Running the Race

We found five passages in the New Testament that speak of the Christian life as a race that we run, and so we wrote from them five lessons that emphasise lordship, faithfulness, the importance of God's word, holiness, and heavenly rewards. In Galion we initially developed these materials for use in 2005, then we polished them up and used them for the second time in 2011, so they're fairly complete at this point.

This theme is essentially complete, although there are a few bits that I still need to finish posting online (most notably, the teen and preschool Bible lessons).

	Elementary		Preschool		Teens
Monday	Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Annointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1st John 2:3	Shape Lesson:	The Ball	Discussion:	8 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) What is a Missionary?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Bean Mosaic	Craft:	Felt Pennant	Craft:	Baked Rock
	Game: Baton Relay
	Snack: animal crackers
Tuesday	Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:58	Shape Lesson:	The Book	Discussion:	7 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Why Do We Send Missionaries?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Suncatcher	Craft:	Lion Face	Craft:	Suncatcher (same as elementary)
	Game: Water Relay
	Snack: Lion Cookies
Wednesday	Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: we should study God's word and apply it to our lives.	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13	Shape Lesson:	The Heart	Discussion:	9 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) What Does a Missionary Do?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Painted Silhouette	Craft:	Watercolor Painting	Craft:	Painted Silhouette (same as elementary)
	Game: Obstacle Course
	Snack: cupcakes*
Thursday	Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: throw off things that entangle	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8	Shape Lesson:	The Cross	Discussion:	7 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Where Does a Missionary Go?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Felt Pennant	Craft:	[Needed]	Craft:	Felt Pennant (same as elementary)
	Game: Sand Relay
	Snack: chocolate coin and fruit cup
Friday	Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:		Shape Lesson:	The Crown	Discussion:	8 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Who Can Be a Missionary?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Potato Painting (heaven scene)	Craft:	Posterboard Crown	Craft:	Colored Sand Design in Glass
	Game: Dress-Up Relay
	Snack: crown cookies

* - Items marked with an asterisk are incomplete or otherwise need work.

Preschool Memory Verse (all week): Luke 11:28, Jesus said, Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (NIV)

Substitute Indoor Games:

• [Needed]

Decorations:

I do have photos of most of the decorations we did. I'll post some at some point, and link to them here once they're up. I wanted to go ahead and get this summary posted first.

Running the Race Snacks

Monday: Animal Crackers

Each person gets a small cup of animal crackers, and punch to drink.

Lesson Tie-In:

The animal crackers go with the preschool shape lesson on creation. We were unable to devise a snack to go with the elementary or teen Bible lesson (suggestions welcome), but you can ask them questions about the lesson while they eat.

---

Tuesday: Lion Cookies

Using a lion-shaped cookie cutter, prepare lion-shaped cutout cookies. Frost them in yellow or orange. Optionally, some of them can have manes made of licorice or coconut (but be sure to have some available without, too: a lot of children don't like licorice or coconut). Preschool should get one cookie each, and punch to drink. Older children will be able to eat two cookies.

Lesson Tie-In:

The lion cookies correlate with the story about Daniel, prayer, and God's care for us. Ask the children to tell you about the Daniel lesson while they eat.

---

Wednesday: Cupcakes

Each person gets a cupcake, and punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

This one unfortunately does not correlate with the lesson. (If you can figure out a way to make scrolls out of some kind of food, that would correlate with the Josiah lesson, but we were unable to work out a good way to do this. Suggestions welcome.) However, you can ask the children questions about the lesson while they eat.

---

Thursday: Chocolate Coins and Fruit

Each person gets one (foil-wrapped) chocolate coin and a cup of fruit.

Lesson Tie-In:

The coin goes with the lesson about the rich young man. Ask them questions about the lesson while they eat. (The fruit cup is just there to make the snack more substantial, so they have something to eat besides a piece of chocolate.)

---

Friday: Crown Cookies

Make cut-out cookies in the shape of crowns, frosted bright yellow. If desired, they can also be decorated with gumdrop "gemstones". Preschool children should get one crown cookie each, and punch to drink. Older children will be able to eat more.

