Lost Sheep of Israel (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Three)

Wednesday:	Lost Sheep of Israel
Bible Lesson:	Stolen Sheep: We should obey God's instruction. (Saul and the Spoils)
Memory Verse:	1st Samuel 15:22
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries can and should take the Good News to anyone.
Missions Examples:	Jeff Kran
Bible Passages:	Romans 9-11 (especially 9:8, 15, 27, and 32; 10:1-3 and 8-15; 11:1-6, 13-14, 19-21, 23, and 25-27), Galatians 2:11-5:12, Acts 1:8

Introduction: Sheep

This week, we've been talking about sheep and shepherds. Did you know that there are different kinds of sheep? There are black sheep, white sheep, bighorn sheep, sheep with different kinds of wool, ... all different kinds of sheep. But they're all sheep, and they all need to eat, and they all need a shepherd to look after them and lead them to grass.

The Bible compares people to sheep. Just like sheep, there are all kinds of people. People come from different places, speak different languages, look different, and know different things. Some of the people are God's sheep, who believe in Jesus and follow him, and some are not his sheep; but all the people need Jesus, the good shepherd, and they all need someone who will teach them about Jesus and lead them to follow God.

Main Point: The Good News is for Jews and Gentiles

The Bible says that the good news about Jesus is for Jews and Gentiles. A Jew is a person who comes from Jacob's family – Israel. A Gentile is someone who does not come from Jacob's family. Most of us here are Gentiles, and we need a shepherd. (Fortunately, we have one. We said on Sunday night that Pastor Jeff is our shepherd here.) But we Gentiles aren't the only ones. Jews need a shepherd too. They also need someone to teach them about Jesus.

Example: Jeff Kran

Pastor Jeff Kran is a missionary to the Jewish people. He leads Bible studies, and he teaches in churches, but mostly he just goes to places where there are Jews who need to hear about Jesus, and he talks to them. Sometimes he gets a chance to tell them about Jesus right away. Sometimes he talks about other things and gets to know them, hoping to tell them about Jesus later.

Many times Pastor Kran goes to places where he knows there are Jews who do not know that Jesus paid for their sins. Jews already know that they have sinned (that everyone has sinned) because they have the Hebrew Bible – the part of the Bible that we call the Old Testament. Their Bible tells them many things that God wants people to do, and it tells them that if they don't do it, if they mess up even one little time, God will be angry with them and punish them. Jews know about their sin and God's punishment, but they need to know about God's forgiveness: that Jesus died on the cross for them, to take their punishment, so they can be forgiven. Jeff Kran wants to tell the Jews that if they follow Jesus, he can forgive them, and they can live forever with him in heaven.

Conclusion: The Gospel is for Everyone

Everyone needs to hear this good news. Jews, Gentiles, tall people, short people, old, young, black, white, Asian, American, ... Everybody needs Jesus to forgive their sin. So everybody needs someone to tell them. Everybody needs a shepherd.

Invitation: Missions

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

Updated: Little Lamb Lessons, God's Sheep Snacks

The Little Lamb auxiliary lessons for preschool have been significantly improved and updated:

• Day 1: We All Sin
• Day 2: Thanking the Creator
• Day 3: Obey the Shepherd
• Day 4: The Shepherd Knows His Sheep
• Day 5: Jesus Wants to Be Your Shepherd

We've also enhanced and updated the God's Sheep snacks. All five days now have a scripted lesson tie-in:

• Day 1: Popcorn
• Day 2: Cross/Sheep Cookies
• Day 3: Donuts
• Day 4: Jell-O Jigglers
• Day 5: Salad

Where the People Are (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Two)

Tuesday:	Where the People Are
Bible Lesson:	Lamb of God: Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we don't have to. (Isaac and the Ram)
Memory Verse:	Romans 4:25
Missions Concepts:	A missionary goes wherever there are people who need to hear the good news.
Missions Examples:	Craig and Sara Noyes
Bible Passages:	John 10, Acts 16:6-15, Matthew 28:18-20, Isaiah 52, Romans 10:8-15

Introduction: Sheep

We said yesterday that a shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. So what would a shepherd be if he didn't have any sheep? [Nothing. No shepherd at all.] A person who wants to be a shepherd has to have sheep. You can't just make sheep, out of fluff and paper mache. You have to go where there are some sheep. You can start with just a few, but if you aren't around any sheep at all, you can't be a shepherd.

Review:

Yesterday, when we talked about pastors and missionaries, we said that people are like sheep, and the shepherds have to teach them God's word, which is like feeding them.

Main Point: Where the People Are

But where do they find sheep? Wherever there are people who need to hear about God, that's where missionaries have to go, because that's where they will find their sheep.

