Free Bible School Materials: October 2013

Hebrews 11:6

Thursday:	Hebrews 11:6
Bible Lesson:	The Beginning of the Promise: We should have faith like Abraham.
Memory Verse:	Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him, Hebrews 11:6

Explanation: Hebrews 11:6

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Explanation: Hebrews 11:6

Let's look at today's memory verse. [Show the verse and read it aloud.]

What's faith, anyhow? What does it mean to have faith in God? The rest of the verse talks about it. Look, it says right here, “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” What did [name of volunteer] have to believe about the chair? That it was there? That it would hold [him/her] up? What do we have to believe about God? That he's there? That he's real? What else? That he rewards those who earnestly seek him. What does that mean?

What does it mean to seek God? [Accept a couple of answers from the children.] Sure, you're trying to find out about God, trying to find God. What does it mean to do something earnestly? It means you're not just playing around, you're really trying to do something, really working at it. If you're earnestly seeking God, you really want know God, and know about him. The verse says we have to believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. What's a reward? [Accept a couple of answers from the children.]

Game: Hot Potato

Read the verse through a couple of times, as a group, then introduce an object that you call a potato. Explain that each person must say the next word of the verse, before they can pass on the hot potato. Run through the verse one time for practice, passing the potato around, then introduce the timer.

The goal for each child is to avoid having the potato when the timer goes off, but you have to say the next word of the verse before you can pass the potato on to the next person. (At the end of the verse, say the reference, and then the next person starts at the beginning again.) Use short times on the timer and run through the verse as many times this way as possible. (If the group is too large, split it up with a potato for each group; you can still have just one timer.) Leave the card with the verse displayed until you think the kids know the verse, then try removing it. If someone has trouble with a word, you can help them after a few seconds.

Announcement: Verse Points

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 200 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 200 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

1st Corinthians 15:22

Wednesday:	1^st Corinthians 15:22
Bible Lesson:	The Beginning of Salvation: Sin brings a penalty. Jesus paid our penalty so that we can be saved.
Memory Verse:	For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, 1^st Corinthians 15:22

Introduction: Analogies

Let's play a comparing game! A sock is to a foot as a glove is to a... [Let the children say hand.] Good. Now, a harder one: A jet plane is to air as a submarine is to... [Let the children say water.] Good! Okay, how about this one: Drink is to punch as throw is to... [Let the children suggest some possibilities, and then suggest ball if they don't come up with that.] Okay, now let's try one that goes along with our verse: Adam is to die as Jesus is to... [Let them try, and then give the answer: live.] Let's read the verse together and see how we got that answer...

Explanation: 1^st Corinthians 15:22

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

Why does it say that all die in Adam? How did Adam bring death into the world? Adam sinned, in the Garden of Eden – Adam and Eve were the first sinners. What happened when they sinned? What did God say would happen, if they ate the fruit? (“You will surely die.”) Are Adam and Eve alive today? Why not? (They died.) God took them out of the Garden, when they sinned, so they couldn't eat the fruit from the Tree of Life, and live forever. So they died, because they sinned.

Were Adam and Eve the only people who ever sinned? (No.) The Bible tells us that we all have sin in our lives, we all want to do bad things sometimes, because Adam and Eve are our ancestors – we're their great great great... grandchildren, after all these years. So we inherit their sin; Adam and Eve sinned then, and we still sin today, because we come from them, and we have their sin nature, the part of us that wants to sin. Because everybody sins, everybody has to die. But look at the end of the verse: in Christ, all will be made alive. We can get eternal life, from believing in Jesus.

Game: Faster and Slower

Let's all say the verse together. [Do this.] Now, let's see if we can say it faster. [Do this.] That was pretty fast, but can we do it even faster? [Do so.] Great. Now let's see if we can say it slower. [Do it.] Wonderful. I bet you can go slower than that. Let's say each word really slowly... [Do that.]