Lesson Tie-In:

The crown goes with the elementary and teen Bible lessons (on heaven) and with the preschool shapes lesson (also on heaven). Ask the children to tell you about the lesson while they eat.

Colored Sand in a Bottle

Friday:	Colored Sand in a Bottle
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• small (clear) glass containers with lids or corks
• colored sand

Preparation:

You can actually dye sand, but the colors come out fairly muted in my experience. Brighter colors can be achieved by rubbing colored chalk into the sand so that chalk dust mixes with the grains. You can also use salt instead of sand.

Instructions:

Give each teen one glass container (skinny jar, cork-lidded vase, etc). Allow them to pour in different colors of the colored sand, in layers, to make a design. Tilting the container when inserting some of the layers may result in a more interesting design. When the design is complete, fill the remainder of the container with plain sand and attach the lid.

Posterboard Crowns

Friday:	Crowns
Bible Lesson:	Fishing All Night
Shape Lesson:	The Crown: Heaven

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• yellow posterboard
• gold glitter
• gemstones (can be construction paper)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the posterboard into bands (strips) with decorative protrusions along one edge, so that when the ends are brought together a crown shape results.

Instructions:

Give each child one of the posterboard crown shapes. Allow them to decorate the crown by glueing gemstones and stuff on it it, maybe beads or gold glitter. When they finish, fit the crown to their head and staple it together. Let the teacher hold onto the crowns until time to go upstairs.

Potato Painting

Friday:	Potato Painting
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• raw potatoes, cut in pieces
• paint, paper, damp paper towels

Instructions:

Each child gets a hunk of paper. Put several pieces of potato with each color of paint – each piece should stay in the same color. Children dip the potato pieces in the paint and stamp it onto the paper, picking it up and down like a stamp, to create a scene depicting heaven.

You should provide them with a list of things the Bible says about heaven. For example:

• pure gold as pure as glass
• streets of gold
• river flowing from the throne through the middle of the city
• tree of life on the banks of the river
• many homes (John 14)
• great, high wall
• twelve gates, three on each side, always open
• each gate is a giant pearl
• the city is a square, as long as it is wide
• the foundations are decorated with gemstones (rubies, emeralds, and so on)
• no night, the glory of God gives it light

Felt Pennant (Elementary and Teen Version)

Thursday:	Felt Pennant
Bible Lesson (elementary and teen):	The Rich Young Man: throw off things that entangle.
Memory Verse (elementary and teen):	Matthew 19:29
Bible Lesson (preschool):	The Paralytic Man

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• felt

Preparation:

Depending on age group and time considerations, you may want to pre-cut the felt into pennant shapes. Leave scraps for them to cut out the shapes for on the pennant.

Instructions:

Make pennants out of felt, by cutting out shapes and gluing them on. Each child or teen gets an oblong isosceles triangle of the stuff (solid color), plus little bits to cut out letters and shapes and stuff, to glue on. The pennant should display a Christian battle cry (such as “Jesus”, “Victory”) or symbol (e.g., a cross or ΙΧΘΥΣ) or a runner or something from the Bible lesson. Once it is decorated, attach it to a length of dowel rod, and they can take it home afterward and hang it on a wall.

Lion Faces

Wednesday:	Lion Faces
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Bible

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• paper plates
• construction paper
• yarn (yellow, orange, or brown)
• glue and cotton swabs

Preparation:

Cut out the needed pieces (see image) from the construction paper ahead of time. Cut short pieces (2-4 inches each) of yarn for the manes.

Instructions:

Give each child a large paper plate and construction paper eye, nose, and mouth pieces. Let them glue these in place. (Put some glue on a small paper plate and let the children use cotton swabs to brush the glue on – no bottles of glue.) Show them where to glue them. Give them pieces of yarn about three inches long to glue around the edge for a mane.

