BAPTISTWAY PRESS Dallas, Texas baptistwaypress.org. Adult Bible Study in Simplified English. Teaching Guide. Living Faith in Daily Life.

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1 BAPTISTWAY PRESS Dallas, Texas baptistwaypress.org Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Living Faith in Daily Life Bob Coder

2 Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Living Faith in Daily Life Copyright 2010 by BAPTISTWAY PRESS. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for a church to make as many copies of this publication as needed for use within its ministry. Copies of this publication are not to be sold, distributed, or used in any other manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations. For information, contact BAPTISTWAY PRESS, Baptist General Convention of Texas, 333 North Washington, Dallas, TX BAPTISTWAY PRESS is registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIFE Version, Copyright 1969, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, Christian Literature International, P. O. Box 777, Canby, OR Used by permission. Identified by N.L.V. First edition: May 2010 BAPTISTWAY Management Team Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas Randel Everett Director, Education/Discipleship Center Chris Liebrum Director, Bible Study/Discipleship Team Phil Miller Publisher, BAPTISTWAY PRESS Ross West Language Materials Team Writer for Living Faith in Daily Life Teaching Guide Bob Coder, First Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas Editor for Living Faith in Daily Life Teaching Guide Jennifer Carson, First Baptist Church, New Braunfels, Texas Director, Office of Intercultural Initiatives Patty Lane 1

3 Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Introduction for Teachers T he purpose of this teaching guide is to provide teachers with a plan for teaching a quality Bible lesson while helping participants improve their English language skills. Use of this material is suggested for International Sunday School classes or any Bible study group taught at a Basic English level. The Teaching Guide begins with listings of the Lesson Focus, Focal/Background Text, and Memory Verse, all of which provide the premise for the lesson. This information is followed by a teaching plan under headings of,, and. At the end of each lesson, Supplemental Teaching Ideas are provided under those same headings. As the teacher, you may pick and choose from these helps to use along with the student s Study Guide to fit the lesson to your class members abilities and needs. The Bible text printed in the lesson material is from the NEW LIFE Version of the Bible (NLV), an inexpensive translation (not a paraphrase) which uses only an 850-word vocabulary. The NLV is available from Christian Literature International, P. O. Box 777, Canby, Oregon 97013; christian@canby.com; telephone (orders only) The NLV Bible often uses simplified phrases to express terms generally familiar to anyone raised in a Christian environment. In the Teaching Guide, these terms will usually be expressed using the NLV terminology, followed by the more common term in parentheses; for example, proud religious law-keeper (Pharisee) or early preacher (prophet). The teacher has the option of using the NLV term for new Christians or beginning students, or the common term where it will be better understood and less cumbersome in teaching. Once a word or phrase has been introduced in the Word List or teaching procedures, however, the familiar expression may be used to help students add it to their vocabulary. Prayer is sometimes specifically suggested in the teaching procedures. It should be an integral part of your lesson plan. Use your own judgment as to where it best fits into the teaching session. The writers and editors wish you success and give you prayerful support in your teaching of this Adult Bible Study in Simplified English. Adult Bible Study in Simplified English is published by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and follows the same curriculum plan as the Bible Study for Texas materials, but has no Texas emphasis. Teachers may wish to purchase Bible Study for Texas lesson comments and teaching guides as additional resources. These may be ordered through your church or directly from the Sunday School/Discipleship Division, Baptist General Convention of Texas, 333 North Washington, Dallas, TX , baptistway@bgct.org; FAX ; or toll-free telephone About the writer Bob Coder is retired and lives in Allen, Texas. His wife, Lenora, died in November Bob is a member of the First Baptist Church of Richardson where he is co-director of a senior adult class. Bob has previously written teaching procedures for youth Sunday School lessons. After taking early retirement, he and his wife served for three short-term mission assignments in Zimbabwe, Africa and London, England. Since returning from the mission field, Bob has written several previous Teaching Guides for this Adult Bible Study in Simplified English curriculum. 2

