May 22nd 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 11—Home in Rome

Acts 28

 The Holy Spirit enables believers to witness to all people.

Verse: 
“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ."--Philemon 1:6

What would it be like to live on a stranded island?

Focus:

~Paul was not harmed when a poisonous snake bit him.
~Paul healed many sick people on the island of Malta.
~Paul welcomed all who came to him while living in Rome for 2 years under house arrest.

Missionary Biography: George Mueller—Not Finished Yet

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10:45am TRU

1st-4th grade

Main Focus: Jesus Is the Good News

Great Commission

(Matthew 28:16-20)

Visit from the 5th grade teachers (introduction and Q&A).

Bell Choir Performance at Activities Center. 

Memory Verse: 

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!"--Isaiah 30:18

Game: Go and Tell the World the Good News!

Jesus is the good news!  And this good news is not for us to keep, but is for us to share.  Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission on the mountain in Galilee.  Jesus asks believers to give all they are to the work of sharing the good news of Jesus with the whole world.  

Respond: Letters to Missionaries
No one will hear the good news unless believers go and tell.  Today, we remember the missionaries all around the world in our prayers.  We spent time writing them notes to encourage them to keep up the good work!

Bless:

Jesus is the Good News. The thing about good news is that it has to be shared.  The good thing about good news is how good it is to share! 

Luke 2:10–11

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

May our children celebrate that Jesus is the Good News, and may they share His love with others.

May 15th 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 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

Main Focus: God Is Gracious

Parable of the Workers in the Field

(Matthew 20:1-16)

Anticipate: Making Money

All the stories or parables we have been studying are teaching us about who God is and what is important to Him. Sometimes it is easy to forget that money isn’t what God’s focuses upon. At the end of the day, money is just paper and you can make it yourself!  But what we need to remember is that God’s values are not the same as the world’s values and money is less important to Him than our hearts and minds and souls.

Worship with Singing: led by Youth Band

Memory Verse: 

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!"--Isaiah 30:18

In today’s Big God Story, Jesus tells the parable of the workers hired to work in a vineyard. The landowner, who represents God, gave the same amount of money to those who started to work at the beginning of the day as he did to those who started at the end of the day. The early workers didn’t think this was fair even though they received exactly what the vintner promised them when they were hired.  God is gracious.  Though His grace does not always look like what we would expect, He offers grace to everyone.

Respond: Trading Post
When we seek fairness in this world, we will be disappointed.  But God is gracious.  He offers grace to everyone.  
Bless: 

Ephesians 2:8–10:

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God … For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

May our children see God’s graciousness in their lives. May they notice the ways He shows love and kindness to them.

May 08th 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 & 9—To Caesar! Get Agrippa

Acts 25 & 26

 The Holy Spirit provides patience to believers and directs them to stand up for the truth.

 

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

"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:

~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.
~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

Main Focus: God Forgives

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

(Matthew 18:21-35)

Anticipate: Nearly Impossible Tower

While some things ARE impossible for us, nothing is impossible for God. Regardless of the circumstance He is always the same. So then whether its sheep or coins God wants us to learn to be more like Him.

Worship with Singing: led by Youth Band

Memory Verse: 

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!"--Isaiah 30:18

In the parable of the unmerciful servant, the servant owed his king a huge debt he could never repay.  Amazingly, the solution the king offers is to forgive him of his entire debt. But when the servant got the chance to forgive someone else, he forgot the mercy and forgiveness he just received from the king and decided to be unmerciful. God is the king who forgives us and we need to learn to be more like Him by forgiving others—even when it seems impossible.

Respond: Truth Tellers

Jesus told many parables to remind us who God is and what He does in various situations. Today He is reminding us that God forgives. Sometimes we have heard these stories or morals so often they become less important to us. We need a way to remember them so that when it’s needed we can respond like God does.

Bless:

Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

May our children know God’s forgiveness this week. May they forgive others as He has forgiven them.

Memory Verse May 08-May 29th

May 1st 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 6&7—Conspiracy/Clear Conscience

Acts 22-24

 The Holy Spirit protects and 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 Mission Field of Bristol, The Orphan Home Opens

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10:45am TRU

1st-4th grade

Main Focus: God Redeems 

Parable of the Lost Sheep, Coin and Son

(Luke 15:1-32)

Anticipate: Find the Sheep

To God the sheep in the story are also all equally precious, just like we are to Him. He knows each star by name and He knows each of us by name too.

Worship with Singing: led by Youth Band

Hide and Seek Connect Question

Memory Verse: 

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."--1 John 4:9

In today’s part of The Big God Story, Jesus tells three parables about a sheep, a coin and son, all of which were lost and then found. Today we will look for our own flocks of sheep. God knows us by name even as a Good Shepherd would know all his sheep. It doesn’t matter how we get lost: by mistake, by choice, by circumstance. Jesus wants to redeem all of us because each and every one of us are precious and valuable to Him.

Respond: Fishers of Men

Jesus told his disciples that they, as fishermen, could serve God by becoming Fishers-Of- Men instead. In this way they would be helping to find the lost and bring them home.  Bringing people to Jesus can be easy or hard but keeping them with Him (in the net) is harder. We need both
people who are willing to go out and be fishers-of- men AND some too stay at the net and tend to the ones already caught.

Bless:
Philippians 4:4–5:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

May our children have God’s heart for the lost. May they remember that God loves them and redeems them!  May our children bring the good news of God's redemption to their own community so that all will know that they are precious to the Lord.