Family devotions to accompany the. 6-Part Activity Magnet. Here are some ways to use the devotions...

Transcription

1 Here are some ways to use the devotions... Distribute copies in Sunday school, as part of worship time in your Christian day school, as part of devotional time in a midweek club or class, or during the Sunday morning children s sermon. Give one complete magnet and all six devotions to families six weeks before Easter. Encourage grown-ups to use one devotion each week as they prepare to celebrate Easter. Families could also use one each day for the six days leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Host a Mom s Day Out or other community event. Use the devotions to tell the story of Jesus victory to all the children who attend. Then give each family a Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet and a set of devotions to take home. However you choose to use these materials and the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet, we pray that many individuals and families will be drawn closer to their Savior, Jesus, as they use them. May our Lord continue to bless all the work you do for his people! #JLL3DF Family devotions to accompany the 6-Part Activity Magnet Enclosed are six FREE reproducible devotions, written to accompany the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet. Each picture piece on the magnet has its own devotional outline CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

2 Message 1: Friend Getting Ready Familiarize yourself with today s devotion. Bookmark John 15:13 14; you will read it to your group later in the devotion. Attach the red circle piece of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet to a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Think about how to distribute the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces to each child in the group. If your group is large, you may want to ask a volunteer or two for help. Introduction (Warmly greet the children and invite them to sit down in front of you. Nearby, place the bag of items you prepared ahead of time. Invite listeners to tell what they know about a countdown. After several children have spoken, summarize:) example. Soon, we will celebrate something much more exciting and wonderful than even a rocket launch. We will celebrate Jesus resurrection! Because Jesus died and rose from the dead, all our sins are forgiven. Because of what Jesus did for us, God will be our friend forever. Today, we will begin the countdown to our Resurrection Day celebration. We will begin counting down at the number six. Each (Invite everyone to join you as you count down together. You may want to practice a few times: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Jesus lives! Let s celebrate!) Getting to the Heart Since we began with the number six in our countdown today, I would like us to think about six friends or groups of friends Jesus loved when he was here on earth. First, the disciples. The disciples were ordinary people, people a lot like us. Jesus disciple friends sometimes disappointed him. They sometimes disobeyed God. They sinned. But Jesus kept on forgiving and loving them. Jesus kept on teaching them. And the disciples kept on sharing God s love and forgiveness with others. Second, Jesus was a friend of children. You might remember that when children came to see Jesus, his disciples tried to chase the children away! But Jesus said, No! Let the children come! Jesus was never too busy for even his littlest friends the children. Third, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were also friends of Jesus. Mary and Martha were sisters; Lazarus was their brother. They were them to love one another, too. Continued...

3 Message 1: Friend (Continued) Fourth, you might be surprised to know about a sinful woman who became Jesus friend. The Bible doesn t even tell us her name, but we know that Jesus met her at a well one day as she came to get water. Jesus knew this woman had sinned over and over and over again! Jesus told the woman that what she had done was wrong. But he also he assured her that he loved her, and that he forgave her. She got so excited about God s love and forgiveness that she told her whole town about Jesus! Fifth, Jesus loved all the people who came to hear him teach about God. Many, many, many people came. One time, Jesus had to stand in a boat and push out into the lake just so that all those people could see him and hear him teach God s Word. Let s see, Jesus friends included the disciples; the children; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; the woman at the well; the crowds of people and one more! That s YOU! (Point to children and call them by name, if possible. Then show them today s red puzzle piece with the hearts.) Jesus loves us, too! Jesus is our friend, too! Listen to what the Bible says. (Read John 15:13 14 from your Bible or below.) Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:13 14). Jesus calls us friends. He even gave up his life for us! Jesus didn t suffer and die for his own sins. Jesus had no sins; he never sinned at all! Jesus died for our sins, for all the disobedient, unloving things we do! What a Friend! now and every day to teach us, to listen to us when we pray, to protect us, to take care of us, to help us get along with others, to forgive us when we sin, and to help us love other people. Jesus does all of this because he loves us so much! Taking It Home (Teach the children the following song. Sing the words to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell. ) Jesus is my Friend! Yes, Jesus is my Friend! Do you know he loves me so? His love has no end! Let s pray together to thank Jesus, our Friend, for his love: Dear Jesus, we are so glad you call us friends. Help us live as your happy, forgiven children today and always. Amen. (Distribute the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces to the children. Encourage them to put today s piece on their refrigerator or another magnetic surface at home. Explain that they ll receive another piece next time.) 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for usewithin a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

