Newsletter 22
Newsletter 22.
Contents.
Fundamental Beliefs 3. Did God write the Bible?
Teaching tip 9. Noah's Ark and the flood.
Noah Jokes.
O. L. 49. R U E ?
O. L. 50. Trust. a. A mousetrap.
b. Falling backwards.
More Gems from the classroom.
"He who can reach a child's heart can reach the world's heart." Rudyard Kipling.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. I hope you find something here that will enhance your children's ministry.
I have been having a few problems sending and receiving emails lately. Therefore, if you did not receive either of my last two Newsletters (Nos. 20 and 21), please let me know, and I will resend them to you. Also, if you emailed me during the last two months, were expecting a reply, but didn't get one, please try again as I probably didn't receive it. I apologise for any inconvenience.
Computer viruses seem to be constantly with us. If you have recently received an email and attachment containing a virus apparently from me, be assured that I am not the source. My recent Newsletters do not have attachments, and the subject line will never be "hi" - it will almost certainly be "Newsletter."
Maurice Sweetsur.
Fundamental Beliefs 3. Did God write the Bible?
The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God (see for example 2 Timothy 3.16 and 2 Peter 1.21). Evangelical Christians believe that to be true. But how would you explain to an enquiring person why you believe that God is indeed the author of the Bible? Here are seven reasons that you could give.
1. The Bible does not contradict any scientific fact.
The history of science is one of discarded and abandoned theories as new light is constantly thrown on the workings of the Universe. This is in sharp contrast with the unchanging scientific statements made in the Bible.
It has been said that the Bible is not a scientific textbook. While it was not written from that perspective, it claims to be the TRUTH - and all its scientific statements have proved to be correct! Here are a few examples.
In ancient times, the earth was generally thought to be supported by huge pillars. But this conflicts with what Job said of his Creator 4,000 years ago: "He spreads out the northern skies over empty spaces; he suspends the earth over nothing. " (Job 26.7).
At the time of Colombus, navigators were concerned that by travelling too far they might fall of the edge of the world. Scientific observation had shown that the earth was flat - water finds its own level, so the sea must be flat! However, some 2,700 years ago Isaiah said of his Creator, "He sits enthroned above the circle (literally ball) of the earth." (Isaiah 40.22).
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus referred to a future event that would happen in a split second (the blinking of an eye). In the same passage (Luke 17) Jesus said that it would be day with people working in the field (verse 31) and night with people asleep in bed (verse 34). How was this possible? It used to be thought that when it was daytime, it was daytime all over the world. We now know, however, that when it is daytime at one longitude, it may be night at another - thus enabling us to understand Jesus' statement.
And so we could go on. The Bible has proved to be remarkably accurate in all of its scientific statements. The people that God used to write down these statements doubtless believed, along with their contemporaries, many unscientific notions. However, God ensured that no such untruths came to be included in His Word,
2. The fulfilled prophecies.
A prophecy is usually a prediction about a future event. Hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, exactly as foretold, often hundreds of years later.
Biblical prophecies are not vague and rambling such as those of Nostradamus and other supposed prophets. Bible prophecies deal with specific places, people and events. Their fulfilments can be verified by reference to subsequent history. For example Isaiah (chapter 53) foretold the death of Christ with minute accuracy more than 700 years before His crucifixion. In fact, over 300 Biblical prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus have been completely fulfilled.
Biblical prophecy can only be explained by divine inspiration. God, the Creator of time, is outside of time. He is the One who controls the future and, therefore, the only One who knows the future.
3. There are no contradictions in the Bible.
This is quite remarkable when you consider that the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by at least 40 different people over a period of about 1,600 years. You would normally expect such a collection of different books to have many contradictory statements, but the unity of the Bible is extraordinary for every book agrees with all the others, like some gigantic jig-saw.
Critics have claimed that the Bible does contradict itself in a few places. However, all such apparent contradictions can be satisfactorily explained by a close examination of the texts involved.
4. There are no proven errors in the Bible.
Because of its remarkable claims, no book has ever been scrutinised by its critics as closely as the Bible. Yet, despite this, there remain no proven errors in the Bible.