Painted Silhouette

Wednesday:	Painted Silhouette
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: we should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• squares of white cloth
• black paint, brushes, and pencils
• stencil of a boy reading the Bible
• stencil of a girl reading the Bible
• lengths of dowel rod

Preparation:

Find silhouettes of a boy reading and of a girl reading. (It should be possible to find these with an image search on the web.) Trace each silhouette onto posterboard and cut them out, creating the stencils. Depending on the number of children you have, you may need multiple copies of each stencil, so that several children can trace them at once.

Instructions:

Children place the stencil on their cloth and trace around the edge with a pencil, mount a dowel across the top (for hanging), and paint inside the lines.

Watercolor Painting

Tuesday:	Watercolor Painting
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Lions

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• Paper suitable for painting on, with a coloring page copied onto it (depicting a scene from the Bible lesson).
• Watercolor paints and brushes

Instructions:

Give each child a copy of the picture from the lesson, on a somewhat heavier grade of paper. Let them paint it.

Suncatchers

Tuesday:	Suncatchers
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• overhead transparencies OR transparent report covers
• photocopied scenes (from the lesson, or runners)
• permanent markers, various colors
• yarn or decorative string
• posterboard (for frames)
• transparent tape

Preparation:

Cut out posterboard frames ahead of time. Each frame consists of a matching pair (front and back) of posterboard rectangles, larger than the transparent sheets by a couple of inches in each dimension, with a hole in the middle just smaller than the transparent sheets. Pair them up and punch the holes for the yarn through both the front and the back together.

Instructions:

Each child or teen gets a transparency sheet and chooses a photocopied scene, such as a runner, Daniel praying, or cetera. Have them each tape their transparency to the photocopied scene paper (to hold them still) and color the scene onto the transparency with the permanent markers. They should use a black marker last to trace the outlines, then remove the paper and tape, and use the yarn to weave through the pre-punched holes to attach the frame to the front and back of the suncatcher in a decorative fashion. A length of yarn can be left at the top for hanging in a window. The front and back parts of the posterboard frames may be glued together where they hang out beyond the transparency.

Baked Rock

Monday:	Baked Rock
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:58

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• rocks (at least as large as a fist)
• old crayons
• aluminum foil
• you also need the use of an oven

Instructions:

Preheat oven. Each teen gets a two-pound rock (approximately). They color the rock (except the underside) with crayons; they color designs on it (depicting something from the Bible lesson, ideally) and also fill in the background, so it's all colored, except the underside. Then place the rocks on a foil-covered cookie sheet or pan, and bake them just until the crayon melts together into a smooth design. Let it cool, and afterward they can take it home and use it as a doorstop, paper weight, or conversation piece.

Felt Pennant (Preschool Version)

Monday:	Felt Pennant
Bible Lesson:	David and Saul: God is in Charge
Shape Lesson:	Ball: God made the world.

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• black felt
• scraps of felt in other colors
• dowel rods (short)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the pennant shapes out of black felt, and shapes of things that God created out of other colors of felt, e.g., yellow sun, white moon and stars, green plants, etc.

Instructions:

Each child gets an oblong isosceles triangle of black felt, plus small pieces representing things God created. Help the children glue the things God made onto their pennant. Remind them that God made everything, and these things they are gluing onto their pennant are just examples. Attach the finished pennant to a dowel rod. After Bible School, they can take their pennant home and hang it on a wall.

Mosaic

Monday:	Mosaic
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed
Memory Verse:	1st John 2:3

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• lightweight dried beans, corn, plastic beads, airsoft beebees, or similar items, in various colors
• posterboard
• photocopied outline pictures (scenes from the Bible lesson and/or runners)

Instructions:

Each child selects one of the available scenes and glues a copy to their posterboard. Then they fill in each area with a color of beans or whatever, in a paint-by-number fashion (e.g., an object that should be yellow could be filled in with corn) to assemble the mosaic. They can also put a solid-color frame around the edge, if time permits, with another color of beans.