Do we have foreign missionaries here in Galion? Do we need missionaries to come from far away and teach us about God? [No.] We have churches and pastors here, and many Christians. There are, of course, other people here who need to hear about God and need to follow Jesus, but we don't need foreign missionaries to come and tell them, because we have people here who can tell them. We can tell them. We can tell our own friends about Jesus, and we can invite them to Bible School and to church, so that they can hear more. So we don't need foreign missionaries.

But some places don't already have Christians. They speak another language, and they don't have the Bible in their own language yet. They don't have local pastors. So who is going to tell them about Jesus? They need missionaries to come and tell them.

Example: Craig and Sara Noyes

Pastor Craig Noyes and his wife Sara want to go someplace where there are people who have never heard about Jesus at all, people who can't even get the Bible in their own language, because nobody has translated the Bible's words over into their language yet.

Here, we speak English. Can you get the Bible in English? Sure, no problem. The Bible was translated into English hundreds of years ago. You can get the Bible in English, Spanish, French, lots of different languages – but not quite all of them.

Pastor Craig Noyes and his wife Sara want to go where the people have never had a copy of the Bible in their language, to people who have never had missionaries come and teach them about God. They want to go to people who have never had a shepherd.

Conclusion:

If you wanted to go, would you know how? Would you know what you'd need to take, how to learn their language, how to translate the Bible for them, and how to teach them about Jesus? Pastor Craig has already studied the Bible. He could teach us, if we needed a pastor here. But he still needs to learn how to do the missions work in places where there is no electricity, no restaurant, and no internet, where he doesn't know the language and there's no Bible in that language.

This fall, when you go back to school, Craig and Sara Noyes will go to the Missionary Training Center. They're going to take classes there for a year and a half to learn all about how to do the missions work they want to do. They need to learn how they can go where the people are – the people who have never heard about Jesus, because there's no one to tell them, people who can't read the Bible for themselves because there isn't a Bible in their language.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who are interested in doing missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Feeding the Sheep (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day One)

Monday:	Feeding the Sheep
Bible Lesson:	Straying Sheep: Everyone has sinned. Sin has a penalty. (Moses and the Rock)
Memory Verse:	Isaiah 53:6
Missions Concepts:	A missionary must teach God's word.
Missions Examples:	India: Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	Psalm 23; John 21:15-18; Numbers 27:12-21; Jeremiah 23, Matthew 2:6, 9:16; Psalm 100; Isaiah 40:9-11; Jeremiah 3:15; 2nd Samuel 5:2; Acts 20:27-28; Jude:12

Introduction: Sheep

All week at Bible School we're going to be talking about sheep. Who knows what you call a person who takes care of sheep? [A shepherd.] One of the things a shepherd has to do to take good care of his sheep is to make sure they have enough to eat. If the shepherd keeps his sheep in one place, they eat up all the grass there, and then what? They need new grass every day. The shepherd has to lead the sheep to more grass.

Main Point: Teaching the Bible

The Bible says that people need a shepherd, just like sheep do. Except, our shepherds don't find us grass to eat. Yuck. We can find our own food anyway. But our shepherds have to feed us in a different way: they feed us God's word. We call these shepherds pastors and missionaries. They teach us the Bible. We can feed our own bodies, but our shepherds help feed our souls.

Pastor Jeff is our shepherd here in this church, in Galion; but people in other places need to hear God's teaching too.

Example: India

For example, there are people in India who need to hear God's message. That's why we have pastors and missionaries in India, to teach people there about God.

One group of people in India lives in houses built for them by the government. They used to live in the mountains. When Paul Rajan, a pastor and missionary in India, asked one of them if anyone had ever come to talk to his people about God. He said No. These people need someone to tell them the truth about the only true God.

Pastor Rajan would like to teach them about God, but he has his own church to look out for, in Coimbatore, and there are also many other places in India where people need Bible teachers. There are 327 adults and 161 children in a place called Golamunda, where some men Pastor Paul knows are trying to start a church. There are 103 adults and 24 children in an area called Semala, where a man named Nehemiah lives, and there are 53 adults and 36 children in a place called Umarcot, where a man named Joseph is starting a church. All of these people need someone to teach them the Bible. The missionaries in India have a lot of work to do, teaching the Bible to all those people!

Conclusion: Shepherds Must Feed Their Sheep

If God's people are like sheep, and the people who teach them are like shepherds, and the Bible is like food for their souls, then teaching the Bible is just as important as a shepherd leading his flock of sheep to good grass. It's the most important thing pastors and missionaries do.

