Newsletters 16 - 21.
Newsletter 16.
Contents.
Teaching Tip 1 - Getting children to pray in public.
Teaching Tip 2 - How we should pray (A lesson from blind Bartimaeus).
O.L. 38. Obedience brings success (Pencil passes through a handkerchief).
What's wrong with grownups? by Rev. Ong Chooi Seng.
Teaching Tips.
1.Getting children to pray in public.
I teach children mainly from non-Christian homes, and in the approximate age range 6 to 11. I have found that it is relatively easy to get the younger children to pray out loud in class, but those aged about 8 and above are more self-conscious, and so less inclined to do so. The following is a technique that I have found to be very effective in encouraging older children to pray in public.
With each new class, I start off the same way, by getting the children to go through a simple routine. I say "God is good." The children have to reply "All the time." I then say "All the time," and the children say "God is good."
When the children are used to this (just one or two weeks), I get different children to do the leading instead of myself. Then after one or two more weeks, I get the children who want to lead to think up their own words to describe God, i.e. "God is wonderful, awesome, powerful, marvellous" etc. etc.
When the children are used to this routine, I say "Today, instead of starting by talking about God, I want you to start by talking to God, by saying God, you're good, wonderful, awesome etc. We won't do the 'All the time' part, but as many of you as want to can participate." Usually there is no shortage of volunteers, and the children have actually started to pray in public.
A few weeks later, I invite the children, if they wish, to make their prayers a little longer, by thanking God for something. So they may pray "God, you're wonderful, and I thank you for sending Jesus." "God you're awesome, and thank you for my mum." etc. To encourage the children, I often compliment them on their prayers. "What a great prayer." "That was a wonderful thing to pray for." etc.
Using this procedure, I find that most children are eager to participate in our opening prayer to God. I have had one or two classes where only a few children would volunteer to pray, but this was easily overcome by offering an incentive. I say, "I have a piece of paper in my pocket, with a number on it. If the number is 1, the first person who prays will get a little prize (e.g. a bookmark), if the number is 10, the tenth person to pray will get the prize, etc." I have never needed an incentive for the following week. Once children "take the plunge" and pray out loud for the first time, they are eager to keep doing it. I usually find that after a few weeks, whenever I enter a class, the hands of about half the children shoot up, indicating that they want to participate in the opening prayer!
2. How we should pray.
I find the story of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10, Luke 18) ideal for teaching children about how we should pray.
After telling the story, I write out the first four letters of the Beggar's name ( B.A.R.T.) on a card, and talk about each one in turn.
B. Stands for Bold and Persistent. Bartimaeus refused to listen to the crowd who tried to put him off, but just kept on calling out until Jesus heard and answered him. If we want something badly from God, we should come boldly before Him, knowing that He loves us and wants to bless us. We should keep on asking until we get an answer, and refuse to listen to those who may try to discourage us.
A. Stands for Ask and be exact. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted Jesus to do for him. He simply said "I want to see." And that is exactly what he got. Don't pray 'General' prayers like "God bless my family," but rather make up your mind exactly what you want God to do for you, and ask for that.
R. Stands for Remember to Believe. Believing is the only way we can receive from God. Even while he was still blind, Bartimaeus really believed he would be healed, and proved it by throwing off his coat. (This would have almost certainly have been a special Beggars coat - given to him by the Authorities, thus showing he was legally allowed to beg.) If Bartimaeus had remained blind, it is extremely unlikely he would have found his coat again. However, he was so convinced Jesus would heal him, he basically threw away his only source of income! Jesus saw Bartimaeus' faith and said, "Then see, your faith has healed you."
T. Stands for Thanksgiving. After the miracle, Bartimaeus followed after Jesus praising God. We already have many things we can thank God for. Perhaps you can think of some of them right now, and thank Him for them?
Object Lesson.
38. Obedience brings success.
This is a very popular object lesson that children love to try for themselves.
Effect. Place a square handkerchief (linen or paper) in a "diamond" shape on a flat surface. Lay a pencil across the centre of the handkerchief. Bring the bottom corner of the handkerchief up to the top, but ensure that it slightly overlaps. The pencil will now, of course, be covered. Place a hand on the pencil through the handkerchief, and tightly roll it up until the lower corner flips over. Unroll the handkerchief, and you will see that the pencil is now on the top. i.e. it appears to have penetrated the handkerchief from inside to outside. Try it out. It is much simpler than it sounds!
Explanation. By rolling up the handkerchief until one corner 'flips over', you are actually turning it inside out, and thus bringing the pencil from the inside to the outside. The critical part is ensuring that only one corner flips over. If both ( or no) corners are flipped, the pencil will remain on the inside.
Application. This illustration can be used to complement any teaching on Obedience. I usually use it in connection with Ephesians 6 v. 1.
Example. " If you obey your, Parents, God has promised that you will be successful. If my volunteer here obeys me, he will be able to pass this pencil from the inside to the outside of this handkerchief. What I want you to do is roll it up tightly, tap it three times with your finger, unroll it, and the pencil will have passed through the material - you will be successful. Wait a minute! First let us see what will happen if you are disobedient, and you tap the pencil four times? (Ensure that the rolling stops just before the flip over). Oh dear. You were unsuccessful because you were disobedient! This time you can be obedient (Ensure the bottom corner flips over). Wonderful. Your obedience has brought success!
You may wish to get a few more volunteers to try it out. All you need to remember is that you control the flip overs, depending on whether you want the person to be successful or not. It is very rare for any volunteer or spectator to notice the differences in the three ways you can roll up the handkerchief - i.e. no, one, or two flip overs.
What's wrong with grownups?
The following was taken from an article by Rev. Ong Chooi Seng posted on the Children's Pastors Network, Singapore.
N.J. Community School Brookside, expressed their views of "What's wrong with grownups?" they came up with these (observations) complaints (issues):
1. Grownups make promises, then they forget all about them, or else they say it wasn't really a promise, just a maybe.
2. Grownups don't do the things they're always telling the children to do--like pick up their things, or be neat, or always tell the truth.
3. Grownups never really listen to what children have to say. They always decide ahead of time what they're going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes, but they won't admit them. They always pretend that they weren't mistakes at all--or that somebody else made them.
5. Grownups interrupt children all the time and think nothing of it. If a child interrupts a grownup, he gets a scolding or something worse.
6. Grownups never understand how much children want a certain thing--a certain color or shape or size. If it's something they don't admire--even if the children have spent their own money for it--they always say, "I can't imagine what you want with that old thing!"
7. Sometimes grownups punish children unfairly. It isn't right if you've done just some little thing wrong and grownups take away something that means an awful lot to you. Other times you can do something really bad and they say they're going to punish you, but they don't. You never know, and you ought to know.
8. Grownups are always talking about what they did and what they knew when they were 10 years old--but they never try to think what it's like to be 10 years old right now.
Is that true in your life?
Kids don’t care what you think until they know you care.
Contents.
Teaching Tip 1 - Getting children to pray in public.
Teaching Tip 2 - How we should pray (A lesson from blind Bartimaeus).
O.L. 38. Obedience brings success (Pencil passes through a handkerchief).
What's wrong with grownups? by Rev. Ong Chooi Seng.
Teaching Tips.
1.Getting children to pray in public.
I teach children mainly from non-Christian homes, and in the approximate age range 6 to 11. I have found that it is relatively easy to get the younger children to pray out loud in class, but those aged about 8 and above are more self-conscious, and so less inclined to do so. The following is a technique that I have found to be very effective in encouraging older children to pray in public.
With each new class, I start off the same way, by getting the children to go through a simple routine. I say "God is good." The children have to reply "All the time." I then say "All the time," and the children say "God is good."
When the children are used to this (just one or two weeks), I get different children to do the leading instead of myself. Then after one or two more weeks, I get the children who want to lead to think up their own words to describe God, i.e. "God is wonderful, awesome, powerful, marvellous" etc. etc.
When the children are used to this routine, I say "Today, instead of starting by talking about God, I want you to start by talking to God, by saying God, you're good, wonderful, awesome etc. We won't do the 'All the time' part, but as many of you as want to can participate." Usually there is no shortage of volunteers, and the children have actually started to pray in public.
A few weeks later, I invite the children, if they wish, to make their prayers a little longer, by thanking God for something. So they may pray "God, you're wonderful, and I thank you for sending Jesus." "God you're awesome, and thank you for my mum." etc. To encourage the children, I often compliment them on their prayers. "What a great prayer." "That was a wonderful thing to pray for." etc.
Using this procedure, I find that most children are eager to participate in our opening prayer to God. I have had one or two classes where only a few children would volunteer to pray, but this was easily overcome by offering an incentive. I say, "I have a piece of paper in my pocket, with a number on it. If the number is 1, the first person who prays will get a little prize (e.g. a bookmark), if the number is 10, the tenth person to pray will get the prize, etc." I have never needed an incentive for the following week. Once children "take the plunge" and pray out loud for the first time, they are eager to keep doing it. I usually find that after a few weeks, whenever I enter a class, the hands of about half the children shoot up, indicating that they want to participate in the opening prayer!
2. How we should pray.
I find the story of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10, Luke 18) ideal for teaching children about how we should pray.
After telling the story, I write out the first four letters of the Beggar's name ( B.A.R.T.) on a card, and talk about each one in turn.
B. Stands for Bold and Persistent. Bartimaeus refused to listen to the crowd who tried to put him off, but just kept on calling out until Jesus heard and answered him. If we want something badly from God, we should come boldly before Him, knowing that He loves us and wants to bless us. We should keep on asking until we get an answer, and refuse to listen to those who may try to discourage us.
A. Stands for Ask and be exact. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted Jesus to do for him. He simply said "I want to see." And that is exactly what he got. Don't pray 'General' prayers like "God bless my family," but rather make up your mind exactly what you want God to do for you, and ask for that.
R. Stands for Remember to Believe. Believing is the only way we can receive from God. Even while he was still blind, Bartimaeus really believed he would be healed, and proved it by throwing off his coat. (This would have almost certainly have been a special Beggars coat - given to him by the Authorities, thus showing he was legally allowed to beg.) If Bartimaeus had remained blind, it is extremely unlikely he would have found his coat again. However, he was so convinced Jesus would heal him, he basically threw away his only source of income! Jesus saw Bartimaeus' faith and said, "Then see, your faith has healed you."
T. Stands for Thanksgiving. After the miracle, Bartimaeus followed after Jesus praising God. We already have many things we can thank God for. Perhaps you can think of some of them right now, and thank Him for them?
Object Lesson.
38. Obedience brings success.
This is a very popular object lesson that children love to try for themselves.
Effect. Place a square handkerchief (linen or paper) in a "diamond" shape on a flat surface. Lay a pencil across the centre of the handkerchief. Bring the bottom corner of the handkerchief up to the top, but ensure that it slightly overlaps. The pencil will now, of course, be covered. Place a hand on the pencil through the handkerchief, and tightly roll it up until the lower corner flips over. Unroll the handkerchief, and you will see that the pencil is now on the top. i.e. it appears to have penetrated the handkerchief from inside to outside. Try it out. It is much simpler than it sounds!
Explanation. By rolling up the handkerchief until one corner 'flips over', you are actually turning it inside out, and thus bringing the pencil from the inside to the outside. The critical part is ensuring that only one corner flips over. If both ( or no) corners are flipped, the pencil will remain on the inside.
Application. This illustration can be used to complement any teaching on Obedience. I usually use it in connection with Ephesians 6 v. 1.
Example. " If you obey your, Parents, God has promised that you will be successful. If my volunteer here obeys me, he will be able to pass this pencil from the inside to the outside of this handkerchief. What I want you to do is roll it up tightly, tap it three times with your finger, unroll it, and the pencil will have passed through the material - you will be successful. Wait a minute! First let us see what will happen if you are disobedient, and you tap the pencil four times? (Ensure that the rolling stops just before the flip over). Oh dear. You were unsuccessful because you were disobedient! This time you can be obedient (Ensure the bottom corner flips over). Wonderful. Your obedience has brought success!
You may wish to get a few more volunteers to try it out. All you need to remember is that you control the flip overs, depending on whether you want the person to be successful or not. It is very rare for any volunteer or spectator to notice the differences in the three ways you can roll up the handkerchief - i.e. no, one, or two flip overs.
What's wrong with grownups?
The following was taken from an article by Rev. Ong Chooi Seng posted on the Children's Pastors Network, Singapore.
N.J. Community School Brookside, expressed their views of "What's wrong with grownups?" they came up with these (observations) complaints (issues):
1. Grownups make promises, then they forget all about them, or else they say it wasn't really a promise, just a maybe.
2. Grownups don't do the things they're always telling the children to do--like pick up their things, or be neat, or always tell the truth.
3. Grownups never really listen to what children have to say. They always decide ahead of time what they're going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes, but they won't admit them. They always pretend that they weren't mistakes at all--or that somebody else made them.
5. Grownups interrupt children all the time and think nothing of it. If a child interrupts a grownup, he gets a scolding or something worse.
6. Grownups never understand how much children want a certain thing--a certain color or shape or size. If it's something they don't admire--even if the children have spent their own money for it--they always say, "I can't imagine what you want with that old thing!"
7. Sometimes grownups punish children unfairly. It isn't right if you've done just some little thing wrong and grownups take away something that means an awful lot to you. Other times you can do something really bad and they say they're going to punish you, but they don't. You never know, and you ought to know.
8. Grownups are always talking about what they did and what they knew when they were 10 years old--but they never try to think what it's like to be 10 years old right now.
Is that true in your life?
Kids don’t care what you think until they know you care.
Newsletter 17.
Contents.
Overcoming discipline problems - by making your lessons fun and exciting.
Teaching Tip 3. (For use with the David and Goliath story).
O.L. 39. Wrestling match (Defeating Giants).
O.L. 40. Samson pad (Defeating Giants).
5 things I have learned about Kids. by Karl Bastian.
Overcoming discipline problems - by making your lessons fun and exciting.
There has been much written about how best to discipline 'problem' classes. I certainly don't profess to be an expert on the subject, but I would like to share my own experience in the hope that it will be a help to you.
When I first started teaching Bible classes, I had my share of discipline problems, especially from the older boys. I soon realised, however, that many children were causing trouble simply because they were bored with my lessons!
I therefore determined to make my lessons more fun and exciting. I believe that this is something we must all do, otherwise many of the children - even if they don't actually misbehave - will simply "turn off." Fortunately, there are many ways we can do this. Here are a few suggestions.
Tell familiar stories from unusual angles, to keep the children guessing. e.g. The Good Samaritan from the point of view of the donkey, Daniel, from a lion's viewpoint, Jonah, as seen by the large fish, David and Goliath from the Giant's perspective. (Don't mention the Giant's name till the end - to keep your class wondering!). etc etc.
If your class is well behaved, use skits involving the children - most Bible stories can be adapted to be told in this way. If your class cannot be trusted to do this properly, use puppet skits. I record the skit beforehand, and get children to operate the puppets. Check out www.puppetresources.com for an extensive array of skits.
Use ventriloquism.You don't need a special dummy. A hand puppet will do. And you don't have to be expert. If you use good material, the children will love it, and won't mind if they see your mouth moving a little.
Teach memory verses in lots of different ways. The number is only limited by your own imagination.
Review your teaching with quizzes. Noughts and crosses (tic tac toe) is a popular way to do this.
Dress up as a Bible character, and tell his/her story with a monologue. Nebuchadnezzar, telling about the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace, and the cripple who was brought to Jesus by his four friends, have worked well for me.
Use lots of object lessons to illustrate your teaching points. Better still, use illusions, which are essentially object lessons with "special effects." Many illusions are very easy to do, but will still baffle your class. Two excellent sources of illusions are www.childrensministry.org and www.onewaystreet.com (which also has an excellent range of ventriloquism skits). Also, many illusions, especially those involving paper cutting or ropes, cost nothing to do.
Result ? I can now say that I rarely have any discipline problems. I don't think this is because my present classes have generally better behaved children in them, but rather because I am now better able to keep their attention.
