The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Transcription

1 Re:verse Game Planner August week 3 The Fruit of the Holy Spirit Proverbs 15:18

2 August week 3 Teaching a Bible verse through games THIS MONTH S TOPIC: The Fruit of the Holy Spirit Children will explore this topic by learning and understanding this month s Bible verse. THIS MONTH S VERSE: Proverbs 15:18 A quick temper causes fights, but patience brings peace and calm. Copyright 2006 by World Bible Translation Center Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicized, NIV Week 3 objectives: To help the children discover more about patience and to remind them that patience is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. GAME: 8 mins Beware of allergies make sure it is safe for the children in your group to handle and taste the sweets used in this activity. Aims: To play a game that helps the children understand more about patience. You will need: How to make a Skittles rainbow instructions (see Printables), at least four small bags of Skittles (more if you have a large group), two dinner plates, two small plastic bowls and a two thermal flasks of warm (not boiling) water. Divide the children into two teams. It may help to have an adult overseeing each team. Give each team a dinner plate, a plastic bowl and a bag of Skittles. Show the children how to make a ring of Skittles in the middle of their plate. When the ring is complete encourage the children to tip the remaining Skittles into their plastic bowl. Explain that they are going to make a rainbow. As soon as the rainbow is complete they will be able to eat the remaining Skittles from the bowl. You may need to add Skittles to the bowls or take some away so that there are an equal number of sweets per child. If you can, simultaneously pour enough warm water onto the dinner plates to cover their surfaces. The Skittles should be sitting in a shallow puddle of water. Explain to the children that they now need to wait patiently for the rainbow to fill the circle. As soon as the rainbow colours have filled the circle the children can share the sweets among their group. TALK ABOUT: 7 mins You will need: A large sheet of paper or a whiteboard, marker pens, a Bible, the Topic overview (see Printables), the 3 in 1 symbol with descriptions (see Printables), the Holy Spirit arrow (see Printables), the Fruit of the Spirit info-graphic (see Printables) and the Fruit of the Spirit textboxes (see Printables). Before the session write the verse on the whiteboard or paper.

3 August week 3 Underline the reference and quickly remind the children that this verse comes from the book of Proverbs. Remind the children that over the last few weeks we have been learning about the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Use the Topic overview to recap briefly what the children talked about in Week 1 and Week 2. Quickly show the children the 3 in 1 symbol with descriptions and remind them that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes alongside Christians. He works in their lives changing them from the inside-out. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit changes and guides Christians to be more like Jesus. Show the children the Fruit of the Spirit textboxes. Explain that the Bible teaches that when the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of a Christian, people begin to see them living more and more like Jesus. People begin to see a Christian being more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient and kind just like Jesus. Show the children the Fruit of the Spirit info-graphic as you remind them that the Bible calls love, joy, peace, patience etc.. the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is what grows in the life of a Christian when the Holy Spirit is at work. You may need to remind the children that these things don t grow in the same way leaves and branches grow on trees, but, as the Holy Spirit works changing and guiding a Christian, he or she becomes more loving, more peaceful, more patient etc. Point to the relevant parts of the info-graphic as you talk about the Fruit of the Spirit. Remind the children that during the activity you asked them to wait patiently until the rainbow colours had filled the circle. Underline the word patience in the verse. Ask the children if they know what the word patience means. Listen to the children's answers and respond positively. Explain that patience is: feeling peaceful and calm while waiting for something to happen, even if it takes a very long time. An alternative definition is: patience is waiting for something to happen without complaining or feeling frustrated. Use sticky tac to stick the patience textbox next to the verse. Remind the children that patience is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Patience grows in the life of a Christian when the Holy Spirit is at work - as the Holy Spirit works in a Christian's life he or she becomes more and more patient. If you have time talk about what a Christian can do to become more patient. Remind the children that Christians believe they cannot make themselves like Jesus, only the Holy Spirit can make them more loving, more peaceful and more patient, like Him. However Christians believe they can invite the Holy Spirit to do more and more work in their lives. The Bible teaches that as a Christian spends time with God - praying, reading their Bible, worshipping, serving others and giving, the Holy Spirit is able to do more and more work in their lives more and more He is able to change them from the inside-out to be like Jesus. Christians believe that as they spend time with God, more and more the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience...) will grow in their lives. If appropriate summarise by saying that the Fruit of the Spirit isn t a list of things that a Christian tries really hard to do, it s what grows in their lives when the Holy Spirit is at work. Reminders...

