December 17th Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand1st-2nd grade 

Christmas Lesson--My Shepherd (Psalm 23)

Verse: Luke 2:11 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 
Powerful Messengers Lesson 3—Gentiles for Jesus

Acts 10:23-48

 The Holy Spirit fills Gentiles who believe the message about Jesus.

Verse: 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

—Romans 1:16

Focus:

~God does not show favoritism, and neither should His followers.

~Peter, a Jew, obediently shared the gospel of Jesus with Cornelius and other Gentiles.

~All who receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus also receive the Holy Spirit.

Missionary Biography: Ali Wallayat, 1857, Delhi, India

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10:45am TRU 1st-4th grade 

Main Focus: God Honors Faith

(Simeon and Anna--Luke 2:21-40)

Anticipate: Make An Ornament

We are celebrating Christmas this week and how God honors faith. What does honor mean in this context? It means that He VALUES faith, He REWARDS faith and He PROVIDES for those who believe.
He did this for the whole world by giving us Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive and is the reason we give each other gifts on Christmas—to celebrate His birth.

Worship with singing:  Youth Band
Game: Heads or Tails
Memory Verse:

"The Lord your God is with you,

 the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.”  --Zephaniah 3:17

God values faith.  He rewards those who believe and are willing to wait upon Him.  Today, we learn about Simeon's and Anna's faith were rewarded by having the opportunity to meet baby Jesus, the promised Messiah.  

RESPOND: 

Some of God’s gifts are for special occasions like the ornament we already made, some are for right now like the cookie ornaments we’ll make now… but the gift of Jesus is forever and for all the time.

Bless:

May our children's understanding of God’s great love for them grow every day, and as it does, may they have the faith to be all that He calls them to be in the power of His Holy Spirit.

December 10th Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand1st-2nd grade 

Why We Got the Bible--Christmas Lesson

Verse: 

" The Angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news.  It will be a joy to ALL THE PEOPLE."—Luke 2:10

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9:00am DiscipleLand

3rd-4th grade 
Powerful Messengers Lesson 2—Double Vision

Acts 10:1-22

 The Holy Spirit reveals that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone.

Verse: 

" Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."—Acts 10:34-35

Focus:

~God hears everyone’s prayers.

~God began to break down barriers between Jews and Gentiles.
~The Holy Spirit guides believers to make decisions that are consistent with the teaching of the Scripture.

Missionary Biography: Little Wang and Liang—1996, Hainan Island, China

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10:45am TRU 1st-4th grade 

Main Focus: The Lord Is Our Righteousness

(Jeremiah 23:5-6)

Anticipate: "Who Wants to be King" Game

Our human understanding tells us to look for kings who appeal to us--looking strong, appearing honest and loving, smart and wise.  However, the human system of electing a king falls short of God's standard.  God requires the leaders of His people to meditate His decrees all the days of their lives, to keep His commands, bear the fruits of the Spirit and to point His people to God.   

Bell Choir Performance
Memory Verse:

"The Lord your God is with you,

 the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.”  --Zephaniah 3:17

The Israelites wants to elect human kings to lead them, just like their neighboring Gentile nations.  God commands these kings to model for the people of Israelites by meditating on His decrees all the days of their lives, and keeping His commands so that they would not fall into sin.  However, most of the kings failed and turned away from God.  Instead of leading the people into worshipping God, the kings led the people astray.  God sent prophets after prophets to warn His people to repent and turn away from their wicked ways.  Jeremiah was the last prophet during the reign of the kings.  He carried an unpopular message that God would allow the people to go into exile and allow the enemies to take over their city.   Jeremiah preached for 40 years.  Yet, the people rejected God's message.  In the midst of the bad news which was fulfilled in time, God did not forget His people.  Through Jeremiah, God gave them a promise that is to come through Jesus Christ.  The future King who is to come will be all "The LORD our Righteous Savior."  Only Jesus is righteous, and through Jesus, God's people can be led back to a perfect relationship with God.  

Bless:

May our children know Jesus as their King.  May they trust Him to guide them throughout their lives.

December 03 Lessons

9:00am DiscipleLand1st-2nd grade 
Why We Got the Bible Lesson 1--The Bible Enters My Mind
1 Kings 3:2-15 (King Solomon asked God for wisdom)
God uses the Bible to develop believers mind.

Verse: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. "--Colossians 3:2
Focus:
~When people read the Bible, God's Word reaches their minds.
~God honored Solomon's prayer by not only giving him wisdom and understanding but also riches and fame.
~Missionary Hudson Taylor used his wisdom to serve others in China.
Missionary Biography: Hudson Taylor--Missionary to China
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9:00am DiscipleLand3rd-4th grade 
Powerful Messengers Lesson 1--Special Gifts
Acts 9:32-43
The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to serve others with their spiritual gifts.

Verse: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."--1 Peter 4:10
Focus:
~God has the power to heal every disease.
~God uses His people His way to accomplish His plan.
~God has given spiritual gifts to use for His glory
~Peter used the gifts of healing and evangelism.
Missionary Biography: Stephen, the First Martyr--Circa A.D. 36, Jerusalem
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10:45am TRU 1st-4th grade 

Main Focus: God's Presence Inspires Worship

(King David--1 Sam. 16-17; 2 Sam. 6)

Anticipate: A to Z Praises to God

In today’s Big God Story, God allowed King David and his men to bring back the ark to Jerusalem. Through the ark of the covenant, God's presence dwelled among His people. God's presence inspired David so much that as he and his men walked with the ark toward Jerusalem, David was filled with joy. When David and his men finally arrived and took the ark to the temple, David praised God, gave offerings, blessed the people, and sang more worship songs. We can read many of David's songs in our Bibles, in the book of Psalms. God's presence truly inspired David's worship!

Worship with singing:  Youth Band
Game: Bible Verse Dress Up
Memory Verse:
"The Lord your God is with you,
 the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”  --Zephaniah 3:17

As "a man after God's own heart", King David had a heart to worship God.  David depended on God for everything.  When David went through tough situations, each time he relied on God.  And as he spent time in God's presence, he was inspired to worship God.  He wrote numerous songs in the book of Psalm to worship the Lord.  He wrote songs when he wanted to praise God, when he was sick, when he was afraid and when he wanted to give thanks to the Lord.   God's presence inspired David to worship.  
After 92 years, the Ark of the Covenant was finally returning to Jerusalem.  As David and his men walked with the ark toward Jerusalem, David's heart was filled with joy.  David praised God, gave offerings, blessed the people, sang more worship songs and even danced before the Lord with all his might!  God's presence inspired David so much that he could not contain his joy but to praise God.
Today, when we trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit lives inside us.  His presence is all around us and inside us all the time.  We can be inspired to worship God!

RESPOND: Psalm Frames

David wrote psalms to praise God for His goodness. David also wrote psalms as he talked to God about hard things such as fear and sin. Even in hard times, we can still praise God for being in control and for loving us.

Bless:

May God’s indwelling Holy Spirit inspire our children to worship Him.  May our children worship God in all that they do.