I am not saying that we should abandon our programs so as to keep the children entertained, but if they are not happy, they won't learn much anyway and will be put off the church in later years. We can still teach our programs, but we should all be continually searching for more interesting and exciting ways to do it. We owe this both to our children and to the Lord.
Teaching Tips.
3. David and Goliath.
The following is not meant to be a lesson plan, but rather a number of ideas that you may wish to incorporate into any lesson about David and Goliath.
Story. Using my imagination, I usually tell this story from how the Giant (I don't mention his name till near the end) might have seen things - e.g. a huge, strong, man loved fighting, so he joined his country's army and soon became their "Champion." His country went to war with their deadliest enemies, but the giant had a good idea - that he should challenge the enemy's champion to do battle in single combat, with the losing side having to surrender to the victors. With the approval of his King, this he did. - - - - - - - - Eventually someone came out to challenge the giant, but his joy at the prospect of a fight soon turned to disgust when he saw that it was only a boy that was confronting him.
Skit. I then perform a fun skit, playing both parts myself by running from left to right as the two combatants confront each other. When I am the giant, I put on a crown hat marked "Champion", pick up a cardboard sword, and use a deep booming voice. For the boy, I put on a cap, and use a little squeaky voice. Here is some suggested dialogue, but the important thing is to really "throw" yourself into the two characters. Children love it when you overact.
Giant. "Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks. Are you going to beat me with your sticks? Why, I am going to chop your head off, and feed your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field."
Boy. "You come against me with a sword and a spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and - - - and - - - and - - - and I'm going to chop your head off, and feed your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field - so there!"
Giant. " Why you cheeky young rascal, I'm going to whip you.
Boy. "No you're not. I'm going to whip you."
Giant. "I'm going to thrash you."
Boy. "No. I'm going to thrash you."
Giant. "Oh yes. You and whose army?"
Boy. "Just me and the Lord God of Israel. We are going to thrash you together."
Giant. "Your God won't be able to help you against me. Don't you realise who I am? I am the biggest. I am the greatest. I am the strongest. No one can beat me."
Boy. " Well, me and my God are going to beat you."
Giant. "That's enough of your cheek (lifting up his sword), prepare to die right now."
The giant took a stride forwards, but the boy reached down, picked up a stone, put it in his sling. The sling went round and round, the stone flew out and hit Goliath (because that was the Giant's name of course) on the forehead. Goliath crashed to the ground, David (the boy's name of course) picked up Goliath's sword and slew him.
And that day, David and the Israelites won a great victory over Goliath and the Philistines.
Question. How was it that David could defeat the giant? Was he bigger than Goliath? No. Was he stronger than Goliath? No. Had he got better weapons than Goliath? No. The answer is that he defeated the giant because he remembered that God was on his side, Interestingly, God was also on the side of the other Israelite soldiers - they were part of God's Special people -, but it didn't do them any good because they forgot that! When they looked at Goliath, all they saw was a giant - a big problem. When David came along, he saw that Goliath was big, but he also remembered that his God was far, far, bigger!
Defeating Giants. At this point I use my Object lesson No. 6, Defeating giants, using the two curved cards to help the children understand that with God on their side, they can also defeat any giants in their lives.
Throwing your giants on Jesus. I usually teach 1 Peter 5 v. 7 - "Throw all your worries on him, because he cares for you." in connection with this story. I explain that there are many "giants" or worries that people have in their lives, e.g. another person who is giving them a hard time, a bad habit, or a fear (e.g. of the dark, nightmares, flying, dying, snakes, spiders, dogs etc.). I get the children to write out the names of their giant(s) on a piece of paper. Then, as I lead them in prayer, at the appropriate time, I get them to crumple up their papers (giants) and throw them on Jesus - imagining Him to be standing at the front of the class. Conclude by emphasising that because Jesus now has their giants, they have them no more.
Object Lesson 39. - Wrestling match. I invite one of the bigger boys to come out for a wrestling match. I explain that it is a "handicap" match - all of him against my little thumb! My volunteer can use both hands, and all he has to do is wrestle my little thumb to the ground! After he has failed to do that, ask "Why wasn't that big boy able to defeat my little thumb?" Answer. Because my thumb, small as it is, is attached to something far bigger - it is attached to me! Remind the children that if they are trusting in Jesus, they are actually attached to God, and no matter how big their "giant" may appear, they will be able to overcome it because God is far, far bigger.
Object Lesson 40. - Samson pad. These are pieces of white plastic, but they look and feel like cardboard. They can be obtained from www.onewaystreet.com . Take one plastic sheet and one ordinary cardboard sheet (which comes in the same pack), and write on each "GIANT". The two sheets should look identical. Give the cardboard sheet to a small girl, and the plastic sheet to a big boy. Explain that we are going to imagine that both the volunteers have giants to overcome. God is on the side of both of them, but one - and you are not saying which - is like David, and has remembered that. The other is like the other Israelite soldiers who forgot that, and so were afraid of the giant.
Ask the volunteers to defeat their "giants" by ripping up the 'cardboard' into small pieces. It will soon be obvious which one is like David.
Puppet Script. A "fun" play "David and Goliath" can be found on www.puppetresources.com . It is well worth a look. As with all scripts, you don't have to use it exactly as written, but you can adapt it to suit your particular class of children.
5 things I have learned about Kids.
by
Karl Bastian (The Kidologist)
1. STOP WHILE THEY STILL LIKE IT!
Often when kid's workers find something the kids like, they use it until the kids are tired of it and then can never use it again! Kids determine whether they like something or not by the last remembered feeling associated with the activity. So if it got old - they remember being tired of it. But if you quit while they like it - they will cheer when you go to do it again!
2. ASK FOR GUESSES, NOT ANSWERS!
A guess is always good, no matter how far from correct it may be! I once had a little boy who always said "Moses" to every question I asked, so finally I 'rigged' the questions and asked, to whom did God give the ten commandments?...... he thought really hard and said "Jesus?" I will never forget the crushed look on his face when I said, "No, it was Moses." It was a powerful lesson - now I ask for guesses and can always say - "Great guess" (and give a reason why) and then move on for another 'guess'.
3. KIDS ACCEPT PUPPETS FASTER THAN PEOPLE
The reason I use Gus (or The Fuzz or Molly, or Wally, or one of many others) is that kids quickly accept and love puppets (if they are presented as being real and not a toy). Then they accept you as a 'friend of the puppet.' Just THIS WEEK a mom said that she asked her daughter, "So how do you like Karl, the new Kid's Pastor?" She replied, "I don't know him that well yet, but Gus is really cool, and funny, so I guess I do like Karl."
4. BIRTHDAYS ARE IMPORTANT
Probably true of adults too, but there are few things that mean as much to a kid as you remembering his/her birthday and celebrating it. That is why I have a HUGE birthday party for myself each year - sounds kinda selfish or strange, but the kids really relate to it! We had 95 kids at a Tunnels of Fun place this past month, and the kids really enjoyed it. I also send out birthday cards and call every kid on their birthday - it takes effort, but the payoff is a much closer relationship with the kids.
5. KNOWING A KID'S WORLD IS A KEY TO GETTING TO THEIR HEART!
When you have played Nintendo 64 - jumped on their trampoline (and hurt your back!) - have your own virtual pet - take them to the Children's Museum downtown - display toys in your office - you show kids that their world is important to you, and suddenly YOUR WORLD (including Jesus and God's Word) becomes important to them!
Contents.
Overcoming discipline problems - by making your lessons fun and exciting.
Teaching Tip 3. (For use with the David and Goliath story).
O.L. 39. Wrestling match (Defeating Giants).
O.L. 40. Samson pad (Defeating Giants).
5 things I have learned about Kids. by Karl Bastian.
Overcoming discipline problems - by making your lessons fun and exciting.
There has been much written about how best to discipline 'problem' classes. I certainly don't profess to be an expert on the subject, but I would like to share my own experience in the hope that it will be a help to you.
When I first started teaching Bible classes, I had my share of discipline problems, especially from the older boys. I soon realised, however, that many children were causing trouble simply because they were bored with my lessons!
I therefore determined to make my lessons more fun and exciting. I believe that this is something we must all do, otherwise many of the children - even if they don't actually misbehave - will simply "turn off." Fortunately, there are many ways we can do this. Here are a few suggestions.
Tell familiar stories from unusual angles, to keep the children guessing. e.g. The Good Samaritan from the point of view of the donkey, Daniel, from a lion's viewpoint, Jonah, as seen by the large fish, David and Goliath from the Giant's perspective. (Don't mention the Giant's name till the end - to keep your class wondering!). etc etc.
If your class is well behaved, use skits involving the children - most Bible stories can be adapted to be told in this way. If your class cannot be trusted to do this properly, use puppet skits. I record the skit beforehand, and get children to operate the puppets. Check out www.puppetresources.com for an extensive array of skits.
Use ventriloquism.You don't need a special dummy. A hand puppet will do. And you don't have to be expert. If you use good material, the children will love it, and won't mind if they see your mouth moving a little.
Teach memory verses in lots of different ways. The number is only limited by your own imagination.
Review your teaching with quizzes. Noughts and crosses (tic tac toe) is a popular way to do this.
Dress up as a Bible character, and tell his/her story with a monologue. Nebuchadnezzar, telling about the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace, and the cripple who was brought to Jesus by his four friends, have worked well for me.
Use lots of object lessons to illustrate your teaching points. Better still, use illusions, which are essentially object lessons with "special effects." Many illusions are very easy to do, but will still baffle your class. Two excellent sources of illusions are www.childrensministry.org and www.onewaystreet.com (which also has an excellent range of ventriloquism skits). Also, many illusions, especially those involving paper cutting or ropes, cost nothing to do.
Result ? I can now say that I rarely have any discipline problems. I don't think this is because my present classes have generally better behaved children in them, but rather because I am now better able to keep their attention.
I am not saying that we should abandon our programs so as to keep the children entertained, but if they are not happy, they won't learn much anyway and will be put off the church in later years. We can still teach our programs, but we should all be continually searching for more interesting and exciting ways to do it. We owe this both to our children and to the Lord.
Teaching Tips.
3. David and Goliath.
The following is not meant to be a lesson plan, but rather a number of ideas that you may wish to incorporate into any lesson about David and Goliath.
Story. Using my imagination, I usually tell this story from how the Giant (I don't mention his name till near the end) might have seen things - e.g. a huge, strong, man loved fighting, so he joined his country's army and soon became their "Champion." His country went to war with their deadliest enemies, but the giant had a good idea - that he should challenge the enemy's champion to do battle in single combat, with the losing side having to surrender to the victors. With the approval of his King, this he did. - - - - - - - - Eventually someone came out to challenge the giant, but his joy at the prospect of a fight soon turned to disgust when he saw that it was only a boy that was confronting him.
Skit. I then perform a fun skit, playing both parts myself by running from left to right as the two combatants confront each other. When I am the giant, I put on a crown hat marked "Champion", pick up a cardboard sword, and use a deep booming voice. For the boy, I put on a cap, and use a little squeaky voice. Here is some suggested dialogue, but the important thing is to really "throw" yourself into the two characters. Children love it when you overact.
Giant. "Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks. Are you going to beat me with your sticks? Why, I am going to chop your head off, and feed your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field."
Boy. "You come against me with a sword and a spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and - - - and - - - and - - - and I'm going to chop your head off, and feed your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field - so there!"
Giant. " Why you cheeky young rascal, I'm going to whip you.
Boy. "No you're not. I'm going to whip you."
Giant. "I'm going to thrash you."
Boy. "No. I'm going to thrash you."
Giant. "Oh yes. You and whose army?"
Boy. "Just me and the Lord God of Israel. We are going to thrash you together."
Giant. "Your God won't be able to help you against me. Don't you realise who I am? I am the biggest. I am the greatest. I am the strongest. No one can beat me."
Boy. " Well, me and my God are going to beat you."
Giant. "That's enough of your cheek (lifting up his sword), prepare to die right now."
The giant took a stride forwards, but the boy reached down, picked up a stone, put it in his sling. The sling went round and round, the stone flew out and hit Goliath (because that was the Giant's name of course) on the forehead. Goliath crashed to the ground, David (the boy's name of course) picked up Goliath's sword and slew him.
And that day, David and the Israelites won a great victory over Goliath and the Philistines.
Question. How was it that David could defeat the giant? Was he bigger than Goliath? No. Was he stronger than Goliath? No. Had he got better weapons than Goliath? No. The answer is that he defeated the giant because he remembered that God was on his side, Interestingly, God was also on the side of the other Israelite soldiers - they were part of God's Special people -, but it didn't do them any good because they forgot that! When they looked at Goliath, all they saw was a giant - a big problem. When David came along, he saw that Goliath was big, but he also remembered that his God was far, far, bigger!
Defeating Giants. At this point I use my Object lesson No. 6, Defeating giants, using the two curved cards to help the children understand that with God on their side, they can also defeat any giants in their lives.
Throwing your giants on Jesus. I usually teach 1 Peter 5 v. 7 - "Throw all your worries on him, because he cares for you." in connection with this story. I explain that there are many "giants" or worries that people have in their lives, e.g. another person who is giving them a hard time, a bad habit, or a fear (e.g. of the dark, nightmares, flying, dying, snakes, spiders, dogs etc.). I get the children to write out the names of their giant(s) on a piece of paper. Then, as I lead them in prayer, at the appropriate time, I get them to crumple up their papers (giants) and throw them on Jesus - imagining Him to be standing at the front of the class. Conclude by emphasising that because Jesus now has their giants, they have them no more.
Object Lesson 39. - Wrestling match. I invite one of the bigger boys to come out for a wrestling match. I explain that it is a "handicap" match - all of him against my little thumb! My volunteer can use both hands, and all he has to do is wrestle my little thumb to the ground! After he has failed to do that, ask "Why wasn't that big boy able to defeat my little thumb?" Answer. Because my thumb, small as it is, is attached to something far bigger - it is attached to me! Remind the children that if they are trusting in Jesus, they are actually attached to God, and no matter how big their "giant" may appear, they will be able to overcome it because God is far, far bigger.
Object Lesson 40. - Samson pad. These are pieces of white plastic, but they look and feel like cardboard. They can be obtained from www.onewaystreet.com . Take one plastic sheet and one ordinary cardboard sheet (which comes in the same pack), and write on each "GIANT". The two sheets should look identical. Give the cardboard sheet to a small girl, and the plastic sheet to a big boy. Explain that we are going to imagine that both the volunteers have giants to overcome. God is on the side of both of them, but one - and you are not saying which - is like David, and has remembered that. The other is like the other Israelite soldiers who forgot that, and so were afraid of the giant.
Ask the volunteers to defeat their "giants" by ripping up the 'cardboard' into small pieces. It will soon be obvious which one is like David.
Puppet Script. A "fun" play "David and Goliath" can be found on www.puppetresources.com . It is well worth a look. As with all scripts, you don't have to use it exactly as written, but you can adapt it to suit your particular class of children.
5 things I have learned about Kids.
by
Karl Bastian (The Kidologist)
1. STOP WHILE THEY STILL LIKE IT!
Often when kid's workers find something the kids like, they use it until the kids are tired of it and then can never use it again! Kids determine whether they like something or not by the last remembered feeling associated with the activity. So if it got old - they remember being tired of it. But if you quit while they like it - they will cheer when you go to do it again!
2. ASK FOR GUESSES, NOT ANSWERS!
A guess is always good, no matter how far from correct it may be! I once had a little boy who always said "Moses" to every question I asked, so finally I 'rigged' the questions and asked, to whom did God give the ten commandments?...... he thought really hard and said "Jesus?" I will never forget the crushed look on his face when I said, "No, it was Moses." It was a powerful lesson - now I ask for guesses and can always say - "Great guess" (and give a reason why) and then move on for another 'guess'.
