How to Follow God s Plan

Transcription

1 How to Follow God s Plan Lesson 2: God s Plan for Every Christian TM.com

2 How to Follow God s Plan TM Lesson 2 God s Plan for Every Christian Unit Summary Many people, including Christians, settle for a very self-focused life goal to arrive at death safely, with as much comfort as possible along the way. This is hardly God s best! Though the world offers fun and excitement, only the Lord s plan promises deep, rich fulfillment (John 10:10). God makes available a life of adventure when believers pursue the purposes for which He made them. What a privilege to introduce children to this journey! We can help kids elevate their perspective to see that life can be thrilling when they follow God s plan. We can help children develop a Biblical worldview, a broader view of God s purpose in the world and what His plan is for every Christian. We can help children learn how to understand what God s specific plan is for them and how to form an action plan to experience everything God has for them. This series will help your kids discover God s will for their lives! They will learn that growing in Biblical knowledge, in Christlike character, and in godly conduct are key to fulfilling God s wonderful plan. Lesson Summary Our goal in this series is to guide children toward understanding that God has a unique plan for their life. Last week we began the series by looking at God s broad plan for the world; this week we look at His general plan for all Christians. In order to put ourselves in the place where we can discover God s specific plan for us, we must first come to faith in Christ and learn to walk in obedience as Christians. In this lesson, children will learn what it means to be a disciple (or follower) of Jesus and to walk in the light. Kids Disciple Targets In this lesson, your children will... Know Walking in the light means following in Jesus footsteps Feel Hopeful about the good things God has in store for them Do Ask God to help them walk in the light each day who grasp this truth at a young age will begin to see God work in their lives early on, and this experience will lead to a lifetime of fellowship with God and a life of adventure in pursuing God s will for them. Paul s Power Principle: A disciple is a follower of Jesus.

3 SUPPLIES General Supplies Bibles, puppets, video projection (optional) Pencils, pens, paper Spark Interest WELCOME!: no additional supplies LET S PLAY!: no additional supplies CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS: none Explore Scripture LET S LEARN: coach s gear KEYVERSE: none Inspire Action DRAMATIZE THE POINT: camping gear PowerPoint Presentation As you plan your lesson, select PowerPoint slides that correspond to the lesson elements you choose. In the Slide Sorter View, you can rearrange and/or delete the slides as necessary. For descriptions of the included slides and tips on their use, see the notes accompanying each slide. SPARK INTEREST Choose from the following activities and ideas to engage kids and grab their attention. How to Follow God s Plan Lesson , DiscipleLand. All rights reserved. Karl Bastian / Kidology.org Welcome! Follow the Map Make a map of your meeting room; the map should indicate each seat. Duplicate the map so that there are as many copies as there are seats. Ahead of time, mark each map differently with a different seat marked with an X and draw a line leading all over the room to that chair, like a treasure map! As children arrive, give each one a map and tell the child to follow the map to find the correct seat. (Note: Some kids might trade maps in order to sit with their friends or swap maps with others; that s okay. The point is the fun of following the maps to their seats.) Let s Meet-n-Greet! Greet the kids around you. Have the kids tell each other what state or country they were born in and some of the places they have lived. At the end, share some of the places kids came from, and tell them that even though we all are from different places, God s plan was that we all be here today! Leaders, be sure to stop whatever you are doing to move through the audience and greet the children, especially those you do not recognize. Announce any birthdays for the week. (See the How to Use DiscipleTown guide for quick and easy ways to acknowledge visitors and birthdays.)

