Session 3 OLDER UNIT 31 1 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1

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1 Session Title: The Church Showed Favoritism Bible Passage: James 2:1-13 Main Point: James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy. Key Passage: I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Big Picture Question: Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us. UNIT 31 Session 3 OLDER BIBLE STUDY During Jesus earthly ministry, many Jews struggled to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God. This included James, Jesus half-brother. But after Jesus crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared to James, and at last James believed. James later became the leader of the church in Jerusalem a vital role in the early, growing church. The early church was comprised mostly of Jewish believers. That makes sense because of the church s origin in Israel but also because that was the mission Jesus gave: start with the Jews and spread out from there. James wrote a letter to Jewish believers who were scattered around the region, helping them understand how their new faith in Jesus should frame how they live. James told his fellow believers that one way they could live out the gospel was by not showing favoritism. James used an example of how a church might show favoritism to a wealthy man over a poor man who came to a meeting. The natural response might be to treat the wealthy man better, but James told the believers that God does not show favoritism. God has treated all people rich and poor the same: generously with the gospel. God s kindness toward us should cause us to want to treat others with similar love, generosity, and equality. This week s session is a great follow-up to last week s. Some of your kids may think that being united is just a matter of getting along with one another and not fighting. But God s heart is for us to be united far more deeply. Help your kids see that the gospel should compel them to treat one another in the same way with the same love, mercy, and grace shown to us by Jesus. SUGGESTED THEME DECORATING IDEAS: Simulate a base camp at a mountain. Display a small tent and arrange related props at the front of the room: a small shovel, ladder, lanterns, sleeping bags, and backpacks. Drape a string of colorful flags from the ceiling. Consider projecting the theme background slide. Decorate the room to look like the base camp of a mountain trail. Consider placing a small tent to one side of the stage. Place props such as a lantern, a coil of rope, helmets, and backpacks around the room. You may also display the theme background slide. 1 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

Session Title: The Church Showed Favoritism Bible Passage: James 2:1-13 Main Point: James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy.

Galatians 2:20 Big Picture Question: Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us.

Passage song as your kids arrive. WORSHIP Worship leaders sing two songs with the children and collect offering.

2 Session Title: The Church Showed Favoritism Bible Passage: James 2:1-13 Main Point: James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy. Key Passage: I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Big Picture Question: Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us. UNIT 31 Session 3 OLDER Key Passage song Crucified with Christ song Theme Slide PROPS hiking boots backpack walking stick Giant Timeline Big Picture question slides KEY PASSAGE SONG Play the Key Passage song as your kids arrive. WORSHIP Worship leaders sing two songs with the children and collect offering. INTRODUCE THE SESSION (3 MINUTES) [Leader enters wearing hiking boots and a large backpack, and carrying a walking stick.] Leader Hey, everyone! Welcome back to the trail head. As you may remember, my name is [your name], and my job is to train people and guide them through the process of hiking up the mountain here. It doesn t matter who comes along wanting to climb the mountain, my job is to train and guide him the same as I would anyone else. You know, in a way it reminds me of the church. No matter who comes to church, it is important that Christians treat him or her with honor and respect. One of the main purposes of the church is to train people and guide them in their walk with Jesus. You can t do that very well if you treat people differently based on the way they look or dress or how much money they have. GIANT TIMELINE (1 MINUTE) Show the giant timeline or big story circle. Leader Two weeks ago we learned about a time Peter was avoiding eating with the Gentiles. Paul wrote that we are saved through faith in Jesus alone, so there was no difference between Jew and Gentile believers. Last week we learned about the church in Corinth and how they were arguing and letting the church be divided by differences. Paul wrote that Christians are joined together by faith in Jesus. When we focus on the truth of the gospel, differences won t tear us apart. This week, we will hear about more problems the church faced. This time, we will learn what God thinks about treating some people better than others. Our story is called The Church Showed Favoritism. BIG PICTURE QUESTION (2 MINUTES) Leader You see, we ve been learning that God loves everyone the same and sent Jesus to save all kinds of people. When we are saved by God, our lives change. God gave the church instructions to obey. Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us. 2 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

Bible Story Video The Church Showed Favoritism video Bible Story Picture Slide Bible WATCH THE BIBLE STORY (5 MINUTES) Open your Bible to James 2:1-13.

OPTIONAL BIBLE STORY SCRIPT The Church Showed Favoritism James 2:1-13 The early church had many leaders.