3. KIDS ACCEPT PUPPETS FASTER THAN PEOPLE
The reason I use Gus (or The Fuzz or Molly, or Wally, or one of many others) is that kids quickly accept and love puppets (if they are presented as being real and not a toy). Then they accept you as a 'friend of the puppet.' Just THIS WEEK a mom said that she asked her daughter, "So how do you like Karl, the new Kid's Pastor?" She replied, "I don't know him that well yet, but Gus is really cool, and funny, so I guess I do like Karl."
4. BIRTHDAYS ARE IMPORTANT
Probably true of adults too, but there are few things that mean as much to a kid as you remembering his/her birthday and celebrating it. That is why I have a HUGE birthday party for myself each year - sounds kinda selfish or strange, but the kids really relate to it! We had 95 kids at a Tunnels of Fun place this past month, and the kids really enjoyed it. I also send out birthday cards and call every kid on their birthday - it takes effort, but the payoff is a much closer relationship with the kids.
5. KNOWING A KID'S WORLD IS A KEY TO GETTING TO THEIR HEART!
When you have played Nintendo 64 - jumped on their trampoline (and hurt your back!) - have your own virtual pet - take them to the Children's Museum downtown - display toys in your office - you show kids that their world is important to you, and suddenly YOUR WORLD (including Jesus and God's Word) becomes important to them!
Newsletter 18.
Contents.
Teaching Tip 4 - Ideas on teaching about Creation.
O.L. 41. The earth, sun and moon (Acting out their motions).
O.L. 42. Gravity (Demonstration with a ball and string).
O.L. 43. Can nothing turn into something? (An experiment with an empty jar).
O.L. 44. Dependence on oxygen (Holding your breath)
O.L. 45. "Made after its own kind."(An Acorn example).
Seven reasons why not to mess with a child.
Teaching Tips.
4. Creation.
I can think of no other Bible topic that lends itself to so many fun activities for children than creation. Here are a few examples that you could incorporate into your lessons on this subject.
1. (Object Lesson 41 - The earth, sun and moon). After teaching how God created the earth, sun and moon, get three children to act out their motions.
a. The sun stays still, but always shines (smiles).
b. The earth travels round the sun, rotating as it does so (365+ spins per one circuit round the sun!).
c. The moon travels round the earth, remembering to always keep its same side facing the earth.
I have always found this to be great fun for children of all ages. Usually the 'moon' finds it hard to keep up with the earth, causing great hilarity among the spectators.
You could explain that God has made the conditions on earth just right for life. Even small changes would make life, as we know it, impossible. Ask "What would it be like on earth if - - - ?
1. The earth was nearer to the sun -------- Too hot. (It has been calculated that even a 2 degree C. rise in the average surface temperature of the earth would be enough to melt the polar ice caps and cause devastating flooding).
2. The earth was further away from the sun ------ Too cold.
3. The earth didn't rotate once on its axis every 24 hours ------ One side would be day all the time and be very hot. The other would be night all the time and be very cold.
4. The earth rotated faster than now ------ Very short days and nights, and constant hurricane force winds.
5. The earth wasn't tilted on its axis ------ No seasons. Countries near the equator would be very hot. Those far from the equator would be too cold to grow food - resulting in a world-wide food shortage.
6. The diameter of the earth was (say 10%) less than its present 13,000 Kilometres ------- Because of the consequent reduction in gravity, most of the oxygen which we need to breathe would escape into outer space.
7. The diameter of the earth was 10% greater than at present ------ The increased gravity, and hence air pressure would cause the polar ice caps to melt - resulting in devastating flooding.
8. The moon was a little smaller or a little further away than at present ------ Very little tidal action, resulting in even the oceans becoming stagnant and the death of all aquatic creatures.
9. The moon was a little larger or a little nearer than at present ------ Too severe tidal action, with low lying areas being flooded twice a day!
What a wonderful Creator we have, who not only made the earth just right for us to inhabit, but He also keeps it that way year, after year, after year.
2. (Object Lesson 42 - Gravity). Get a soft, hollow ball and pierce two holes in it close to each other. Thread a piece of string through the holes and tie together. You are now ready to demonstrate the importance of having the right strength of gravity as the earth circles the sun.
Hold the end of the string, and swing the ball round your head. Explain that your head represents the sun, and the ball represents the earth travelling round it year after year at a constant speed. Also, because gravity remains the same, the earth remains the same distance from the sun.
Ask, "What would happen to the earth if God increased gravity a little?" Demonstrate the effect by letting the ball crash into your head.
Ask "What would happen if God decreased gravity a little?" Demonstrate by letting go of the string. The ball will fly off to the other side of the room!
3. (Object Lesson 43 - Can nothing turn into something?). Bring an empty jar to your class, complete with lid. Ask the children to watch the jar for you for a few weeks, and tell you if anything begins to appear on the inside.
After a few weeks, ask the children if anything has begun to grow inside the jar? No. Ask, if you left the jar in the room for a year, with the lid closed, they think something will then have begun to grow - perhaps a little ant? No. How about 10 years? 100 years? A million years? Ever? The answer is still no. Explain that if nothing cannot become something in a few weeks, there is absolutely no reason to believe that it could ever do so. (You may wish to explain that there is actually air in your jar, but if even the air could not turn into something, there is certainly no way that 'nothing' could).
Some people do believe, however, that this did happen. They call it Evolution. They say that a long time ago, there was nothing. But them this nothing, all by itself, managed to become something, and that this something kept changing and changing into all the variety of things we see today, including us! The Bible tells us, however, that in the space of six days God, through His power, created the Universe and everything in it. God not only made everything complete and perfect, He made it all for our benefit - for us to enjoy and take care of.
4. (Object Lesson 44 - Dependence on oxygen). Talk about how God created the air ( or oxygen ), and then demonstrate how dependent we are on this by getting the children to see how long they can survive without it, i.e. how long they can hold their breath. If the oxygen level were a little less than its present 21%, breathing would be difficult. If it were a little higher, the fire danger would be greatly increased.
5. If you do balloon modelling, here is a good object lesson you could use. If not, it could be adapted for use with a toy animal, or even a cut out one. This was first published in Newsletter No. 8, as Object Lesson 20. I will reprint the version more suitable for younger children here. Check out my earlier Newsletter if you minister to older children e.g. nine or above.
Produce your balloon animal and ask. "How do you think this model was made? Do you think it could have been made by accident? Perhaps someone left an uninflated balloon in this room last night, and left the window open. Overnight, the wind blew through the window and into the balloon. The balloon then began twisting itself round and round until it formed the shape of this animal, which you see here now. Finally, the end of the balloon managed to tie itself in a knot to stop the air escaping. Do you think that really happened, or do you think that there is a balloon model maker somewhere who made this animal on purpose?" The children should see the absurdity of the model being able to make itself by accident, and respond. "There is a balloon model maker somewhere." Admit that you are the model maker, and then emphasise the point that everything the children see around them has to have a maker. Watches need watchmakers, shoes need shoemakers, chairs need chairmakers etc. Nothing can make itself.
You will then be able to apply the above argument to the creation of the Universe and everything in it. State "There are some people who believe that the Universe made itself by accident. But the Universe is far more wonderful and complex than a balloon animal, and if even that couldn't make itself, then how likely is it that the whole Universe made itself? No, the Bible teaches us that we have wonderful Creator who made the Universe and everything in it on purpose. And the good news is:- He made it all for our benefit.
6. Give each child a circular piece of plain cardboard (or paper). Ask them to imagine that they are the Creator, and that they are going to create a new world by drawing on their cardboard. Allow a few minutes for this, and give a few suggestions e.g. birds, flowers, animals, people.
When complete, ask the children to close their eyes and imagine the creatures in their perfect world coming alive - singing, laughing, playing etc. Everything is wonderful.
Now ask the children to imagine that something has gone wrong in their perfect world. People are arguing, fighting and killing each other. The animals are killing and eating each other. Weeds are growing among the flowers.
Explain that this is exactly what happened with God's perfect world. The question to the children is, "What should they do about their world that has gone bad?" Give them four options:-
1. Destroy their world. (You will probably find that most children will vote for this option!)
2. Send someone to teach the people how to be good.
3. Go yourself to show the people how to love each other.
4. Give the people the power to change and be good.
Conclude by explaining that God didn't choose to destroy His world, because He still loved it even after it had gone bad. Rather, He chose options 2, 3, and best of all No. 4.
7. My Object Lesson with Dandelions (No.28) on God's provision ( Newsletter No.11) is ideal for helping children to understand how much the Creator cares for all His creatures.
Contents.
Teaching Tip 4 - Ideas on teaching about Creation.
O.L. 41. The earth, sun and moon (Acting out their motions).
O.L. 42. Gravity (Demonstration with a ball and string).
O.L. 43. Can nothing turn into something? (An experiment with an empty jar).
O.L. 44. Dependence on oxygen (Holding your breath)
O.L. 45. "Made after its own kind."(An Acorn example).
Seven reasons why not to mess with a child.
Teaching Tips.
4. Creation.
I can think of no other Bible topic that lends itself to so many fun activities for children than creation. Here are a few examples that you could incorporate into your lessons on this subject.
1. (Object Lesson 41 - The earth, sun and moon). After teaching how God created the earth, sun and moon, get three children to act out their motions.
a. The sun stays still, but always shines (smiles).
b. The earth travels round the sun, rotating as it does so (365+ spins per one circuit round the sun!).
c. The moon travels round the earth, remembering to always keep its same side facing the earth.
I have always found this to be great fun for children of all ages. Usually the 'moon' finds it hard to keep up with the earth, causing great hilarity among the spectators.
You could explain that God has made the conditions on earth just right for life. Even small changes would make life, as we know it, impossible. Ask "What would it be like on earth if - - - ?
1. The earth was nearer to the sun -------- Too hot. (It has been calculated that even a 2 degree C. rise in the average surface temperature of the earth would be enough to melt the polar ice caps and cause devastating flooding).
2. The earth was further away from the sun ------ Too cold.
3. The earth didn't rotate once on its axis every 24 hours ------ One side would be day all the time and be very hot. The other would be night all the time and be very cold.
4. The earth rotated faster than now ------ Very short days and nights, and constant hurricane force winds.
5. The earth wasn't tilted on its axis ------ No seasons. Countries near the equator would be very hot. Those far from the equator would be too cold to grow food - resulting in a world-wide food shortage.
6. The diameter of the earth was (say 10%) less than its present 13,000 Kilometres ------- Because of the consequent reduction in gravity, most of the oxygen which we need to breathe would escape into outer space.
7. The diameter of the earth was 10% greater than at present ------ The increased gravity, and hence air pressure would cause the polar ice caps to melt - resulting in devastating flooding.
8. The moon was a little smaller or a little further away than at present ------ Very little tidal action, resulting in even the oceans becoming stagnant and the death of all aquatic creatures.
9. The moon was a little larger or a little nearer than at present ------ Too severe tidal action, with low lying areas being flooded twice a day!
What a wonderful Creator we have, who not only made the earth just right for us to inhabit, but He also keeps it that way year, after year, after year.
2. (Object Lesson 42 - Gravity). Get a soft, hollow ball and pierce two holes in it close to each other. Thread a piece of string through the holes and tie together. You are now ready to demonstrate the importance of having the right strength of gravity as the earth circles the sun.
Hold the end of the string, and swing the ball round your head. Explain that your head represents the sun, and the ball represents the earth travelling round it year after year at a constant speed. Also, because gravity remains the same, the earth remains the same distance from the sun.
Ask, "What would happen to the earth if God increased gravity a little?" Demonstrate the effect by letting the ball crash into your head.
Ask "What would happen if God decreased gravity a little?" Demonstrate by letting go of the string. The ball will fly off to the other side of the room!
3. (Object Lesson 43 - Can nothing turn into something?). Bring an empty jar to your class, complete with lid. Ask the children to watch the jar for you for a few weeks, and tell you if anything begins to appear on the inside.
After a few weeks, ask the children if anything has begun to grow inside the jar? No. Ask, if you left the jar in the room for a year, with the lid closed, they think something will then have begun to grow - perhaps a little ant? No. How about 10 years? 100 years? A million years? Ever? The answer is still no. Explain that if nothing cannot become something in a few weeks, there is absolutely no reason to believe that it could ever do so. (You may wish to explain that there is actually air in your jar, but if even the air could not turn into something, there is certainly no way that 'nothing' could).
Some people do believe, however, that this did happen. They call it Evolution. They say that a long time ago, there was nothing. But them this nothing, all by itself, managed to become something, and that this something kept changing and changing into all the variety of things we see today, including us! The Bible tells us, however, that in the space of six days God, through His power, created the Universe and everything in it. God not only made everything complete and perfect, He made it all for our benefit - for us to enjoy and take care of.
4. (Object Lesson 44 - Dependence on oxygen). Talk about how God created the air ( or oxygen ), and then demonstrate how dependent we are on this by getting the children to see how long they can survive without it, i.e. how long they can hold their breath. If the oxygen level were a little less than its present 21%, breathing would be difficult. If it were a little higher, the fire danger would be greatly increased.
5. If you do balloon modelling, here is a good object lesson you could use. If not, it could be adapted for use with a toy animal, or even a cut out one. This was first published in Newsletter No. 8, as Object Lesson 20. I will reprint the version more suitable for younger children here. Check out my earlier Newsletter if you minister to older children e.g. nine or above.
Produce your balloon animal and ask. "How do you think this model was made? Do you think it could have been made by accident? Perhaps someone left an uninflated balloon in this room last night, and left the window open. Overnight, the wind blew through the window and into the balloon. The balloon then began twisting itself round and round until it formed the shape of this animal, which you see here now. Finally, the end of the balloon managed to tie itself in a knot to stop the air escaping. Do you think that really happened, or do you think that there is a balloon model maker somewhere who made this animal on purpose?" The children should see the absurdity of the model being able to make itself by accident, and respond. "There is a balloon model maker somewhere." Admit that you are the model maker, and then emphasise the point that everything the children see around them has to have a maker. Watches need watchmakers, shoes need shoemakers, chairs need chairmakers etc. Nothing can make itself.
You will then be able to apply the above argument to the creation of the Universe and everything in it. State "There are some people who believe that the Universe made itself by accident. But the Universe is far more wonderful and complex than a balloon animal, and if even that couldn't make itself, then how likely is it that the whole Universe made itself? No, the Bible teaches us that we have wonderful Creator who made the Universe and everything in it on purpose. And the good news is:- He made it all for our benefit.
6. Give each child a circular piece of plain cardboard (or paper). Ask them to imagine that they are the Creator, and that they are going to create a new world by drawing on their cardboard. Allow a few minutes for this, and give a few suggestions e.g. birds, flowers, animals, people.
When complete, ask the children to close their eyes and imagine the creatures in their perfect world coming alive - singing, laughing, playing etc. Everything is wonderful.
Now ask the children to imagine that something has gone wrong in their perfect world. People are arguing, fighting and killing each other. The animals are killing and eating each other. Weeds are growing among the flowers.
Explain that this is exactly what happened with God's perfect world. The question to the children is, "What should they do about their world that has gone bad?" Give them four options:-
1. Destroy their world. (You will probably find that most children will vote for this option!)
2. Send someone to teach the people how to be good.
3. Go yourself to show the people how to love each other.
4. Give the people the power to change and be good.
Conclude by explaining that God didn't choose to destroy His world, because He still loved it even after it had gone bad. Rather, He chose options 2, 3, and best of all No. 4.
7. My Object Lesson with Dandelions (No.28) on God's provision ( Newsletter No.11) is ideal for helping children to understand how much the Creator cares for all His creatures.
8. There is an excellent object lesson about "an amazing flying machine" on www.kidology.org Here is a summary.
Talk about all the money and brain power that have gone into making some marvellous flying machines, such as Concorde, the Space shuttle, Stealth bombers, etc. Then say that you are now going to talk about an amazing flying machine that is far more wonderful than all the others put together! This flying machine can take off and land sideways on a vertical wall! It has tremendous manoeuvrability, being able to instantly change direction. It can take off with amazing acceleration. It has the ability to sense danger, and can take off and be out of danger in a split second. If it develops a fault, it can often correct itself, and even has the ability to reproduce itself! "Would you children like to see a picture of this amazing flying machine? Here it is - a fly! (Produce a picture of an ordinary house fly. Note. You can download one from this web site. If you are not a member, I could send you one if you email me). God's creations are far more wonderful than people can make!"