4 Let s Worship! During the worship time, be sure to comment on and focus on God s desire for all Christians to know, love, and worship God. Talk about how we desire to follow Jesus and live for Him. Recommended Song: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, public domain Puppet Intro Leader & puppet introduce today s lesson. You will find a scripted version of this intro at the end of the lesson. Supplies: puppet Leader brings out puppet, who is acting all jittery and hyper. Leader asks what is wrong with him, and with a shaky voice puppet says nothing is wrong. Leader keeps asking. Finally it comes out that puppet didn t sleep all night. When leader asks why, puppet says it is because he read that the lesson today would be on walking in the light, so he left lights on all night and didn t sleep. Instead, he walked on his treadmill all night. When he got tired he drank soda and blasted music to stay awake. Leader explains that walking in the light doesn t mean to keep the lights on and keep walking! It means to live (or walk) in the knowledge (light) of what we have learned. Puppet says that he is confused. Leader says, Okay, let me give you an example. When you are tempted to talk back to your mom, why shouldn t you do that? Puppet says, Well, you shouldn t because Ephesians 6:1 says to honor your father and mother, and it even says it is the first commandment with a promise that it will go well with you and you will live long upon the earth. Leader says, Wow, I m impressed with your knowledge! You know the Bible well. But what if you saw something you wanted in the store, but it was too expensive to buy, but you could easily fit it in your pocket and steal it? Puppet acts shocked at the thought and answers, No way! Don t you know that 1 Corinthians 6:10 says, nor thieves nor the greedy nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God? Leader says, Exactly! See, you know the Scriptures very well and understand that doing wrong has consequences. You make your decisions based on what you know. This has developed your character, and your character affects your conduct. That s all it means to walk in the light! Puppet answers, Oh, in that case, can I ask you a big favor? Leader says, Sure, anything. Puppet says, Can I go to bed now? Leader says sure. Puppet instantly falls over as if dead and immediately starts to snore. Leader carries the snoring puppet offstage. Let s Play! Follow Instructions Game Supplies: envelopes Ask for two volunteers who are outgoing and willing to look a little silly for a prize. But mention that they must be good at reading and following directions. In this game, boys against girls works well, or you can pick one boy and one girl to start with, since you will need to pick replacements as they mess up. When the contestants come up, give each an envelope with the following instructions inside. Explain that they are exactly the same instructions, only in a different order so that they can t just follow what the other is doing; also, it will be harder to tell who is winning until the end. (It is important that the first line be included in small print!) PLAYER 1: Read these instructions all the way through; then do what they say. 1. Jump up and down ten times. 2. Run and touch the back wall, come back, and yell, I m back! 3. Say the alphabet facing backwards. 4. Pat the leader on the head.

5 5. Go knock on a door. 6. Sing Row, Row, Row your Boat all the way through fast. 7. Turn around three times. 8. Sit on the ground and yell, I m so silly! 9. Say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious three times super-loud. 10. Do only number 4; then yell, I m all done! PLAYER 2: Read these instructions all the way through; then do what they say. 1. Turn around three times. 2. Sing Row, Row, Row your Boat all the way through fast. 3. Jump up and down ten times. 4. Run and touch the back wall, come back, and yell, I m back! 5. Sit on the ground and yell, I m so silly! 6. Pat the leader on the head. 7. Say the alphabet facing backwards. 8. Say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious three times super-loud. 9. Go knock on a door. 10. Do only number 6; then yell, I m all done! Most kids will start out doing everything on the sheet and fail to notice the instruction Read these instructions all the way through; and then do what they say line. Therefore, you can let them go for a while they may even finish and then announce that nobody won because they did something wrong. Then choose another contestant. After a while you can start interrupting the game sooner. Eventually a kid will read it all first, do only the correct item, and win. The Point: A lot of people have a Bible and are trying to follow it, but they are doing so in a haphazard way so they end up making a lot of mistakes in life that could have been avoided if they had been reading the Bible carefully! Connect with Your Kids Children often assume that the Christian life is easy for adults and that it is only children who find it difficult. It is important for us to be authentic with them and let them know that it is a lifelong struggle to trust, obey, and follow Jesus. Was there a time in your life when it was hard to follow Jesus? Talk about it. Do not get too specific or share details that are not appropriate for children, but it is important for them to know that you have struggled and that God has helped you through those times. How did it work out? It will encourage them to know that God will help them, too. Many of the children you are teaching are going through very trying times. Don t be fooled by their childish behavior they need your encouragement and the hope you can share. Connection Tip: If you are sharing something personal with children and want to share something from your heart, get off the stage. Walk out into the audience. Consider taking a stool out into the center aisle and sitting on it to talk, or sitting on the edge of the stage. Anything to break the usual standing-on-stage-authority-figure persona that they are used to. This is unusual and will draw them in.