3 Bible Story Video The Church Showed Favoritism video Bible Story Picture Slide Bible WATCH THE BIBLE STORY (5 MINUTES) Open your Bible to James 2:1-13. Use the Bible storytelling tips on the Bible story page to help you tell the story, or show the Bible story video The Church Showed Favoritism. OPTIONAL BIBLE STORY SCRIPT The Church Showed Favoritism James 2:1-13 The early church had many leaders. They taught other believers, encouraged them to keep following Jesus, and corrected them when they sinned. One of these leaders was Jesus half-brother James, the son of Mary and Joseph. James was a leader in the Jerusalem church. He wrote a letter to the Jewish believers who had moved to many different places. He told them the way believers should live. People who trust Jesus show that they really believe in Him by doing good and right things. One important right thing, James taught, is to not show favoritism. That means we should treat everyone the same. No person is more important or less important than any other person. James said, Imagine you are meeting together and a man comes in wearing a gold ring and fancy clothes. Then a poor man in old, dirty clothes comes in, too. Is it right to pay attention to the man in fancy clothes and give him a chair to sit in, but say to the poor man Stand over there, or Sit on the floor? If you do this, you have treated one man better than the other. James said that God does not show favoritism. He does not treat rich people better than poor people, nor does He treat poor people better than rich people. God has a place in heaven for everyone who loves Him. God taught us His law: Love your neighbor as yourself. Anyone who treats one person better than another person breaks God s law. James told the believers to show mercy to others because they had been shown mercy. They were sinners, but God forgave their sins through His Son, Jesus. James insisted, Mercy triumphs over judgment. Christ Connection: When believers in the early church treated some people as better than others, James told them they were wrong. He reminded them that Jesus commanded believers to love one another. Because He has shown great mercy to us, we can show mercy to others. Timeline Poster Main Point Slide TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE STORY (1 MINUTE) Leader This Bible story comes from the Book of James. James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to Jewish believers and told them how they should live. Why do you think Christians should live differently than people who are not Christians? Because Christians have been forgiven by God through Jesus death and resurrection, Christians no longer live for themselves but for God. Our big picture question is, Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us. So when we see commands in the Bible about how to live, these aren t rules we have to keep to get to heaven. These are commands God wants us to keep because we love Him. One important thing to do as a Christian is to not show favoritism. We should treat everyone the same. This isn t easy! Sin has messed up how we relate to one another. But no person is more important or less important than any other person. God created everyone in His image! Here is the example James gave: Imagine someone comes into your meeting and he looks rich fancy clothes and a gold ring. Then a poor man comes in. Maybe he has on old, dirty clothes. If you give the rich man a seat at the front of the room and tell the poor man to stand in the back or sit on the floor, that s showing favoritism. God does not show favoritism. He does not treat one group of people as better than another group. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will live with Him forever. 3 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

Mission Video Playing Bridges Gap Key Passage slide MISSION VIDEO Leader The letter from James tells us that we shouldn t show favoritism.

4 CHRIST CONNECTION Leader When believers in the early church treated some people as better than others, James told them they were wrong. He reminded them that Jesus commanded believers to love one another. James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy. Mission Video Playing Bridges Gap Key Passage slide MISSION VIDEO Leader The letter from James tells us that we shouldn t show favoritism. All people can receive God s love and mercy, no matter who they are. God has sent us, His people, to go and tell others of this love that can be ours through believing in Jesus. Let s watch a video of people who are spending their lives telling others about Jesus. Show the missions video Playing Bridges Gap. Leader And remember, being a missionary overseas is a special job, but we can all share the gospel wherever we are, even if we never move away to a far-off land. All we have to do is share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet! KEY PASSAGE (4 MINUTES) Show the key passage poster. Lead the boys and girls to read together Galatians 2:20. Leader Our big picture question and answer is, Why does God want us to obey Him? This key passage answers that question. Obedience is our response to God s love for us. As believers, we can obey God because we have been crucified with Christ. When we turn from our sin and turn to Jesus, our old way of living is dead and we have new life in Jesus. We live by faith in Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us. PRAYER Invite kids to pray before dismissing to apply the story. Leader Lord God, we praise You. You have shown us great kindness in giving us Your Son. We confess we have shown favoritism and treated some people as better than others. Help us to love others without showing favoritism, like You have loved us. Amen. DISMISS TO SMALL GROUP 4 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

5 Session Title: The Church Showed Favoritism Bible Passage: James 2:1-13 Main Point: James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy. Key Passage: I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Big Picture Question: Why does God want us to obey Him? Obedience is our response to God s love for us. UNIT 31 Session 3 OLDER Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Prompt kids to imagine a movie star or famous athlete came into the room and sat next to them. What would they do? What would they say? Say How did you react today when your classmates came in the room? Why was your reaction different? index cards pencils SESSION STARTER (10 MINUTES) Favorites game Give each kid an index card and a pencil. Instruct kids to number their cards from 1 to 4. Then read the following prompts and guide kids to list their answers: Your favorite color Your favorite movie Your favorite teacher Your favorite book Instruct kids to write their names at the top of their cards. Then collect the cards and mix them up. Read the responses one at a time, challenging kids to guess whose card you are reading based on his or her favorites. Say We all have favorite things, and we all have people we love to spend time with, like our family and closest friends. Today s Bible story will answer the question, Does God have favorite people? Let s find out. 10 minutes after the start of service Break into groups of 10 or less children for Small group ACTIVITY Favoritism scenarios Read the given scenarios to the kids and lead them to discuss how each might make them feel. Talk about ways to respond with obedience to God in each situation. Suggested situations: Your teacher catches you and another student talking. He tells the other student to be quiet, but makes you sit out during recess as punishment. A new kid arrives at school. Her clothing looks ragged, and you think she smells a little funny. She asks to sit next to you at lunch. 5 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

Your best friend starts spending more time with another kid in your class after that kid gave your best friend a really expensive birthday present.