9. Children are fascinated with dinosaurs. You may be able to purchase at reasonable cost a suitable fossil, e.g. a dinosaur tooth, or footprint and take this along to your class to talk about.
10. (Object Lesson 45 - "Made after its own kind."). God made the first of every living Biblical "kind", each with the ability to reproduce 'after it's own kind.' To explain this, take along an acorn. Explain that God created the first oak tree, with acorns (seeds) like this one contained in it. Some of those acorns would fall to the ground and grow into other oak trees, just like their parent tree, with each again containing their own acorns. Those, in turn. would fall to the ground and some would grow into more oak trees containing acorns, etc. etc. And that's how we get oak trees today. You may then wish to apply this argument to other living things, emphasising that cats always produce cats, dogs produce dogs, and people produce people etc.
11. Adam had to name all the different animals, and then he would have to have remembered their names - a remarkable memory feat. My object lesson 29 (Newsletter No.12) enables you to do your own memory feat in front of your class.
12. www.puppetresources.com have twenty puppet plays listed on the subject of Creation. I must admit I haven't checked them all out, but I found that "God made the world" by Puppet Productions was simple, fun and informative.
13. One question children sometimes ask is "Is there life somewhere else in outer space?" (In fact, if I ask a class how many of them believe there is life somewhere else, apart from earth, usually the majority will put their hands up!) I usually answer the question this way.
"The only Person who knows everything about everything is God. And God has written us a book called the Bible which tells us everything we really need to know about life. Therefore the first place we should go to find out if something is true or not is the Bible. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't say if there is life somewhere other than on earth, so we cannot know for sure. However, if there is life somewhere else, we do know three things about it.
1. It is not important to us on earth. If it were important, the Bible would have mentioned it.
2. It is younger than life on earth, because God didn't create the sun, moon, stars, and consequently any planets that may be associated with them, until Day 5 of the Creation week.
3. It cannot be superior to us, because we humans were made in God's image - and you can't get better than the best!
The Bible makes it clear that the earth (physically insignificant as it is) is the most important place in our vast Universe. It was here that God created man, that man sinned and consequently brought the whole of creation into bondage to decay (Romans 8.21). It was here that God became a man and was crucified for our sins. And it will be to here that Jesus will return for those of us who are trusting in him."
14. People, especially children, find it difficult to comprehend the vastness of the Universe - and hence the Greatness of God who created it all. Instead of talking about trillions of stars, you could use the Voyager spaceship to help children understand how big our Universe really is.
The Voyager was launched in 1977 to explore the Universe. It travels at a speed of 1.5 million Kilometres a day. Travelling at that speed, it would take the Spaceship :-
30 minutes to travel once round the earth.
6 hours to reach the moon.
3 months to reach the sun.
26 years to reach the outer limits of the solar system (where it is now).
And a massive 40,000 years to reach our nearest star, Sirus! And, of course, there are trillions of stars in the entire Universe, all of which are much, much further away still.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19.1.
SEVEN REASONS NOT TO MESS WITH A CHILD
Reason #1:
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it
was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even
though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little
girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human;
it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah."
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him."
Reason #2:
A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they
were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what
the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied,
"They will in a minute."
Reason #3:
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five
and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to honor thy Father and
thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat
our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered,
"Thou shall not kill."
Reason #4:
One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at
the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother has several strands
of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at
her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"
Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make
me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said,
"Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"
Reason #5:
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to
persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture: "Just think how nice
it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's
Jennifer--she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael--he's a doctor.'"
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the
teacher--she's dead."
Reason #6:
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to
make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the
blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."
"Yes," the class said.
"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position
the blood doesn't run into my feet?"
A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."
Reason #7:
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school
for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun
made a note, and posted on the apple tray: Take only ONE. God is watching.
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a
large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all
you want. God's watching the apples."
[forwarded by Will Penner via Mikey's Funnies).
Newsletter 19.
Contents.
Teaching Tip 5 - Developing good habits.
A. Teaching children how to make right choices.
O.L. 46 - Making right choices.
O.L. 47 - Choosing the right friends.
B. Teaching children to be generous givers.
Things Kids say.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. I hope you find something here of benefit to your ministry. Thank you to all the recipients who have taken the time to comment on, or thank me for my mailouts. It is always good to hear of my material being used by others.
Please keep me informed of any change to your email address! If you are reading this, then I am probably "preaching to the converted." But each time I send out a batch of Newsletters, I would say that between ten and twenty are returned as "undeliverable." This is, I understand, for three main reasons. Either the recipient's email quota is full, they have switched off their computers, or (most likely) they have changed their email address. So, if you do change your email address, please let me know.
Maurice Sweetsur
Teaching Tips.
5. Developing good habits.
A. Teaching children how to make right choices.
As parents, or teachers, it is quite natural for us to want to warn children of the possible consequences of making wrong choices. In some cases "the wrong choice" is obvious. However, in others, e.g. Halloween activities or watching 'Harry Potter' films, Christians disagree on what "the wrong choice" is.
Rather than 'laying down the law' and often appearing to the children to be spoil sports, a far better approach is, I believe, to concentrate on teaching children to find out what God's will is for themselves. And of course, if they do that, they will make the right choice.
Here are four ways to guide children into making right choices. These apply to all choices they have to make, but we will use 'Halloween' as an example.
1. The popular W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet is a good place to start. Ask, would Jesus go to that Halloween party, or go knocking on strangers doors for 'trick or treat' ?
2. What does the Bible say ? This is our Instruction book for life. If the Bible approves or forbids something, that is the end of the argument. Halloween is not mentioned in the Bible of course, because it was written earlier. The Bible does say, however, that we should avoid all kinds of evil. The question then is "Are the Halloween activities, as we know them today, evil?"
3. Ask more mature Christians for their opinions, beginning with your Parents or Bible teacher. As we have seen, however, these may sometimes differ.
4. Go directly to God, and ask Him what He wants you to do. Colossians 3.15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule (be the Umpire) in your heart." If we are about to make a wrong choice, God will remove His peace from our hearts as a warning. Teach the child that God will make His will known to them if they ask him through the presence or absence of His peace. Having prayed first, they should then ask themselves "Do I feel good about going to that Halloween party, or do I feel uneasy about it?" "Is there a presence or absence of peace, when I think about it?" Emphasise to the child that they must approach God with an open mind. If they have already made up their mind to go to the party, and simply want God's approval, He is unlikely to speak to them. If, however, they genuinely desire God's will and have the attitude "Whatever you say Lord, that is what I will do," then He is well able to guide them into making the right choice.
A good way to summarise this teaching is to write out the word "S T O P" on a board or card. Explain that :-
S = Stop. Before you make a decision - Stop.
T = Think. Think "What Would Jesus Do" if He was me?
O = Obey. Obey what the Bible says.
P = Pray. Pray and ask God to make His will known to you.
Object Lesson 46 - Making right choices.
Ask for a volunteer to come out and be tied to a chair with a piece of rope. Ask for a second volunteer to come out and make an important choice.
Produce a glass of water and a sweet (or other suitable reward). Explain that their choice is " In return for this sweet, will you throw this glass of water in the first volunteer's face? He/she is powerless to stop you, because they are tied to the chair." If they refuse, begin to increase the 'reward' on offer - 2, 3, 4 sweets, 4 sweets and a chocolate bar!
If your volunteer refuses to throw the water, tell them they have made the right choice. No matter what 'reward' was on offer, it would always be wrong to throw water in someone's face. State that the Bible teaches us that if we make the right choices here on earth, we will be rewarded in heaven. Give them their reward of sweets and chocolate bar.
If your volunteer says they will throw the water, tell them they have made the wrong choice, and give the 'reward' to their intended victim instead.
Note. It is probably better to choose a girl as your second volunteer as, in my experience, most boys are willing to throw water in someone's face, even in return for one sweet!
Object Lesson 47 - Choosing the right friends.
It is important to teach older children especially about the importance of choosing the right sort of friends.
Preparation. Take two pieces of plain white paper, and smear one with a dark jam (e.g. blackcurrant).
Application. Explain that the 'clean' paper represents them (hopefully), and the 'dirty' paper a friend who does wrong things and gets into trouble.
Ask "What will happen when I rub the two pieces of paper together? The possibilities are :- 1. The clean paper will stay clean, and the dirty paper dirty. 2. The clean paper will make the dirty one clean. The dirty paper will make the clean one dirty."
Most children will realise that the third possibility is the correct one. Demonstrate this by rubbing the papers together.
Conclude by saying "This is usually what happens if you choose a friend that does wrong things - some of their 'dirt' is likely to rub off on you."
B. Teaching children to be generous givers.
I know that Christians differ in their attitude to, and practice of tithing, but I am sure we are all agreed that we should be generous givers. The question is, how can we teach our children to be generous in their giving, both to their church and to other good causes?
If children are asked to give more money to Sunday school (for example), they are most likely to just go and ask their parents for more so they can pass it on. But this has no long-term-value at all.
Our task is not to increase the Sunday school income, but to teach children to be consistent, generous givers. The best way is to teach them, not to ask their parents for more money, but rather set aside a proportion of their normal pocket money each week to give to God's work.
This approach may actually result in an initial reduction of Sunday school income (without mum and dad's contributions), but the long-term benefits, both for your Church and for the children will be immeasurable.
I came upon a very simple object lesson on giving on www.kidology.org (Four give away one equals 8).
Basically, you take a piece of paper, and say you are thinking of giving away one of the four corners. You are concerned that if you do so, you will have less corners for yourself, but decide to give a corner away anyway. Cut off a corner, and give it to someone. What has happened? You now have five corners, and the person you gave the one corner to has three! You could continue, giving away more corners, and the people you give them to, in turn, giving some away. This is God's way of working. The more you give, the more you have!
THINGS KIDS SAY (Taken from a Kidsreach bulletin).
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won't be there. Stephen. Age 8
Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8.
Dear Pastor, Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson.
Sincerely, Pete. Age 9
Dear Pastor, My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something.
Robert Anderson, age 11
Dear Pastor, I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance?
Love, Patty. Age 10
Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold.
Yours truly, Annette. Age 9
Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.
Loreen. Age 9.
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon where you said that good health is more important than money but I still want a raise in my allowance.
Sincerely, Eleanor. Age 12
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow.
Laurie. Age 10
Dear Pastor, I hope to go to heaven someday but later than sooner.
Love, Ellen. Age 9
Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need God's help or a new pitcher. Thank you.
Alexander. Age 10
Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments. But I don't think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house.
Joshua. Age 10
Dear Pastor, Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God?
Sincerely, Christopher. Age 9
Dear Pastor, Are there any devils on earth? I think there may be one in my class. Carla. Age 10
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph, Age 11
Dear Pastor, How does God know the good people from the bad people? Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?
Sincerely, Marie. Age 9
Contents.
Teaching Tip 5 - Developing good habits.
A. Teaching children how to make right choices.
O.L. 46 - Making right choices.
O.L. 47 - Choosing the right friends.
B. Teaching children to be generous givers.
Things Kids say.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. I hope you find something here of benefit to your ministry. Thank you to all the recipients who have taken the time to comment on, or thank me for my mailouts. It is always good to hear of my material being used by others.
Please keep me informed of any change to your email address! If you are reading this, then I am probably "preaching to the converted." But each time I send out a batch of Newsletters, I would say that between ten and twenty are returned as "undeliverable." This is, I understand, for three main reasons. Either the recipient's email quota is full, they have switched off their computers, or (most likely) they have changed their email address. So, if you do change your email address, please let me know.
Maurice Sweetsur
Teaching Tips.
5. Developing good habits.
A. Teaching children how to make right choices.
As parents, or teachers, it is quite natural for us to want to warn children of the possible consequences of making wrong choices. In some cases "the wrong choice" is obvious. However, in others, e.g. Halloween activities or watching 'Harry Potter' films, Christians disagree on what "the wrong choice" is.
Rather than 'laying down the law' and often appearing to the children to be spoil sports, a far better approach is, I believe, to concentrate on teaching children to find out what God's will is for themselves. And of course, if they do that, they will make the right choice.
Here are four ways to guide children into making right choices. These apply to all choices they have to make, but we will use 'Halloween' as an example.
1. The popular W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet is a good place to start. Ask, would Jesus go to that Halloween party, or go knocking on strangers doors for 'trick or treat' ?
2. What does the Bible say ? This is our Instruction book for life. If the Bible approves or forbids something, that is the end of the argument. Halloween is not mentioned in the Bible of course, because it was written earlier. The Bible does say, however, that we should avoid all kinds of evil. The question then is "Are the Halloween activities, as we know them today, evil?"
3. Ask more mature Christians for their opinions, beginning with your Parents or Bible teacher. As we have seen, however, these may sometimes differ.
4. Go directly to God, and ask Him what He wants you to do. Colossians 3.15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule (be the Umpire) in your heart." If we are about to make a wrong choice, God will remove His peace from our hearts as a warning. Teach the child that God will make His will known to them if they ask him through the presence or absence of His peace. Having prayed first, they should then ask themselves "Do I feel good about going to that Halloween party, or do I feel uneasy about it?" "Is there a presence or absence of peace, when I think about it?" Emphasise to the child that they must approach God with an open mind. If they have already made up their mind to go to the party, and simply want God's approval, He is unlikely to speak to them. If, however, they genuinely desire God's will and have the attitude "Whatever you say Lord, that is what I will do," then He is well able to guide them into making the right choice.
A good way to summarise this teaching is to write out the word "S T O P" on a board or card. Explain that :-
S = Stop. Before you make a decision - Stop.
T = Think. Think "What Would Jesus Do" if He was me?
O = Obey. Obey what the Bible says.
P = Pray. Pray and ask God to make His will known to you.
Object Lesson 46 - Making right choices.
Ask for a volunteer to come out and be tied to a chair with a piece of rope. Ask for a second volunteer to come out and make an important choice.
Produce a glass of water and a sweet (or other suitable reward). Explain that their choice is " In return for this sweet, will you throw this glass of water in the first volunteer's face? He/she is powerless to stop you, because they are tied to the chair." If they refuse, begin to increase the 'reward' on offer - 2, 3, 4 sweets, 4 sweets and a chocolate bar!
If your volunteer refuses to throw the water, tell them they have made the right choice. No matter what 'reward' was on offer, it would always be wrong to throw water in someone's face. State that the Bible teaches us that if we make the right choices here on earth, we will be rewarded in heaven. Give them their reward of sweets and chocolate bar.
If your volunteer says they will throw the water, tell them they have made the wrong choice, and give the 'reward' to their intended victim instead.
Note. It is probably better to choose a girl as your second volunteer as, in my experience, most boys are willing to throw water in someone's face, even in return for one sweet!
Object Lesson 47 - Choosing the right friends.
It is important to teach older children especially about the importance of choosing the right sort of friends.
Preparation. Take two pieces of plain white paper, and smear one with a dark jam (e.g. blackcurrant).
Application. Explain that the 'clean' paper represents them (hopefully), and the 'dirty' paper a friend who does wrong things and gets into trouble.
Ask "What will happen when I rub the two pieces of paper together? The possibilities are :- 1. The clean paper will stay clean, and the dirty paper dirty. 2. The clean paper will make the dirty one clean. The dirty paper will make the clean one dirty."
Most children will realise that the third possibility is the correct one. Demonstrate this by rubbing the papers together.
Conclude by saying "This is usually what happens if you choose a friend that does wrong things - some of their 'dirt' is likely to rub off on you."
B. Teaching children to be generous givers.
I know that Christians differ in their attitude to, and practice of tithing, but I am sure we are all agreed that we should be generous givers. The question is, how can we teach our children to be generous in their giving, both to their church and to other good causes?
If children are asked to give more money to Sunday school (for example), they are most likely to just go and ask their parents for more so they can pass it on. But this has no long-term-value at all.