4 Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Suggestions for Teaching General Suggestions 1. Provide language edition Bibles so students can read the focal passage in their native languages. 2. Beginning students may require three sessions to complete one lesson. 3. Review the Word Study before beginning the study. Provide page (see resources) for class to keep vocabulary studies in their notebooks. 4. Prepare 9-12 core sentences which tell the most important part of the Bible focal text. Illustrate each sentence with stick figures and symbols in picture sequence form (see details below). 5. Prepare lesson outlines or written materials before class make your own cling sheets by cutting apart white plastic garbage bags and writing on them with markers. The plastic bags will cling to the wall. Bible Comments/Focal Text 1. Help students hear English and practice their pronunciation by modeling phrases and sentence. Allow the entire class to repeat. Be consistent with stress and intonation. Speak naturally. 2. Allow individual students to read a sentence or paragraph at a time. For further practice, ask students to tell sections from Bible comments in their own words. 3. When time allows, pairs may read the lesson again to each other. 4. Class may close books and listen as a native speaker reads the section again. 5. Discuss lesson using Things to Think About. Memory Verse 1. Challenge class members to say the Memory Verse several times each day. 2. Provide Study Sheets for students to write Memory Verses. 3. Write phrases or individual words on separate pieces of paper. Give to students to place in order. 4. Write entire verse on board. Read in unison. Erase key words a few at a time. Recite verse until entire verse is erased and class can repeat by memory. 5. Make a symbol for each word or phrase of the verse. 6. Use the symbols as a reminder for saying the verse. Picture Sequencing (Lipson Method) This method is especially suited for teaching beginners. It consists of a series of pictures with accompanying sentences that tell a story. It may be used solely for oral production (using pictures alone) or for integrated skills (engaging students in reading and writing the story). You may use real pictures, videotape, pictures that are professionally drawn, or stick figures Other benefits include the following: 1. Relaxed, low-anxiety atmosphere as students focus on the pictures and create their own sentences to tell the story Focus on fluency, not just accuracy Focus on a message or task rather than form or grammar Minimal error-correction as students tell the story 2. Pictures (even stick figures) convey meaning in every language. 3. The same set of pictures can be used with more than one level of students by making the sentences easier or more difficult. 4. The use of pictures helps students learn the language in chunks rather than words in isolation. 5. The only item needed is a piece of chalk or a marker, if using a cling sheet or overhead transparency. Preparation 1. Put a story into sentences that are suitable for the level of your students. Try to tell the story with a maximum of ten sentences. For low beginners, choose the simplest and fewest words possible. Keep sentences in their most basic form, so students can combine sentences later. 2. Draw simple pictures or stick figures to illustrate key points in the story. These serve as prompts for the telling of the story. Other drawing tips: An x in a small square beside a picture enables you to cue for a negative as you tell the story. Direct quotations may be indicated with a cartoon-type bubble. 3

5 Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Suggestions for Teaching Procedure 1. Introduce the story by following your prepared script of sentences (for consistency) and pointing to the pictures as you speak. This will give students the main idea and help them think in chunks of language (as in real-life language use). 2. Introduce the new words as you again reference the pictures. Use props and/or dramatization as needed to establish understanding. Work on individual sounds and word stress as students repeat new words. 3. Lead students in repetition of the story, one sentence at a time, working on sentence stress and intonation. 4. Lead the class in one more repetition of the story (going straight through and continuing to refer to the pictures throughout the story). 5. Ask the class to tell you the story as you cue the story sequence by pointing to the pictures. (You become stage prompter at this point.) 6. Then ask for a single volunteer to tell the story. (This may open the door for several more proficient students to use what they know.) 7. Divide the class into small groups of 3-5 students to give each person practice in telling the story. (Inevitably, the most eager student will go first, followed by another semi -eager student. By the time it is the least proficient student s turn, he/she will have learned a lot by listening, will have observed a good model at least a couple of times, and will have bolstered courage for risk-taking.) 8. Follow with questions to review story (begin by naming the setting, the characters, etc. easy questions). 9. Conclude with life application questions that require some thought and give students opportunity to express opinion, emotion, and their own ideas. Lesson Expansion If the setting and circumstances permit, use these ideas: Sequencing pictures (a set for each pair of students) while listening to you or to a taped voice tell the story Picture sequencing without hearing the story told Matching pictures and sentences Scrambled sentences to arrange in order (writing numbers or letters in front of sentences to show sequence; cutting up sentences and moving around to position correct order) Strip story (cutting up sentences, issuing one strip per student, asking students to arrange themselves in order, having them retell the story by contributing the portion on their paper strip) Cloze (supplying a written copy with every n th word blank; students work in pairs to fill in the missing words) Dictation (teacher or student telling the story while students write what they hear) Provide a copy of the sentences for each student. Ask that they read the story to a partner. Ask students to write the story in their own words. Bible passage as content for reading Procedure: 1. Tell the parable or story using pictures. Use animation and simple sentences. 2. Ask questions about the main idea of the story. 3. Read story aloud while students follow along and underline unknown words. Go over the meaning of these words with the whole class. 4. Intermediate or advanced students: Have students read silently a second time to look for answers to two or three questions about details that you have written on the board. Ask students to discuss their answers with a partner. Then go over answers with the whole class. 5. Beginning or low-intermediate students: Read story again and ask students to repeat it with you line by line. 6. Invite the class to read the story with you in unison. 7. Ask pairs to read the story to each other. 8. Ask for volunteers to tell the story in their own words. 9. Make drawings large enough for the back row to see. 10. Select a list of new words in the story unfamiliar words that the students would not likely be able to figure out from context (generally 8-10 new words per lesson). 11. List the new words in categories: verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs. When listing verbs, you may write both simple present and past tense forms (e.g., eat/ate, walk/walked). Basic beginners would do well to tell the story in present tense, but high beginners could work in present tense, then retell the story in past tense. 4