4 Printables 1. Topic overview 2. How to make a Skittles rainbow instructions 3. 3 in 1 symbol with descriptions 4. The Holy Spirit arrow 5. Fruit of the Holy Spirit info-graphic 6. The Fruit of the Spirit textboxes

5 1. Topic overview THIS MONTH S TOPIC: The Fruit of the Holy Spirit THIS MONTH S VERSE: Proverbs 15:18 A quick temper causes fights, but patience brings peace and calm. Copyright 2006 by World Bible Translation Center Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicized, NIV Week 1 Objectives: To discover that this verse comes from the book of Proverbs and that King Solomon gathered the proverbs together. Underline the reference and explain that this verse comes from the book of Proverbs. Ask one of the older children to find the book of Proverbs in a Bible. Tell the children that people who study the Bible think that King Solomon gathered together all the proverbs we now find in this book. Show flashcard number five from The Old Testament Timeline Flashcards by The Bible Curriculum and explain that King Solomon was the third king of Israel. Draw a crown next to the reference. Week 2 Objectives: To remind the children Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does, and to begin to talk about the Fruit of the Spirit. Show the children the 3 in 1 symbol with descriptions and remind them Who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of God. Show the Holy Spirit arrow and remind the children that when Jesus went up to Heaven the Holy Spirit came down. Explain that, a bit like the wind people cannot see the Holy Spirit, but Christians believe He lives with people here on earth they believe that wherever they are, whatever they are doing the Holy Spirit is with them. Explain that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes alongside Christians. He works in their lives changing them from the insideout. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit changes and guides Christians to be more like Jesus. Tell the children that the Apostle Paul talks about the Fruit of the Spirit in one of his letters. Paul explains that when the Holy Spirit works in the life of a Christian, people begin to see them living more and more like Jesus. People begin to see a Christian being more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient and kind just like Jesus. Show the children the textboxes and the info-graphic as you explain that the Bible calls love, joy, peace, patience etc. the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is what grows in the life of a Christian when the Holy Spirit is at work. You may need to explain that these things don t grow in the same way leaves and branches grow on trees, but, as the Holy Spirit works changing and guiding a Christian, he or she becomes more loving, more peaceful, more patient etc. Continued on next page

6 1. Topic overview Week 3 Objectives: To help the children discover more about patience and to remind them that patience is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Underline the word patience in the verse. Ask the children if they know what the word patience means. Listen to the children's answers and respond positively. Explain that patience is: feeling peaceful and calm while waiting for something to happen, even if it takes a very long time. An alternative definition is: patience is waiting for something to happen without complaining or feeling frustrated. Use sticky tac to stick the patience textbox next to the verse. Remind the children that patience is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Patience grows in the life of a Christian when the Holy Spirit is at work - as the Holy Spirit works in a Christian's life he or she becomes more and more patient. If you have time talk about what a Christian can do to become more patient. Remind the children that Christians believe they cannot make themselves like Jesus, only the Holy Spirit can make them more loving, more peaceful and more patient, like Him. However Christians believe they can invite the Holy Spirit to do more and more work in their lives. The Bible teaches that as a Christian spends time with God - praying, reading their Bible, worshipping, serving others and giving, the Holy Spirit is able to do more and more work in their lives more and more He is able to change them from the inside-out to be like Jesus. Christians believe that as they spend time with God, more and more the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience...) will grow in their lives. If appropriate summarise by saying that the Fruit of the Spirit isn t a list of things that a Christian tries really hard to do, it s what grows in their lives when the Holy Spirit is at work. Week 4 Objective: To think about how a patient person brings peace and calm. Ask for a volunteer to act out what a patient person might look like while they are waiting for something to happen. What might a patient person do while they are waiting? Now ask the children to suggest what a patient person might say while they are waiting. Encourage the volunteer to incorporate the children's suggestions into their role play. If appropriate ask for a second volunteer to act the part of an impatient person. What might an impatient person do while they are waiting? What might an impatient person say? Talk about the different ways the two volunteers are behaving. Talk about how the patient person's actions could affect the people around them - how might they feel? How might they start to behave? Spend a brief moment contrasting this with how an impatient person would make others feel. Remind the children that this verse says that patience brings peace and calm. Suggest that patience brings peace and calm because a patient person behaves in a way that is both peaceful and calm and he or she makes others feel peaceful and calm too. Use sticky tac to stick the patience textbox next to the verse. Remind the children that patience is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Patience grows in the life of a Christians when the Holy Spirit is at work - as the Holy Spirit works in their life, a Christian becomes more and more patient.

7 2. How to make a Skittles rainbow instructions A SKITTLES RAINBOW Beware of allergies - make sure it is safe for the children in your group to handle and taste the food used in this activity. You will need: A dinner plate A bag of Skittles A thermal flask with warm (not boiling) water What to do: 1. Make a ring of Skittles by arranging them around the edge of the plate. 2. Pour enough warm water onto the dinner plates to cover it's surface. The Skittles should be sitting in a shallow puddle of water. 3. Wait patiently for the rainbow colours to fill the circle.

8 3. 3 in 1 symbol with descriptions God the Father sits on the throne in Heaven. God the Son, Jesus, came to live with people. He died on the cross so that everybody everywhere can be forgiven. On the third day God raised Jesus back to life. Jesus now lives in Heaven; He is sitting at the righthand-side of Father God. When Jesus went up the Holy Spirit came down. The Holy Spirit came to be with people in a new way. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Comforter. Although the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit do different things, because they are One They work together loving us, caring for us and looking after us.

9 4. The Holy Spirit arrow

10 5. Fruit of the Holy Spirit info-graphic

11 5. Fruit of the Holy Spirit info-graphic

12 6. Fruit of the Spirit textboxes Love Joy Peace

13 6. Fruit of the Spirit textboxes Patience Kindness Goodness

14 6. Fruit of the Spirit textboxes Faithfulness Gentleness Self control