4 Message 2: Power Getting Ready Familiarize yourself with today s devotion and bookmark Acts 10:38 in your Bible. Place today s orange magnet piece of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet on a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Put the red piece from last time on the other side of the pan. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Have extra Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces on hand and plan to distribute them to children who didn t receive one to take home last time. Introduction (Warmly greet the children, and invite them to sit near you. Nearby, place the bag of items you prepared ahead may want to practice a few times: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Jesus lives! Let s celebrate!) Soon, we will celebrate Christ s resurrection. (Show the children the word powerful on today s summary piece. Ask a volunteer to read the word.) What does it mean to have power? (Show the orange puzzle piece for today, pointing out the lightning bolt.) How does a lightning bolt remind us of power? Getting to the Heart (Invite the children to listen as you read today s Bible verse from your Bible or below.) God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38). Jesus, God s Son, had miraculous power. Lightning bolts can hurt people, but Jesus used his power to help people in many, Jesus miracles. (Invite the children to participate by raising their arms to show their bicep muscles every time you say: Jesus is powerful! Practice together so everyone knows what to do. Encourage the children to listen carefully so they know when to demonstrate. As you did last Miracle 1: Jesus is powerful! (Wait while the children demonstrate.) Miracle 2: Another time at the lake, a terrible storm blew in. Jesus and his friends were caught in the middle of the lake in a boat during the storm. Waves swept over the boat. The wind roared and pushed the boat back and forth. Any minute, the boat would tip over and everyone would drown. It was terrifying! Then Jesus stood up and commanded, Peace! Be still! Just like that, the storm stopped completely. It was a miracle! Jesus is powerful! (Wait while the children demonstrate.) Continued...

5 Message 2: Power (Continued) Miracle 3: One day, thousands of people came to hear Jesus teach them about the heavenly Father. The people listened all day, (Wait while the children demonstrate.) Jesus is powerful! Miracle 4: Bartimaeus could not see at all. He was blind. He asked Jesus for help. Jesus said to him, Go, your faith has healed you. At that moment, Bartimaeus could see everything around him! It was a miracle, a powerful miracle. Jesus is powerful! (Wait while the children demonstrate.) stopped a terrible storm; Jesus made food for thousands; Jesus healed Bartimaeus s eyes so he could see again. That s four. he wants to help you. Not only does Jesus want to help, he can and does help! No matter how big the problem, Jesus loves you and stands ready to act powerfully for you! It s a miracle! (Assemble the red and orange pieces on the metal pan.) Soon, we will celebrate Jesus greatest miracle of love and power. On Resurrection Day, Jesus rose in power and left the tomb. Death was not strong enough to hold our mighty Savior! Jesus came alive and is living right now and forever. He is our strong, powerful Savior! Taking It Home (sing) Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. We are weak... (shout) Jesus is strong! (sing) Yes! Jesus loves me! Yes! Jesus loves me! Yes! Jesus loves me! (shout) He is strong for me! Let s pray together: you to help us with all our troubles, big and small. We love you, Lord. Amen. (Distribute the red piece of the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnets to any children who didn t get one last time. Encourage them to put the orange and red pieces together. Encourage everyone to watch for Jesus love and power at work in their lives this week. Remind them to thank Jesus when that happens.) 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