Much of the Bible concerns a record of the conflicts between the Israelites and neighbouring nations. For centuries there was no evidence for these wars outside of the Bible itself, and critics claimed they were a mixture of legend and invention. Today, however, 'myth' after 'myth' have proved to be true history. Archaeologists have discovered numerous cities beneath the sands of the Middle East, together with countless inscriptions, letters and other items all proving conclusively that the biblical accounts are an authentic record and that the characters referred to truly existed at the times stated.
5. The remarkable Mosaic Laws.
Our public sanitary laws date back less than 200 years. The Bible, however, contains a remarkably good sanitary code. Modern public health officers are concerned with public cleanliness, purity of water supplies, dispersal of sewage, clean food, education of the public, and control of infectious diseases. The Mosaic law covers all these aspects in Leviticus chapters 11 - 16.
When plagues such as the black death swept across Europe in the Middle ages, the Jews, in stark contrast to the other peoples, survived in large numbers. This was because of their healthy habits and high moral standards, as a consequence of their keeping the Mosaic laws. The Jews themselves did not know anything about germs or how diseases spread. Their motivation for keeping the laws was simply "The Lord said." And we know that it was essential for God's plan for the Jews to survive. Their survival and the subsequent formation of the state of Israel was a result of God's protection and the fulfilment of His promises as foretold in the Bible.
6. The Authority of Jesus.
Even a brief glance at the Gospels will convince anybody that Jesus Himself accepted the scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament) as directly from God. Jesus quoted from the scriptures frequently and always treated them as God's Word "which cannot be broken" (John 10.35).
As Jesus accepted the scriptures as God's Word, how can anyone who claims to follow Him not do likewise?
7. The life changing power of the Bible.
Amongst the countless thousands of books that have been written, the Bible is the only one that claims to be alive and have the power to change lives (see Proverbs 4. 20 - 22, Isaiah 55. 11, and Hebrews 4. 12). These amazing claims have been completely vindicated as down through the centuries countless multitudes have found them to be true for themselves. As people have READ, BELIEVED and OBEYED the Bible, their lives have been completely transformed.
The Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ are inextricably linked together as God's revelation to man of His Truth. God has given us the Bible not only that we may know what the truth is, but also that we might come to know Him who is Himself the Truth.
The above was extracted from a Booklet "The Bible. The work of man or the Word of God?" that I wrote a number of years ago. If you would like a free copy of the complete booklet and you live in Britain, I understand they are still available from New Life Centre, Prestwick, KA9 2PA, Scotland. If you live in New Zealand, please email me your postal address, and I will send one on to you.
Teaching tip 9. Noah's Ark and the flood.
One of the favourite Bible stories for many young children is undoubtedly Noah's ark. Older children, however, often question the authenticity of this remarkable event. Here are a few of the questions I have been asked, together with the answers I gave.
Question. The Bible says Noah took 120 years to build the ark. Wouldn't he have died of old age by then?
Answer. No. People did live a lot longer before the flood - about 900 years on average! It was only after the flood (about 2,300 years B.C.) when, probably as a result of the much harsher climatic conditions, the average life span of people began to decline until the time of King David (about 1000 B.C.), when it reached its present level of about 70 years.
Question. How did Noah manage to gather together all those animals and get them onto the ark?
Answer. He didn't. God caused the animals to come to Noah. All Noah would have to do was to open the door of the ark.
Question. Was the ark large enough to accommodate all the thousands of animals?
Answer. Yes. The Ark was enormous. It has been calculated that if the average size of the animals was that of a sheep (actually it would probably have been smaller), they would have only taken up one third of the available space. Thus plenty of room would be left for Noah, his family, and all the food. Also, I believe, God would have chosen young, and therefore smaller, animals for the ark. (All land animals are small when they are young - even Dinosaurs!).
Question. Wouldn't it have been too big a task for Noah to feed all the animals during the year or so they were on the ark?
Answer. Noah was not on his own. He had his family, eight persons in all, to help him. Some animals have the ability to hibernate. We don't know for sure, but perhaps God caused all the animals to hibernate while they were on the ark. Then Noah's task would certainly have been a lot easier!
