DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: AUDIO STORY

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1 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs Freedom From Fear GRADE LEVEL: 3, 4 OBJECTIVE: To lead students to know that Jesus in our lives can free us from fear. In This Lesson Plan: Audio Story: Answering the Call (4:35 minutes) - Summary (for teacher) - Introduction (to read to students before playing the audio) - Discussion questions (after playing the audio) Story Time: Every Last Drop (read to the students) - Discussion questions - Class activity - Worksheets (2) + Teacher s KEYS Class Project Ellen G. White Quotes DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after playing the audio) 1. How do you think James felt when he heard the warning to stay away from the schoolhouse? 2. What would you have done? 3. Have you ever seen or heard an angry group of people? Describe the way they act. 4. Do you think James was aware that his life could be in danger? 5. Who was the man who came to help James? 6. Did James know that God was going to rescue him this way? Why was he not afraid? AUDIO STORY Answering the Call (4:35 minutes) SUMMARY (for teacher): James White travels to a town and begins a series of evangelistic meetings at the schoolhouse. At the end of his first meeting, a man stands up and challenges him. He is furious with James s teachings and threatens to break up future meetings. James refuses to be intimidated by the threats and returns to preach the next night. An angry mob surrounds the schoolhouse and begins shouting and throwing snowballs into the building. But James continues to talk to the crowd as best as he can, and by the end of the meeting, nearly a hundred people stand to request prayer. As James exits the schoolhouse, the mob grows louder. Suddenly a man appears by James s side and escorts him through the mob. After they pass through the mob, James turns to thank the man, but the man is not there. INTRODUCTION (to read to students before playing the audio): James White had traveled to a town and was holding 1 Freedom From Fear: 3 rd & 4 th

2 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs evangelistic meetings at the local schoolhouse. Some people became very upset with James White because of the message he was preaching. They threatened him, telling him to stay away. What should he do? There were many people who wanted to hear God s Word, but if he showed up at the schoolhouse again, there would be an angry mob waiting for him. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after reading the story) 1. How would you feel if God told you He would dry up every drop of water in the entire ocean before He would let you drown? 2. What are some Bible verses that promise God is watching over us? Do we need to be afraid? 3. Why do you think God saved Ellen s life? (Her work for Him had just begun. Students may also think of other reasons.) 4. What do you think Ellen told the discouraged family? CLASS ACTIVITY Divide the class into two groups. Assign each group one of the stories from the Bible when a storm frightened Jesus disciples. (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 14:25-32.) Give each group about ten minutes to read the story and prepare a short skit. Then perform the skits for each other. WORKSHEETS Jesus Cares for You (Crossword Puzzle) Directions: Unscramble the words in the word bank and place each one in the crossword. Answer: See teacher s KEY for Freedom From Fear: Worksheet 3-A. Freedom From Fear (Unscramble, Word Search, Hidden Message) Directions: Unscramble the words to STORY TIME Every Last Drop Teenaged Ellen Harmon and her older sister, Sarah, clung tightly to the boat so that they wouldn t be tossed overboard. It was late afternoon, and from Fairhaven, Massachusetts they had sailed down the bay, past the point, and out into the ocean when the wind had begun to blow, stronger and stronger. Dark clouds quickly covered the sky. Lightning flashed, and thunder roared! Rain beat down upon them in torrents. The little sailboat rocked back and forth. Only two other people were on board with Ellen and Sarah: a lady who had come with them and Mr. Heman Gurney, an Adventist blacksmith who had agreed to take them to a nearby island so that they could visit a family that was sad and discouraged. The storm had come up unexpectedly, and now it seemed as if the boat would sink at any moment. Night time fell upon them, and the storm continued to toss them this way and that. Mr. Gurney tried to steer, but he couldn t control the boat. He didn t even know where they were because they couldn t see through the darkness. As Ellen clutched the side of the boat to keep from falling, she prayed, Dear God, please save us from drowning. And right there, while the winds were shrieking, lightning flashing, thunder crashing, and waves washing over the sides of the boat, drenching Ellen and the others, God gave her a vision. He told her that they were safe. He told her that before He would let her drown, He would dry up every drop of water in the entire ocean! He told Ellen that her work for Him was just beginning. The vision ended, and Ellen once again heard the storm all around her and felt the boat plunging into the waves, but she was no longer afraid. She knew they were in God s hands. Ellen quickly told the others what God had shown her, and immediately their fears vanished. They knew that the Creator of 2 Freedom From Fear: 3 rd & 4 th