6 Message 3: Forgiven Getting Ready Familiarize yourself with the devotion. Bookmark Acts 10:43 in your Bible and practice reading this verse as you clarify the pronouns (him, his) as Jesus, our Savior. Place today s white magnet piece of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate activity magnet on a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Put the assembled red and orange pieces on the other side of the pan. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Have extra red Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces on hand and plan to distribute them to children who didn t receive one to take home last time. Introduction (Warmly welcome the children and invite them to sit near you. Nearby, place the bag of items you prepared ahead of time. Remind your listeners that you are counting down until Easter the wonderful day when Jesus came alive after his death on the cross. Show the children the white puzzle piece and point out the word forgiven on it. Tell the group that soon we celebrate Christ s resurrection. Invite everyone to join you as you count down together, this time beginning at four: 4, 3, 2, 1 Jesus lives! Let s celebrate!) What s the greatest thing Jesus, our Savior, has done for us? Yes, Jesus four and rose again to forgive our sins. -gave us! Jesus died for us Getting to the Heart Listen to what the Bible says about forgiveness. (Read Acts 10:43 from your Bible or below. Be sure the children understand that the him/his pronouns in this verse refer to Jesus, our Savior.) Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43). What does the word forgiveness mean? Yes, Jesus took the sins of the world to his cross. Jesus paid the price for sin. Jesus washed away our sins. He died for all the wrong things we do. He was punished instead of us. Our sins are gone forgiven forever! (Show the No Sin symbol on today s puzzle piece and put together the three pieces you ve talked about so far.) Jesus forgives our sins and he helps us live more loving, obedient lives, too. The Bible tells of many, many people that Jesus forgave. Let s think about four forgiven people from the Bible. Help me keep track of the for One: Jesus for Yes, very happy! (Lead the children in happily twirling your index finger.) for forgave him? Two: them. He told them that the important thing is not to be first, but to be humble. Jesus forgave his friends for their pride and arguing. Then he helped them care about each other. How do you think the friends felt when Jesus forgave them? Yes, very happy! (Happily twirl two raised fingers.) Continued...

7 Message 3: Forgiven (Continued) Three: As Jesus hung on the cross, dying for us, Jesus forgave a man who had done some very, very bad things. The Bible doesn t tell us the man s name, but we know he was a very bad criminal. This man was hanging on a cross beside Jesus. The man was suffering and dying for his crimes. Jesus comforted and forgave this criminal. That very day, Jesus said, the criminal would be with Jesus in paradise! How do you think the forgiven man felt when he heard this? Very, very happy! (Happily twirl all three fingers.) Four: Are you ready for the best news of all? Jesus forgives you! Jesus knows about all the unkind things you say. He knows about on loving you! When you sin, he helps you recognize your sin and confess it. He died for your sins and forgives you! Your sins are crossed out forever! Our sins have been forgiven crossed out forever, by Jesus, our Savior. This forgiveness fills us with joy now and forever! (Happily twirl all four fingers.) Taking It Home Jesus died (use index fingers to indicate nail marks in each palm) For me (point to self) For you (point outward) To give us (hands out, palms up) Forgiveness. (form cross with index fingers) Our sins are crossed out forever! (form a cross with your arms) Let s pray together to thank Jesus for the forgiveness he won for us on his cross: Dear Savior Jesus, thank you for loving and forgiving us. Your death on the cross crossed out our sins forever, and now we are (Distribute the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet pieces to any children who didn t get one last me as you hand out white pieces to everyone. Encourage them to put the three pieces together at home. Remind them that Jesus died and rose for each of us. Jesus will love us forever!) 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

8 Message 4: You Getting Ready Place today s green magnet piece of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet on a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Put the assembled three previous pieces on the other side of the pan. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Have extra Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces on hand and plan to distribute them to children who didn t receive one to take home last me. Introduction Invite everyone to join in as you count down together: 3, 2, 1 Jesus lives! Let s celebrate!) It is now very, very soon Three powerful men were Jesus judges. One of these men was named Caiaphas. He was the High Priest and Jesus first judge. Caiaphas hated Jesus. He was jealous because so many people came to hear Jesus teach about God s love and forgiveness. The second judge was named Herod. He was the ruler in a place called Galilee. He didn t believe in Jesus either, but he had heard rumors about Jesus miracles. He wanted to see Jesus do a miracle kind of like a magic show. When Jesus wouldn t do that, Herod sent Jesus away. Jesus third judge was Pilate, the Roman ruler of the area. He knew Jesus had done nothing wrong, but he was afraid the people would riot. He sentenced Jesus to die on a cross. Jesus had done only good, kind things for people, but his enemies were determined to destroy him. They hired false witnesses to soldiers, they beat him and put a crown of thorns on his head. Then they made him carry his cross to the hill outside the city where he was to die. Three crosses stood on the hill where Jesus died. (Call a en on to the three crosses on the green puzzle piece.) On a hill called Calvary, the Roman soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Two criminals were crucified that day with Jesus. These two men had commi ed many crimes, but Jesus never thought, said, or did anything wrong. He did not deserve to die. He could have told God s angel army to destroy all his enemies. He could have come down from the cross any me he wanted to. But he didn t. He stayed on the cross, because he loved us. He was dying in our place. minals. The third cross Jesus cross belonged to me. It belonged to you. (Point to the word You on the green magnet piece. Move the piece to the other side of the cookie sheet to fit it together with the previous pieces.) You and I sin every day. We disobey our teachers and parents. We fail to show love to friends and family members. We say mean, hur ul things to other people. We curse. We think selfish thoughts and act in selfish ways. The Bible calls this sin. All of us sin. But here is what the Bible says. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:15 from your Bible or below.) Continued...