Question. Where did all the water come from to flood the earth?
Answer, Genesis chapter 1 indicates that from the second day of the creation week, God placed a huge canopy (or envelope) of water vapour above the earth, probably to protect life forms by absorbing harmful radiation from the sun. Many believe that something happened to cause this canopy to collapse and fall to the earth in the form of rain over 40 days and nights. It has been suggested that a collision with a large meteor triggered this collapse. But whatever the physical cause, the important thing to remember is that God was in complete control. He only allowed the rains to come on the day Noah and the animals were safely on the ark. At the same time much water that was originally trapped under the earth was forced to the surface and came out as "great fountains" to add to the floodwaters.
Question. Would there have really been enough floodwater to cover the highest mountains, e.g. Mt. Everest?
Answer. No. Before the flood there were probably no high mountains, so the floodwater, when it came, could have covered all the earth. The Bible indicates (Psalm 104) that, probably as a consequence of the great forces in operation at the time, the mountains were forced up and the valleys dropped down to compensate. The floodwaters then flowed down into these valleys to form our present oceans, seas and great lakes.
Answers in Genesis ( www.answersingenesis.org ) offer excellent cardboard scale models (about 12 ins. long) of Noah's ark. They are excellent for taking along to your class, or for giving out as prizes.
Noah Jokes.
I usually incorporate the following jokes into one or other of two ventriloquism skits that I have with Shaun - my sheep puppet.
1. Shaun. Were you on Noah's ark?
Self. Shaun, have you any idea how long ago Noah had his ark?
Shaun. How long?
Self. About 4,300 years!
Shaun. So?
Self. 4,300 years ago, and you are still asking me if I was on the ark?
Shaun. Yes.
Self. Shaun, exactly how old do you think I am? No. I most certainly was not on the ark.
Shaun. Well, if you weren't on the ark - - - - - - How did you survive the flood?
2. Shaun. I was one of the animals on Noah's ark.
Self. I find that hard to believe. If it's true, tell me, What was the name of Noah's wife?
Shaun. Joan.
Self. Joan?
Shaun. Yes, Joan of Ark!
Self. What did all the animals do to pass away the time while they were on the ark?
Shaun. They read.
Self. You mean animals can read?
Shaun. Yes.
Self. Well tell me then, What did the cows read while they were on the ark?
Shaun. The Moos paper!
Self. What else did the animals do on the ark?
Shaun. They played basketball.
Self. Basketball! What is it called then if a Duck scores at basketball?
Shaun. A Slam Duck!
Self. I bet with all that water about, you did lots of fishing while you were on the ark?
Shaun. No, we didn't fish.
Self. Why not?
Shaun. There were only two worms!
Self. People often play cards to pass the time. Did you play cards on the ark?
Shaun. No, we couldn't play cards because Noah sat on the deck!
Self. I imagine that the worst animals to have on the ark would have been the skunks - they smell aweful.
Tell me, How did you stop the skunks from smelling?
Shaun. Easy. We just held their noses!
Self. I heard you had a light while you were on the ark. As electricity hadn't been discovered, what sort of
light did you have during the flood?
Shaun. A Floodlight of course!
Object Lesson 49. R U E ?
When talking about His second coming, Jesus referred to the days of Noah, saying that when He returned, the conditions on the earth would be similar, i.e. great lawlessness. Jesus went on to explain that the actual date of His return was not important, what really matters is "Are you ready?"
Write out on a card the letters R U E ? (ensure that the "E" is in red). Ask the children "What does this say? That's right R U E. But what is the colour of the "E"? That's right - red. Now, read the card again, but this time say the colour of the letter "E". That's right R U red E. Now, keep on saying it, faster and faster _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You've got it. It says "ARE YOU READY?" The important question is "Are you ready for when Jesus returns? Are you really trusting in Him?"
Object Lesson 50 - Trust.
Here are two simple, but fun, object lessons on trust that you can use with your lesson on Noah, or indeed many other lessons where you want the children to understand what trust is.