Our task is not to increase the Sunday school income, but to teach children to be consistent, generous givers. The best way is to teach them, not to ask their parents for more money, but rather set aside a proportion of their normal pocket money each week to give to God's work.
This approach may actually result in an initial reduction of Sunday school income (without mum and dad's contributions), but the long-term benefits, both for your Church and for the children will be immeasurable.
I came upon a very simple object lesson on giving on www.kidology.org (Four give away one equals 8).
Basically, you take a piece of paper, and say you are thinking of giving away one of the four corners. You are concerned that if you do so, you will have less corners for yourself, but decide to give a corner away anyway. Cut off a corner, and give it to someone. What has happened? You now have five corners, and the person you gave the one corner to has three! You could continue, giving away more corners, and the people you give them to, in turn, giving some away. This is God's way of working. The more you give, the more you have!
THINGS KIDS SAY (Taken from a Kidsreach bulletin).
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won't be there. Stephen. Age 8
Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8.
Dear Pastor, Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson.
Sincerely, Pete. Age 9
Dear Pastor, My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something.
Robert Anderson, age 11
Dear Pastor, I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance?
Love, Patty. Age 10
Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold.
Yours truly, Annette. Age 9
Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.
Loreen. Age 9.
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon where you said that good health is more important than money but I still want a raise in my allowance.
Sincerely, Eleanor. Age 12
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow.
Laurie. Age 10
Dear Pastor, I hope to go to heaven someday but later than sooner.
Love, Ellen. Age 9
Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need God's help or a new pitcher. Thank you.
Alexander. Age 10
Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments. But I don't think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house.
Joshua. Age 10
Dear Pastor, Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God?
Sincerely, Christopher. Age 9
Dear Pastor, Are there any devils on earth? I think there may be one in my class. Carla. Age 10
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph, Age 11
Dear Pastor, How does God know the good people from the bad people? Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?
Sincerely, Marie. Age 9
Newsletter 20.
Contents.
Fundamental Beliefs. 1. Did Christ really rise from the dead?
O.L. 48 - The resurrection of Christ.
Teaching Tip 6. Use of Balloon modelling in Children's ministry.
The Paradoxical Commandments - ANYWAY.
In response to my article in Newsletter 19 about teaching children to make right decisions by letting God's peace guide them (Colossians 3.15), one Australian teacher shared the following experience, which I thought I would pass on to you all :-
For some reason I feel the urge to share this experience with you.
In making right choices there is also the question "Is it from God or not?"
One very powerful session we had in our little group was straight after the
bombing in Bali - the children had been hearing the perpetrators say that
they were doing it for God.......
We looked to the Bible of course, but the power came when we were in prayer. Every
child in my group just stood motionless as we prayed for guidance, and
support, in knowing the difference between God's voice and voices from the
world. Some cried, and the amazing power of the Holy Spirit was walking with
each child. This had a powerful impact on me as well because it was the
first time I felt that God had reached the children through me. My group at
the time were an energetic bunch who preferred active games to passive activities, so
the stillness was even more amazing and we used Colossians 3:15
Confirmation is a wonderful thing.
Barbara Kissell
Children's co-ordinator
Echuca Salvation Army
Peter exhorts us to "always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have within you." ( 1 Peter 3.15 ). Although young children usually accept what "teacher" says without question, there will come a time when they will begin to ask themselves "Is what 'teacher' says really true?" This is particularly true for those children from non-Christian homes who are exposed to views contrary to the Bible. But even children from Christian homes will eventually begin to think for themselves and question the beliefs of their parents and Bible teachers. We therefore owe it to the children we teach to be able to explain to them, in a way that they can understand, why we believe what we believe. Thus, over the next few months, I will be sharing how I would explain to enquiring children why I believe some of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. As Easter is approaching, I will begin with the most important of all - The Resurrection of Christ.
Maurice Sweetsur.
Fundamental Beliefs - 1. Did Christ really rise from the dead?
Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. As Paul expressed it "If Christ was not raised from the dead, our faith is useless - - - - and we are to be pitied more than all men." ( 1 Corinthians 15. 14,19 ). Conversely, if Christ did rise from the dead, what He said and did is of vital importance to everyone who has ever been born onto this planet. So why do we believe that Jesus really did rise? There are three main reasons.
1. The disappearance of His body.
It is generally acknowledged that after Jesus was crucified and buried, His body disappeared. Three theories have been proposed by sceptics to try and explain this.
A. Jesus didn't really die on the cross.
It is suggested that Jesus only fainted and later recovered in the tomb. However, this theory fails to explain how the experienced Roman soldiers at the cross became convinced that Jesus was dead, or how, after such a horrendous beating, Jesus became strong enough to roll away the stone sealing His tomb, and walk out unnoticed by the guards.
B. Jesus' enemies stole His body.
If this were true then, when the disciples later claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead, they would have easily been able to stop such talk by producing the dead body. This they were unable to do.
C. Jesus' disciples stole His body.
This theory fails to explain why the disciples would later risk their lives (by proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead) for something they knew to be a lie.
Such theories do not fit the facts or satisfy human reason. The only feasible explanation is that He rose!
2. The reappearances of Jesus.
The Bible records that after His death, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people on at least eleven occasions in a number of different places over a period of six weeks. These appearances were not hallucinations - for these arise from wishful thinking. In fact the disciples were at first sceptical. After the crucifixion of their leader, they were completely disillusioned and defeated. The last thing they expected to see was Jesus alive again.
3. The change in the Disciples.
This, and the consequent emergence of the church, is regarded as the most convincing evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. Shortly after the crucifixion, something happened to the disciples to change their disillusionment, defeat and fear to courage and conviction. From hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, these early disciples suddenly began to risk their lives by going out to preach the Gospel to a hostile world. Only the resurrection of Jesus could explain this turn around.
People will always argue over the resurrection of Jesus, but the Bible says "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11.6). The only way anyone can discover for themselves whether Jesus really did rise and is alive today is to personally turn from their sins and put their trust in Him. Then they will "know" that Jesus is still very much alive!
Object Lesson 48 - The resurrection of Christ.
Here is a close up object lesson on the resurrection that is certain to amaze your class.
Preparation. You will need a large coin, a clear glass, and a piece of thin clear latex or rubber, large enough to cover the top of the glass. (I have found that Qualatex 'Diamond clear' balloons are a good and inexpensive source of this). Stretch the rubber in all directions, hold the coin on your finger and press it on the underside of the rubber. When you cease stretching, you will find - with practice - that the rubber will wrap itself a little way under the coin as well as covering the top. The coin will thus appear to be on top of the rubber sheet (actually it is underneath) because the rubber has been stretched so much that it will be almost invisible. Finally, place the rubber and coin on the top of your glass, and secure with an elastic band.
Presentation. Talk about the resurrection, how Jesus came right out of the tomb, while the stone was still in place. (Alternatively, you can talk about how the resurrected Christ was able to 'appear' in locked rooms, without making a big hole in the door or wall!).
Produce your glass, with rubber and coin in place. Ask for a volunteer. State that he/she is now going to push the coin right through the rubber sheet without making a hole, or even a tear, in it. Get your volunteer to push the coin firmly downwards with their finger. The coin will fall into the glass, leaving the rubber sheet intact.
Teaching Tip 6. Use of Balloon modelling in Children's ministry.
Being able to make simple balloon models is, I believe, a very useful technique to have at your disposal for enhancing your lessons. Younger children, in particular, are always thrilled to see someone make a balloon model.
The main reasons why most teachers do not do balloon modelling is because they think it a hard (or expensive) thing to do, or because they don't know how they could use it in their classes. I will endeavour to answer both these points.
A. With just a little practice, most people find it easy to make basic balloon models - personally I find it a lot easier to make a balloon giraffe (for example) than to draw a picture of one! There are lots of booklets available on balloon modelling, but I think the best way to start is simply to get some balloons and try it yourself. Here are some tips :-
1. Probably the most used modelling balloons are Qualatex 260Q. If you buy in bulk, these are very inexpensive, and would probably cost (depending on what country you are in) about U.S. 10c. each - less than the price of the cheapest Bookmark, for example. You will almost certainly need a balloon pump (unless you have very strong lungs!), but again these are fairly cheap.
2. When you blow up a balloon, leave about 3 or 4cm. uninflated at the end - this is for the air to expand into as you begin your twisting. Then let a little air out before you tie the end of the balloon. This should ensure that the balloon doesn't burst as you are shaping it.
3. Basic balloon animals have the same shape. They differ only in their dimensions. Thus, for all of them, you twist a head, two ears, a neck, two front legs, a body, and two back legs - leaving a little over for the tail. Each animal will simply have a different 'long' section. For example, Rabbit - ears. Giraffe - neck. Dog - body (a 'sausage' dog). Cat - tail. Practice a little, and you will soon see how easy it is.
4. The Children's Ministry Today web site ( www.childrensministry.org ) has an extensive section on Balloon modelling tips - well worth a visit, especially if you are contemplating making more complex models.
B. Balloon models can be used in many different ways in your class. Here are a few suggestions :-
1. As an inexpensive prize. e.g. Best behaved child, or as a reward for remembering a Memory verse.
2. To illustrate any story (Biblical or otherwise) involving an animal.
3. As props for a play or skit. e.g. a sword or a crown (both very easy to make).
4. To have a 'fun' competition among the children. Choose two teams of three or four each. Give each member an inflated balloon, and keep one for yourself. Make a simple balloon animal, and get the children to try and copy you as you are doing so. On completion, get someone to give marks (e.g. out of 10) for each model. Total up the marks to see which team is the winner.
5. My Object Lesson 8 illustrates how we must receive God's gift of Jesus. You could use a balloon model to demonstrate this. In case you haven't seen this lesson, I will paste it on below.
O.L. 8. Receiving Jesus.
This is an illustration that I use following teaching on John 3.16. All you need is a small gift. I usually make a balloon animal (as the gift) while I am talking about it.
State that John 3.16 talks about a giver (God), a gift (Jesus) and a receiver (Us). No matter how wonderful any gift is, it will not do you any good unless you receive it. I have a gift here (produce or begin to make your gift), but unless you receive it, it is no good to you at all.
Some of you may say "I don't want your gift" Well, if you don't want it, you won't get it, because I will not force you to take it.
Some of you may say "I don't believe it. It's too good to be true. Teacher must be tricking us." Well, if you don't believe it, you can't receive it.
Some of you may say " I will think about it" There is nothing wrong in thinking about the gift, but all the time you are thinking about it, it is not yours and it is not doing you any good.
Some of you may say. " I will have to earn the gift. I will have to sit up straight, be really quiet and still, and then perhaps "teacher" will notice me and give me the gift because I deserve it." Well, I like you behaving that way, but that's not the way to get the gift because it can never be earned.
But one of you may simply say to himself / herself " Yes, I want that gift," and get up, walk out to the front, take hold of the gift, and it will be theirs.
It is exactly the same with God's gift of Jesus Christ to the world - and the Eternal Life He brings with him.
Some people say to God "I don't want your gift of Jesus. I want to live my own life, go my own way, do my own thing." Much as God still loves them (they are still part of the world) He won't force His gift of Jesus on anyone. We must choose to receive Him.
Some people say. "I don't believe in the gift. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't even believe in God." Well, if you don't believe, you can't receive.
Some people say. "I will think about the gift. Perhaps when I am older I might receive God's gift." There is nothing wrong with thinking about the gift, but the problem is many people never make up their minds, and so always miss out on what God wants to give them.
Some people ( in fact most people ) think they have to earn God's gift. They say. " I will have to be very good. I will not have to do anything bad. I will have to go to Church or Sunday school every week. I will have to say my prayers and read my Bible every day. Then, perhaps, God will be really pleased with me and give me His gift of Jesus." These are good things to do, but you can never earn God's gift.
But some people say "Yes, I want to receive Jesus into my life," and do so by faith - by simply asking God for His gift of Jesus, and believing that they receive Him.
At this point, you will probably still be holding your gift - unless there is someone very smart in your group who has taken you at your word and received it already! You will probably have to keep prompting until someone comes out and receives it. You could say:-
"Well, it is still here."
"I wonder who will be first to believe me. All you have to do is take it."
"You won't get it by thinking about it, or by sitting up straight, but someone could come out and receive it."
When someone receives your gift, state that they didn't deserve it or earn it, but they got it because they were the first to believe that all they had to do was take it.
Conclude by stating that unfortunately you only had one gift, but the good news is that there is enough of God's gift of Jesus for everyone. There is no need for anyone to miss out.
If appropriate, you could then lead your group in a prayer to receive Jesus.
6. Making balloon models in front of your class are excellent ways to teach about Creation. I will paste on my object lesson 20 as an example.
O.L. 20. Creation.
When introducing the topic of Creation, I usually start by emphasizing the point that there are two things that only God can do.
Firstly, although people are very clever, and can do such things like land a man on the moon, invent televisions or computers, they cannot make something out of nothing. Given starting materials, people can often change their properties - size, shape, colour, texture etc., but they cannot make something out of nothing - only God can do that.
Secondly, people cannot make something that is living out of something that is not living. Again, only God can do that.
I then proceed by stating that I am now going to re-create two of the creatures that God first created on the fifth and sixth days of the Creation week. I then make a balloon bird (or fish) and a balloon animal, continuing my talk as I do so. ( If you don't do balloon modelling, you can still get your point across by simply cutting out appropriate shapes from pieces of paper).
As you make the shapes, emphasize that you are starting with something that already exists e,g. your uninflated balloon and some air. Then state that for anybody to make anything ( whether it be a watchmaker, a car-maker, a shoe-maker, or a balloon animal maker) only two things are needed - Know-how ( or intelligence ) and Power ( or energy ). Without power, your idea will remain only in your head, and without know-how (or an intelligent plan), you will just make a big mess!
As your models near completion, ask "If I had more know-how, do you think I would make a better or worse model?" The children will respond "better." Then ask "The Bible tells us that God has all know-how (He knows everything and is super-intelligent), so how good do you think God could make things?" The children should respond "very good" or "perfect." Then state " That's exactly right. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created a perfect world."
Then ask "If I had more power, do you think I could make these models faster or slower than I can now?" The response will be "faster." Then ask "All the power in the Universe belongs to God, so how fast do you think He could make things?" The children should respond "in a split second" or "instantly." State "That's exactly right. The Bible tells us that God not only created a perfect world, but He also made everything in it instantly - just by speaking."
Alternatively (for a younger class) you could simply produce a balloon animal which has already been made, and ask "How do you think this model was made? Do you think it could have been made by accident? Perhaps someone left an uninflated balloon in this room last night, and left the window open. Overnight, the wind blew through the window and into the balloon. The balloon then began twisting itself round and round until it formed the shape of this animal which you see here now. Finally, the end of the balloon managed to tie itself in a knot to stop the air escaping. Do you think that really happened, or do you think that there is a balloon model maker somewhere who made this animal on purpose?" The children should see the absurdity of the model being able to make itself by accident, and respond "There is a balloon model maker somewhere." Emphasise the point that everything the children see around them has to have a maker. Watches need watchmakers, shoes need shoemakers, chairs need chairmakers etc. Nothing can make itself.
You will then be able to apply the above argument to the creation of the Universe and everything in it. State "There are some people who believe that the Universe made itself by accident. But the Universe is far more wonderful and complex than a balloon animal, and if even that couldn't make itself, then how likely is it that the whole Universe made itself? No, the Bible teaches us that we have wonderful Creator who made the Universe and everything in it on purpose. And the good news is :- He made it all for our benefit.
I hope that the above will encourage you to at least think about incorporating balloon modelling into your lessons.
For those of you who live in the Auckland region, I have developed four Training workshops. One of these is on balloon modelling, and I would be happy to come and share it - free of charge - with any interested group of teachers.
ANYWAY.
From Dr. Kent Keith - The paradoxical Commandments (via. Mikey's Funnies).
ANYWAY...
People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway. People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis.
it is between you and God;
It is never between you and them anyway.