Lesson Visuals for Running the Race

We are pleased once again this year to be able to offer a complete set of visuals for all the elementary Bible lessons, courtesy of Mary Beth Frey. There are five images for each of the first two lessons and four visuals for each of the three remaining lessons.

Unfortunately, due to the size of these images (7204 x 5408 pixels each, with file sizes ranging from 3.6MB to 5.5MB, for a total of nearly 100 megabytes altogether) they are too large to post here. (I tried. Blogger chokes on images that large. It's really designed to handle web-resolution images, and these are print-quality images, suitable for printing on a full page each.)

However, I have put together the following thumbnail image, showing what the pictures basically look like:

1. First row, visuals for lesson one: Saul and David; Saul Chasing David into the Hills; David and His Men Hiding in the Cave; David Cutting off the Corner of Saul's Robe; David Taking the Spear and Water Jug While Saul Sleeps
2. Second row, visuals for lesson two: Daniel Praying; Satraps Scheming; Signing the Proclamation; Daniel with the Lions; Paul in Prison
3. Third row, visuals for lesson three: Idolatry; Hilkiah Finding the Scroll; Josiah Reading; Destroying the Idols
4. Fourth row, visuals for lesson four: Runners; Jesus and the Rich Man; Going Away Sad; Sunday Morning Video Games
5. Fifth row, visuals for lesson five: John on Patmos; The City Coming Down; Gate of the City; Inside the City

For Galion, we took them to Staples and got them printed on overhead transparencies. Another option would be to print them on large paper (perhaps 11"x17"). Or, if you have a computer projector, you could use presentation software (like PowerPoint or OpenOffice.org Impress) to show them, which would save on printing costs. In any case, if anyone knows of some server space where they could be hosted, I'd be interested in hearing about it. Meanwhile, they are available upon request: contact me, and I can send them to you by email. (Please allow several days for me to get around to it. Thanks.)

Do be aware that these images are large (nearly one hundred megabytes altogether), so check your email service to be sure it can receive them. The largest individual image is 5717166 bytes; add some overhead to that for MIME and RFC-822, and the message that bears it will necessarily be very nearly 5.5MB. If you only need certain ones (e.g., if you're only doing some of the lessons), it would be good to specify which ones you want.

Who Can Be a Missionary?

Monday:	Who Can Be a Missionary?
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Rewards in heaven await believers who finish the race. (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8
Missions Concepts:	Foreign missionaries are sent out by the church, but any believer can do the work of a missionary locally.
Missions Examples:	[personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 13

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest was confused about who could be a missionary. He wasn't sure if just anybody could be. Kristina helped him to realize that part of following God for every Christian is to teach other people about how to follow Jesus.

Explanation: Full-Time Missions versus Everyday Missions

While some people are missionaries full-time: it's their job, and they travel to far-away places and spend all day doing just missions, all of us are responsible to help share God's teachings with other people who don't know.

Application: Being Sent

For people who want to be missionaries all the time and move far away, they probably have to be sent by a church, or sometimes by a group of churches. If the churches are going to send offering money to help pay for the work that they're doing, then they definitely have to be sent by the churches.

However, all of us can do a little missions work right where we are: telling people about how to follow Jesus. Nobody has to tell us to go tell our neighbors and our friends. Jesus already told us to do that.

[As time allows, let some of the kids give examples from their own lives, of people that they have shared with or would like to share with about Jesus.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Where Does a Missionary Go?

Thursday:	Where Does a Missionary Go?
Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: We need to be dedicated to God, not other things.
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries go wherever there are people who need to hear.
Missions Examples:	Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	[Needed]

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure how much of the world he had to go to in his Missions Marathon. So today, that's what we're going to talk about: where missionaries go.

Explanation: Where the People Are

Do missionaries go to the moon? Do they go to the north pole? Do they go to the middle of the ocean? No, missionaries don't go to any of those places. They don't need to go to those places, because there's nobody living there.