A. - A mousetrap. Take along to your class a broken mousetrap, but one that appears to be in working order. Place it on a table, and very carefully place a large coin on top of the trap.
Explain to your children that you want them to understand what trust really is. Challenge the class along these lines. "I am looking for someone who will really trust me. If they do, they will be able to come out and, without hesitating, pick the coin from off the trap and take it away to keep - without any harm coming to them. If they don't really trust me, however, I am not responsible for anything that might happen to them." You should have no shortage of volunteers!
Explain that if the volunteer hesitates in any way, causes the trap to move at all, or drops the coin while attempting to pick it up, it doesn't count - even if the trap does not actually go off. In my experience, the first two or three volunteers will be hesitant, and thus be disqualified. Eventually, someone will pick up the coin without hesitating etc. You can then demonstrate that the trap is not actually working, but state that your volunteers did not know that, and the person who got the coin was indeed really trusting you.
Trust is taking someone at his word, and not doubting it for a moment.
B. - Falling backwards. This illustration has been used for many years, but it is still a very effective lesson for teaching on trust.
Ask for volunteers who really trust you (You could choose two teams). Explain that all they have to do is stand up straight with their backs to you, fall backwards, and you will catch them. However, if their feet move, or their knees bend, they don't get a point as that shows that they were not really trusting you.
After the exercise, you can conclude by saying : "Everyone who took part in that said they trusted me, and I am sure most of them really thought they trusted me. But when it came to the test, it was found that some were really trusting me, but some were not. It is not important whether you really trust me or not, but what is important is whether you are really trusting in Jesus. Many people say they are trusting in Jesus. But the vital question is are you really trusting in Him?"
More Gems from the classroom.
"In the first book of the Bible, Guinness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off."
"Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, and a ball of fire by night."
"Samson slew the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles."
"The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple."
"The fifth commandment is Humour your Father and your Mother."
"The seventh commandment is You shall not admit adultery."
"The Epistles are the wives of the Apostles."
"Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption."
"Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines."
"The greatest miracle in the Bible was when Joshua told his son to stand still, and he obeyed him."
"Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony."
Contents.
Fundamental Beliefs 3. Did God write the Bible?
Teaching tip 9. Noah's Ark and the flood.
Noah Jokes.
O. L. 49. R U E ?
O. L. 50. Trust. a. A mousetrap.
b. Falling backwards.
More Gems from the classroom.
"He who can reach a child's heart can reach the world's heart." Rudyard Kipling.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. I hope you find something here that will enhance your children's ministry.
I have been having a few problems sending and receiving emails lately. Therefore, if you did not receive either of my last two Newsletters (Nos. 20 and 21), please let me know, and I will resend them to you. Also, if you emailed me during the last two months, were expecting a reply, but didn't get one, please try again as I probably didn't receive it. I apologise for any inconvenience.
Computer viruses seem to be constantly with us. If you have recently received an email and attachment containing a virus apparently from me, be assured that I am not the source. My recent Newsletters do not have attachments, and the subject line will never be "hi" - it will almost certainly be "Newsletter."
Maurice Sweetsur.
Fundamental Beliefs 3. Did God write the Bible?
The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God (see for example 2 Timothy 3.16 and 2 Peter 1.21). Evangelical Christians believe that to be true. But how would you explain to an enquiring person why you believe that God is indeed the author of the Bible? Here are seven reasons that you could give.
1. The Bible does not contradict any scientific fact.
The history of science is one of discarded and abandoned theories as new light is constantly thrown on the workings of the Universe. This is in sharp contrast with the unchanging scientific statements made in the Bible.
It has been said that the Bible is not a scientific textbook. While it was not written from that perspective, it claims to be the TRUTH - and all its scientific statements have proved to be correct! Here are a few examples.
In ancient times, the earth was generally thought to be supported by huge pillars. But this conflicts with what Job said of his Creator 4,000 years ago: "He spreads out the northern skies over empty spaces; he suspends the earth over nothing. " (Job 26.7).