3 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs discover a message from the book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing. Then find the words in the word search puzzle. When you are finished, write the unused letters from left to right, starting at the top, to read the rest of the message. Answer: Unscramble Live in contact with the living Christ. Word Search See teacher s KEY for Freedom From Fear: Worksheet 3-A for answers. Hidden Message He will hold you firmly by a hand that will never let go. CLASS PROJECT List some phobias on the board, and have the students guess what they mean. Here are some examples: acousticophobia (fear of noise), cyclophobia (fear of bicycles), epistaxiophobia (fear of nosebleeds), equinophobia (fear of horses), hypsiphobia (fear of height), melissophobia (fear of bees), olfactophobia (fear of smells), potamophobia (fear of rivers or running water), somniphobia (fear of sleep), zoophobia (fear of animals). For more words, visit phobialist.com. Hand out blank sheets of paper, and have each student draw a large circle on the paper. Each student should then choose one of the phobias and illustrate it with a drawing inside the circle with a line or an X through the circle (like the no smoking signs). Then have them choose a Bible promise and write it on the sheet of paper. Here are some examples: Psalm 46:1; Nahum 1:7; Deuteronomy 33:12; Proverbs 18:10; Psalm 16:8; Psalm 112:7. When the students are done, display their drawings around the classroom. all nature was with them in the terrible storm. The boat was tossing so badly that Mr. Gurney decided to throw the anchor overboard. The anchor hit the water with a splash and began to sink. Down, down, down it went, and after what seemed like a very long time, the anchor finally caught on a rock or something on the bottom of the sea. The water is shallower here, Mr. Gurney remarked. We must be near land. Cupping his hands to his mouth he called loudly, Help! Help! The wind carried his voice away, but Mr. Gurney didn t give up. Help! Help! he called again and again. There were only two houses on the island, and in the home closest to the shore, everyone was asleep everyone except a little girl. As she lay in bed listening to the wind wailing around the house, she heard a faint, Help! Help! Had she imagined it? She listened carefully. There it was again. Help! Help! The little girl jumped out of bed and ran to her father s room. Father, Father, I think I heard somebody cry for help! Her father sat up in bed and listened. Then he heard it, too. Someone is in trouble! he exclaimed. Quickly he dressed for the storm and ran down the path to his little boat. He untied it and started rowing out to sea in the darkness. I m coming! he shouted. Where are you? I can t see you. Over here! Over here! Mr. Gurney shouted back. He kept calling Over here! Over here! until the two boats finally met. The man threw one end of a rope to Mr. Gurney and told him to tie it to the sailboat. Then the two men held the boats as close together as possible while the three women climbed into the row boat. Then Mr. Gurney stepped in. It was hard work rowing back to land because the waves were high and strong, but they finally reached the shore. Ellen and her companions had a great story to share with the discouraged family on the island, and everyone was so thankful that their Heavenly Father had saved their lives. They knew that even in the middle of a storm, they didn t have to be afraid because God was with them. 3 Freedom From Fear: 3 rd & 4 th

4 ELLEN G. WHITE QUOTES God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs Living faith in the Redeemer will smooth the sea of life, and will deliver us from danger in the way that He knows to be best. The Desire of Ages, p. 336 Neither life nor death, height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus; not because we hold Him so firmly, but because He holds us so fast. The Acts of the Apostles, p. 553 Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. The Ministry of Healing, p. 182 Live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold you firmly by a hand that will never let go. Know and believe the love that God has to us, and you are secure; that love is a fortress impregnable to all the delusions and assaults of Satan. Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 119 Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. Steps to Christ, p. 100 By prayer, by the study of His word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold them by a hand that will never let go. The Ministry of Healing, p Freedom From Fear: 3 rd & 4 th