Contents.
Fundamental Beliefs. 1. Did Christ really rise from the dead?
O.L. 48 - The resurrection of Christ.
Teaching Tip 6. Use of Balloon modelling in Children's ministry.
The Paradoxical Commandments - ANYWAY.
In response to my article in Newsletter 19 about teaching children to make right decisions by letting God's peace guide them (Colossians 3.15), one Australian teacher shared the following experience, which I thought I would pass on to you all :-
For some reason I feel the urge to share this experience with you.
In making right choices there is also the question "Is it from God or not?"
One very powerful session we had in our little group was straight after the
bombing in Bali - the children had been hearing the perpetrators say that
they were doing it for God.......
We looked to the Bible of course, but the power came when we were in prayer. Every
child in my group just stood motionless as we prayed for guidance, and
support, in knowing the difference between God's voice and voices from the
world. Some cried, and the amazing power of the Holy Spirit was walking with
each child. This had a powerful impact on me as well because it was the
first time I felt that God had reached the children through me. My group at
the time were an energetic bunch who preferred active games to passive activities, so
the stillness was even more amazing and we used Colossians 3:15
Confirmation is a wonderful thing.
Barbara Kissell
Children's co-ordinator
Echuca Salvation Army
Peter exhorts us to "always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have within you." ( 1 Peter 3.15 ). Although young children usually accept what "teacher" says without question, there will come a time when they will begin to ask themselves "Is what 'teacher' says really true?" This is particularly true for those children from non-Christian homes who are exposed to views contrary to the Bible. But even children from Christian homes will eventually begin to think for themselves and question the beliefs of their parents and Bible teachers. We therefore owe it to the children we teach to be able to explain to them, in a way that they can understand, why we believe what we believe. Thus, over the next few months, I will be sharing how I would explain to enquiring children why I believe some of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. As Easter is approaching, I will begin with the most important of all - The Resurrection of Christ.
Maurice Sweetsur.
Fundamental Beliefs - 1. Did Christ really rise from the dead?
Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. As Paul expressed it "If Christ was not raised from the dead, our faith is useless - - - - and we are to be pitied more than all men." ( 1 Corinthians 15. 14,19 ). Conversely, if Christ did rise from the dead, what He said and did is of vital importance to everyone who has ever been born onto this planet. So why do we believe that Jesus really did rise? There are three main reasons.
1. The disappearance of His body.
It is generally acknowledged that after Jesus was crucified and buried, His body disappeared. Three theories have been proposed by sceptics to try and explain this.
A. Jesus didn't really die on the cross.
It is suggested that Jesus only fainted and later recovered in the tomb. However, this theory fails to explain how the experienced Roman soldiers at the cross became convinced that Jesus was dead, or how, after such a horrendous beating, Jesus became strong enough to roll away the stone sealing His tomb, and walk out unnoticed by the guards.
B. Jesus' enemies stole His body.
If this were true then, when the disciples later claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead, they would have easily been able to stop such talk by producing the dead body. This they were unable to do.
C. Jesus' disciples stole His body.
This theory fails to explain why the disciples would later risk their lives (by proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead) for something they knew to be a lie.
Such theories do not fit the facts or satisfy human reason. The only feasible explanation is that He rose!
2. The reappearances of Jesus.
The Bible records that after His death, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people on at least eleven occasions in a number of different places over a period of six weeks. These appearances were not hallucinations - for these arise from wishful thinking. In fact the disciples were at first sceptical. After the crucifixion of their leader, they were completely disillusioned and defeated. The last thing they expected to see was Jesus alive again.
3. The change in the Disciples.
This, and the consequent emergence of the church, is regarded as the most convincing evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. Shortly after the crucifixion, something happened to the disciples to change their disillusionment, defeat and fear to courage and conviction. From hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, these early disciples suddenly began to risk their lives by going out to preach the Gospel to a hostile world. Only the resurrection of Jesus could explain this turn around.
People will always argue over the resurrection of Jesus, but the Bible says "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11.6). The only way anyone can discover for themselves whether Jesus really did rise and is alive today is to personally turn from their sins and put their trust in Him. Then they will "know" that Jesus is still very much alive!
Object Lesson 48 - The resurrection of Christ.
Here is a close up object lesson on the resurrection that is certain to amaze your class.
Preparation. You will need a large coin, a clear glass, and a piece of thin clear latex or rubber, large enough to cover the top of the glass. (I have found that Qualatex 'Diamond clear' balloons are a good and inexpensive source of this). Stretch the rubber in all directions, hold the coin on your finger and press it on the underside of the rubber. When you cease stretching, you will find - with practice - that the rubber will wrap itself a little way under the coin as well as covering the top. The coin will thus appear to be on top of the rubber sheet (actually it is underneath) because the rubber has been stretched so much that it will be almost invisible. Finally, place the rubber and coin on the top of your glass, and secure with an elastic band.
Presentation. Talk about the resurrection, how Jesus came right out of the tomb, while the stone was still in place. (Alternatively, you can talk about how the resurrected Christ was able to 'appear' in locked rooms, without making a big hole in the door or wall!).
Produce your glass, with rubber and coin in place. Ask for a volunteer. State that he/she is now going to push the coin right through the rubber sheet without making a hole, or even a tear, in it. Get your volunteer to push the coin firmly downwards with their finger. The coin will fall into the glass, leaving the rubber sheet intact.
Teaching Tip 6. Use of Balloon modelling in Children's ministry.
Being able to make simple balloon models is, I believe, a very useful technique to have at your disposal for enhancing your lessons. Younger children, in particular, are always thrilled to see someone make a balloon model.
The main reasons why most teachers do not do balloon modelling is because they think it a hard (or expensive) thing to do, or because they don't know how they could use it in their classes. I will endeavour to answer both these points.
A. With just a little practice, most people find it easy to make basic balloon models - personally I find it a lot easier to make a balloon giraffe (for example) than to draw a picture of one! There are lots of booklets available on balloon modelling, but I think the best way to start is simply to get some balloons and try it yourself. Here are some tips :-
1. Probably the most used modelling balloons are Qualatex 260Q. If you buy in bulk, these are very inexpensive, and would probably cost (depending on what country you are in) about U.S. 10c. each - less than the price of the cheapest Bookmark, for example. You will almost certainly need a balloon pump (unless you have very strong lungs!), but again these are fairly cheap.
2. When you blow up a balloon, leave about 3 or 4cm. uninflated at the end - this is for the air to expand into as you begin your twisting. Then let a little air out before you tie the end of the balloon. This should ensure that the balloon doesn't burst as you are shaping it.
3. Basic balloon animals have the same shape. They differ only in their dimensions. Thus, for all of them, you twist a head, two ears, a neck, two front legs, a body, and two back legs - leaving a little over for the tail. Each animal will simply have a different 'long' section. For example, Rabbit - ears. Giraffe - neck. Dog - body (a 'sausage' dog). Cat - tail. Practice a little, and you will soon see how easy it is.
4. The Children's Ministry Today web site ( www.childrensministry.org ) has an extensive section on Balloon modelling tips - well worth a visit, especially if you are contemplating making more complex models.
B. Balloon models can be used in many different ways in your class. Here are a few suggestions :-
1. As an inexpensive prize. e.g. Best behaved child, or as a reward for remembering a Memory verse.
2. To illustrate any story (Biblical or otherwise) involving an animal.
3. As props for a play or skit. e.g. a sword or a crown (both very easy to make).
4. To have a 'fun' competition among the children. Choose two teams of three or four each. Give each member an inflated balloon, and keep one for yourself. Make a simple balloon animal, and get the children to try and copy you as you are doing so. On completion, get someone to give marks (e.g. out of 10) for each model. Total up the marks to see which team is the winner.
5. My Object Lesson 8 illustrates how we must receive God's gift of Jesus. You could use a balloon model to demonstrate this. In case you haven't seen this lesson, I will paste it on below.
O.L. 8. Receiving Jesus.
This is an illustration that I use following teaching on John 3.16. All you need is a small gift. I usually make a balloon animal (as the gift) while I am talking about it.
State that John 3.16 talks about a giver (God), a gift (Jesus) and a receiver (Us). No matter how wonderful any gift is, it will not do you any good unless you receive it. I have a gift here (produce or begin to make your gift), but unless you receive it, it is no good to you at all.
Some of you may say "I don't want your gift" Well, if you don't want it, you won't get it, because I will not force you to take it.
Some of you may say "I don't believe it. It's too good to be true. Teacher must be tricking us." Well, if you don't believe it, you can't receive it.
Some of you may say " I will think about it" There is nothing wrong in thinking about the gift, but all the time you are thinking about it, it is not yours and it is not doing you any good.
Some of you may say. " I will have to earn the gift. I will have to sit up straight, be really quiet and still, and then perhaps "teacher" will notice me and give me the gift because I deserve it." Well, I like you behaving that way, but that's not the way to get the gift because it can never be earned.
But one of you may simply say to himself / herself " Yes, I want that gift," and get up, walk out to the front, take hold of the gift, and it will be theirs.
It is exactly the same with God's gift of Jesus Christ to the world - and the Eternal Life He brings with him.
Some people say to God "I don't want your gift of Jesus. I want to live my own life, go my own way, do my own thing." Much as God still loves them (they are still part of the world) He won't force His gift of Jesus on anyone. We must choose to receive Him.
Some people say. "I don't believe in the gift. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't even believe in God." Well, if you don't believe, you can't receive.
Some people say. "I will think about the gift. Perhaps when I am older I might receive God's gift." There is nothing wrong with thinking about the gift, but the problem is many people never make up their minds, and so always miss out on what God wants to give them.
Some people ( in fact most people ) think they have to earn God's gift. They say. " I will have to be very good. I will not have to do anything bad. I will have to go to Church or Sunday school every week. I will have to say my prayers and read my Bible every day. Then, perhaps, God will be really pleased with me and give me His gift of Jesus." These are good things to do, but you can never earn God's gift.
But some people say "Yes, I want to receive Jesus into my life," and do so by faith - by simply asking God for His gift of Jesus, and believing that they receive Him.
At this point, you will probably still be holding your gift - unless there is someone very smart in your group who has taken you at your word and received it already! You will probably have to keep prompting until someone comes out and receives it. You could say:-
"Well, it is still here."
"I wonder who will be first to believe me. All you have to do is take it."
"You won't get it by thinking about it, or by sitting up straight, but someone could come out and receive it."
When someone receives your gift, state that they didn't deserve it or earn it, but they got it because they were the first to believe that all they had to do was take it.
Conclude by stating that unfortunately you only had one gift, but the good news is that there is enough of God's gift of Jesus for everyone. There is no need for anyone to miss out.
If appropriate, you could then lead your group in a prayer to receive Jesus.
6. Making balloon models in front of your class are excellent ways to teach about Creation. I will paste on my object lesson 20 as an example.
O.L. 20. Creation.
When introducing the topic of Creation, I usually start by emphasizing the point that there are two things that only God can do.
Firstly, although people are very clever, and can do such things like land a man on the moon, invent televisions or computers, they cannot make something out of nothing. Given starting materials, people can often change their properties - size, shape, colour, texture etc., but they cannot make something out of nothing - only God can do that.
Secondly, people cannot make something that is living out of something that is not living. Again, only God can do that.
I then proceed by stating that I am now going to re-create two of the creatures that God first created on the fifth and sixth days of the Creation week. I then make a balloon bird (or fish) and a balloon animal, continuing my talk as I do so. ( If you don't do balloon modelling, you can still get your point across by simply cutting out appropriate shapes from pieces of paper).
As you make the shapes, emphasize that you are starting with something that already exists e,g. your uninflated balloon and some air. Then state that for anybody to make anything ( whether it be a watchmaker, a car-maker, a shoe-maker, or a balloon animal maker) only two things are needed - Know-how ( or intelligence ) and Power ( or energy ). Without power, your idea will remain only in your head, and without know-how (or an intelligent plan), you will just make a big mess!
As your models near completion, ask "If I had more know-how, do you think I would make a better or worse model?" The children will respond "better." Then ask "The Bible tells us that God has all know-how (He knows everything and is super-intelligent), so how good do you think God could make things?" The children should respond "very good" or "perfect." Then state " That's exactly right. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created a perfect world."
Then ask "If I had more power, do you think I could make these models faster or slower than I can now?" The response will be "faster." Then ask "All the power in the Universe belongs to God, so how fast do you think He could make things?" The children should respond "in a split second" or "instantly." State "That's exactly right. The Bible tells us that God not only created a perfect world, but He also made everything in it instantly - just by speaking."
Alternatively (for a younger class) you could simply produce a balloon animal which has already been made, and ask "How do you think this model was made? Do you think it could have been made by accident? Perhaps someone left an uninflated balloon in this room last night, and left the window open. Overnight, the wind blew through the window and into the balloon. The balloon then began twisting itself round and round until it formed the shape of this animal which you see here now. Finally, the end of the balloon managed to tie itself in a knot to stop the air escaping. Do you think that really happened, or do you think that there is a balloon model maker somewhere who made this animal on purpose?" The children should see the absurdity of the model being able to make itself by accident, and respond "There is a balloon model maker somewhere." Emphasise the point that everything the children see around them has to have a maker. Watches need watchmakers, shoes need shoemakers, chairs need chairmakers etc. Nothing can make itself.
You will then be able to apply the above argument to the creation of the Universe and everything in it. State "There are some people who believe that the Universe made itself by accident. But the Universe is far more wonderful and complex than a balloon animal, and if even that couldn't make itself, then how likely is it that the whole Universe made itself? No, the Bible teaches us that we have wonderful Creator who made the Universe and everything in it on purpose. And the good news is :- He made it all for our benefit.
I hope that the above will encourage you to at least think about incorporating balloon modelling into your lessons.
For those of you who live in the Auckland region, I have developed four Training workshops. One of these is on balloon modelling, and I would be happy to come and share it - free of charge - with any interested group of teachers.
ANYWAY.
From Dr. Kent Keith - The paradoxical Commandments (via. Mikey's Funnies).
ANYWAY...
People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway. People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis.
it is between you and God;
It is never between you and them anyway.
Newsletter 21.
Contents,
Fundamental Beliefs 2. Is Jesus really God?
Teaching tip 7. Use of Ventriloquism to teach class rules.
Teaching tip 8. Leading children to Christ.
Young children and salvation. By Terri.
Fundamental Beliefs. 2. Is Jesus really God?
The belief that Jesus Christ is the God-Man, i.e. completely God and completely human in one Person is the basis of the Christian faith. Most people believe that Jesus was human, but many doubt His deity. So why then do we believe that Jesus is God Himself? Here are a number of reasons.
1. His egocentric claims. The self-centredness of Christ's teaching marks Him out from other religious teachers. He clearly thought of Himself as distinct from man and one with God.
a. Intimacy with God. Jesus made some astounding claims. For example He said, "I and the Father are one." (John 10.30). and "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14.9). Jesus also called Himself the 'Son of God.' In those days the word 'son' implied 'the same as' rather than 'dependent upon' or 'derived from' as it does today. This oneness that Jesus claimed with God was both unique and eternal (John 8.58).
b. Authority over men. Jesus did not think or speak of Himself as an ordinary man among men. He set Himself apart from the rest of mankind and claimed authority over them - to teach about God (Matthew 7.28,29) - to call men to Himself (Matthew 7.24-27; 10.37) thus making Himself the object of their faith, love and obedience - to forgive repentant sinners (Mark 2.5) - to judge the unrepentant (Matthew 7.21-23, Matthew 25.31-33).
Faced with these claims we cannot dismiss Jesus as just a good man or a great teacher. He was either deluded, a liar or divine. As C.S. Lewis put it "Jesus was either mad, bad or God."
2. His balanced and humble conduct. Jesus did not behave like a person with delusions His character confirms His claims. Consider this paradox:-
His claims sound like a madman's, yet his conduct was poised and balanced.
His teaching appears proud, ("I am - - - the way, the truth and the life - - - the bread of life - - - the light of the world - - - the resurrection and the life") yet He was humble.