At the time of Colombus, navigators were concerned that by travelling too far they might fall of the edge of the world. Scientific observation had shown that the earth was flat - water finds its own level, so the sea must be flat! However, some 2,700 years ago Isaiah said of his Creator, "He sits enthroned above the circle (literally ball) of the earth." (Isaiah 40.22).
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus referred to a future event that would happen in a split second (the blinking of an eye). In the same passage (Luke 17) Jesus said that it would be day with people working in the field (verse 31) and night with people asleep in bed (verse 34). How was this possible? It used to be thought that when it was daytime, it was daytime all over the world. We now know, however, that when it is daytime at one longitude, it may be night at another - thus enabling us to understand Jesus' statement.
And so we could go on. The Bible has proved to be remarkably accurate in all of its scientific statements. The people that God used to write down these statements doubtless believed, along with their contemporaries, many unscientific notions. However, God ensured that no such untruths came to be included in His Word,
2. The fulfilled prophecies.
A prophecy is usually a prediction about a future event. Hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, exactly as foretold, often hundreds of years later.
Biblical prophecies are not vague and rambling such as those of Nostradamus and other supposed prophets. Bible prophecies deal with specific places, people and events. Their fulfilments can be verified by reference to subsequent history. For example Isaiah (chapter 53) foretold the death of Christ with minute accuracy more than 700 years before His crucifixion. In fact, over 300 Biblical prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus have been completely fulfilled.
Biblical prophecy can only be explained by divine inspiration. God, the Creator of time, is outside of time. He is the One who controls the future and, therefore, the only One who knows the future.
3. There are no contradictions in the Bible.
This is quite remarkable when you consider that the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by at least 40 different people over a period of about 1,600 years. You would normally expect such a collection of different books to have many contradictory statements, but the unity of the Bible is extraordinary for every book agrees with all the others, like some gigantic jig-saw.
Critics have claimed that the Bible does contradict itself in a few places. However, all such apparent contradictions can be satisfactorily explained by a close examination of the texts involved.
4. There are no proven errors in the Bible.
Because of its remarkable claims, no book has ever been scrutinised by its critics as closely as the Bible. Yet, despite this, there remain no proven errors in the Bible.
Much of the Bible concerns a record of the conflicts between the Israelites and neighbouring nations. For centuries there was no evidence for these wars outside of the Bible itself, and critics claimed they were a mixture of legend and invention. Today, however, 'myth' after 'myth' have proved to be true history. Archaeologists have discovered numerous cities beneath the sands of the Middle East, together with countless inscriptions, letters and other items all proving conclusively that the biblical accounts are an authentic record and that the characters referred to truly existed at the times stated.
5. The remarkable Mosaic Laws.
Our public sanitary laws date back less than 200 years. The Bible, however, contains a remarkably good sanitary code. Modern public health officers are concerned with public cleanliness, purity of water supplies, dispersal of sewage, clean food, education of the public, and control of infectious diseases. The Mosaic law covers all these aspects in Leviticus chapters 11 - 16.
When plagues such as the black death swept across Europe in the Middle ages, the Jews, in stark contrast to the other peoples, survived in large numbers. This was because of their healthy habits and high moral standards, as a consequence of their keeping the Mosaic laws. The Jews themselves did not know anything about germs or how diseases spread. Their motivation for keeping the laws was simply "The Lord said." And we know that it was essential for God's plan for the Jews to survive. Their survival and the subsequent formation of the state of Israel was a result of God's protection and the fulfilment of His promises as foretold in the Bible.
6. The Authority of Jesus.
Even a brief glance at the Gospels will convince anybody that Jesus Himself accepted the scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament) as directly from God. Jesus quoted from the scriptures frequently and always treated them as God's Word "which cannot be broken" (John 10.35).
As Jesus accepted the scriptures as God's Word, how can anyone who claims to follow Him not do likewise?
7. The life changing power of the Bible.
Amongst the countless thousands of books that have been written, the Bible is the only one that claims to be alive and have the power to change lives (see Proverbs 4. 20 - 22, Isaiah 55. 11, and Hebrews 4. 12). These amazing claims have been completely vindicated as down through the centuries countless multitudes have found them to be true for themselves. As people have READ, BELIEVED and OBEYED the Bible, their lives have been completely transformed.
The Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ are inextricably linked together as God's revelation to man of His Truth. God has given us the Bible not only that we may know what the truth is, but also that we might come to know Him who is Himself the Truth.
The above was extracted from a Booklet "The Bible. The work of man or the Word of God?" that I wrote a number of years ago. If you would like a free copy of the complete booklet and you live in Britain, I understand they are still available from New Life Centre, Prestwick, KA9 2PA, Scotland. If you live in New Zealand, please email me your postal address, and I will send one on to you.
Teaching tip 9. Noah's Ark and the flood.
One of the favourite Bible stories for many young children is undoubtedly Noah's ark. Older children, however, often question the authenticity of this remarkable event. Here are a few of the questions I have been asked, together with the answers I gave.
Question. The Bible says Noah took 120 years to build the ark. Wouldn't he have died of old age by then?
Answer. No. People did live a lot longer before the flood - about 900 years on average! It was only after the flood (about 2,300 years B.C.) when, probably as a result of the much harsher climatic conditions, the average life span of people began to decline until the time of King David (about 1000 B.C.), when it reached its present level of about 70 years.
Question. How did Noah manage to gather together all those animals and get them onto the ark?
Answer. He didn't. God caused the animals to come to Noah. All Noah would have to do was to open the door of the ark.
Question. Was the ark large enough to accommodate all the thousands of animals?
Answer. Yes. The Ark was enormous. It has been calculated that if the average size of the animals was that of a sheep (actually it would probably have been smaller), they would have only taken up one third of the available space. Thus plenty of room would be left for Noah, his family, and all the food. Also, I believe, God would have chosen young, and therefore smaller, animals for the ark. (All land animals are small when they are young - even Dinosaurs!).
Question. Wouldn't it have been too big a task for Noah to feed all the animals during the year or so they were on the ark?
Answer. Noah was not on his own. He had his family, eight persons in all, to help him. Some animals have the ability to hibernate. We don't know for sure, but perhaps God caused all the animals to hibernate while they were on the ark. Then Noah's task would certainly have been a lot easier!
Question. Where did all the water come from to flood the earth?
Answer, Genesis chapter 1 indicates that from the second day of the creation week, God placed a huge canopy (or envelope) of water vapour above the earth, probably to protect life forms by absorbing harmful radiation from the sun. Many believe that something happened to cause this canopy to collapse and fall to the earth in the form of rain over 40 days and nights. It has been suggested that a collision with a large meteor triggered this collapse. But whatever the physical cause, the important thing to remember is that God was in complete control. He only allowed the rains to come on the day Noah and the animals were safely on the ark. At the same time much water that was originally trapped under the earth was forced to the surface and came out as "great fountains" to add to the floodwaters.
Question. Would there have really been enough floodwater to cover the highest mountains, e.g. Mt. Everest?
Answer. No. Before the flood there were probably no high mountains, so the floodwater, when it came, could have covered all the earth. The Bible indicates (Psalm 104) that, probably as a consequence of the great forces in operation at the time, the mountains were forced up and the valleys dropped down to compensate. The floodwaters then flowed down into these valleys to form our present oceans, seas and great lakes.
Answers in Genesis ( www.answersingenesis.org ) offer excellent cardboard scale models (about 12 ins. long) of Noah's ark. They are excellent for taking along to your class, or for giving out as prizes.
Noah Jokes.
I usually incorporate the following jokes into one or other of two ventriloquism skits that I have with Shaun - my sheep puppet.
1. Shaun. Were you on Noah's ark?
Self. Shaun, have you any idea how long ago Noah had his ark?
Shaun. How long?
Self. About 4,300 years!
Shaun. So?
Self. 4,300 years ago, and you are still asking me if I was on the ark?
Shaun. Yes.
Self. Shaun, exactly how old do you think I am? No. I most certainly was not on the ark.
Shaun. Well, if you weren't on the ark - - - - - - How did you survive the flood?
2. Shaun. I was one of the animals on Noah's ark.
Self. I find that hard to believe. If it's true, tell me, What was the name of Noah's wife?