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9 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs God s Messengers Grade Levels: 3, 4 Objective: To show how God uses messengers to carry His word to others. Sometimes He communicates with them through visions. In This Lesson Plan: Audio Story: God s First Messenger (12:04 minutes) - Summary (for teacher) - Introduction (to read to students before playing the audio) - Discussion questions (after playing the audio) Story Time: Dark Stains (read to the students) - Discussion questions - Class activity - Worksheets (2) + Teacher s KEYS Class Project Ellen G. White Quotes DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after playing the audio) 1. Why was William Foy hesitant about sharing his visions with people? 2. Are you sometimes afraid of sharing the truth with others because you think they won t believe you? 3. Why did William Foy s conscience bother him so much? 4. What did William Foy do that gave him peace? 5. Would you listen to someone speak who is from a different race than yours? AUDIO STORY God s First Messenger (12:04 minutes) SUMMARY (for teacher): Before Ellen Harmon s first vision, God gave a message to William Foy, an African-American. At first he was hesitant to share the message, because who would believe a black man? But after struggling with his conscience and finding no peace or comfort, he realized he must tell others what God had shown him. William Foy traveled throughout New England sharing his visions. Before long he had spent all his savings for traveling expenses. William Foy stopped preaching to work full time, but he wasn t at peace. At last he decided he must do his duty. Although he did not continue to receive visions, William Foy remained active in ministry until his death in 1893 at age of 75. He did his duty faithfully, to the best of his ability. INTRODUCTION (to read to students before playing the audio): Did you know that Ellen White was not the only one to receive visions in the 1800s? In fact, before Ellen White s first vision, 1 God s Messengers: 3 rd & 4 th

10 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs God gave a message to William Foy, an African-American. William Foy knew that he should tell others what God had shown him, but what if no one believed him? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after reading the story) 1. What was Eugene s dilemma? 2. What secret sin did William Farnsworth have? What are some secret sins that people try to hide? 3. How do you think people responded to Ellen White s reproof? How would you have responded? 4. Why do you think the young people were willing to step into freezing cold water to be baptized? CLASS ACTIVITY Write this well-known quote from The Desire of Ages, p. 25, on the board: Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. Talk about what this means. Then have the students create greeting cards with this message on it. The students can also include a personal note. They can choose to give the card to their parents or send it to a friend or relative, or they could send it to some of the elderly in the church. WORKSHEETS Tested (Coloring, Word Decipher) Directions: Color red the spaces with a dot. The word formed by the white spaces is by what Mrs. White said the testimonies should be tested. Answer: Bible STORY TIME Dark Stains Eugene pitched a forkful of hay into the feed trough for the horses, his mind far from his chores. He had heard that James and Ellen White were coming to town to hold some meetings, and he wasn t sure how he felt about Mrs. White. He believed that she was a good Christian, but did she really get messages from heaven? That was something that happened to people in Bible times. This was now. Washington, New Hampshire, Eugene thought about the prophets in the Bible and how they knew things other people didn t know. They were aware of secret sins, which they sometimes pointed out. Could Mrs. White do that too? Would she know about his dad s secret sin? Eugene s dad was William Farnsworth, a respected member of the Washington Adventist Church, but he had a secret sin that he kept hidden in his life. Eugene had seen the brown spots in the snow. He knew that his dad was still chewing tobacco. None of the other Adventist believers even suspected it. For five years Eugene s dad had been struggling with the tobacco habit. He had tried to quit. He had prayed for strength to leave it alone, and sometimes for weeks at a time he managed to do without. Then he would get a sudden craving and he would sneak out to the woodlot where he had hidden a plug of tobacco in a hollow tree. Breaking off a chunk, he would cram it eagerly into his mouth and chew vigorously. Chewing tobacco requires spitting, and that was part of the problem. Wherever he d spit in the white snow, ugly brown blobs appeared accusingly. Sometimes Eugene s dad tried to kick fresh snow over the stains, but it was only too obvious what he d done. Eugene also wondered what Mrs. White would say about Brother Ball who had been writing articles against her visions. Maybe she would straighten him out, and maybe she would reprimand the church leaders who didn t attend Sabbath school. But that wouldn t prove that she had the gift of prophecy. Everyone in town knew about these things. No, she would have to comment 2 God s Messengers: 3 rd & 4 th