6 Checklist for Successful Classrooms Right Kind of Input 1. New language in every lesson 2. Input that is slightly above the students' current level of proficiency 3. Content relevant to the students' real-life needs and interests 4. Language learned in meaningful chunks, not words in isolation 5. Comprehensibility achieved by use of the following: Realia or authentic materials Simplified language (rephrasing, repeating, clear enunciation) Demonstration and multiple examples rather than explanation Lots of gestures and nonverbal language Low Anxiety Environment Students should not be afraid to make mistakes or take risks in language learning. The following factors contribute to a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere and build a sense of community: Personally greeting and bidding farewell to students Sincere and frequent affirmation Minimal error correction from the teacher Frequent reference to the culture(s) of the students Smiles and laughter that are commonplace Connecting with students through eye contact and positioning yourself on students eye level Calling students by name Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Suggestions for Teaching Checklist for Real-Life Interaction 1. Pace activities with a balance of noisy/quiet and still/active 2. Attention to different learning styles (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic) 3. Variety in grouping (predominately pairs and small groups of three or five; using whole class in initial presentation and again for feedback and wrap -up at the end) 4. A focus on a task or message rather than form (grammar) 5. Provision for all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) 6. Avoidance of questions for which answers are known 5 7. Use of information gap activity in which partners have different pieces of information and must ask each other questions in order to fill in their gaps of understanding 8. Other useful activities: surveys, interviews, roleplay, problem-solving, and interactive games 9. Review previous material. Some suggestions based on material developed for the EFL Training Manual Beyond our Borders.

7 Adult Bible Study in Simplified English Teaching Guide Resources for Living Faith in Daily Life From BaptistWayPress Posted a week in advance of the first Sunday of use. Teaching Resource Items: Go online to and click on Teaching Resource Items. Permission is granted to download these teaching resource items, print them out, copy as needed, and use in your class. From EasyEnglish EasyEnglish is a form of simple English developed by Wycliffe Associates (UK). This site contains Bible commentaries, Bible translations, Bible studies, and other materials written in simple English. The materials are free to download and use. Additional Teaching Plan: Enrichment teaching help is provided in the Internet edition of the Baptist Standard. Access the free Internet information by checking the Baptist Standard website at Call to begin your subscription to the printed edition of the Baptist Standard. 6

8 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 1: Knowing God in Daily Life Page 7 Teaching Guide Lesson 1: Knowing God in Daily Life Lesson Focus Because God knows us so well, we should seek to know Him in our everyday lives. Bible Text Psalm 139:1-12; 23-24; Proverbs 3:5-6 Memory Verse Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) 1.Introduce the class to the term quarter. Use four quarters and a one-dollar bill to explain how a quarter is one-fourth of a dollar. Say: In time, a year is made up of four quarters. Each quarter is one-fourth of the year. There are thirteen weeks in a quarter. Go on to explain that our Bible study lessons are written quarterly so that we have thirteen lessons in each quarter. Note that we usually study just one book of the Bible in a quarter. Add that we do sometimes study two or three books in a quarter. Finally, refer to the introduction to this study on page 2 of the study guide. Read the introduction and then relate how each lesson this quarter talks about a different way God helps us through our everyday lives. Call attention also to how the Bible texts are taken from two to four books in each lesson and verses are taken from twenty-one different books for this quarter of study. 2. Say: Think of a close friend. How did you get to be such good friends? Listen to responses and bring out such ideas as these: you met, you enjoyed talking and being with that person, the two of you feel close to one another, you have the same feelings about life, you trust each other, and you can talk openly with her or him. You may want to jot these down briefly on the board and suggest any that have not been mentioned. Then ask: Have you met God? Have you made Him your best friend? Do you talk openly with God in prayer? Do you trust Him? Do you feel close to Him? Can God trust you? Urge class members to know God as their best friend in their daily lives. 3. Ask: How much do you think God knows about you? Say: I want us to read a part of the Bible text that may surprise you. Call for someone to read Psalms 139:1-6 with the rest of the class following along in the study guide. After the reading, ask each person to read silently through the first seven paragraphs from The Power of God in the study guide. After a couple of minutes, call on a class member or two. Remind each one that God is watching. Then ask each one whether she or he will be more careful about what they think and do from now on. 4. Let another person read Psalms 139:7-12 to the group. Then relate the comments in the last four paragraphs of The Power of God about God s great love. Ask: If God loves us that much, how can we love God any less? 5. Instruct the class to read Psalms 139:23-24 silently. Allow plenty of time for the silent reading, then say: The psalmist asked God to be a part of his life. He asked God to make any changes needed in his life. Will you trust in God to allow Him to make changes in your life? Read to the class the section in the study guide entitled I Will Pray. 6. State that we now come to the last part of the Bible text, Proverbs 3:5-6. Begin at the top of the board and write verse 5 as shown below: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not trust in your own understanding -Proverbs 3:5 Identify this as the memory verse for this lesson. Suggest that the verse is very easy to learn. Point to each of the underlined phrases in order and read one phrase at a time to the class. Finally, request one or two class members to read the verse individually, phrase by phrase, and then lead the entire class in reading it one