Invitation: Missions

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

Teen Discussion Questions: Shepherded Sheep (Leading and Following) (Updated, 2013)

Friday:	Shepherded Sheep (Leading and Following)
Story Passages:	John 21
Other Passages:	Psalm 23, Matthew 7:15-23, Acts 20:28-30
Objectives:	The church needs leaders. We must follow Jesus, and we must follow our leaders.
Memory Verse:	Ephesians 2:10

1. Acts 20:30 tells us that false teachers will arise from within the church itself. In Matthew 7, Jesus compares them to wolves who disguise themselves as sheep. How can the church protect itself from such people?
2. If Satan is like a roaring lion, how can a shepherd protect the flock from him?
3. David says in Psalm 23:4 that the Lord's rod and staff are a comfort to him. What might the psalmist mean by this?
4. Why was Peter hurt when Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?"
   Why do you suppose Jesus asked him three times?
5. What are some things young people can do in the church (besides just attending)?
6. What is the barrier or dividing wall in Ephesians 2:14? Why is it important that this wall was destroyed? How does this affect us today?

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

Teen Discussion Questions: Sheep Security (The Good Shepherd) (Updated, 2013)

Thursday:	Sheep Security (The Good Shepherd)
Story Passages:	Luke 15:3-7, 1st Samuel 17:32-37
Other Passages:	John 10:1-30, Romans 8:28-39
Objectives:	Jesus is the good shepherd and always looks after his sheep.
Memory Verse:	John 10:28

1. Why was David willing to fight the bear?
2. Jesus says that his sheep know his voice and will not follow a stranger. Since he returned to heaven, we don't hear his physical voice much – how do we tell good leaders from bad ones today?
3. What does Jesus mean when he calls himself the gate for the sheep?
4. Jesus says he has other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. Who are these? When he says, I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd, what is he talking about?
5. Jesus speaks of a hired hand who will abandon the sheep. Who is he talking about? How is the hired hand different from the thief, yet also different from the shepherd?
6. When the disciples asked Jesus (right before he ascended) whether the kingdom was coming to Israel right away, we now know that the answer was no – it was going to be two thousand years or more. Why didn't he tell them that? Why did he instead tell them to wait for the Spirit?

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

Teen Discussion Questions: Stolen Sheep (Saul and the Spoils) (Updated, 2013)

Wednesday:	Stolen Sheep (Saul and the Spoils)
Story Passages:	1st Samuel 15:1-23
Other Passages:	1st 9:15-19, 10:1, 10:24, 15:26-28, 15:35-16:1, James 1:22, Exodus 17:8-16
Objectives:	We should obey God's instruction.
Memory Verse:	1st Samuel 15:22

1. Why did God want the Amalekites and their possessions totally destroyed?
2. Saul said that the soldiers spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord. Was that their real reason?
3. Do we today ever say that we did something for a reason that sounds pretty good, when we really had another reason entirely? How did God react when Saul did this?
4. Why were Saul and his soldiers willing to destroy everything that was despised and weak but unwilling to destroy the good things of the Amalekites?
5. In our memory verse, what does it mean by to heed is better than the fat of rams?
6. Did God make a mistake when he chose Saul? Why did he choose him as king?

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

Teen Discussion Questions: Lamb of God (Isaac and the Ram) (Updated, 2013)

Tuesday:	Lamb of God (Isaac and the Ram)
Story Passages:	Genesis 22
Other Passages:	Hebrews 11:19
Objectives:	Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we don't have to.
Memory Verse:	Romans 4:25

1. Why did God ask the Israelites to perform animal sacrifices?
2. God clearly knew about Ishmael (Gen 17:17-21), so why did he call Isaac your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love (Genesis 22:2)? What is God talking about? What is so unique about Isaac?
3. Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God could raise Isaac from the dead. How could he have reached that conclusion?
4. Isaac himself carried the wood. (Does this remind you of anything?) How old must Isaac have been?
5. Abraham was an old man, but he was able to bind Isaac and lay him on the altar. What must their relationship have been like?
6. Why is it important that Jesus not only died but also rose from the dead?

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

Teen Discussion Questions: Going Astray (Moses and the Rock) (Updated, 2013)

Monday:	Going Astray: Moses and the Rock
Story Passages:	Numbers 20:1-13
Other Passages:	Isaiah 53, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Exodus 17:1-7
Objectives:	Everyone has sinned. Sin has a penalty.
Memory Verse:	Isaiah 53:6

1. What was wrong with the people's reaction? After all, it was true that there was no water for the community. People do need water to live, so what was the problem with their attitude?
2. Why did God give Moses different instructions this time than the first time?
3. The memory verse is from Isaiah 53. Who is this passage talking about?
4. Moses mostly did what God said. Why was the punishment for his deviation so severe, when much greater sins have been forgiven others?
5. Moses was a uniquely great man of God. (See Numbers 12:4-8) Yet, even he went astray. What hope is there for us? How can we hope to follow God if Moses failed?
6. How does the church protect against false teaching? How does it help to bring us back when we wander astray?

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

Snacks for God's Sheep, Improved: Day Five

Friday:	Snack
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Shepherded Sheep (Leading and Following)
Memory Verse:	Ephesians 2:10
Preschool Bible Lesson:	God Loves Us (The 99 and the 1)

Key Item: Salad

The salad should be made of stuff that both human children and sheep will willingly eat: lettuce, carrot, maybe cucumber, ...