His words were thoroughly self-centred ("Come to me - - - ") yet His deeds were absolutely unselfcentred.
This combination of egocentricity and humility is unparalled in the history of the world.
3. His divine works. The miraculous works that Jesus did do not prove His divine nature, but they are in accordance with it, and support His claims that He is God.
4. His bodily resurrection. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus was considered in the last Newsletter (No. 20). His resurrection - like His divine works - do not prove His deity, but it is in accordance with it.
5. The claims of scripture. The scriptures clearly portray Jesus as God. Some passages (e.g. John 1.1-3 and Colossians 1.15-19) cannot explained apart from the deity of Christ.
Summary. The 'acid test' of Christianity stands or falls on the position we give to Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not God, then His death on the cross cannot possibly bring salvation to us. If He is God, His coming to earth, and supremely His death and resurrection is, for every person, by far the most important event in the history of mankind.
Teaching tip 7. Use of Ventriloquism to teach class rules.
I have taught many different classes over the last ten years, and the general group behaviour has varied considerably. Fortunately, today, most of my classes are fairly well behaved. However, even for the well behaved classes, I think it advisable to have a few simple rules. That way the children will know and understand when their behaviour is unacceptable. Having class rules is also a good introduction to teaching on God’s rules (e.g. the Ten Commandments).
Note. Many teachers do not use Ventriloquism in their classes because they are not 'experts', and fear the children will notice their lips moving. Don't worry! If you have good material ( and One way street www.onewaystreet.com have some excellent scripts), the children won't mind if your lips are moving, and will love it anyway.
Paul Anglemyer has posted an interesting skit ‘The Rules’ on the Children’s Ministry Today ‘Vault’ (www.childrensministry.org) for teaching class rules using a Ventriloquist’s doll. I have adapted and expanded on this skit for my own classes using my Ventriloquist’s doll ‘George’. I proceed as follows.
Write out your ‘Kool’ Rules and display them prominently.
Kool Rules.
1. Be quiet.
2. Don’t be a space invader.
3. Stay seated.
4. HAVE FUN.
Self. George, I want you to teach these children our four ‘Kool Rules’. Can you remember the first one?
George (Excited). Yes, I remember, I remember. The first rule is Everyone Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.
Self. George, it’s rude to say ‘Shut up.’ But we do want the children to be quiet while I or any other Leader is talking. That way, everyone will be able to hear what is being said. If anyone wants to say something, they need to put up their hand. Then I may, or may not, ask them to speak. But at all other times they need to be quiet.
George. That is what I said. Everyone Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.
Self. Alright, I think they understand the first rule. Now, do you remember the second Kool rule?
George (Excited). Yes, I remember. The second rule is:- No punching. No kicking. No fighting. No pinching. No spitting. No scratching. No biting. And No Kissing.
Self. I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but we do want the children not to be space invaders. Everyone must respect other people’s space. So you need to keep your hands, feet and other parts of your body to yourselves. Now George, do you remember the third Kool rule?
George. Yes, the third rule is ‘Stay seated.’
Self. That’s exactly right.
George. I know how we can make them all stay seated.
Self. How?
George. Super glue. We stick them all to the floor or their chairs with Super glue. That way, they won’t be able to get up!
Self. That’s no good George. There may be times when we want them to get up to do something.
George. No Super glue?
Self. No Super glue. But I think they will remember that rule. Now George, I am sure you remember the last and most important Rule of all?
George. Mmmmm. I’ve forgotten.
Self. Come on George, try harder.
George. Mmmmm. Oh yes, now I remember. The last rule is No fun.
Self. No fun?
George. That’s right. No fun. Nobody is allowed to have fun.
Self. No George, it’s the opposite of that. The last rule is Have fun. Everybody has to have fun.
George. Everybody has to have fun?
Self. Yes, that’s the rule. Everybody has to have fun.
George. I don’t like the sound of that. What happens if somebody doesn’t have fun?
Self. But they have to have fun. That’s the rule.
George. But suppose somebody isn’t having fun. What happens to them?
Self. Tell me George, are you having fun?
George. No, I am not.
Self. Then this is what happens to someone who is not having fun. (George is quietly put away into his case)!
Poor old George. I don’t think he likes our last rule. But we aren’t given rules so that we will like them. We are given rules so that we will keep (or obey) them.
We get rules from many different sources. God has given us rules to live by, and these can be found in the Bible. The Government gives us rules, about things like paying our taxes or crossing the road. You have rules at school, and I am sure you have rules at home – things you can or cannot do. Some rules you probably like, and some you don’t. The most important thing to remember about rules – no matter where they come from – is that they are not given to us to spoil our fun. Rather they are given to us for our own benefit and protection. If we keep the rules, we are not likely to hurt ourselves or others.
Now, lets all say together our four Kool rules. But you have to shout the last one out, to make sure that George hears it!
Teaching tip 8. Leading children to Christ.
Leading a child to Christ is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Unfortunately, in their natural zeal to see children make a commitment to Christ some teachers may try to lead a child to the Lord before he/she is really ready. Conversely, other teachers may always "leave it to someone else" and so may miss God-given opportunities to help children into the Kingdom.
Obviously opportunities should be given for children to receive Christ, but I believe "appeals" should not be made too often, or the children may become hardened to them and not treat them seriously. I believe appeals should be reserved for "special occasions" when time can be taken to ensure that each child is made aware of what salvation really is, and of the importance of the decision they are being asked to make. Much prayer, wisdom and God's guidance is needed in knowing both the right time and method best suited for the child or children in question. ( I often use my Object Lesson No. 8 (Receiving Jesus) when teaching on Salvation. I will paste it on below for the benefit of the newer readers).
I have been in many children's meetings where the Leader has given an invitation for anyone to accept Christ by raising their hands or coming out to the front. There is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging children to make a Public commitment, but usually in my experience what happens is either nobody responds or they all (or nearly all) do! This is because children are very much influenced by their peers. A child may wish to respond to Christ, but if none of their friends raise their hands, they will probably not do so either. Conversely, a child may not be ready to receive Christ, but if they see their friends going to the front, they don't want to be the odd one out, and are likely to follow them.
In a group situation, I believe the best way to make an appeal is by inviting the children - if they wish - to follow you in a prayer to receive Jesus. In this way no "pressure" is put on the children, and it will be their own decision, without being influenced by their friends.
This is how I usually invite children to receive Christ.
I show and explain John 1.12 "To all who received him, He gave the right to become children of God.", stressing the need to receive God's gift of Jesus if we are to become part of His family. I then teach them four simple steps they can take to do this A, B, C, D. I use a folded card which I gradually unfold to show one word at a time as shown below.
Admit
Believe
Consider
Do
Thus, A stands for Admit. We need to Admit we have done bad things, and be willing to turn away from everything we know is wrong in our lives.
B stands for Believe. We need to Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and died on the cross in our place, so that we could be forgiven.
C Stands for Consider. Something to think about. Jesus not only wants to be our Saviour and Friend, He also wants to be Lord of our lives. That means He wants us to put Him first, and live to please Him rather than ourselves. Some people aren't willing to do that, but if you are, you are ready to move onto the final step.
D Stands for Do. We have to invite Him to come into our lives to be our Saviour, Friend and Lord. If we do (and really mean it) we can be certain that He will come in.
Before leading the children in prayer, I will often say at this point :-
"There are probably four groups of people here -
1. Those of you who have already received Jesus. Wonderful, there is no need for you to pray, as once you receive Him, He stays with you forever.
2. Those who haven't received Jesus, but have now considered it, and would like to. You can pray my prayer after me.
3. Those who are still unsure. That's alright. There is no need for you to pray.
4. Those who once received Jesus, but you know you haven't really been putting Him first, and would like to come back to Jesus again. Or perhaps you are not sure if you have ever received Jesus or not. You can all join in my prayer as well, and then you will be sure."
I then lead the children in a simple prayer along the A B C D lines.
Afterwards, I stress that they are now part of God's family, not because of how they may feel, but because God says so " To all who receive Him - - - - - ."
I then ask the children to do two important things. :-
1. Tell at least one other person what they have done.
2. Come and ask me for a booklet (have one on show) that will help them to live for Jesus. There are plenty of suitable booklets about, but I use "Special to God" obtainable from www.kidsreach.org.nz
O.L. 8. Receiving Jesus.
All you need for this illustration is a small gift. I usually make a balloon animal (as the gift) while I am talking about it.
State that John 3.16 talks about a giver (God), a gift (Jesus) and a receiver (Us). No matter how wonderful any gift is, it will not do you any good unless you receive it. I have a gift here (produce or begin to make your gift), but unless you receive it, it is no good to you at all.
Some of you may say "I don't want your gift" Well, if you don't want it, you won't get it, because I will not force you to take it.
Some of you may say "I don't believe it. It's too good to be true. Teacher must be tricking us." Well, if you don't believe it, you can't receive it.
Some of you may say " I will think about it" There is nothing wrong in thinking about the gift, but all the time you are thinking about it, it is not yours and it is not doing you any good.
Some of you may say. " I will have to earn the gift. I will have to sit up straight, be really quiet and still, and then perhaps "teacher" will notice me and give me the gift because I deserve it." Well, I like you behaving that way, but that's not the way to get the gift because it can never be earned.
But one of you may simply say to himself / herself " Yes, I want that gift," and get up, walk out to the front, take hold of the gift, and it will be theirs.
It is exactly the same with God's gift of Jesus Christ to the world - and the Eternal Life He brings with him.
Some people say to God "I don't want your gift of Jesus. I want to live my own life, go my own way, do my own thing." Much as God still loves them (they are still part of the world) He won't force His gift of Jesus on anyone. We must choose to receive Him.
Some people say. "I don't believe in the gift. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't even believe in God." Well, if you don't believe, you can't receive.
Some people say. "I will think about the gift. Perhaps when I am older I might receive God's gift." There is nothing wrong with thinking about the gift, but the problem is many people never make up their minds, and so always miss out on what God wants to give them.
Some people ( in fact most people ) think they have to earn God's gift. They say. " I will have to be very good. I will not have to do anything bad. I will have to go to Church or Sunday school every week. I will have to say my prayers and read my Bible every day. Then, perhaps, God will be really pleased with me and give me His gift of Jesus." These are good things to do, but you can never earn God's gift.
But some people say "Yes, I want to receive Jesus into my life," and do so by faith - by simply asking God for His gift of Jesus, and believing that they receive Him.
At this point, you will probably still be holding your gift - unless there is someone very smart in your group who has taken you at your word and received it already! You will probably have to keep prompting until someone comes out and receives it. You could say:-
"Well, it is still here."
"I wonder who will be first to believe me. All you have to do is take it."
"You won't get it by thinking about it, or by sitting up straight, but someone could come out and receive it."
When someone receives your gift, state that they didn't deserve it or earn it, but they got it because they were the first to believe that all they had to do was take it.
Conclude by stating that unfortunately you only had one gift, but the good news is that there is enough of God's gift of Jesus for everyone. There is no need for anyone to miss out.
If appropriate, you could then lead your group in a prayer to receive Jesus.
Young children and salvation.
The following article was recently posted on the Sunday School Teachers Network ( www.sundayschoolnetwork.com ). It contains many helpful insights.
I have worked in children's ministry in a variety of capacities for over
25 years. I have also wrestled with this question. I am very careful in
leading a child to Christ. Sarah's counsel is very good. All children
are different. For example, I was very shy as a child. I had difficulty
verbalizing what I was thinking and feeling. I wanted with all my heart
to be saved all week long at VBS. It wasn't until the very last day that
anyone gave an invitation. And since I didn't know how, I needed that
invitation. Therefore, I always, as much as possible, lead a basic
sinner's prayer every time I minister to children in a group setting.
That way, I model the prayer. It is in the child's court, so to speak.
Once when I did that, unknown to me, a visiting child prayed to receive
Christ. Her aunt told me later how excited the girl was to tell her about
it on the way home. Wow! You never know! I think sometimes in our
exuberance to lead a child to the Lord, we jump in too quickly when we are
"one-on-one" with the child. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is critical.
It is often easy to get children to agree with you. Maybe it is a child
starving for attention or acceptance. They may pray just to please you or
to "buy" your affirmation. Of course, they will not understand that they
are doing that, but the affect is the same. I want to see a child that is
showing signs of spiritual desire-they raise their hand, come to see you,
show understanding and interest when you talk to them. In this case, when
I am finished the prayer, while the child's eyes are still closed, I will
say something like, "God knows our hearts. He knows when we really mean
what we say or if we're just pretending (or just saying words). If you
really mean it in your heart when you asked Jesus to forgive you and to be
your Savior, then He will be your Friend forever. He will never leave
you." If they have come to me, but are not really "with me"-maybe they
are easily distracted, or if I sense that they are just doing a "religious
thing" then I will pray with them that they will understand how very much
God loves them and wants to take away the sin in their hearts and give
them a clean heart and be their Forever Friend. Then after the prayer, I
will affirm them and say that I hope they will think about God and His
love, or that I hope they will decide to choose Jesus as their Forever
Friend. In other words, I will plant a seed and give them the tools, but
I won't push for a salvation prayer. Absolutely have a children's Gospel
track to place in their hands. I have seen a lot through the years, and I
have been very careful about the Lord's admonition not to cause a little
one to stumble. I believe that leading a child who is not ready, and then
pronouncing him/her as "saved" is a serious thing. I'm not trying to get
notches on my belt for the sake of numbers. Yet, I have seen this done
many times. Children can easily walk away thinking they have said the
"magic words" to make them a Christian. On the other hand, I have also
seen that children may come to the teacher several times and say that they
want to be saved. Often the teacher will tell them that if they've
already prayed and asked Jesus to be their Savior that they don't need to
ask Him again and again. Jesus is always with them. Of course this is a
theological issue, whether one believes that you can lose your salvation
or once saved always saved. But for children, I believe we can look at it
a little differently. If a child shows signs of understanding and has
sincerely prayed for salvation, we can assure him/her that Jesus is her
"Forever Friend" that Jesus will never leave. But in our walk with the
Lord, we come to new levels. When I was first in Bible College, I noted
how many young students would come forward for salvation at the beginning
of every school year. I sometimes have felt that way. I think we come to
a new revelation of who God is in our lives and we feel like we never
really new Him before. We feel like we need to ask Him in all over
again. That doesn't mean we were never saved before. It just means we
understand more deeply now. And that was what was happening to many of
those new Bible school students. If a child returns to the teacher every
week because they think they've been bad during the week and are afraid
Jesus doesn't love him any more, we can assure them that Jesus loves them
when they've done bad, but that they need to ask forgiveness and lead
accordingly. If a child persists this way, some more teaching may be
necessary. But if a child that has professed to be saved for some length
of time, comes to you and asks for salvation again, I see no harm in
leading that child in prayer again. I can't imagine picturing God
crossing his arms in displeasure because the child is asking more than
once. Rather, I believe God delights in His children and call us to new
levels over and over again. I know this response has been long, but it
touches some key issues in leading little ones to the Jesus.
Hope it has been helpful.
Terri
Contents,
Fundamental Beliefs 2. Is Jesus really God?
Teaching tip 7. Use of Ventriloquism to teach class rules.
Teaching tip 8. Leading children to Christ.
Young children and salvation. By Terri.
Fundamental Beliefs. 2. Is Jesus really God?
The belief that Jesus Christ is the God-Man, i.e. completely God and completely human in one Person is the basis of the Christian faith. Most people believe that Jesus was human, but many doubt His deity. So why then do we believe that Jesus is God Himself? Here are a number of reasons.
1. His egocentric claims. The self-centredness of Christ's teaching marks Him out from other religious teachers. He clearly thought of Himself as distinct from man and one with God.
a. Intimacy with God. Jesus made some astounding claims. For example He said, "I and the Father are one." (John 10.30). and "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14.9). Jesus also called Himself the 'Son of God.' In those days the word 'son' implied 'the same as' rather than 'dependent upon' or 'derived from' as it does today. This oneness that Jesus claimed with God was both unique and eternal (John 8.58).
b. Authority over men. Jesus did not think or speak of Himself as an ordinary man among men. He set Himself apart from the rest of mankind and claimed authority over them - to teach about God (Matthew 7.28,29) - to call men to Himself (Matthew 7.24-27; 10.37) thus making Himself the object of their faith, love and obedience - to forgive repentant sinners (Mark 2.5) - to judge the unrepentant (Matthew 7.21-23, Matthew 25.31-33).