Who thinks they know the verse now? Do you know it well enough to say it without looking at the card? Can I have a volunteer? [Have a volunteer (or two or three, time permitting) say the verse.] Now let's see if we can all say it together, without looking. [Hide the card and say the verse. If time is left over, do it faster and slower without looking, forward, backwards, et cetera.]

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Romans 3:22

Tuesday:	Romans 3:22
Bible Lesson:	The Beginning of Sin: We are sinful and require salvation.
Memory Verse:	This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, Romans 3:22

Introduction: Sin

Today we learned how Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. Did sin stop with Adam and Eve? (No.) We still have sin with us today, don't we? We need to have our sin taken away. We need to be made righteous. What does righteous mean? It means you don't have sin in your life. Does that mean we don't sin? Does it mean we've never sinned? Is there anybody here who's never sinned? So how can we be righteous?

Explanation: Reference

[Hold up the card with the verse and read Romans 3:22]

So, how can we be righteous? Where does righteousness come from? The verse says it comes from God. God gives us righteousness. Can we be righteous on our own? No. We need God's righteousness. How do we get it? What does the verse say? It comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. What does that mean? Is righteousness just for good people? (No.) Is it just for people who go to a certain church? (No.) Is it just for people who like Ohio State? (No.) Righteousness comes to all who believe in Jesus Christ. That's how we become righteous – through faith. What do we have to believe about Jesus Christ? We have to believe that he is God. Why is it that believing on Jesus can get us righteousness? Where did he get it? He already had it, because he was God. God doesn't sin, does he? Jesus was already righteous, because he was God, and God is without sin.

Learning Activity: Sign Language

Tell the children that you're going to learn sign language for this verse. Explain that sign language is what deaf and mute people use to communicate. Show the children the sign language as you say the verse through one or two times, then teach them the sign language for each word individually, and help them do the sign for that word until they can do it. When you've done all the words, start putting them together. Make sure you and the children are saying each word out loud while signing it. Put longer and longer strings of words together until eventually the children can say and sign the whole verse.

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Acts 17:24

Monday:	Acts 17:24
Bible Lesson:	The Beginning of Creation: God created the world and deserves our worship.
Memory Verse:	The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands, Acts 17:24

Introduction: Creation

Today we learned about how God made the world, and most of the story is found in Genesis, in the Old Testament. But the New Testament talks about it some too.

Explanation: Acts 17:24

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

There is only one God, but the Bible likes to tell different things about who God is, when it tells different things that he did. When it calls him the God who made the world, it's talking about something he did – the creation story that we learned about earlier. From God's creation, we know about his power.

When the Bible calls God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, it means that he is the one who is in charge of everything that happens – both here on earth, and also in heaven. It means he's the master.

When it says that he does not live in temples made by hands, what's it talking about? Does it mean God isn't with us when we're in church, worshiping him? (No.) Does it mean he wasn't with the people of Israel, when they worshiped him in the temple? (No.) It means that God is not just in one place, and he's not only there, just because of us. God is, like the verse says, the one who created everything, and is the master in charge of everything. He's God whether we come to church and worship him or not.

So, if God is the same powerful creator whether we worship him or not, why does he want us to worship him? Is it because God gets more power if we worship him? (No, he has all the power anyway.) God wants us to worship him, because it's good for us.

Game: Clapping

Demonstrate for the children how to clap once for each syllable while talking. Do this while saying the verse through one time, with the reference. Now have the children do it with you. Repeat two or three times, until the children can clap and say the verse more-or-less together in what passes for unison. Encourage them that they're doing well, but let's see if we can do even better at staying together and all saying each word at the same time, and all clapping at the same times. Repeat until they get it right, or time runs out. Optionally, after a few times through, divide the children into two groups, and alternate the two groups in a competition to see which group can stay together better.

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

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Hebrews 11:6

1st Corinthians 15:22

Romans 3:22

Acts 17:24