Yesterday, we said that missionaries teach people to follow Jesus. So to do that, they have to go where the people are. That's where missionaries go: wherever there are people. Missionaries don't all go to the same place. Zambo Salamon is a missionary in northwest Cameroon. He went there because he knew there were people there who needed to be taught about God. Paul Rajan is a missionary in India, because there are people there. Both Zambo Salamon and Paul Rajan were born in the country where they are missionaries. Sometimes missionaries go overseas, to a different country where they weren't born. Other times, they stay closer to home. But wherever they go, they go where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow Jesus.

Game: Naming Places

[Set up a white board or the equivalent.] Let's name some places where you could go and be a missionary. Remember, it has to be a place where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow God. [Accept answers from the kids and write them on the board. Make sure they include some that are close to home and some that are farther afield.]

[If there's time, make a separate list and have them name places where they cannot be a missionary, any place where there's nobody that needs to be taught – Antarctica, Mars, deep underground, etc.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What Does a Missionary Do?

Wednesday:	What Does a Missionary Do?
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: The Bible is God's word. We should study it and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries make disciples and start churches.
Missions Examples:	Philippi
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't totally sure what he needed to do to be a missionary. He knew that it might involve talking to people, but he wasn't sure what he needed to tell them. So that's what we're going to talk about today: what missionaries actually do.

Kristina reminded Earnest that those who follow Jesus are to go tell people what they learned in the Bible. People need to know that their sin separates them from God, but also that he loves them and sent Jesus to pay for their sins. Earnest knew that they were to go and make disciples.

The Point: Discipleship

A disciple is a learner, a follower of God. If we teach people how they can have their sins forgiven, they can choose to become disciples, to learn more about God, to follow him and obey his word.

The Bible verse Earnest was quoting from is in Matthew 28. Jesus didn't just say we should tell everybody that Jesus loves them. That's part of it, but he also said Teach them to obey everything I have commanded. That takes time. Missionaries have to make sure that they do the whole thing: it's not enough to just tell the people how to be saved and then abandon them. Missionaries have to do more than that: they have to make sure the people are taught everything Jesus commanded.

Example: Philippi

Remember, yesterday, we talked about when Paul went to Macedonia. Paul spent several days in the Macedonian town of Philippi, teaching people, but that's not all he did. Because of Paul's ministry, a church was started in Philippi.

Paul stayed in contact with the Philippian church, too. He sent them a letter, which we have in our Bible: the book of Philippians. In the letter he taught them more about how to follow Christ. With the letter he sent a Christian man named Epaphroditus, who could help them as well. He also said that he was hoping to send Timothy to them soon, because Timothy would take a real interest in how they were doing. (Timothy was a Pastor whom Paul had trained specially.) Paul also said that he wanted to visit them again himself. For Paul, it wasn't enough to tell the people in Philippi that they needed Jesus: he had to keep helping them until they learned everything they needed to know.

Application: Today

When we tell people about Jesus today, we can't just get them to pray a prayer for forgiveness and then forget about them. We have to follow it through. That's what missionaries do. So if somebody asks you what a missionary is, you should say that missionaries teach people how to follow Jesus.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Why Do We Send Missionaries?

Tuesday:	Why Do We Send Missionaries?
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God expects faithfulness.
Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:58
Missions Concepts:	We work together with other believers to fulfill the great commission.
Missions Examples:	The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

Today we're going to talk about why we send missionaries. In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure at first why he was going to run the Missions Marathon, but he learned that we send missionaries because Jesus said to go and make disciples from every nation. The church works together as a group to fulfill this commission, because every person can't go to every place.

Example: The Macedonian Call

In the Bible, when the apostle Paul was traveling as a missionary, he had a vision of man from Macedonia (a place north of Greece) saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us! Paul and his companions went to Macedonia, because God wanted them to, and they shared Jesus with the people there and started several churches.

Paul went to Macedonia because there were people there who needed to hear about Jesus, and God sent him as a missionary to tell them. If Paul hadn't obeyed, they might never have heard.