Faced with these claims we cannot dismiss Jesus as just a good man or a great teacher. He was either deluded, a liar or divine. As C.S. Lewis put it "Jesus was either mad, bad or God."
2. His balanced and humble conduct. Jesus did not behave like a person with delusions His character confirms His claims. Consider this paradox:-
His claims sound like a madman's, yet his conduct was poised and balanced.
His teaching appears proud, ("I am - - - the way, the truth and the life - - - the bread of life - - - the light of the world - - - the resurrection and the life") yet He was humble.
His words were thoroughly self-centred ("Come to me - - - ") yet His deeds were absolutely unselfcentred.
This combination of egocentricity and humility is unparalled in the history of the world.
3. His divine works. The miraculous works that Jesus did do not prove His divine nature, but they are in accordance with it, and support His claims that He is God.
4. His bodily resurrection. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus was considered in the last Newsletter (No. 20). His resurrection - like His divine works - do not prove His deity, but it is in accordance with it.
5. The claims of scripture. The scriptures clearly portray Jesus as God. Some passages (e.g. John 1.1-3 and Colossians 1.15-19) cannot explained apart from the deity of Christ.
Summary. The 'acid test' of Christianity stands or falls on the position we give to Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not God, then His death on the cross cannot possibly bring salvation to us. If He is God, His coming to earth, and supremely His death and resurrection is, for every person, by far the most important event in the history of mankind.
Teaching tip 7. Use of Ventriloquism to teach class rules.
I have taught many different classes over the last ten years, and the general group behaviour has varied considerably. Fortunately, today, most of my classes are fairly well behaved. However, even for the well behaved classes, I think it advisable to have a few simple rules. That way the children will know and understand when their behaviour is unacceptable. Having class rules is also a good introduction to teaching on God’s rules (e.g. the Ten Commandments).
Note. Many teachers do not use Ventriloquism in their classes because they are not 'experts', and fear the children will notice their lips moving. Don't worry! If you have good material ( and One way street www.onewaystreet.com have some excellent scripts), the children won't mind if your lips are moving, and will love it anyway.
Paul Anglemyer has posted an interesting skit ‘The Rules’ on the Children’s Ministry Today ‘Vault’ (www.childrensministry.org) for teaching class rules using a Ventriloquist’s doll. I have adapted and expanded on this skit for my own classes using my Ventriloquist’s doll ‘George’. I proceed as follows.
Write out your ‘Kool’ Rules and display them prominently.
Kool Rules.
1. Be quiet.
2. Don’t be a space invader.
3. Stay seated.
4. HAVE FUN.
Self. George, I want you to teach these children our four ‘Kool Rules’. Can you remember the first one?
George (Excited). Yes, I remember, I remember. The first rule is Everyone Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.
Self. George, it’s rude to say ‘Shut up.’ But we do want the children to be quiet while I or any other Leader is talking. That way, everyone will be able to hear what is being said. If anyone wants to say something, they need to put up their hand. Then I may, or may not, ask them to speak. But at all other times they need to be quiet.
George. That is what I said. Everyone Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.
Self. Alright, I think they understand the first rule. Now, do you remember the second Kool rule?
George (Excited). Yes, I remember. The second rule is:- No punching. No kicking. No fighting. No pinching. No spitting. No scratching. No biting. And No Kissing.
Self. I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but we do want the children not to be space invaders. Everyone must respect other people’s space. So you need to keep your hands, feet and other parts of your body to yourselves. Now George, do you remember the third Kool rule?
George. Yes, the third rule is ‘Stay seated.’
Self. That’s exactly right.
George. I know how we can make them all stay seated.
Self. How?
George. Super glue. We stick them all to the floor or their chairs with Super glue. That way, they won’t be able to get up!
Self. That’s no good George. There may be times when we want them to get up to do something.
George. No Super glue?
Self. No Super glue. But I think they will remember that rule. Now George, I am sure you remember the last and most important Rule of all?
George. Mmmmm. I’ve forgotten.
Self. Come on George, try harder.
George. Mmmmm. Oh yes, now I remember. The last rule is No fun.
Self. No fun?
George. That’s right. No fun. Nobody is allowed to have fun.
Self. No George, it’s the opposite of that. The last rule is Have fun. Everybody has to have fun.
George. Everybody has to have fun?
Self. Yes, that’s the rule. Everybody has to have fun.
George. I don’t like the sound of that. What happens if somebody doesn’t have fun?
Self. But they have to have fun. That’s the rule.
George. But suppose somebody isn’t having fun. What happens to them?
Self. Tell me George, are you having fun?
George. No, I am not.
Self. Then this is what happens to someone who is not having fun. (George is quietly put away into his case)!
Poor old George. I don’t think he likes our last rule. But we aren’t given rules so that we will like them. We are given rules so that we will keep (or obey) them.
We get rules from many different sources. God has given us rules to live by, and these can be found in the Bible. The Government gives us rules, about things like paying our taxes or crossing the road. You have rules at school, and I am sure you have rules at home – things you can or cannot do. Some rules you probably like, and some you don’t. The most important thing to remember about rules – no matter where they come from – is that they are not given to us to spoil our fun. Rather they are given to us for our own benefit and protection. If we keep the rules, we are not likely to hurt ourselves or others.
Now, lets all say together our four Kool rules. But you have to shout the last one out, to make sure that George hears it!
Teaching tip 8. Leading children to Christ.
Leading a child to Christ is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Unfortunately, in their natural zeal to see children make a commitment to Christ some teachers may try to lead a child to the Lord before he/she is really ready. Conversely, other teachers may always "leave it to someone else" and so may miss God-given opportunities to help children into the Kingdom.
Obviously opportunities should be given for children to receive Christ, but I believe "appeals" should not be made too often, or the children may become hardened to them and not treat them seriously. I believe appeals should be reserved for "special occasions" when time can be taken to ensure that each child is made aware of what salvation really is, and of the importance of the decision they are being asked to make. Much prayer, wisdom and God's guidance is needed in knowing both the right time and method best suited for the child or children in question. ( I often use my Object Lesson No. 8 (Receiving Jesus) when teaching on Salvation. I will paste it on below for the benefit of the newer readers).
I have been in many children's meetings where the Leader has given an invitation for anyone to accept Christ by raising their hands or coming out to the front. There is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging children to make a Public commitment, but usually in my experience what happens is either nobody responds or they all (or nearly all) do! This is because children are very much influenced by their peers. A child may wish to respond to Christ, but if none of their friends raise their hands, they will probably not do so either. Conversely, a child may not be ready to receive Christ, but if they see their friends going to the front, they don't want to be the odd one out, and are likely to follow them.
In a group situation, I believe the best way to make an appeal is by inviting the children - if they wish - to follow you in a prayer to receive Jesus. In this way no "pressure" is put on the children, and it will be their own decision, without being influenced by their friends.
This is how I usually invite children to receive Christ.
I show and explain John 1.12 "To all who received him, He gave the right to become children of God.", stressing the need to receive God's gift of Jesus if we are to become part of His family. I then teach them four simple steps they can take to do this A, B, C, D. I use a folded card which I gradually unfold to show one word at a time as shown below.
Admit
Believe
Consider
Do
Thus, A stands for Admit. We need to Admit we have done bad things, and be willing to turn away from everything we know is wrong in our lives.
B stands for Believe. We need to Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and died on the cross in our place, so that we could be forgiven.
C Stands for Consider. Something to think about. Jesus not only wants to be our Saviour and Friend, He also wants to be Lord of our lives. That means He wants us to put Him first, and live to please Him rather than ourselves. Some people aren't willing to do that, but if you are, you are ready to move onto the final step.
D Stands for Do. We have to invite Him to come into our lives to be our Saviour, Friend and Lord. If we do (and really mean it) we can be certain that He will come in.
Before leading the children in prayer, I will often say at this point :-
"There are probably four groups of people here -
1. Those of you who have already received Jesus. Wonderful, there is no need for you to pray, as once you receive Him, He stays with you forever.
2. Those who haven't received Jesus, but have now considered it, and would like to. You can pray my prayer after me.
3. Those who are still unsure. That's alright. There is no need for you to pray.
4. Those who once received Jesus, but you know you haven't really been putting Him first, and would like to come back to Jesus again. Or perhaps you are not sure if you have ever received Jesus or not. You can all join in my prayer as well, and then you will be sure."
I then lead the children in a simple prayer along the A B C D lines.
Afterwards, I stress that they are now part of God's family, not because of how they may feel, but because God says so " To all who receive Him - - - - - ."
I then ask the children to do two important things. :-
1. Tell at least one other person what they have done.
2. Come and ask me for a booklet (have one on show) that will help them to live for Jesus. There are plenty of suitable booklets about, but I use "Special to God" obtainable from www.kidsreach.org.nz
O.L. 8. Receiving Jesus.
All you need for this illustration is a small gift. I usually make a balloon animal (as the gift) while I am talking about it.
State that John 3.16 talks about a giver (God), a gift (Jesus) and a receiver (Us). No matter how wonderful any gift is, it will not do you any good unless you receive it. I have a gift here (produce or begin to make your gift), but unless you receive it, it is no good to you at all.
Some of you may say "I don't want your gift" Well, if you don't want it, you won't get it, because I will not force you to take it.
Some of you may say "I don't believe it. It's too good to be true. Teacher must be tricking us." Well, if you don't believe it, you can't receive it.
Some of you may say " I will think about it" There is nothing wrong in thinking about the gift, but all the time you are thinking about it, it is not yours and it is not doing you any good.
Some of you may say. " I will have to earn the gift. I will have to sit up straight, be really quiet and still, and then perhaps "teacher" will notice me and give me the gift because I deserve it." Well, I like you behaving that way, but that's not the way to get the gift because it can never be earned.
But one of you may simply say to himself / herself " Yes, I want that gift," and get up, walk out to the front, take hold of the gift, and it will be theirs.
It is exactly the same with God's gift of Jesus Christ to the world - and the Eternal Life He brings with him.
Some people say to God "I don't want your gift of Jesus. I want to live my own life, go my own way, do my own thing." Much as God still loves them (they are still part of the world) He won't force His gift of Jesus on anyone. We must choose to receive Him.
Some people say. "I don't believe in the gift. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't even believe in God." Well, if you don't believe, you can't receive.
Some people say. "I will think about the gift. Perhaps when I am older I might receive God's gift." There is nothing wrong with thinking about the gift, but the problem is many people never make up their minds, and so always miss out on what God wants to give them.
Some people ( in fact most people ) think they have to earn God's gift. They say. " I will have to be very good. I will not have to do anything bad. I will have to go to Church or Sunday school every week. I will have to say my prayers and read my Bible every day. Then, perhaps, God will be really pleased with me and give me His gift of Jesus." These are good things to do, but you can never earn God's gift.
But some people say "Yes, I want to receive Jesus into my life," and do so by faith - by simply asking God for His gift of Jesus, and believing that they receive Him.
At this point, you will probably still be holding your gift - unless there is someone very smart in your group who has taken you at your word and received it already! You will probably have to keep prompting until someone comes out and receives it. You could say:-
"Well, it is still here."
"I wonder who will be first to believe me. All you have to do is take it."
"You won't get it by thinking about it, or by sitting up straight, but someone could come out and receive it."
When someone receives your gift, state that they didn't deserve it or earn it, but they got it because they were the first to believe that all they had to do was take it.
Conclude by stating that unfortunately you only had one gift, but the good news is that there is enough of God's gift of Jesus for everyone. There is no need for anyone to miss out.
If appropriate, you could then lead your group in a prayer to receive Jesus.
Young children and salvation.
The following article was recently posted on the Sunday School Teachers Network ( www.sundayschoolnetwork.com ). It contains many helpful insights.
I have worked in children's ministry in a variety of capacities for over
25 years. I have also wrestled with this question. I am very careful in
leading a child to Christ. Sarah's counsel is very good. All children
are different. For example, I was very shy as a child. I had difficulty
verbalizing what I was thinking and feeling. I wanted with all my heart
to be saved all week long at VBS. It wasn't until the very last day that
anyone gave an invitation. And since I didn't know how, I needed that
invitation. Therefore, I always, as much as possible, lead a basic
sinner's prayer every time I minister to children in a group setting.
That way, I model the prayer. It is in the child's court, so to speak.
Once when I did that, unknown to me, a visiting child prayed to receive
Christ. Her aunt told me later how excited the girl was to tell her about
it on the way home. Wow! You never know! I think sometimes in our
exuberance to lead a child to the Lord, we jump in too quickly when we are
"one-on-one" with the child. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is critical.
It is often easy to get children to agree with you. Maybe it is a child
starving for attention or acceptance. They may pray just to please you or
to "buy" your affirmation. Of course, they will not understand that they
are doing that, but the affect is the same. I want to see a child that is
showing signs of spiritual desire-they raise their hand, come to see you,
show understanding and interest when you talk to them. In this case, when
I am finished the prayer, while the child's eyes are still closed, I will
say something like, "God knows our hearts. He knows when we really mean
what we say or if we're just pretending (or just saying words). If you
really mean it in your heart when you asked Jesus to forgive you and to be
your Savior, then He will be your Friend forever. He will never leave
you." If they have come to me, but are not really "with me"-maybe they
are easily distracted, or if I sense that they are just doing a "religious
thing" then I will pray with them that they will understand how very much
God loves them and wants to take away the sin in their hearts and give
them a clean heart and be their Forever Friend. Then after the prayer, I
will affirm them and say that I hope they will think about God and His
love, or that I hope they will decide to choose Jesus as their Forever
Friend. In other words, I will plant a seed and give them the tools, but
I won't push for a salvation prayer. Absolutely have a children's Gospel
track to place in their hands. I have seen a lot through the years, and I
have been very careful about the Lord's admonition not to cause a little
one to stumble. I believe that leading a child who is not ready, and then
pronouncing him/her as "saved" is a serious thing. I'm not trying to get
notches on my belt for the sake of numbers. Yet, I have seen this done
many times. Children can easily walk away thinking they have said the
"magic words" to make them a Christian. On the other hand, I have also
seen that children may come to the teacher several times and say that they
want to be saved. Often the teacher will tell them that if they've
already prayed and asked Jesus to be their Savior that they don't need to
ask Him again and again. Jesus is always with them. Of course this is a
theological issue, whether one believes that you can lose your salvation
or once saved always saved. But for children, I believe we can look at it
a little differently. If a child shows signs of understanding and has
sincerely prayed for salvation, we can assure him/her that Jesus is her
"Forever Friend" that Jesus will never leave. But in our walk with the
Lord, we come to new levels. When I was first in Bible College, I noted
how many young students would come forward for salvation at the beginning
of every school year. I sometimes have felt that way. I think we come to
a new revelation of who God is in our lives and we feel like we never
really new Him before. We feel like we need to ask Him in all over
again. That doesn't mean we were never saved before. It just means we
understand more deeply now. And that was what was happening to many of
those new Bible school students. If a child returns to the teacher every
week because they think they've been bad during the week and are afraid
Jesus doesn't love him any more, we can assure them that Jesus loves them
when they've done bad, but that they need to ask forgiveness and lead
accordingly. If a child persists this way, some more teaching may be
necessary. But if a child that has professed to be saved for some length
of time, comes to you and asks for salvation again, I see no harm in
leading that child in prayer again. I can't imagine picturing God
crossing his arms in displeasure because the child is asking more than
once. Rather, I believe God delights in His children and call us to new
levels over and over again. I know this response has been long, but it
touches some key issues in leading little ones to the Jesus.
Hope it has been helpful.
Terri
posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 2:28 PM
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