May 20th Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand

1st-2nd grade 
The Bible Tells Me So Lesson 9--#8 Do Not Steal

Jacob Steals the Blessing –Genesis 27
The LORD God commands believers not to take things that don't belong to them.

Verse: 

“You shall not  steal."—Exodus 20:15

Focus:

~Taking what does not belong to you is wrong because God commands people not to steal.
~God provides everything we need.
~When we boey God's commands, we show that we love and trust God.

Missionary Biography 2: Adoniram and Ann Judson—The Death Prison

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 

Valiant Voyagers Lesson 10—Shipwreck!

Acts 27

 The Holy Spirit delivers believers from harm in order to achieve His purposes.

Verse: 
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,    since he delights in him.”--Psalm 22:8

Focus:

~A great storm threatened Paul's ship while Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner.
~An angel reassured Paul that everyone on board would safely reach Rome.
~As the ship was breaking up, Paul instructed the crew to safety.

Missionary Biography: George Mueller—Ashley Downs

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10:45am TRU

1st-4th grade 

Jesus is Freedom (Luke 12:13-34--Rich Fool)

Anticipate: Gathering Beans

Life will bring many challenges and opportunities. It’s a good thing to work hard gathering “A’s” in school or wins on the ball field or trophies in competitions as long as the pursuit of these things doesn't make us forget that God loves AND judges us for who we are, not just what we gather or accomplish.  And as long as achieving those things doesn't make us feel that we are better people than others or more important.  We may have better skills, but that does not give us the right to look down on those who aren't as good.  We do need to work hard, we need to work hard at being the person God made us to be!  That includes doing a lot of things in life that require us to do our best and then trust God for the rest.

Today we learned a parable about a Rich Fool. Was he a fool because he worked hard to

become rich? No. Was he a fool because he had many things? No. Then what exactly did he do for Jesus to 

call him a fool? He forgot that becoming rich is not the purpose of life! He lost his focus upon what is truly 

important and then it was too late to make things right. What is our purpose: to love and trust God. We are to 

do this whether we are: rich or poor; happy or sad; smart or not so smart.

Matthew 6:26-27 6

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Jesus Is Freedom activity

God sent His Son, Jesus, to set us free from our sin and from the pain our sin causes. Jesus is freedom, and He invites us to live in that freedom as His followers.

Memory Verse:

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." --John 17:3

May our children know that the Father loves them and will always take care of them.  May they know that Jesus is freedom and trust Him to give them everything they need.  May our children
rest in Him and be free from worry.

May 13th Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand

1st-2nd grade 
The Bible Tells Me So Lesson 8--—#7 Keep Marriage Holy

God's View of Marriage –Hosea 1-3
The LORD God commands husbands and wives to be faithful to their promise to God in marriage.

Verse: 

“You shall not  commit adultery."—Exodus 20:14

Focus:

~God requires people to remain faithful to their marriage vows.
~The marriage vow is a promise to be faithful to God and to the spouse.

~The marriage relationship represents God's relationship to His people. 

Missionary Biography 2: Adoniram and Ann Judson—The Zayat

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 

Valiant Voyagers Lesson  9— Get Agrippa

Acts 26

 The Holy Spirit directs believers to stand up for the truth.

 

Verse: 

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"--1 Peter 3:15

Focus:

~God provided opportunity for Paul to witness in details how Jesus changed his life and to invite his audience to become Christians.

~Agrippa told Festus that Paul was innocent and could have been set free.

Missionary Biography: George Mueller—Father to the Fatherless; Empty Plates

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10:45am TRU

1st-4th grade 

The Father Is Love (Luke 15:11-32)--The Prodigal Son

Though this Sunday was Mothers' Day, the lesson was fatherly themed.  It's about the Father's love.  

As Jesus told the disciples the parable of the prodigal son, He revealed some beautiful and amazing truths about God the Father. He is kind, compassionate, forgiving, loving, and gracious.

We talked about the father never stopped longing for his son to return home, and when the son "came to his senses", he started heading towards the right direction (repentance and asking for forgiveness), and how we should understand the heart of the father and rejoice with our God when the lost is found. 

This is a beautiful story of redemption.  And our Father in heaven today, is still welcoming us with opened arms.  When we tell Him our troubles, He forgives us and helps us.

Anticipate and Response activity: Blessing Box for Mom

Our Mother’s love is a reflection of God’s love for us. In the story of

the Prodigal Son we are reminded that His love covers all our mistakes and all our bad decisions. When we return to God and repent (say we are sorry and want to change), He will not only welcome us back but help us

do the right thing, even when it is hard. So when you hug your Mom, thank God for her too!

Memory Verse:

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." --John 17:3

May our children know that they are children of God. May they experience His love when they feel sad, confused, or lost. May they remember their Father in heaven will always respond to them in love, for He is love.

