GKidz Barnabas Club Small Group Guide Faithfulness Lesson 4 Keeping the Faith

Transcription

1 Date: 23 & 24 May 2015 GKidz Barnabas Club Small Group Guide Faithfulness Lesson 4 Keeping the Faith Memory Verse: And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NIRV) Bible Passage: 1 Kings 19:1-18 Learning Objectives: 1. Children will learn that they have to wait upon the Lord when they are discouraged. 2. Children will learn to listen to God s voice. Materials Needed: God s Promises Activity Page (GKidz to provide) Annex A (GKidz to provide) Annex B (GKidz to provide) A. CONNECT (15 mins) 1. Have the children give thanks for something that encouraged their faith and trust in God this week. 2. Have the children share whether they have tried inviting their friends to any GKidz outreach events. And have them share their struggles and success stories. TRANSITION INTO THE WORD Leader says: I believe when you reach out to pre-believing friends, it is either because God spoke to you to do it, or because you were obedient to the instructions of your pastors and leaders. Some of you had success in inviting your friend and maybe even your friend s parents come back to church after your first invite. Or, some of you might have a group of 3-4 friends who came to GKidz all at the same time, but then after that one visit, you have problems re-inviting them back, and then you become discouraged and you stop trying. How many of you have ever been discouraged in the process of being faithful or loyal to God? Do you remember Elijah whom we have read about a few weeks ago? Even this great prophet who was so faithful and loyal to God became discouraged. Let s read more about how God helped him overcome his discouragement so that he could continue serving God faithfully. 1

2 B. INTO THE WORD (20 mins) Recall: A few weeks ago, we learned how God showed His power at Mount Carmel. Elijah had all the prophets of Baal come to the mountain to make a sacrifice. They asked Baal to light a fire on the sacrifice, but he did not no one answered. But God proved Himself as the true God when He sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. Afterward, Elijah had all the false prophets of Baal killed. Today we will pick up in the Scripture right after that story. Have the children read 1 Kings 19:1-18. Ask the following questions: 1. Why was Elijah so fearful of Jezebel even though he had just seen God show His power at Mount Carmel? (Ans: Even though he knew that God was in control and could protect him, but the fear of Jezebel overwhelmed him. Jezebel was so angry that Elijah killed all the prophets of Baal that she sent a message to him, vowing to kill him. This is probably not the outcome Elijah had expected. He was probably thinking to himself that after the epic encounter, Jezebel and all the Israelites would give up their worship of Baal and turn to worship his God. Instead, he was going to be killed and he was the only prophet of the LORD left. ) 2. Elijah was so discouraged that he wanted to die. He used to show great faith and courage in the Lord at Mount Carmel, but now he felt exhausted and afraid. What did God do to give him what he needed to get through this difficult time? (Ans: God provided food for him and it strengthened him. Then he was strong enough to travel into the desert to Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai, the mountain where God gave the people of Israel His Law. This mountain was always associated with God s presence for the people of Israel. Then, God met Elijah with His Presence on the mountain and spoke to him.) 3. Why did God not show up in the wind, earthquake or fire? (Ans: Elijah most likely expected God to show up in a big and powerful way. Instead the presence of God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper. God wanted to show Elijah that His ways could be unpredictable, yet they were still full of His goodness. ) 4. Was God s Presence far away from Elijah s life when he was discouraged and fearful? (Ans: No, God was always there. He provided Elijah with food and water for his long journey. He showed up in a gentle whisper and spoke to Elijah. God never leaves us and never forsakes us. God will always remain faithful to us. ) 5. How did Elijah keep the faith? (Ans: God met Elijah with His Presence to encourage him.) Transition from INTO THE WORD to APPLICATION Leader to say: Have you ever felt discouraged? Were there times when you made the right choices, and things still went wrong? We would most likely respond like Elijah, who responded to God in a very human way. Some of us might even run away like Elijah. What should we do at such times? We should go to God instead. We can go to 2

3 Him with our questions and frustrations. He knows how we feel, and He is willing to listen to us. He desires to encounter us and has also given us His Holy Spirit to help us keep the faith and not give up. Let s look at two godly ways we can always find strength in God when we are discouraged. C. APPLICATION (20 mins) 1. Encountering God through His Promises We must remember that God never promised that we will have an easy journey in life, but He assured us that He would always be by our side. We must read His Promises that are all written in His Word so that we can be strengthened by Him. Distribute God s Promises activity pages and let the children read the passages and answer the questions on the page. 2. Encountering God by Listening to His Voice Have the children keep completely quiet for thirty seconds and make note of eight different sounds they hear. After thirty seconds, allow a few of them to volunteer to share what they heard. Then, ask them to do this activity for another thirty seconds, but let them know that they cannot name the two loudest sounds. Ask them the following questions after the activity: o o o Was it hard to sit silently for thirty seconds? Why or why not? What new sounds did you notice in the second round? How can we listen for God s voice when we are surrounded by the noise of friends, Internet or the TV? Teaching Point: Another way we can find strength from God is to hear from Him directly. Hearing God s voice often requires patience and discernment. Sometimes we must be very still and listen very quietly carefully because we have lots of things (friends, social media, entertainment media, parents) speaking into our lives! Learn to listen to God quietly. Let s remember the memory verse that in all that we go through, even if we have to suffer, God will never let us down. And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NIRV) 3

4 D. OUTREACH (10 mins) Share with the children that even when they are reaching out to their friends, they can ask God for guidance by listening to His voice. There were many testimonies about how God guided the children whenever they carried out the Treasure Hunt activity during camps. The children would start by keeping still and quiet to ask God for clues for the person that God wanted them to bless that day. This person would be the treasure that the children would be hunting for. At the last Catch the Fire Camp, there was one group of boys who sat down to listen to God and they received these clues (Show Annex A). There was a name that was very uncommon Lorenzo. The amazing thing was that the boys found a treasure that fitted the clues, which they received from God. As a result of finding their treasure Lorenzo, they could pray a prayer of blessing for him. In the same way, as the children invite friends for the Champion Camp and the Holiday Programme, they can listen to God for clues for which He wants them to invite. Then pray and step out to invite the people God shows them. Right now, take some time to be still and listen to God and let God give the children guidance about inviting friends for Champion Camp or June Holiday Programme using the Treasure Map in Annex B. Reference: RIO Preteen Leader s Guide, Summer

5 Annex A 5

6 Draw any visions or pictures that the Holy Spirit shows you: Write a word of knowledge in each category: Location/Relationships (School, Tuition Centre, Classes, Cousins, etc) Person s Name Person s Appearance Person s Prayer Need (healing in knees, tumor, stress, etc) 6