Shaun. Joan.
Self. Joan?
Shaun. Yes, Joan of Ark!
Self. What did all the animals do to pass away the time while they were on the ark?
Shaun. They read.
Self. You mean animals can read?
Shaun. Yes.
Self. Well tell me then, What did the cows read while they were on the ark?
Shaun. The Moos paper!
Self. What else did the animals do on the ark?
Shaun. They played basketball.
Self. Basketball! What is it called then if a Duck scores at basketball?
Shaun. A Slam Duck!
Self. I bet with all that water about, you did lots of fishing while you were on the ark?
Shaun. No, we didn't fish.
Self. Why not?
Shaun. There were only two worms!
Self. People often play cards to pass the time. Did you play cards on the ark?
Shaun. No, we couldn't play cards because Noah sat on the deck!
Self. I imagine that the worst animals to have on the ark would have been the skunks - they smell aweful.
Tell me, How did you stop the skunks from smelling?
Shaun. Easy. We just held their noses!
Self. I heard you had a light while you were on the ark. As electricity hadn't been discovered, what sort of
light did you have during the flood?
Shaun. A Floodlight of course!
Object Lesson 49. R U E ?
When talking about His second coming, Jesus referred to the days of Noah, saying that when He returned, the conditions on the earth would be similar, i.e. great lawlessness. Jesus went on to explain that the actual date of His return was not important, what really matters is "Are you ready?"
Write out on a card the letters R U E ? (ensure that the "E" is in red). Ask the children "What does this say? That's right R U E. But what is the colour of the "E"? That's right - red. Now, read the card again, but this time say the colour of the letter "E". That's right R U red E. Now, keep on saying it, faster and faster _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You've got it. It says "ARE YOU READY?" The important question is "Are you ready for when Jesus returns? Are you really trusting in Him?"
Object Lesson 50 - Trust.
Here are two simple, but fun, object lessons on trust that you can use with your lesson on Noah, or indeed many other lessons where you want the children to understand what trust is.
A. - A mousetrap. Take along to your class a broken mousetrap, but one that appears to be in working order. Place it on a table, and very carefully place a large coin on top of the trap.
Explain to your children that you want them to understand what trust really is. Challenge the class along these lines. "I am looking for someone who will really trust me. If they do, they will be able to come out and, without hesitating, pick the coin from off the trap and take it away to keep - without any harm coming to them. If they don't really trust me, however, I am not responsible for anything that might happen to them." You should have no shortage of volunteers!
Explain that if the volunteer hesitates in any way, causes the trap to move at all, or drops the coin while attempting to pick it up, it doesn't count - even if the trap does not actually go off. In my experience, the first two or three volunteers will be hesitant, and thus be disqualified. Eventually, someone will pick up the coin without hesitating etc. You can then demonstrate that the trap is not actually working, but state that your volunteers did not know that, and the person who got the coin was indeed really trusting you.
Trust is taking someone at his word, and not doubting it for a moment.
B. - Falling backwards. This illustration has been used for many years, but it is still a very effective lesson for teaching on trust.
Ask for volunteers who really trust you (You could choose two teams). Explain that all they have to do is stand up straight with their backs to you, fall backwards, and you will catch them. However, if their feet move, or their knees bend, they don't get a point as that shows that they were not really trusting you.
After the exercise, you can conclude by saying : "Everyone who took part in that said they trusted me, and I am sure most of them really thought they trusted me. But when it came to the test, it was found that some were really trusting me, but some were not. It is not important whether you really trust me or not, but what is important is whether you are really trusting in Jesus. Many people say they are trusting in Jesus. But the vital question is are you really trusting in Him?"
More Gems from the classroom.
"In the first book of the Bible, Guinness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off."
"Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, and a ball of fire by night."
"Samson slew the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles."
"The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple."
"The fifth commandment is Humour your Father and your Mother."
"The seventh commandment is You shall not admit adultery."
"The Epistles are the wives of the Apostles."
"Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption."
"Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines."
"The greatest miracle in the Bible was when Joshua told his son to stand still, and he obeyed him."
"Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony."
posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 2:01 AM
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