There are a few Heavenly Father verses for the children to look up at home:

2 Corinthians 6:18

Ephesians 5:19-20

Galatians 4:6

John 14:1-3

May 06 Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand

1st-2nd grade 
The Bible Tells Me So Lesson 7--—#6 Do Not Murder

Angry Words –Exodus 21:12-15; Matthew 5:21-22
The LORD God commands believers to value the lives of all people.

Verse: 

“You shall not murder."—Exodus 20:13

Focus:

~God commands believers that murder is wrong.
~Jesus equates anger against another person to murder.

~Jesus does not want people to call others hurtful names.

Missionary Biography 2: Adoniram and Ann Judson—In His Hands

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 

Valiant Voyagers Lesson 8 —To Caesar! 

Acts 25 & 26

 The Holy Spirit provides patience to believers.

 

Verses: 
"Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes."--Psalm 37:7

Focus:

~Paul appealed to Caesar for a fair trial.

~Festus wanted to please the Jews and also King Agrippa's opinion on what to do with Paul.

Missionary Biography: George Mueller—Father to the Fatherless

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10:45am TRU 1st-4th grade 

Main Focus: God Is the Lord of the Sabbath

(Sabbath--Matthew 12:1-14)

Anticipate: From the Heart

Today, in The Big God Story, we will learn that God is the Lord of the Sabbath. He is in charge and cares about what is in our hearts. He wants us to keep Him first in our hearts. Are we keeping Him first or are we so busy trying to follow each and every rule, which we will ultimately fall short on? God wants us to have hearts that desire Him at all times, not just through outward actions to simply obey rules.

Worship with singing:  Youth Band
Game: "Ring In If You Know"

Memory Verse:

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." --John 17:3

During God's creation, He worked for 6 days and dedicated one day for rest.  Of course, God is never tired, but God did this to show His people what's best for us.  God wants His people to set apart a day (Sabbath) so we can not only rest our bodies, but also love and honor Him.  However, during Jesus' day, the religious leaders added rules upon God's laws without consulting God.  They made the laws complicated to follow and led people away from God's heart.  Jesus, the Son of God, fully understands His Father's heart.  Jesus answered the religious leaders by asking them to think about what's important to God and what will honor God.  Jesus reminded them that God desires "mercy more than sacrifices".  He cares about our heart conditions and our desires to honor Him more than man-made laws and mere outward behaviors.  

RESPOND: Prayer Bottle
We take the Sabbath to show we trust God and worship Him as Lord. One way to keep the Sabbath is to set aside time to remember and celebrate who God is by talking with God through prayer. This prayer bottle can help children remember to set aside time to talk with God each
day. 

Bless:

May our children know the One who rules over everything.  May their words and their hearts honor the Lord of the Sabbath.

April 29th Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand

1st-2nd grade 
The Bible Tells Me So Lesson 6--—#5  Honor Your Parents

Joseph Honors Jacob –Genesis 47-48
The LORD God commands believers to treat parents with great respect.

Verse: 

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land theLord your God is giving you."—Exodus 20:12

Focus:

~God commands children to obey and respect their parents.
~Joseph continued to honor his father even when he's grown older.

~Honoring parents makes our lives better.

Missionary Biography 2: Adoniram and Ann Judson—Saying Goodbye

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 

Valiant Voyagers Lesson 7—Clear Conscience

Acts 22-24

 The Holy Spirit helps believers defend their faith in actions.

Verse Review: 

Acts 18:9; Galatians 5:1; Psalm 31:3; Acts 22:15; Acts 24:16

Focus:

~The Sanhedrin was divided after hearing Paul's speech.

~The Lord assured Paul that he would testify in Rome and would be protected.

~Paul's nephew thwardted over 40 men's plot of killing Paul.
~The Jews falsely accused Paul.
~Paul was a man of honor and integrity while Felix was a dishonorable man.

Missionary Biography: George Mueller— The Orphan Home Opens

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10:45am TRU 1st-4th grade 

Main Focus: Remember and Celebrate God's Faithfulness

The Feast of the Trumpets

Anticipate: Building God's Kingdom Together

God wanted His people to remember His faithfulness through the help of feasts and festivals.  The Feast of Trumpets consists of a time of rest, an offering made by fire and blowing of trumpets.  The blowing of trumpets starts off the 10 days of repentance in order for the Israelites to be prepared for the Day of Atonement.  The festival reminds believers that we are God's covenant people and it gives God's people time to remember what God had done for them and to focus on obeying and loving God, who had been so faithful to them.   

Worship with Singing: led by Youth Band
Game with Youth: 4 Corners

Memory Verse:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now life in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." --Galatians 2:20

Every quarter, our TRU children participate in the review game of ZONK! to help them remember what they've discovered during the past several weeks in the Big God Story.

Review Previous Lessons:

• God's Plan Is Best (Calling of Peter)
• God Knows Everything (Woman at the Well)
• Jesus Seeks and Saves (Zacchaeus)
• Jesus Is Deliverer  (Last Supper)
• Jesus Is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jesus Rises)
• Jesus Is Alive (Jesus Appears to His Disciples)
• Jesus Redeems (Jesus Reinstates Peter)