Application: Today

So today we decide to send missionaries based on the fact that people need to hear the gospel. If they need to hear, then somebody needs to tell them. God told us to tell people all over the world, to make disciples from all nations, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded. That's why we do missions.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to be involved with missions to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What is a Missionary?

Monday:	What is a Missionary?
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	1st John 2:3
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries tell people about God, what he expects of them, and how they can be forgiven for their sins.
Missions Examples:	Paul in Athens
Bible Passages:	Acts 17

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest didn't seem to be real sure exactly what missions is. That's what we're going to talk about today: what is missions, and what is a missionary?

A missionary is a Christian who tells other people the good news of how Jesus came so that we could be forgiven of our sins and go to heaven.

Example: Paul in Athens

In the book of Acts, we read about a time when the apostle Paul came to a city called Athens, which is in Greece. He found a whole city full of people who had never heard of the true God. They didn't know who Jesus was, or how they could be forgiven of their sins. They didn't even know that God had created the world.

So Paul got up and told them about God, about how he had created the world, and about how God expected certain things of them, and that they needed to change their beliefs, change the way they were acting, and follow God. Some of the people did believe, and Paul helped to start a church.

Paul was being a missionary in Athens. He was running his missions marathon for God.

Application: Today

If you are going to be a missionary, you might not have to go to Athens, but you do have to find people who don't know about God and about what he expects of them, and tell them.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Five

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Friday:	Joining the Missions Marathon
Missions Lesson:	Who can be a missionary?
Missions Examples:	[personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	Wow, this is great! Some of these people we've been talking to have decided to join the race for Jesus!
Kristina:	Yeah, it's really great to see them serving God in the church.
Earnest:	A couple of them were asking me if they can join in on this Missions Marathon, too, but I'm not sure what I should tell them. Can just anyone join in the Missions Marathon?
Kristina:	Well, you said they already joined the race for Jesus, right?
Earnest:	Yes, they're serving the Lord now in the church, but they want to do missions, too. How can they join up?
Kristina:	Remember how I pulled you out of the bleachers?
Earnest:	Oh, yeah. I was waiting to join the Missions Marathon, but I didn't know what I needed to do.
Kristina:	Right, so I told you to get out of the bleachers and start running the course, and you've been running all week.
Earnest:	Oh, I see. So once somebody is saved, once they have given their lives to Jesus, they can start running the Missions Marathon any time?
Kristina:	Yep, they just have to get on the course and start doing it.
Earnest:	[Point to audience.] So, what about these people sitting in the bleachers here, watching us? Can they join the Missions Marathon?
Kristina:	I hope they do!

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Four

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Thursday:	Running the Race in a Particular Place
Missions Lesson:	Where does a missionary go?
Missions Examples:	Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	So how long is this Missions Marathon, anyway? We're still in Ohio, right? How long will it take us to get to another nation?
Kristina:	That could take a while. Ohio's a pretty big place, and then there are forty-nine other states in the US...
Earnest:	So, do you think we can finish telling everyone in the US about Jesus by this time next year?
Kristina:	I doubt it. I think we'd better stick with Ohio for now.
Earnest:	But, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations! How many nations are there?
Kristina:	I think there's more than a hundred.
Earnest:	More than hundred! I'll be an old man by the time we get to all of them, even if we only spend one year in each nation. I'll be running this marathon with a cane!
Kristina:	Well, of course you will. You don't want to stop just because you get a little bit older, do you?
Earnest:	I guess not.
Kristina:	You know, there are different marathons in different places, right?
Earnest:	Oh, yeah, my aunt Lucy once ran in the Boston Marathon.
Kristina:	Right, but we're not in Boston. We're running a marathon race for missions right here in Ohio.
Earnest:	Well, how can I run all those different marathon races at once?
Kristina:	I think it's okay to start with just running the one you're in now. Other people can run the race in other places.
Earnest:	Different people run the same race in different places?
Kristina:	Well, there are people in many different places. So God needs missionaries all over the world. We can be missionaries right here in Ohio, but Zambo Salamon is a missionary in Cameroon, and Pastor Jusleimar is a missionary in Brazil, and Paul Rajan is a missionary in India. Just like there are marathon races all over the world, missionaries are all over the world too.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Three

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Wednesday:	Making Disciples
Missions Lesson:	What does a missionary do?
Missions Examples:	Philippi
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30.

