The Holy Spirit Awakens Us to Holiness

Transcription

1 The Holy Spirit Awakens Us to Holiness BIBLE PASSAGE 1 Thessalonians 3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2 (Letters to the Thessalonians) REMEMBER VERSE Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14 SCHEDULE Anticipate 5 10 minutes Celebrate & Respond Large Group minutes Respond & Bless Small Group minutes Environment: COURSE CORRECTION This environment flows out of Hebrews 12:11 13 and is the direct opposite of punishment. Instead, biblical discipline for a child encompasses a season of pain, the building up in love, and a vision of a corrected path with the purpose of healing at its core. 1

2 Equipping Volunteers July 28/29 In Acts 17, we learn that Paul arrived in Thessalonica after being persecuted in Philippi. At that time, Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, with a population of two hundred thousand people. Unlike many of the cities in which Paul preached, Thessalonica still exists today. Located on the coast of modern-day Greece, it remains an important city of trade and commerce. Like most Greek cities in Paul s time, paganism and sexual promiscuity were socially acceptable. This is why Paul s message was so radical to the original hearers. He proclaimed: There is only one God, and He calls His children to practice self-control. The Holy Spirit moved in the hearts of the Thessalonians, and a church quickly formed, the believers ready to live in holiness. Persecuted, Paul left the new church after only three weeks. He sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage [the Thessalonians] in [their] faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Despite the Thessalonian church being young and particularly vulnerable to persecution and cultural pressure, Timothy sent back a favorable report. He said the church was thriving and the members were full of faith. Even so, they struggled. Many needed encouragement to remain sexually pure and to learn to control [their] own bod[ies] in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:4 5). They also needed warnings against false teachers and encouragement to hold to the teachings passed on to you (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Paul s letter to the Thessalonians gives us a beautiful reminder that holiness comes not by our own efforts but through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. It s an eloquent encouragement to remain steadfast in our pursuit to be holy like God, as well as an assurance that the Holy Spirit is the only power able to awaken our hearts to holiness. 2

3 Anticipate// (Small Group) 5 10 min 1. What s That For? FOR YOUNGER KIDS SUPPLIES- Professional Tools Matching Sheet printout (1 per child), markers SET UP- Hand them out to younger kids, and ask them to match the people with the tools they use in their jobs. ENGAGE- When you looked at the tools, did you notice each one was created for a certain purpose? God also created us for a certain purpose, and we should live our lives with that purpose in mind. When Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, he encouraged them to live their lives as God wanted them to with self-control and holiness. Paul knew the Holy Spirit would help the Thessalonians live in the right way so their lives would be beautiful and full, living the way God created them to live. If they finish the sheet early, have the kids turn it over and use the back to invent their own machine! Have each child invent his own machine, such as a machine that makes trees grow scoops of ice cream or a machine that turns moonbeams into snow. Have the kids share their new machines with the group. FOR OLDER KIDS SUPPLIES- Images of outdated objects and machines, guess sheet printouts, answer sheet printouts, computer paper (1 per child), markers SET UP- Tape the images and answers sheets together on another table or a wall (with the answer sheets hidden underneath the images). Tape the guesses sheet next to each object and image, and place pens nearby. ENGAGE- Point out the images on the table or wall, and ask the kids to guess what each object or machine was used for. They can write down their guesses or peek at the answer underneath the image. When you looked at the tools, did you notice each one was created for a certain purpose? God also created us for a certain purpose, and we should live our lives with that purpose in mind. When Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, he encouraged them to live their lives as God wanted them to with self-control and holiness. Paul knew the Holy Spirit would help the Thessalonians live in the right way so their lives would be beautiful and full, living the way God created them to live. If they finish early, have the kids use computer paper and invent their own machine! Have each child invent his own machine, such as a machine that makes trees grow scoops of ice cream or a machine that turns moonbeams into snow. Have the kids share their new machines with the group. 2. Earning Rocks See if any children have earned any rocks for the Rock Wall today. Children who memorized last week's memory verse, children who brought their Bible, or those who brought a friend. Pass out the rocks and let the kids write on the rocks their name, or the verse they memorized. (kids add rocks to rock wall at beginning of next section). Last week s memory verse: Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14 3