11 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs Puzzled (Math Code) Directions: Cut along the white lines and unscramble the nine square puzzle pieces by perfectly matching the illustration of five early Adventist pioneers on the squares. Hint: Discover the first tile piece and its placement by answering the three questions below. Answer: 1. William Miller 2. Hiram Edson 3. Joseph Bates, Ellen White, James White See Teacher s KEY God s Messengers: Worksheet 8-A for the completed puzzle See Also: Pioneer biographies PDF file on God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs - Teacher s Resource CD. CLASS PROJECT See if someone at the church will donate a box of Steps to Christ. As a class, decide what to do with the box. Here are some options: They could save money and send the books to missionaries overseas. Or they could hand out the books to people in their neighborhoods. Or they could give them away at school functions. on some hidden fault, something that nobody knew about, to prove anything. On Monday morning the little Washington church was packed. Adventists who hadn t been there for months came to hear Mrs. White. Eugene wondered if Mrs. White and the other visitors knew of the quarreling and criticizing that had divided the church. Most of all, he wondered if Mrs. White was really a prophet of the Lord. Eugene sat on the front row so he could watch her closely. He could see from the look on her face that she was eager to speak to them. God had shown her things about many who were present that day. She told Mr. Ball that he must stop making light of the visions, and she reproved others for doing various things well known to them all. I wish she would tackle Dad about his tobacco, Eugene thought. No one knows about that. If she did, I d know for sure she is a prophet. Suddenly Mrs. White turned to Eugene s dad and said, I see that this brother is a slave to tobacco, but the worst of it is that he tries to deceive his brethren into thinking he has stopped using it. Everyone gasped. Eugene could hardly believe his ears. Mrs. White knew about his dad s secret sin. Who could have told her? No one else knew. The Lord must have told her. There was no other way she could have found out. As a result of Ellen White s prophetic counsel, a reformation took place in the members of that small Washington, New Hampshire, congregation. Sins were openly confessed and repented. Criticism stopped. The young people were so impressed that many took a stand for Jesus. A spirit of love and unity returned to bless the little church, and a few days later Eugene and eleven other young people chopped a hole through two feet of ice in Millen Pond so that they could be baptized. And William Farnsworth finally gained the victory over tobacco. Eugene became a minister for the Lord. He never forgot the way he became convinced that God had really chosen Ellen White as His special messenger. 3 God s Messengers: 3 rd & 4 th

12 ELLEN G. WHITE QUOTES God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs In answer to the accusation of the priests Peter showed that this demonstration was in direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, wherein he foretold that such power would come upon men to fit them for a special work. Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, he said, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy. Acts of the Apostles, p. 41 The Word of God is sufficient to enlighten the most beclouded mind, and may be understood by those who have any desire to understand it. But notwithstanding all this, some who profess to make the Word of God their study are found living in direct opposition to its plainest teachings. Then, to leave men and women without excuse, God gives plain and pointed testimonies, bringing them back to the Word that they have neglected to follow. Selected Messages, book 3, p. 31 The Word of God abounds in general principles for the formation of correct habits of living, and the testimonies, general and personal, have been calculated to call their attention more especially to these principles. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 663, 664 In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 661 This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work... bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p God s Messengers: 3 rd & 4 th

13 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs If the Testimonies speak not according to the word of God, reject them. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 691 I do not write one article in the paper, expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision the precious rays of light shining from the throne. Selected Messages, book 1, p God s Messengers: 3 rd & 4 th