6 DiscipleTown Visitor Find a script version of this segment at the end of this lesson. City Planner Cindy*: A woman carrying large scrolls is walking by. Leader asks who she is. She explains that she is the city planner. She is planning where some new roads will be going in DiscipleTown. DiscipleTown needs new roads so that more cars can drive around in town and to ease traffic congestion. She says that as a town grows, careful planning must be done so that the town can continue to grow and improve. The leader says that as Christians grow, God also has careful plans for us so that we too can continue to grow and improve in our Christian life. *CHARACTERS: These are suggested characters and names. Please feel free to change or adjust to suit your kids needs and tastes.

7 EXPLORE SCRIPTURE Seize on the children s interest and direct them into God s Word. Let s Search! Bible Dash Supplies: Bibles Ask all kids with Bibles to participate, or invite a few volunteers to come to the front. As children hold Bibles closed with hands on covers, state the Bible reference twice, then on the command SEARCH! have the students race to locate the verse. Once they have a finger on the verse, they can stand and call out, FOUND IT! Have the first child read the verse aloud while you project the verse on a screen via PowerPoint. See suggestions below for comments on each verse. Keep your comments brief and to the point of the lesson. Psalm 33:11 Ephesians 1:11 John 8:12 John 11:9 Isaiah 50:10 God s plans last forever. God will work out His plan according to His will. Jesus is the light of the world. Walk in the light and you will not stumble. Those who walk in darkness should stop doing so. Paul s Power Principle: A disciple is a follower of Jesus. Let s Learn! God s Plan for Every Christian 1 John 1:7 Supplies: coach gear (see below) Dress like a coach for this part of the lesson. Put on a hat and a hooded jersey; carry a stopwatch and a whistle. Put your lesson on a clipboard, and hold a football or basketball while you teach. (Adapt the talk to fit whatever sport you most enjoy.) Act as if you are recruiting for a team. Explain to the children that when they become Christians they become a part of God s team! God is like the owner, captain, and coach of the team! (If you are using football as your sport, you can even add that He is like the quarterback who is calling the plays and tossing the ball; the children are like the teammates who get to play all the other positions on the team!) And here is the best part of it: we already know that we are on the CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM! But if you were on a team and somehow were told you were the champion team, would that make you lazy? Or would it make you play harder? When it comes to our Christian life, unfortunately, being on the winning team does seem to make some Christians lazy. But it should motivate us to play our very best, because the truth is that God is a rewarder of those who work hard! Let s look at four things the Bible says are God s plan for any Christian who wants to be victorious as a member of God s team. 1. Trust and Obey! (Proverbs 3:5-6) Show a puzzle piece, along with the box it is from. Even when things don t make sense, when we are playing on God s team we trust the coach, understanding that He is looking at the bigger picture, has been around longer, and knows plays that we don t. You may be seeing only one piece of a much bigger puzzle that God is putting together a puzzle that involves lots of other people who are holding other pieces of the puzzle.