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	I sure am glad we're running this missions marathon.
Kristina:	Yeah, it'll be so great to tell those people the good news.
Earnest:	If we tell them, do you think they'll run the race with us?
Kristina:	Right — and not just this Missions Marathon today, but hopefully they'll run the whole race for Christ — the whole Christian life.
Earnest:	Yeah, because I was running that race before, even before I started this missions marathon. This isn't the first time I've run, and it isn't the first thing I've ever done for Jesus.
Kristina:	In fact, we wouldn't be very good in this missions marathon if we hadn't been training, by reading reading our Bible and going to church and all the rest of the race that we run.
Earnest:	Right. So, what exactly do we have to tell them again?
Kristina:	We have to tell them what we learned in the Bible. You know, about how the bad things we do separate us from God, but he loved us and sent Jesus to die and pay the price for us, so we can go to heaven some day and live with God.
Earnest:	Oh, right, we're going and making disciples of these people, just like Jesus said, make disciples of all nations. Ohio's a nation, right?
Kristina:	Well, Ohio's part of a nation, so it counts.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Two

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Tuesday:	Let's Go!
Missions Lesson:	Why do we send missionaries?
Missions Examples:	The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17

	[The race has started. Earnest and Kristina are jogging in place (with exaggerated running arm motions).]
Earnest:	Okay, I'm wearing my running clothes, I have my number, I'm on the course, now let's see... why am I going, again?
Kristina:	You want to be a missions marathon runner, right?
Earnest:	Right!
Kristina:	Well, missionaries tell other people the good news about how Jesus came to Earth to save them from their sin. That's what you want to do, isn't it?
Earnest:	Yes! But aren't all Christians supposed to do that?
Kristina:	Yes, all Christians are supposed to be sharing their faith with others, but sometimes some of them sit around in the bleachers, instead of running the race.
Earnest:	Oh, I don't want to be like that. I want to do it. I want to get things done. I want to tell people about Jesus. I want to run this race!Jesus said, “go and make disciples of all nations”, and I want to obey.
Kristina:	That's the spirit! [Point.] Look, over there are some more people we could tell about how Jesus died for them.
Earnest:	Great! I wonder why somebody didn't already tell them? If we pick up the pace, we can be over there in a few minutes.
Kristina:	That's why we're going on this missions marathon: because there are people who have never heard how they can get to heaven.
Earnest:	Let's go tell them.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day One

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Monday:	Get in the Race
Missions Lesson:	What is a Missionary?
Missions Examples:	Paul in Athens
Bible Passages:	Acts 17

	[Setting is near the starting line for a marathon race. Kristina is dressed to run in the race, standing on the track. Earnest is also dressed to run, but he's sitting in the bleachers.]
Kristina:	Hey, Earnest, I thought you were in this marathon race today.
Earnest:	I am! This is really going to be fun. I'm really excited about it!
Kristina:	Well, then what are you doing in the bleachers?
Earnest:	What do you mean? Isn't the marathon here?
Kristina:	The marathon is a race, Earnest. It's down here on the race course. If you're going to run the race, you have to be on the course.
Earnest:	Well, look, all these other people are sitting here. Why can't I do the marathon sitting here too?
Kristina:	Earnest, those people aren't in the marathon. They're just watching. If you're going to be in the race, you have to run.
Earnest:	Oh. I see. So I guess I'd better come down out of the bleachers then, huh? [Join Kristina.] Say, what kind of race is this, anyway?
Kristina:	Didn't you read the sign? It's a missions marathon!
Earnest:	A missions marathon? What's missions?
Kristina:	Missions is how Christians tell other people the good news about how Jesus wants to save them from their sin.
Earnest:	Oh, right. That's what I want to do. That's why I came to the missions marathon. But why do we have to run?
Kristina:	Well, when we run a marathon race, we have to actually run. We can't just sit around in the bleachers. Just like that, missionaries have to share their faith with others, so they have to go where the people are, who need to hear about Jesus, and then, they have to actually tell them.
Earnest:	Yeah, that makes sense.
Kristina:	Right. They can't just sit around in church. So the missions marathon we're running this week is a way of reminding ourselves that if we're going to do missions, we can't just sit around. We have to get out and actually do something.

