoid People Who Behave Foolishly

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character"

1 Corinthians 15:33

If you hang out with people who do dumb things, pretty soon , you'll probably find yourself doing dumb things, too. And that's not good. So here is a sure rule for earning more self-respect and more rewards from life: If your friend group is headed in the wrong direction, find another friend group. Otherwise before you know it you'll be caught up in trouble that you did not create and you don't deserve.

When you feel pressured to do things -or to say things-that lead you away from God, you're heading straight for trouble. So don't do do the "easy" thing or the "popular" thing. Do the right thing, and don't worry about winning any popularity contests.

MoRe StUfF tO ThInK aBoUt...

Remember your friends may not know about the Good News of Jesus. Think about inviting them to Sunday School or Geokidz. And remember, all we can do is introduce someone to God, the rest is up to them and God!

HeY....OnE MoRe ThInG....

Try to remember we should not always follow the crowd...but we should always follow Jesus...

I missed all you this week and look forward to seeing each of you when I return to class in a few weeks. Keep the "Questions of the Week" coming! Also, make sure you help Mr. K and Mrs. B with the class! I heard someone lost a tooth in class last week...now that was a first! Ouch!