9 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 1: Knowing God in Daily Life Page 8 last time. (Suggestion: Write this verse on the board before class and allow it to remain there for the class to view, without comment, until you begin this step.) 7. Say: Proverbs 3:6 finishes out the thought of verse 5. Read verse 6 and then use I Will Trust God in the study guide to affirm that, if we trust in God, He will provide a much smoother road for us to follow. 8. Say: This lesson has is called Knowing God in Your Daily Life. We learned earlier that you cannot know everything about any other person. Suggest that we can, however, say the prayer of the psalmist in Psalms 139: Ask everyone to look at those verses again. Then lead them in reading the same two verses as a prayer to God. Lead the class to notice how personal the verses from Psalms 139 are. Observe how in verse 1 the psalmist says, Oh, Lord, You have looked through me. Point out how the psalmist repeats me and my and I. He does not use we or us or them. Refer especially to verse 23 (the memory verse) and 24 where he says look through me and try me to see if there is any sinful way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever. Stress that the psalmist must have been very close and personal with God. Suggest that we should likewise be very close and personal with God when we pray. Supplemental Teaching Ideas Provide a brief explanation of psalms and proverbs. Refer to the word list for the definition of a psalm. Explain that psalms were often used in public worship. Say: Some of the psalms gave praise to God. Some thanked God for his loving-kindness (mercy). Some told about great sadness. State that the psalms talk about every part of life. Say: Proverbs were little stories or wise sayings. They were passed from one person to another. People remembered the proverbs because they told about something important in life. Tell how both the psalms and the proverbs were written down by the teachers of the Law (Scribes). Add that, later, many of the psalms and many of the proverbs were put together in books that became parts of the Bible. (Alternate Step 3) Request a class member to read Psalm 139:1-6 from the Bible text. Stress that, as the psalmist said in verse 6, it is too much for us to understand. State that God does expect us to try to understand Him. Ask: How can we do this? How can we have a better understanding of God? Lead the class to identify such ways as reading the Bible, praying often, meditation, attending Bible study and church worship services, or making Christian friends.

10 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 2: Using Work Skills Page 9 Teaching Guide Lesson 2: Using Work Skills Lesson Focus All work and work skills are given to us by God to be used in serving Him. Bible Text Exodus 35:30-35; Proverbs 6:6-11; Colossians 3:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 Memory Verse Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. (Colossians 3:23) 1. Say: Let s start by looking at two words. Direct the class to refer to the word list and find the words skills and talents. Explain that skills are something you learn to do well. Then describe talents as special gifts God gives to some people. Give as an example that you can learn the skill of building a house, but you must have talent to sing well, or paint pictures or write stories. 2. Because of the difficult names in these verses, either you or an assistant should read Exodus 35:30-35 from the Bible text. After the reading, say: Verse 30 tells us that God called Bezalel by name to build the meeting tent (tabernacle). Point out that, today, when we talk about someone being called, it is usually to a job in the church. Say: This tells us that God calls people to do other kinds of work. He doesn t call them just to do work for the church. Go on to explain how Bezalel was a man who had both talent and skills and could also teach his skills to others. 3. Recall from the previous week s lesson that a proverb is a little story or wise saying that teaches a lesson. Explain that Chapter 6 of Proverbs tells of a father teaching his son some important lessons about life. Direct attention to the next part of the Bible text, Proverbs 6:6-11. Call on a class member to read those verses aloud. Ask: What was this father trying to teach his son here? Refer the class to read God Tells Us We Should Use Our Gifts in the study guide. Instruct them to read that story silently. Then lead the class to identify the main point of the proverb as being that a person must work or go hungry. Point out that the ant is a good example for us to follow. Stress that ants work hard without a boss watching over them. Say: They somehow know where to go and what to do. They work hard to do the job. Further emphasize that whatever our job and however small it may seem, God has called us to do that job, and He wants us to do it well. 4. Suggest that the next two verses may change the way you feel about work. Refer to Colossians 3:23-24 in the Bible text. Mention that in verse 22 (not part of the Bible text), we learn that Paul was talking to slaves. Say: This is what Paul said to these slaves. Immediately begin reading the two verses of Bible text. Note that verse 23 is the memory verse and encourage the class to memorize it. Say: Think about this! You are the slave boss. You have one worker who is lazy. You have another worker who always does good work because he is working for the Lord. Which worker are you likely to be hard on? Let a class member then read the comments under God Tells Us How to Use Our Gifts in the study guide. 5. Comment that we have one more part of the Bible text that talks about work. State that these last verses come from Paul s second letter to the church at Thessalonica. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 as the class members read along silently. Describe how, in the verses just before this, Paul told how he and his helpers had worked and paid for their own food. Continue, citing how Paul had heard of some men who would not work. Question the class as to what Paul said about such men in verse 10. Then, ask a class member to read God Wants Us to Work from the study guide. 6. Say: All work and work skills are given to us by God to be used in serving Him. Follow immediately with the memory verse to conclude the session.