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18 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs Windows Into God s Word Grade Levels: 3, 4 Objective: To show how God speaks to us through the Bible. His Word contains life-changing truth. In This Lesson Plan: Story Time # 1: Mutiny Aboard the Bounty (read to the students) - Discussion questions Story Time # 2: The Great Disappointment (read to the students) - Discussion questions - Class activity - Worksheets (2) + Teacher s KEYS Class Project Ellen G. White Quotes DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after reading the story) 1. What do you think would have happened to the Bounty crew if they had been caught? 2. Why was there so much trouble in the early days of Pitcairn Island? Do you think things would have been different if they had all loved Jesus? 3. What brought about the change in the islanders? 4. What does reading the Bible do for you? Do you think reading the Bible can change your life? STORY TIME # 1 Mutiny Aboard the Bounty Fletcher Christian refused to work another day under the cruel captain of their ship. He would sail away at night, even though that meant he would be wanted for deserting his post. They were on a ship called Bounty and had made a voyage to the South Seas to find breadfruit trees to ship to South America. They had found plenty of breadfruit trees on the island of Tahiti, and now they were on their way back. As Fletcher Christian made plans for his getaway, he had another idea. Why should he leave? Why not take over the ship instead? The other sailors were on his side. They too were tired of Captain Bligh s cruel leadership. So, soon after leaving Tahiti, the Bounty s crew, under the leadership of Fletcher Christian, mutinied against their tyrannical captain and seized the ship. They forced the captain and the other officers into a small boat and set them adrift. 1 Windows Into God s Word: 3 rd & 4 th

19 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs Then Fletcher Christian took the Bounty and its crew of mutineers back to Tahiti to find pigs and goats. Sixteen of the English crew chose to remain on Tahiti. The remaining eight men decided to stay with Fletcher Christian, so the Bounty sailed away from Tahiti with nine English sailors, ten or eleven Tahitian women, six Tahitian men and one fifteenyear-old girl. But where could they go? They couldn t return home because the penalty for their mutiny was death. They had to find a safe place where they could settle down without the likelihood of getting caught. Fletcher Christian had heard of Pitcairn Island, a small rocky islet out in the Pacific Ocean. What appealed to him was the island s isolation, and he decided to take refuge there. On January 23, 1790, the Bounty reached the tiny, uninhabited island. The crew of the ship removed everything that they could possibly use in their new life. Then, to make sure that they would not be discovered, they set fire to the ship. The charred and gutted hull sank beneath the waves, and with it went the danger that they would be found. But things didn t go well on Pitcairn Island. Unruly behavior, fierce tempers, drunkenness, and low moral standards resulted in violent deaths. And by the year 1800, just ten years after settling on Pitcairn, only one man remained. He was the sole surviving mutineer. His name was Alexander Smith. Alexander Smith looked around at the wives they had brought from Tahiti and their children. They were in his care. The scenes of bloodshed and violence had sobered Alexander Smith and when he looked around at the young children who had no other person to depend on, he experienced a great change of heart. I must do something for these children, he decided. Only two books had been salvaged from the Bounty: the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. With these two books, Alexander Smith decided to teach the children to read and write. He also taught them about religion. As the children and even some of their mothers began reading the Bible and learning more about God, their lives began to change. They eagerly read the stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, Daniel in the lions den, Jesus death on the cross, and the more they read, the more they grew to love Jesus. In 1808 another ship landed on Pitcairn Island. The captain of 2 Windows Into God s Word: 3 rd & 4 th