8 God has the box, and He sees the big picture that He is putting together! Trusting the coach is the key to winning. 2. Delight in the Lord! (Psalm 37:4-5) Show a small wrapped present. People often think of God as a boss; but remember, He called Himself Father because He loves us and enjoys giving us good things. He wants to give us the things we desire, but first we must choose to obey Him. When we choose to obey Him, He can even change our desires so that we want what He wants instead of selfishly demanding our own way. It s like with our earthly parents. When we are obeying and cooperating, they do things for us. When we are disobeying and being bad, we are in trouble and things don t go as well. 3. Seek godly guidance! (Proverbs 15:22) Show a cell phone. Christians who have the humility to ask for advice and help will always be winners! It is when we think we know it all or when we are afraid to ask for help that we get in trouble and make unnecessary mistakes. God wants to help us; we need only ask (John 16:24)! 4. Walk in the light! (1 John 1:7) Show a flashlight. Walking in the light is God s way of saying, Live according to what God has shown you. When you walk in obedience to what you have learned, you won t stumble. (John 11:10; people stumble in the dark.) The more you learn, and then live by what you have learned, the better off you will be. When we didn t know any better, we made a lot of mistakes; but now that we do know better, we need to live for God. Click here to change text Suggested Bible Narrative Abraham & Isaac Genesis 22 God tested Abraham with a great test. Abraham obeyed even when he knew that his son was supposed to be the one to bring him many descendants. But God had a plan to save Isaac. Hebrews 11:17 19 shows that Abraham was so sure of God s promise that he just figured God would raise him from the dead in order to keep his promise! Abraham is a great example of someone who knew that God s plan can t be thwarted, not even when God seems to ask something that appears to contradict what He has already said! We need to simply trust and obey no matter what knowing that God is in control and that He will work things out! Dee s Disciple Tip: Every day you are following it is just a matter of what or who. Decide today that it will be Jesus! KeyVerse Topic: God s Plan for Us Reference: Jeremiah 29:11 Display the KeyVerse and have the children review it and repeat it several times. See if any can say it from memory yet. This week, focus on the word prosper and the promise of hope and a future and what that means. Express great excitement for what that means for each and every child. Point to individual children while saying for you and you and you to as many children as possible. Make sure they understand that for each of them God has a plan to prosper them and give them hope and a positive future.

9 INSPIRE ACTION Encourage kids to apply the Bible truth to their lives. Dramatize the Point Act this out or read as a story. Supplies: tent, Crazy Campers PowerPoint, same actors from Lesson One For this week, have the tent from last week already set up. Start with a passing comment about how good it was to find the instructions and get the tent set up correctly. Have one of the campers suggest a late-night hike! Turn out the lights in the room, and have the campers go on an imaginary hike around the room. As they do, have them pretend to bump into trees and trip over rocks and even fall into holes. Eventually, they come upon a cave and go inside. They all walk with their hands out in front of them. The leader finally says, What is this? It feels soft and furry and warm. (If you can play the sound effect of a bear or animal growling over the sound system, that would be ideal.) The campers run out of the cave and back to the stage, tripping as they go. One of them can comment that perhaps they should have brought flashlights! The Point: As we follow Jesus, we need to walk in the light by following God s Word and being in communication with God through prayer. When we walk in darkness, we risk getting hurt! Object Talks The Gold Ore and the Watch Supplies: video projection The video clip for this lesson features Karl, the Kidologist, doing a short object lesson featuring a bag of gold ore and a pocket watch. They discuss the importance of becoming more pure, more like Jesus, while there is still time, and how God uses the trials of life to refine Christian character. Use this short teaching video to show the kids or to train a leader to do the talk live. Featured verse: 1 Peter 1:7; Philippians 1:6 Let s Talk! Small Group Discussion On the way to small group time, the leader should lead in a short game of follow the leader and lead the group to a new place to meet, perhaps even outside the normal meeting room for this week. Use the following questions to help children process what they ve learned: 1) Do you play on a sports team? If so, what sport? If not, what sport would you like to? 2) What is it like to win? To lose? What if you KNEW you were on a winning team? How would that change things? 3) When is it hard to trust and obey God? 4) What do you think it means to delight in God? 5) Is there something you want advice or counsel about? 6) When is it difficult to walk in the light?

10 on presented by month day year Awarded to for Bringing a Friend award DiscipleTown Super Citizen Throughout the service, have your leaders watch for a child who followed directions well. At the end of the service, reward that child with the Super Citizen Certificate. Let s Pray! Dear God, thank You for the amazing promise in Jeremiah 29:11 that You think about each of us, and when You do, it is with a plan for us and with hope for a good future for us! We are so blessed that You have chosen to invite us to be a part of Your team in order to impact this world with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Help us to trust and obey You and to delight in You every day. When we have struggles, remind us to seek godly counsel, not only from You, but from those we know who follow You. Teach us to walk in the light so we won t stumble along the way. God, we want to follow You and be Your disciples every day, in every way, even when it s hard. In Jesus name, amen! Cy s Challenge: Follow your parents directions the first time! Let s Review! If you have extra time, use these review questions to keep the kids focused on the lesson until time to dismiss. A handful of candy will help you keep their attention. After each question, take a minute to reiterate the lesson point related to the question. For a twist on review questions, tell the children that you will give them a piece of candy if they can ask YOU a good question from the lesson! Have the following questions available on slips of paper that you can give to a few children to get it started: 1. A disciple is someone who (a) likes, (b) loves, (c) follows, or (d) obeys Jesus. 2. What did God ask Abraham to do? 3. To walk in the light means to. 4. If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will. 5. When you become a Christian, you become a member of God s.