11 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 2: Using Work Skills Page 10 Supplemental Teaching Ideas Without encouraging answers, ask a series of quick questions: Do you have a job? Where do you work? Do you have your own business? Do you work at home? Do you work in a factory? Do you work in an office? Do you like the work you do? Do you ever feel like a slave? Would you be happy if you didn t have to work? Would you like to just stay at home and do nothing? Remark that those are hard questions, but the lesson today may cause you to change the way you think about work. Question the class what they have learned from this lesson. Ask: How will you think and act differently when you go back to work next week? Encourage each person to do their work in a way that would please God. Mention that if they please God, they will please their boss as well. Engage early-arriving class members in a lively discussion of ants. Share information you have gathered from encyclopedias or the Internet. Ask each person what they know about ants and their work habits, how many different kinds of ants there are, what things we can learn from ants, etc. Try to develop the idea that ants keep busy and work together as a team. Begin by asking if anyone in the class has ever seen the Walt Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Explain that a dwarf is a very small man with very short legs. Mention that this was a cartoon movie for children but that adults enjoyed it too. Recall the names of the dwarfs: Happy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc, Bashful, Dopey, and Sleepy. Describe how all through the movie the dwarfs went around their workplace whistling and singing a happy little song called Whistle While You Work. Then question individuals about what they do at work. Do they whistle and sing while they work? Are they happy, bashful, dopey, sleepy, or grumpy? Explain that we will be talking about how we do work as we study the lesson today. Provide some information about the meeting tent that God called Bezalel to make. Describe it as a tentbuilding with a large courtyard around it. Explain that Bezalel made a special box and a special room for God. This room was always kept dark like the night. Only the high priest could enter this room, once a year, to honor God. Only the priests could enter the second room, where they honored God. The courtyard was a large rectangular area around the meeting tent. A high wall went around the courtyard. The people could make their gifts given on the altar (sacrifices) inside this courtyard, but they could not go inside the meeting tent itself. (See Exodus 25-27, for further details.)

12 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 3: Resting Is Not a Choice Page 11 Teaching Guide Lesson 3: Resting Is Not a Choice Lesson Focus Rest, like work, is part of God s plan for human life. Bible Text Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Psalm 127:1-2; Mark 6:30-32 Memory Verse Remember the Day of Rest, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God told you. (Deuteronomy 5:12) 1. Display a facsimile of a stop sign or simply draw the familiar octagonal shape on the board with the word STOP in the middle. Question the class as to why we have stop signs, why the stop sign is red (red means danger), and what may happen if you go through a stop sign without coming to a full stop (accident or ticket). Say: God has given us a special stop sign. It tells us to STOP work after six days. On the seventh day, we are to honor the Day of Rest. 2. Say: Last week s lesson was about work. This week we will talk about rest. State that one of God s Ten Great Laws says this: Remember the Day of Rest to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). Question the class as to what it means to rest. Help them understand that it means to stop working and relax or be at ease. Stress that rest, like work, is part of God s plan for human life. 3. Refer to Things to Think About in the study guide. Ask the questions one by one and encourage responses. For the third question, you may need to define benefits as good or helpful things that happen. 4. Ask a class member to read Deuteronomy 5:12-15 from the Bible text. Suggest that each person take a pencil or pen, if they have one, and draw a line under the words rest and holy in verse 12. Repeat verse 13, pause, and then repeat verse 14a. Allow a moment for class members to absorb that emphasis, and then question the class about the last part of verse 14. Ask: Who does this verse tell us should not work on the Day of Rest? Lead them to conclude that you, your family, anyone working for you, even your animals or a stranger who happens by none of these should work on the Day of Rest. Point out that verse 15 simply reminds the people of Israel that they were once slaves in Egypt and were made to work even on the Day of Rest. Add that this makes the point that they should allow their own slaves to have a day of rest as well as themselves. 5. Say: Here s what I would like for you to do now. Put yourself in Jesus place for a minute. Lay the background: Jesus had sent His twelve followers out to many small towns and villages. He had given them powers to teach and heal. They had worked hard. They had healed many people. They had told the people about Jesus. The followers did all of those things. Then they came back to Jesus. They told Him all that they had done. The crowd got larger. The people wanted more teaching. They wanted to be healed. At this point, pause and ask: What do you think Jesus should say to the tired missionaries, or do? Listen for appropriate responses, and then read Mark 6:30-32 from the Bible text. Say: Jesus knew the twelve followers were tired. They had worked hard. They needed rest. So He took them away in a boat to a place of rest. 6. Use the study guide section Jesus Teaches the Disciples to Rest to summarize the Bible text and its application to our own circumstances. Supplemental Teaching Ideas Tell the story of Anna Elneich as told in the study guide introduction. Explain a generation as the time it takes one set of children to grow up and have children of their own about 30 years. Use a digital camera or electronic device to take a few pictures of someone at rest in a chair, recliner, lying on a couch, or nested outside in a hammock. The persons in these pictures do not necessarily need to be asleep, but