The Finish Line Discussion Questions

Friday:	The Finish Line: Heaven
Main Passage:	Revelation 1:1-20
Other Passages:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8, John 14:1-14, Revelation 21:1-22:6, Romans 10:4-13, 1st John 2:1-6
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...

1. Where's Patmos? Why was John there?
2. What was John doing while he was on Patmos?
3. Why did Jesus show John what heaven would be like?
4. What will heaven be like?
5. How can you be sure that you're going to heaven?
6. What happens to people who don't go to heaven?
7. Who are we running our race for?
8. What have we learned this week that will help us run our race better?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Things That Entangle Discussion Questions

Thursday:	Things that Entangle
Main Passage:	Matthew 19:16-30
Other Passages:	Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:7-11, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29, And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

1. What was keeping the rich young man from running his race?
2. What did Jesus tell the rich young man to do? Why did he tell him that?
3. Why did the rich young man go away sad? Explain.
4. Does that mean Jesus wants all of us to give away all of our money and possessions in order to follow him?
5. What does Hebrews tell us to do so that we can run a good race?
6. What are some things that could entangle you if you're not careful? How can you keep that from happening?
7. Should we feel deprived if we have to stop doing some kinds of things in order to run our race better? How should we regard those things that we throw off?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Discussion Questions: Josiah and the Book of the Law

Wednesday:	Josiah and the Book
Story Passages:	2nd Kings 22-23, 2nd Chronicles 34
Other Passages:	1st Corinthians 9:23-27, 1st Timothy 4:7-10, 2nd Timothy 3:16-4:8, 2nd Kings 21:10-11, 2nd Chronicles 33:10-16, 2nd Kings 23
Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13

1. How old was Josiah when he began to seek the Lord? How old was he when he had the temple repaired?
2. Why did Josiah have the temple repaired and cleaned? How did he know to do this, if he didn't have a copy of God's word to tell him?
3. How many people were involved with the work of repairing the temple?
4. When Hilkiah found the book, he gave it to a secretary, and the secretary took the book and read it to King Josiah. What was the secretary's name?
5. When the king heard what was written and realized that Israel had not been following the law, he sent men to ask the Lord about it. What was God's response?
6. What was the name of the person through whom God spoke his answer?
7. What did Josiah do when he received God's answer?
8. What are some things you have learned recently by studying God's word? How can you apply them to your life?
9. How can you make time in your schedule to study God's word more?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

Daniel and the Satraps Discussion Questions

Tuesday:	Daniel and the Satraps
Story Passage:	Daniel 6
Other Passages:	Philippians 3:12-16, Psalm 118, Hebrews 13:5-6, Exodus 20:5-6, Isaiah 31:1, Jeremiah 1:17-19, Philippians 3:7-11, Romans 8:28-39, 1st Corinthians 1:17-29
Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:58

1. If the satraps' job was to oversee each section of the kingdom, why did King Darius need Daniel to oversee the satraps?
2. Why would Darius enact such a strange law?
3. Daniel probably could have avoided getting caught if he'd prayed privately, behind closed doors, to avoid being seen. Why did he pray in front of an open window?
4. How can God expect us to do something that might turn other people against us?
5. What kind of prize did Paul expect to win?
6. Unbelievers often think the things of God are foolish. Why do they think this? What gives us the right to believe that we are right and they are wrong?
7. What are you doing to be faithful to God?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.