9 Message 4: You (Continued) But here is what the Bible says. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:15 from your Bible or below.) He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus loved you and me so very much that he took the punishment we deserved. Jesus died on our cross so that we wouldn t have to be punished for our sins. Jesus died in our place. But he didn t stay dead. Jesus conquered death! In just three short days, Jesus came alive again! Now Jesus lives forever. Jesus loves us forever. Jesus forgives us, and he gives us new life now and forever. Taking It Home (Teach the following echo song using the tune Frère Jacques. Sing the first few words and encourage your listeners to echo them, singing your words back to you.) Jesus died. (Jesus died.) On the cross. (On the cross.) Now we are forgiven (Now we are forgiven) And we re saved! (And we re saved!) Can you fold your hands and pray in your hearts as I pray aloud? Dear Jesus, you must really love us a lot! Thank you for suffering and dying for us. We praise you for your power over sin and ith others. Amen. (Distribute the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet pieces to any children who didn t get one last me as you hand out green pieces to everyone. Encourage them to put the four pieces together at home.) 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

10 Message 5: Care Familiarize yourself with the devo on. Bookmark John 14:27 in your Bible. Place the blue magnet piece of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet on a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Put the assembled previous pieces on the other side of the pan. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Have extra Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces on hand and plan to distribute them to children who didn t receive one to take home last me. (Warmly greet the children and invite everyone to sit down around you. Nearby, place the bag of items you prepared ahead of everyone to join in as you count down together: 2, 1 Jesus lives! Let s celebrate!) we see in the story of Jesus dying and rising again for us. On the day Jesus died, most of his disciples, his followers, and his friends ran away to hide. They were afraid very afraid. Maybe Jesus enemies would capture and kill them, too! So as Jesus hung on the cross, he was almost alone. of Jesus cross while he died: Mary and John. about our heavenly Father. She helped him learn Bible verses by heart. She told Jesus stories from the Bible some of the stories you have learned! Adam and Eve. Noah and the Great Flood. David and Goliath. All those stories and many more. When Jesus grew up, Mary no doubt listened to Jesus teach. She heard about all the many miracles he was doing, and she probably witnessed some of them, too. How proud and happy she must have felt. But now Mary stood on the hill called Calvary, watching her son Jesus die on a cross. It must have broken her heart! Mary wasn t there by herself. Jesus disciple John stood near Mary beneath Jesus cross. John was one of our Savior s closest friends. Like Mary, John had seen Jesus heal, forgive, and teach. John had seen crippled people healed. He had seen hungry people fed. He had seen guilty people forgiven. Now, John watched as his Lord and Teacher suffered and died on the cross. John, too, must have felt as if his heart was breaking. Jesus saw how sad Mary and John felt. Jesus wanted to comfort them. He wanted them to help and befriend each other. So Jesus told Mary, John will be your son. To John, Jesus said, Here is your mother. Jesus was asking John to take care of Mary and love her just as if she were his own mother. Jesus was asking Mary to encourage John just as if he were her own son. The Bible tells us that John and Mary did what Jesus asked. John took Mary into his home and they cared for each other. Continued...