6 Your best friend starts spending more time with another kid in your class after that kid gave your best friend a really expensive birthday present. You feel like you always get in trouble for things that your little brother gets away with. You win a special prize that means you get to eat lunch with your favorite movie star. You can invite one friend, but you have two friends who each want to go. Your dad is the coach of your sports team, and he always lets you pick what position you want to play. Say Some of those situations would be really hard to go through. It can be hard to obey God and not show favoritism, but we know that Jesus gives us new life when we believe in Him. James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows us mercy. Is there someone you having shown favor to? Maybe you didn t realize it until now? Do you feel like it s okay to have a best friend? It is!! But we want to treat everyone with the same kind of love and respect, never allowing anyone to feel like you think they are less than you. Pray with the kids and ask God to keep our eyes open for those who have been made to feel less so that we can make sure they know they have a great value to God! Journal Page Pencils JOURNAL AND PRAYER (5 MINUTES) Distribute journal pages and pencils. Guide kids to think about and answer the questions listed on the page: What does this story teach me about God or the gospel? What does the story teach me about myself? Are there any commands in this story to obey? How are they for God s glory and my good? Are there any promises in this story to remember? How do they help me trust and love God? How does this story help me to live on mission better? As kids journal, invite them to share their ideas. Then pray, asking God to help kids see one another as God sees them. Pray that God would change our hearts to help us love others as Jesus loves us. Pray that kids would obey God in response to His love for them. The gospel is the good news, the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use these prompts to share the gospel with your kids. GOD RULES. Ask: Who is in charge at home? Explain that because God created everything, He is in charge of everything. Read Revelation 4:11. WE SINNED. Ask: Have you ever done something wrong? Tell kids that everyone sins, or disobeys God. Our sin separates us from God. Read Romans 3:23. GOD PROVIDED. Explain that God is holy and must punish sin. God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserve. Read John 3:16. JESUS GIVES. Ask: What is the best gift you ve ever received? Say that Jesus took our punishment for sin by giving His life, and He gives us His righteousness. God sees us as if we lived the perfect life Jesus lived. This is the best gift ever! Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. WE RESPOND. Explain that everyone has a choice to make. Ask: Will you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord? You can turn from self and sin and turn to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10. THE GOSPEL: GOD S PLAN FOR ME Use Scripture and the guide provided in the classroom to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, leader, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. 6 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

7 The Church Showed Favoritism James 2:1-13 The early church had many leaders. They taught other believers, encouraged them to keep following Jesus, and corrected them when they sinned. One of these leaders was Jesus half-brother James, the son of Mary and Joseph. James was a leader in the Jerusalem church. He wrote a letter to the Jewish believers who had moved to many different places. He told them the way believers should live. People who trust Jesus show that they really believe in Him by doing good and right things. One important right thing, James taught, is to not show favoritism. That means we should treat everyone the same. No person is more important or less important than any other person. James said, Imagine you are meeting together and a man comes in wearing a gold ring and fancy clothes. Then a poor man in old, dirty clothes comes in, too. Is it right to pay attention to the man in fancy clothes and give him a chair to sit in, but say to the poor man Stand over there, or Sit on the floor? If you do this, you have treated one man better than the other. James said that God does not show favoritism. He does not treat rich people better than poor people, nor does He treat poor people better than rich people. God has a place in heaven for everyone who loves Him. God taught us His law: Love your neighbor as yourself. Anyone who treats one person better than another person breaks God s law. James told the believers to show mercy to others because they had been shown mercy. They were sinners, but God forgave their sins through His Son, Jesus. James insisted, Mercy triumphs over judgment. Christ Connection: When believers in the early church treated some people as better than others, James told them they were wrong. He reminded them that Jesus commanded believers to love one another. Because He has shown great mercy to us, we can show mercy to others. 7 UNIT 31 // SESSION 3 // CYCLE 1 OLDER KIDS 2/3

The Church Showed Favoritism

UNIT 31 Session 3 Use Week of: March 18, 2018 The Church Showed Favoritism James 2:1-13 James calls us to treat people with mercy because Jesus shows BIBLE PASSAGE: MAIN POINT: us mercy. Galatians 2:20