13 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 3: Resting Is Not a Choice Page 12 may be reading, watching TV, listening to music, etc., but must clearly be at rest. As class members arrive, display these photos on the device or as prints. As they view the photos, ask what the person in each picture is doing. Try to bring out that they are resting, or at rest. If you have difficulty in getting this response, hand them a copy of the study guide and ask them to look for the answer to your question in the lesson text. Begin by asking if anyone in the class has ever seen the Walt Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Explain that a dwarf is a very small man with very short legs. Mention that this was a cartoon movie for children but that adults enjoyed it, too. Recall the names of the dwarfs: Happy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc, Bashful, Dopey, and Sleepy. Describe how during the movie the dwarfs went around their workplace whistling and singing a happy little song called Whistle While You Work. Then question individuals as to what they do at work. Do they whistle and sing while they work? Are they happy, bashful, dopey, sleepy, or grumpy? Explain that in our lesson today we will look at how we should feel about work. Provide some information about the meeting tent (tabernacle) that God called Bezalel to make. Describe it as a tent-building with a large courtyard around it. Explain that Bezalel made a special box and a special room for God. This room was always kept dark like the night. Only the high priest could enter that room, once a year, to honor God. Only the priests could enter the second room, where they honored God. The courtyard was a large (rectangular) area around the meeting tent. A high wall went around the courtyard. The people could make their gifts given on the altar (sacrifices) inside this courtyard. (See Exodus 25-27, for further details.) Say: Some people must work on the Day of Rest. Firemen and policemen must work to keep us safe. Doctors and nurses sometimes must work in hospitals. They care for people who are sick or have been hurt. But many other people work in stores, shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and at gas stations or sports arenas, or driving trucks. Explain that most of these do get a day or two off for rest other than Sunday. Question class members as to what is good and what is bad about people working on Sunday. Then ask them what they can do to help keep some people from having to work on the Day of Rest.

14 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 4: Enjoying God s Gift of Life Page 13 Teaching Guide Lesson 4: Enjoying God s Gift of Life Lesson Focus When we follow God s way of life, we find fullness of joy. Bible Text Psalm 16:7-11; Ecclesiastes 5:18-20; Luke 7:31-35 Memory Verse You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever. (Psalm 16:11) 1. Refer to the introduction at the beginning of the study guide. Ask the question: How can I find happiness? Use the first paragraph and perhaps add a comment or two of your own to get the class thinking about the question. Then make two reading assignments. Let the first person read the two-paragraph story of Miguel, the painter. Then ask the second person to read the two-paragraph story of Bob, the plumber. Point out how the joy these two men had came from their hearts. Then write on the board the acrostic from the study guide, as follows: J e s u s O t h e r s Y o u r s e l f Express the thought that by placing Jesus first and then others before yourself, you will always have JOY (spelled downward) and find happiness in your life. 2. Refer to the first part of the Bible text in the study guide, Psalm 16:7-11. Explain first that the person who wrote this psalm had apparently had something bad happen to him (see Psalm 13). State that he felt as if he was near death at some point in his life but that God had given him new life. Assert that he now feels secure; he is full of joy and thankful for God s help. Read each verse slowly and deliberately from the Bible text. Use comments from the study guide section God Wants Us to Have a Joyful Life as well as these: Verse 7 We all have a little voice inside us (conscience) that tells us what is right and what is wrong to do. The psalmist said that God taught him even during the night. God told him what was right to do. Verse 8 The psalmist says that he has placed the Lord in front and that He is at my right hand. Observe that this places the Lord in what would be considered the strong points of the psalmist s life. Verse 9 The psalmist said that his heart, soul, and body all felt joy because of God s presence. Verses The psalmist had joy again because God had saved him from almost dying and made him feel safe and secure again. 3. Introduce the next book of the Bible in this study, Ecclesiastes. Explain that the first words of the book tell us that these are the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem (Ecclesiastes 1:1). Say: This was Solomon, the king of Israel, who was very wise. His kingdom grew very large. He became very rich. But Solomon later turned to a sinful life. He lost God s favor. His words at this time, though, still have the same wisdom as when they were first written. Allow someone to read Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 from the Bible text. Refer to the comments from God Gives Us the Joy that We Need in the study guide. Point out that we all need certain things food, water, air to breathe, and a home. Emphasize that God provides us with those things as our pay for work. Say: Those things not riches are what give us joy in the Lord. 4. Request a class member to read Luke 7:31-35 from the Bible text. Say: Jesus asked what the people of that day were like. He answered His own question. They are like children playing in front of stores. Comment that the parents were probably shopping in the stores. Refer to Jesus Speaks to Us about Joy in the study guide. Comment on the differences between John the Baptist and Jesus; that is, John led a very simple and basic life while Jesus went among people who were sinners.

15 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 4: Enjoying God s Gift of Life Page 14 Draw comments from the study guide as needed to bring out that fact that the people of [that] day didn t want to play by the rules. Emphasize that those people didn t simply turn away from either John the Baptist or Jesus; they turned away from the message of God. 5. Go back to the stories of Miguel, the painter, and Bob, the plumber. Question class members to see what stories like these they might tell about their own jobs. Say: These are the kind of people we need to try and be like. Be like them and put JOY in your life. Supplemental Teaching Ideas Ask: Have you ever noticed how some people always have a happy face (draw a smiley face on the right side of the board) and others always look sad (draw a sad face on the left side of the board)? Call attention to the lesson title and ask: Which one of these do you think is enjoying the life God gives? Follow up with the question: Which do you want to be? Say: Today s lesson will tell you how to have a happy face because you are living a life that pleases God. Instruct the class to look at the four questions from this lesson s Things to Think About. Say: These are really things for you to think about. Sometimes we do not like to talk about such questions openly. You can think about the first three questions on your own. But let s look at Question 4 and talk about it. Read the question aloud. Suggest that it requires only a simple yes or no answer, but that it is really deeper than that. Encourage class members to offer their thoughts on the question. Finally, state that the answer to Question 4 takes us back to Question 3, How can you share the joy of God s gift of life with others?