11 For the Home DiscipleTown Table Talker: Give each child a copy of this week s DiscipleTown Table Talker. Be sure to show the kids how to put it together and encourage them to ask their parents to lead family devotions three times this week. Parent Copy and send the below to help your parents connect with their kids during the week. Send them early in the week, but not on Sunday. As a courtesy, be sure parents have opted to receive these s. Review and edit as necessary to reflect the lesson elements you have used. You can also find this as a Microsoft Word document in your download bundle. Dear Mom and Dad, This week in children s church, we continued our series How to Follow God s Plan. Our goal in this series is to guide children toward understanding that God has a unique plan for their lives. Last week we started by helping them see God s broader plan for the world; this week, we looked at God s general plan for all Christians. It is only through coming to faith in Christ and learning to walk in obedience as Christians that we can put ourselves in the place where God s specific plan for us can be discovered. This week, your child learned what it means to be a disciple, or a follower of Jesus, and to walk in the light. Children who grasp this truth at a young age will begin to see God work in their lives early on; this will lead to a lifetime of fellowship with God and a life of adventure in pursuing God s will for their lives. If you haven t already, please take advantage of the DiscipleTown Table Talker your child brings home. This easy-to-use family discussion starter will help your family engage in fun and thoughtful discussions on the topics we are learning about in children s church. The activities are simple and fun, but the discussions will be meaningful and thought-provoking. I look forward to hearing back from you as to how this series and your discussions at home are having an impact on your child s life. Please let me know how I can pray for your child. If there is a way I can be a resource for you, please don t hesitate to ask! Making young disciples, [Your Name] 10

12 BONUS MATERIALS Use these options to extend your time or as substitutes for the ideas above. Chip s Snack Time! Supplies: graham crackers, Cheez Whiz Give the children a large graham cracker and Cheez Whiz and have each one make a map of their room with the Cheez Whiz before eating. They will have fun showing each other the details of their maps. Casually explain that just as they made maps of their rooms from memory, God knows every detail of their lives from the past through the future but how their lives turn out will depend on how much they trust and obey and walk in the light. Group Activity Small groups can plan a short field trip to another part of the church or to the snack room. Kids partner up for this activity. One kid is blindfolded; the other kid leads the partner either by voice only or by holding the partner s hand. They can switch for the trip back. The point can be made that the blind one needed to trust the partner on the journey. In life, we can t see the future or where we are going in life but we can trust God, who can see the future and guide us there! Additional Ideas Parent Coupons: When it comes to obedience, this is most practically applied with children s own parents. Have the children make coupons for their parents. Each coupon should feature a task the child s parents are always requesting. Some examples could be taking out the garbage (without complaint), cleaning my room, or cleaning out the birdcage (or cleaning up after the dog). The children will know what coupons their parents would love for them to make. Flashlight Stickers: Consider making a sticker that the children can go home and put on a family flashlight. (Instruct them to get their parents permission, of course.) The sticker could simply say WALK IN THE LIGHT and have 1 John 1:7 printed out below it. This will serve as a reminder of this lesson whenever the flashlight is used. 11