20 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs the ship reported that he found 35 islanders living in peace and contentment, practicing the Christian faith. What a change from the earlier days of the island. Alexander Smith later changed his name to John Adams to protect himself from possible charges of mutiny and murder. The power of Scripture had changed a mutineer and murderer to a leader of a Christian community. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (after reading the story) 1. How would you have felt if you were one of the believers waiting for Jesus coming? 2. Was the prophecy inaccurate? Was the Bible false? 3. What did Hiram Edson realize in the grain field? 4. How can we keep from misinterpreting the Bible? 5. Why is it important to look at the Bible in its entirety? CLASS ACTIVITY According to Ephesians 6:17, the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. For this class activity, the students will participate in a sword drill. Divide the class into two. Then name Bible texts, and see which team can find them and read them the fastest. A variation of this activity is a sword drill relay. The two teams should be behind a certain line. After they look up the verse, one person will run to the board and write down the first word and then run back. The next person will write down the second word and so on. (Have both teams using the same version to make it fair.) Use Bible texts that are meaningful to students. WORKSHEETS Wisdom in the Word (Drawing Page) Directions: To become wiser, Marcy wants to study God s Word, STORY TIME # 2 The Great Disappointment Jesus is coming today! The believers could hardly contain their excitement. It was October 22, 1844, the day they had waited for with much longing and anticipation. Now it was finally here. Jesus was coming back to take them home. Is Jesus really coming today? the children asked, their eyes sparkling with anticipation. Is He really going to take us to heaven? The sun climbed higher and higher and then slowly started its descent toward the West. The children began to lose some of their enthusiasm. Why isn t Jesus here yet? they asked. Is He really coming? The believers waited patiently, singing songs and praising God. Surely, He will come soon, they said to one another. We must have faith. Even as they watched the sun begin to dip behind the mountains, the believers still clung to the hope that Jesus would come that day. Soon darkness settled around them, and reality struck hard. Tears began streaming down their faces. Mother, Father, why didn t Jesus come? the children asked. But there was no answer. Only great disappointment. Jesus, where are you? How could you do this to us? With bitter disappointment, they returned home. Hiram Edson was one of the believers who had awaited Jesus coming. Yes, Jesus should have come on October 22, He had carefully studied the prophecies for himself. What had gone wrong? How could something that had been 3 Windows Into God s Word: 3 rd & 4 th

21 God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs the Bible. Draw Marcy s Bible in the picture below. For help, look at the picture on the right. Answer: Drawings will vary. Letter Drop (Coded Hidden Message) Directions: Can you find the hidden message from Patriarchs and Prophets (p. 504) by Mrs. White? Simply drop the correct letter from each column into the blank box at the bottom. Some have two choices, and some have three, but only one is correct. (For example, the first letter is either E or D. The second letter is either V or O or M.) Answer: Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God. predicted in the Bible not come true? Lord, why didn t you return? Hiram Edson was given the answer as he walked through a grain field. He suddenly realized that they had made a mistake in interpreting Scripture. They had assumed that the judgment mentioned in Daniel 7 referred to Jesus second coming, but now as he thought about it, the wording seemed to foretell another judgment that would take place before the end of time. They had also focused on the parable of the ten virgins, basically ignoring Christ s other wedding parable. The Bible hadn t failed them. Instead they had failed to see the complete picture. If only they had figured this out earlier.... After the Great Disappointment, some people stopped believing in God. But others went back to the Bible and studied the Scriptures diligently to see where they had gone wrong. They discovered truths that reassured them that God was faithful. Jesus would come again. CLASS PROJECT Until the invention of the printing press, the Bible had to be copied by hand. Scribes spent many long hours carefully copying word after word. Sometimes they took the time to decorate the pages and make them look fancy. Imagine how valuable a copy of the Bible was back then. Today, we may take the Bible for granted because copies are readily available, but we should remember that the Bible is still the Word of God and, thus, the most valuable book we could ever own. For this class project, have students copy a portion of the Bible. It could be a Psalm or perhaps one of the shorter stories about Jesus. Have them carefully copy the words down and then illustrate their book. This will give them an idea of how much work it was to copy the Bible and how much the people must have loved the Bible to undertake such a long task. 4 Windows Into God s Word: 3 rd & 4 th

22 ELLEN G. WHITE QUOTES God s Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs No other knowledge is so firm, so consistent, so farreaching, as that obtained from the study of God s Word. Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 499 Those who prayerfully study the Scriptures go from their study wiser than when they opened the Bible. The Upward Look, p. 52 Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men.... If studied and obeyed, it would lead God s people, as the Israelites were led, by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 504 Dig for the truth as you would for treasures in the earth, and present the Word of God, the Bible, before your Heavenly Father, and say, Enlighten me; teach me what is truth. And when His Holy Spirit shall come into your hearts, to impress the truth into your souls, you will not let it go easily. In Heavenly Places, p. 350 He who through the word of God has lived in fellowship with heaven, will find himself at home in heaven s companionship. Education, p. 127 No other study will so ennoble every thought, feeling, and aspiration as the study of the Scriptures. No other book can satisfy the questionings of the mind and the craving of the heart. My Life Today, p Windows Into God s Word: 3 rd & 4 th

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