16 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 5: Reaching Out to Others Page 15 Teaching Guide Lesson 5: Reaching Out to Others Lesson Focus God s people are to reach out to their community in a way that shows others the love of God. Bible Text 2 Kings 7:3-9; Nehemiah 2:17-18; 4:6; Luke 10:30-37 Memory Verse You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. You must love Him with all your soul. You must love Him with all your strength. You must love Him with all your mind. You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Luke 10:27b) 1.Begin by asking the three questions in the study guide from Things to Think About. Say: I want you to think about those questions as I read the story at the beginning of the study guide. Direct the class to follow in the study guide as you read. When you come to the word destiny, refer briefly to the word list definition. To further clarify the meaning of this word, state that Mr. Booth had found a purpose in life; he had found what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Emphasize that he thought of it as his destiny. Continue reading the last part of the story. Comment that the Salvation Army now does work in countries all over the world reaching out to people their neighbors in need. Explain that the word salvation (as in Salvation Army) means saving. Emphasize that William Booth and his wife spent the rest of their lives saving and helping people who were poor and hungry. 2. Ask: Have you ever started something and then you realized that what you were doing was wrong, so you stopped and started doing what was right? Say: We begin the lesson today with a story about four men who had that happen to them. Listen Instruct the group to follow in the study guide as you read 2 Kings 7:3-9. Then ask a class member to read Four Men Bring Food to a City from the study guide. 3. Set the scene for the next story, as follows: The city of Jerusalem had been captured by the armies of Babylon many years earlier. The walls had been broken down and the gates had been burned. Most of the Jews had been carried away to Babylon and made to live there. Over the years, as they gained more freedom, many people returned to Jerusalem to live. But the walls of the city were still broken down. No one tried to build the walls back again. There was a Jew in Babylon named Nehemiah. He had not returned to Jerusalem but still thought of it as the holy city of the Jews. He learned from some travelers that the walls of the city had not been built up again. This news disturbed him. Nehemiah had done well in Babylon. He had become wealthy and important there. Because of his high position, Nehemiah asked the king of Babylon to make him governor of Judah. The king agreed. So Nehemiah went to Jerusalem as governor and led the people to build up the walls and make the gates of the city strong again. 4. With the scene set, request a class member to read Nehemiah 2:17-18 from the Bible text. Then use People Who Wanted to Work to show how Nehemiah led the people to build a strong wall around Jerusalem again. Finally, read Nehemiah 4:6 to the class. 5. Comment that our next story is one of the great stories of the Bible. State that it is called The Picture Story Of The Good Samaritan. Explain that Samaria was at one time part of Israel but that it had been captured by an enemy nation. Say: The Jews did not like the people of Samaria. Call on someone to read Luke 10:30-37 from the Bible text. Give attention briefly to the man who knew the Law (in the verses just prior to the Bible text). Say: He wanted to trap Jesus. Instead, he got caught in his own trap. Then go directly to the parable. Comment that the first two men who passed by the man lying on the road were religious men. Say: They didn t want to take the time or get themselves dirty by helping the man (who was likely a Jew himself). And besides, it was dangerous with thieves possibly nearby.

17 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 5: Reaching Out to Others Page 16 Explain that the Samaritan man not only stopped to clean up and bandage the man s wounds, he put him on his own donkey and led the donkey to the inn as well. Add that he spent his own money to pay the keeper of the inn to care for the man. 6. Say: In this lesson, we have seen three good examples of people reaching out to others. Recall the three incidents and perhaps list them on the board, as follows: Say: Just remember these words and you can remember the rest of the verse easily. Encourage volunteers to say the entire verse just looking at the key words on the board. Add that the last line is easy for us to remember. Relate the line: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Then ask: That s what we do in church, isn t it? (1) The men with the bad skin disease who helped a city (2) Nehemiah, who helped the Jews build up the walls of Jerusalem again (3) The Good Samaritan who saved a man from dying Remark that these three stories should help us watch for ways we can reach out to others and help them in some way. Say: Who knows? One of us might start another group like William Booth did with the Salvation Army. But we are more likely to help people in small ways. The idea is to be willing to help people and not to just walk on by on the other side of the road. Supplemental Teaching Ideas As an introduction to the story of Nehemiah, describe the importance in Bible times of a stone wall with strong gates. Explain that this allowed the people to control who came into the city. Mention also that it gave them the means to defend the city from its enemies. Emphasize that the wall was very important to the safety of the city and its people. Explain that the skin disease (called leprosy) that the four men in the first story of this lesson had was greatly feared by the people of that day. Emphasize that the disease was so bad that people who had the disease were made to live away from the city. State that what the four men did, then, was even more an act of kindness since they were not even allowed to live in the city that they helped. Call attention to the memory verse in the study guide. Let someone read the verse. List on the board the key words: heart, soul, strength, and mind. Then read the verse stressing these words.