11 Message 5: Care (Continued) Jesus knew how confused and frightened his friends felt. He knew both Mary and John were worried and so, so sad. So Jesus comforted them. Jesus comforts and cares for us, too. Listen! (Read John 14:27 from your Bible or below.) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.... Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27). cares for us! His love comforts us, and his strength protects us. feel sad. Jesus wants us to know that he cares really (Show the children the blue Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate puzzle piece and call a en on to the picture and the word Care on the piece.) This is like Jesus hand. While he lived here on earth, Jesus used his hands to touch and heal. He used his hands to give food to hungry people. He used his hands to bless. Then he stretched out his hands on the cross and died. The nails didn t hold him to his cross. His love for us held him there. Knowing Jesus did that for us, we also know we can trust him to help with all our other troubles, too. Taking It Home Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us. Thank you for taking care of us. Help us trust you always. Amen. (Distribute the Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet pieces to any children who didn t get one last me as you hand out blue pieces to everyone. Encourage them to put the five pieces together at home, and tell them that the piece for next me is a very special shape.) 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

12 Message 6: King Bible at John 11:25. Place all of the magnet pieces of your Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate ac vity magnet individually on one side of a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Plan to assemble them on the other side of the pan during the introduc on. Place the metal pan and your Bible inside a bag. Have extra Jesus Lives! Let s Celebrate magnet pieces on hand and plan to distribute them to children who didn t receive one to take home last me. (Warmly greet the children and invite everyone to sit down around you. Nearby, place the bag of items you prepared ahead of defeated death by rising from the dead.) Resurrec on victory. We will talk more about that in a moment, but first let s review our countdown over the past five mes we have met. (Briefly review as you show each corresponding puzzle piece, assembling the pieces as you go.) (Red piece: hearts) Jesus is the friend of sinful people. We talked about six friends of Jesus including us! Jesus is our friend, just as he befriended so many people when he lived here on earth. Jesus loves us so much that he took our punishment, dying for us on the cross. Just think! Jesus loved us so much, that he even died for us! (Orange piece: lightning bolt) Jesus is powerful. We talked about five of the many miracles Jesus did powerful miracles. Jesus calmed terrible storms, fed many people, healed a blind man, and much, much more. This same, powerful Jesus loves us. He wants to help us when we have troubles and problems. He can help us with our troubles and problems. No problem is too big or too hard for Jesus! (White piece: no sin) Jesus died on the cross for us. He died in our place, taking the punishment we had deserved. Now we are forgiven! Jesus crossed out all of our sins. And he helps us live as God s loving, obedient children. Jesus is our wonderful friend and Savior. (Green piece: three crosses) The cross on which Jesus died didn t belong to him. He never did anything wrong. He never sinned. That cross really belonged to us. But Jesus hung on that cross, dying in our place. Jesus loves us that much! Amazing! (Blue piece: Jesus hand) Jesus blessed, healed, and helped the people who came to him for help when he lived here Continued...

13 Message 6: King (Continued) There is one last piece for our puzzle. I told you last me that it has a special shape. (Show listeners the crown on the yellow puzzle piece and the words Jesus, the King! Invite the children to listen as you retell the story of Christ s resurrec on. Each me your listeners hear the word one, they should raise one index finger and point upward.) One that tomb when they took his lifeless body down from the cross. Jesus was dead, and all his friends felt very sad and very, very lonely. Meanwhile, Jesus enemies insisted that Governor Pilate secure the tomb, so Pilate sent one group of soldiers to guard Jesus tomb. They stood there, guarding Jesus tomb for three days. one great earthquake shook the ground. The soldiers fell over, then ran away in fear. They had seen an angel come down from heaven! That one angel had rolled the one huge stone away from the door of Jesus tomb. But there were zero dead bodies inside! Jesus body was no longer there. Jesus was no longer in his tomb. Jesus was no longer dead! Our one and only Savior Jesus was alive! Jesus had defeated our greatest enemy death! Jesus is the one, true king. Jesus rules! He is our forgiving, loving Savior! one greatest day of all the day of the one greatest victory of all. Jesus, our Savior, lives! Jesus victory over death is also our victory! Listen to what Jesus promises us. (Read John 11:25 from your Bible or below.) (Cheer together:) Jesus lives! Let s celebrate! Taking It Home (Have the children listen and watch as you sing the words of the following song, using the tune for Frere Jacques. As you sing, point to each of the six pieces of the now-complete puzzle magnet to cue the group. Then ask them to sing with you as you repeat the song. Prac ce it a few mes.) Jesus loves me! (red piece: hearts) He has power (orange piece: lightning bolt) Over sin, (white piece: no sin) Over death. (green piece: crosses) Jesus is my Savior! (blue piece: Jesus hand) Jesus is my Savior! Jesus lives! Jesus lives! 2013 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.