Explain to the children that while sheep mostly eat grass, they can also eat other vegetables, like lettuce or carrots – whatever the shepherd finds for them. If we are God's sheep, we need to be fed too. What does it mean to feed God's sheep? That's what tonight's lesson is about.

Snack Lesson:

Real sheep mostly eat grass, but they can also eat salad (lettuce, carrots, etc.) – whatever the shepherd finds for them.

If we are God's sheep, we need to be fed too. That's what our Bible lesson tonight is about.

Additional Snack Items:

To make the snack more substantial, we served macaroni and cheese and ice cream floats, alongside the salad. We also provided Kool-Aid to drink.

Snacks for God's Sheep, Improved: Day Four

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Thursday:	Snack
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Sheep Security: The Good Shepherd
Memory Verse:	John 10:28
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Jesus Loves Children (Let the Children Come)

Key Item: Jello-O Jigglers

Serve thick, jiggly gelatin dessert (recipe available from Kraft) in the shape of shepherd crooks (like a candy-cane shape) and sheep. The shepherd's crook should remind the children that Jesus is the good shepherd who takes care of his sheep.

Snack Lesson:

What's our theme this week? [Hold up a shepherd's crook Jiggler.] What does this shape remind us of? What does that have to do with sheep? How might a shepherd use something like this?

In our Bible lesson we're going to learn about the Good Shepherd, who always takes care of his sheep.

Additional Snack Items:

To make the snack more substantial, we served pizza and cupcakes, alongside the Jell-O. We also provided Kool-Aid to drink.

Snacks for God's Sheep, Improved: Day Three

Wednesday:	Snack
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Stolen Sheep (Saul and the Spoils) (See also: skit.)
Memory Verse:	1st Samuel 15:22
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Baa, baa, baa! (Saul and the Sheep)

Key Item: Donuts

Serve traditional O-shaped donuts. Tell the children that the O stands for Obey, because we should obey God's instruction. Today's Bible lesson is about a time when King Saul didn't obey – and that didn't turn out so well for him.

Snack Lesson:

Donuts are shaped like an O. Do you know any words that start with O?

I know an important word that starts with O, that has to do with our Bible lesson tonight. The O stands for Obey. We are supposed to obey God.

Tonight we're going to learn about a King named Saul who didn't obey God, and we'll find out how that worked out for him.

Additional Snack Items:

To make the snack more substantial, we served hot dogs and fruit alongside the donuts. We also provided Kool-Aid to drink.

Snacks for God's Sheep, Improved: Day Two

Tuesday:	Snack
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Lamb of God (Isaac and the Ram)
Memory Verse:	Romans 4:25
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Praising God (David the Shepherd)

Key Item: Cutout Cookies

Serve homemade cutout cookies in the shape of crosses (frosted red or brown) and sheep (frosted white, optionally with black detail, e.g. hooves and an eye). Explain that today's Bible lesson is about a time when a sheep took Isaac's place. Also, Jesus died on a cross to take our place.

Snack Lesson:

[Hold up a cross cookie.] What shape is this cookie? What does this shape remind you of? That's right, Jesus died on a cross, to take our place.

[Hold up a sheep cookie.] What about this other cookie? What's this shape? Right, a sheep. Did you know that a sheep once took Isaac's place, just like Jesus took our place? We're going to learn about that in our Bible lesson tonight.

Additional Snack Items:

To make the snack more substantial, we served tacos and chips alongside the cookies. We also provided Kool-Aid to drink.

Snacks for God's Sheep, Improved: Day One

Monday:	Snack
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Going Astray (Moses and the Rock)
Memory Verse:	Isaiah 53:6
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Obey God (Moses and the Rock)

Key Item: Popcorn

Air-pop the popcorn in full view of the kids and serve it warm, if possible. Butter, if desired, can be melted in a saucepan on the stove.

Popcorn is white and fluffy, like sheep, and when air-popped, sometimes a piece of popcorn comes flying out of the popper and flies across the room, like a lost sheep. Tell the children that, like sheep, we wander astray sometimes. Today's Bible lesson is about that.

Snack Lesson:

Hey, look at that popcorn as it comes flying out of the popper. Sometimes it lands in the bowl. Sometimes it gets lost. Some of the pieces of popcorn don't go where they're supposed to go.

Look at how white and fluffy it is. What else is white and fluffy and wanders off where it isn't supposed to go? Can you think of anything?

In our Bible lesson tonight we'll learn about how sheep sometimes wander off.

Additional Snack Items:

To make the snack more substantial, we served sandwiches (choice of ham and cheese or PB&J) and homemade chocolate chip cookies alongside the popcorn. We also provided Kool-Aid to drink.