18 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 6: Welcoming Strangers into Our Lives Page 17 Teaching Guide Lesson 6: Welcoming Strangers into Our Lives Lesson Focus As Christians, we are to show hospitality to strangers who come into our lives. Bible Text Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Matthew 25:34-40; Luke 14:12-14; Hebrews 13:1-2 Memory Verse Keep on loving each other as Christian brothers. Do not forget to be kind to strangers and let them stay in your home. Some people have had angels in their homes without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2) 1. Advise the class that you would like to read them the story at the beginning of the study guide. Instruct them to follow the story in the study guide as you read. Point out that the couple in the car had no children with them, but the Dallas family had at least two daughters. Say: The couple in the car was thankful for the hospitality. The daughters saw the charity of their parents toward strangers. Identify the title of this lesson as Welcoming Strangers into Our Lives. 2. Refer to the first subtitle in the study guide, God Reveals Himself to Us. Question the class as to what this section says about God. Encourage them to read out loud some of the words or sentences that describe God, such as great, powerful, personal, etc. You may want to jot down a few of these on the board as they are called out. Allow someone from the class to read Deuteronomy 10:17-19 from the Bible text. Summarize to say that God does what is right for people who have no means of support; that is, women whose husbands have died (widows), children who have no parents (orphans) and strangers. Say: Those are the three examples that are given. But this passage has more to say about strangers. Reread verse Explain that the next set of verses have Jesus talking about what will happen when He returns to earth. Describe the scene as set forth in Matthew 25:31-33 (not a part of the Bible text): Jesus is sitting on His throne of greatness. All the angels are with Him. All the nations are gathered before Him. Jesus divides the nations. Some He puts on the left side. Some He puts on the right. Advise the class that you will now read Matthew 25:34-36 from the Bible text and begin reading. As you finish reading verse 36, remind the class that this was Jesus telling how it will be when He does return. Finish reading Matthew 25:37-40 from the Bible text. Question the class as to what verse 40 means. Summarize responses to say that anytime you help a stranger in need, you help Jesus it s as simple as that. 4. Explain to the class that Luke 14:11 is not part of the Bible text but it will help us understand what Jesus is talking about in the verses that follow it. Present the verse written on poster board or newsprint, or simply read it, as follows: Whoever makes himself look more important than he is will find out how little he is worth. Whoever does not try to honor himself will be made important. - Luke 14:11 Question the class as to how often the words of that verse prove to be true. Remind them to keep this verse in mind as we read from the Bible text. Let someone then read Luke 14: Mention that the host of this meal was a proud religious law-keeper (Pharisee) and that the guests all thought of themselves as important. Explain that they were falling all over themselves with everyone trying to get the most important seats around the table. Say: Jesus just pointed out to the host the foolishness of it all. Suggest that if the proud religious law-keeper had followed Jesus suggestion, the poor, the people who could not walk, and the blind would have been happy to have any seat in the house. 5. Enlist a class member to read Jesus Teaches Us to Welcome Strangers from the study guide.

19 Living Faith in Daily Life Lesson 6: Welcoming Strangers into Our Lives Page Refer to the last two verses in the Bible text, Hebrews 13:1-2. Recall the story at the beginning of the study guide about the couple stranded in Dallas after the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference. Observe that this is exactly what these two verses are talking about. Point out that these are also the memory verse selection. Read the verses as a closing admonition to welcome strangers. Supplemental Teaching Ideas Call attention to the first two questions from Things to Think About in the study guide. Say: Both are about strangers. The first asks about a time you helped a stranger. The other talks of when a stranger helped you. Encourage class members to mention any time they or anyone in their family has helped a stranger or has been helped by a stranger. If needed, offer a story about you or someone in your family who gave or received help from a stranger. Talk with the class about differences in the treatment of strangers between the world today and Israel in the first century. Describe how in Biblical times, travelers usually walked long distances along dusty paths wearing sandals. There were few safe places to stay for the night, especially for Christians. A man with a tent and family would often invite a traveling stranger to stay for the night. The man would bring a pan of water and wash the traveler s feet. They would talk. It was a good thing for the man to show hospitality to the stranger. Explain how there were stories of how sometimes the stranger turned out to be an angel who blessed the man and his family. Contrast the way we think of strangers today. We teach our children not to speak to strangers. We are wary when a stranger comes to our door. Point out that in controlled circumstances, like at the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference, where the story in the study guide took place, we are more likely to help a stranger. Note that our Bible text verses today do not seem to limit the need to help a stranger to safe situations. Point out also that in our cities today, we usually have places to help people who are hungry and homeless. Emphasize that we, as Christians, can help to support such places, but we are still told by the Bible text to help the stranger who comes into our lives.