13 Puppet Intro World Leader DIRECTOR S NOTES The words in italics are notes for you and your puppeteers; they are not to be read aloud. During this skit, puppet will act jittery and hyper. Leader: Hey, [puppet name]. What s wrong with you? Puppet: Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Leader: C mon. You don t seem yourself. Puppet: Fine. I m fine. Fine. Fine. Fine! Leader: Are you sure...? Puppet: Sure. Sure. Well, I didn t sleep at all last night. Leader: Wow. How come? Puppet: I saw that the lesson today was walking in the light. Leader: It is... Puppet: So I left the lights on last night and didn t sleep. Instead, I walked on my treadmill all night. When I got tired, I drank soda and blasted music to stay awake. Leader: [Puppet name], walking in the light doesn t mean to keep the lights on and keep walking! It means to live or walk in the knowledge the light of what we have learned. You need to stop taking everything so literally. Puppet: I still don t get it. Leader: Okay, let me give you an example. When you are tempted to talk back to your mom, why shouldn t you do that? Puppet: Well, you shouldn t because Ephesians 6:1 says to honor your father and mother, and it even says it is the first commandment with a promise that it will go well with you and you will live long upon the earth. Leader: Wow, I m impressed with your knowledge! You know the Bible well. But what if you saw something you wanted in the store, but it was too expensive to buy, but you could easily fit it in your pocket and steal it? Puppet: No way! Don t you know that 1 Corinthians 6:10 says, nor thieves nor the greedy nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God? Leader: Exactly! See, you know the Scriptures very well and understand that doing wrong has consequences. You make your decisions based on what you know. This has developed your character, and your character affects your conduct. That s all it means to walk in the light! Puppet: Oh, in that case, can I ask you a big favor? Leader: Sure [puppet name], anything. Puppet: Can I go to bed now? Leader: Of course you can. [Puppet instantly falls over as if dead and immediately starts to snore. Leader carries the snoring puppet offstage.] *PUPPET: Develop a puppet character to use regularly. The children will get to know the personality and enjoy these regular visits. Dee, Cy, and Paul puppets are available at DiscipleLand.com How to Follow God s Plan Lesson , DiscipleLand. Permission granted to reproduce for volunteers.

14 DiscipleTown Visitor Script DIRECTOR S NOTES The words in italics are notes for you and your volunteers; they are not to be read aloud. A woman carrying large scrolls walks by. Leader: Excuse me, miss. Those are mighty big rolls of paper you have. What are you doing with them? City Planner Cindy*: I m going over some plans with the city council. I m Cindy the City Planner. Leader: Nice to meet you. What exactly does a city planner do? Cindy: Well, in this case I m planning where some new roads will be paved in DiscipleTown. Leader: Really? Cindy: Yep. The city needs new roads and improvements to existing roads to ease traffic congestion and to allow more cars to move around town. Leader: Wouldn t some cold medicine clear up that congestion? [Obviously pleased at the joke.] Cindy: [Ignores the attempt at humor.] This is serious stuff. As a town population grows, I must plan carefully so the town can continue to grow and improve. Leader: So, you re saying these plans are made way in advance? Cindy: Absolutely. A good plan helps us avoid problems before they even arise. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. [Leans into leader.] That s a real medical analogy. Leader: Ahem. Speaking of analogies, what you do reminds me of God. Cindy: [Flattered.] It does? Leader: Sure! God also has careful plans for us so that we can continue to grow and improve in our Christian walk. Cindy: So God is like a people planner. Leader: Yes! And to avoid unnecessary problems, we d do well to follow His plans. After all... Cindy and Leader: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! *CHARACTERS: These are suggested characters and names. Please feel free to change or adjust to suit your kids needs and tastes. How to Follow God s Plan Lesson , DiscipleLand. Permission granted to reproduce for volunteers.

15 Curriculum Map (DiscipleTown Units in no particular order) How to Worship God How to Use My Bible How to Show Respect How to Pray How to Be Faithful Workers How to Love God How to Memorize God s Word How to Be Global Christians How to Grow Spiritual Fruit How to Make Good Friends How to Walk in the Spirit How to Be Jesus Disciple How to Build Character How to Navigate the New Testament How to Explain My Faith How to Earn Eternal Rewards How to Follow God s Plan How to Make Good Choices How to Navigate the Old Testament How to Study My Bible How to Know the Truth How to Discover Gifts and Talents How to Walk Victoriously How to Meet with God Each DiscipleTown Unit will teach your kids an essential how to skill to become victorious disciples of Jesus! TM.com