4 Celebrate// (Large Group) min 1. Welcome & Traditions ROCK WALL CELEBRATION- Open up Celebrate time by celebrating all of the rocks that the kids have earned this week! Let them add them to the rock wall and encourage everyone to keep working on their verses, remembering their Bible and bringing friends! WELCOME VISITORS- Use this time to also welcome any new visitors. Give them a big round of applause for coming! And have a nearby leader give each visitor a high five! CONNECT- To finish up welcome time, let kids engage in today s connect question! Show Connect Slide for kids to view. Encourage them to ask someone they might not know yet. After a minute or two, ask several kids to tell their friends answers to the group- If you could have one pen pal (or friend with whom you exchange s), who would that person be and why? 2. Remember Verse Pass out Bibles to any kids who don t have one to use during today s lesson. Introduce kids to this week s Remember Verse. Open your Bibles and read it together. Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14 3. Prayer of Release Next, pray a Prayer of Release. This is a time for kids and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Encourage kids to quiet their voices and take a seat. Then ask them to pray with you. 4. The Big God Story- The Holy Spirit Awakens Us to Holiness SUPPLIES- Props: washable paint, large platter, 3 pieces of paper, pen, large envelope; Images: Thessolonica, map of Paul s journeys; Video: time passing; Costume: a robe for Paul SET UP- Though this part of The Big God Story can be delivered verbatim, read it before the lesson, so you can personally interact with the material. Before teaching, point out that what they are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible, and encourage kids to do the same, to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage. You may even want to write the reference in large print on a whiteboard. Almost all of today s Big God Story will be told from Paul s perspective, so the Storyteller should either prepare to be Paul or ask someone else to play this role. Using a washable paint, scribble on the platter. Place the platter somewhere in the storytelling area for everyone to see. Place the soap, rag, and bucket of water in the storytelling area out of sight. Write To: Paul and From: Timothy in large letters on the envelope, stick a piece of paper inside, and set aside. Place the other two pieces of paper and pen on the table with the food. Cue the images and video. ENGAGE- Paul: Hi, kids! Remember me? I m the apostle Paul! Lately you ve been hearing about how the Holy Spirit has been leading me all around the Roman Empire, spreading the good news of Jesus in different cities! I just left the city of Thessalonica (show images of Thessalonica) in Macedonia. (Point to and show the map of Paul s journeys.) I was only able to teach there for three weeks because people started to get upset with me. I had to leave the city! I felt so sad to leave the Thessalonians. I think about them all the time, and I m concerned about them because I know how hard it is to be a Christian in such a big city. Many of the people there worship false gods, and they do whatever they want, even if it hurts themselves or others. And I know the Thessalonians are experiencing persecution, which means that other people are treating them badly because they believe in Jesus. Oh, man, I really wish I knew how they were doing! Hey, I know what I can do! (Point your finger in the air as if you ve just had a great idea.) I ll send my friend and disciple, Timothy, to go check on them. (Ask for a volunteer to stand up and 4

5 act as Timothy.) Timothy, will you go back to Thessalonica to strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters there? Make sure to give them my love, and send me a report as soon as you get there so I know how they re doing. (Have Timothy salute Paul and run out of the room.) While we re waiting to hear back from Timothy, I m going to pray for the Thessalonians. Will you join me? (Get on your knees and fold your hands.) God, I pray the Thessalonians will walk with You and stand firm in your truth. Amen. (Open your eyes and stand up.) I wonder if we ll hear from Timothy soon. (Ask a volunteer to hand you the prop envelope.) Look! A letter from Timothy! Let s see what it says. (Open the envelope and pretend to read the paper inside.) Dear Paul, I am happy to report that the Thessalonians are still following God and standing firm in their faith. But they do need some encouragement and correction. Could you write to them and give them some advice on how to live holy and pure lives? Love, Timothy. I m so happy the Thessalonians are still following Jesus! Of course I will write to them! (Play time passing video, grab the two pieces of paper and pen from the table, and pretend to quickly write two letters. When you re finished, hold them up for the kids to see.) All done! Thanks for waiting so long for me to write these! Kids, may I read to you a little of what I wrote? Great! Dear Thessalonians, I miss you! I pray for you all the time and wish I could be there to teach and guide you on the path to God. But I know the Holy Spirit is there with you in your hearts, strengthening you as you walk with God. Timothy tells me you re following my teachings on how to live holy and pure lives. I want to encourage you to do that more and more! (Still reading the letter ) What is holiness, and how do we get it? Well, when we choose to give our lives to God, we don t live for ourselves anymore, doing whatever we want. Instead, we surrender our lives to what He wants for us and His holiness. God s Holy Spirit is the One who gives us the power to live a holy life a life that s set apart from the world. Here s another way to think about holiness: It s living the way God wants us to live, through the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. Before you knew God, you did not live holy lives! In fact, you did and said whatever you wanted to! If you got angry with a friend, you said mean things to her! If you wanted to stay up all night instead of obeying your parents who told you to go to bed, you did! And if you wanted to eat cookies for breakfast, brownies for lunch, and ice cream for dinner every single day, you did! You see, when we give our lives to God and follow a new path toward Jesus, we choose to forget about ourselves and instead open up to God s power so He can help us live lives of holiness and accomplish His plans for us. God knows what is best for us, and we can trust Him to lead us on the right path. God says that if you want to live a holy life, it s very important that you learn how to watch your words and your actions. You ve learned how the Holy Spirit lives inside you, bearing fruit. Part of that fruit is self-control. Learning self-control is hard! Sometimes we want to do things we know God doesn t want us to do. To live holy lives, we need God s help! The Holy Spirit inside us helps us have self-control. On our own we can t live holy lives, but with the Holy Spirit we can! (Pick up the dirty plate.) How do we use a plate? What s it for? (Allow kids to answer.) Yes, we eat from a plate. It has a purpose, just like the items you looked at earlier during Anticipate. So let s look at it this way: Imagine you re a beautiful silver plate that s become dusty, dirty, and dull. Would you want to eat off of a plate like this? No! (Begin to clean away the paint, and, using the bucket of water and soap, wash the marks and dirt away.) The dirtiness on this plate represents sin, and cleaning off the dirt represents the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (Buff and polish the platter until it shines.) We need God s Holy Spirit to come clean away the dirt and polish us until we not only shine but also can be used by God for His purpose! Some people might think that living a holy life sounds boring and no fun. But that s not true! The truth is that life with God is the most adventurous, beautiful, and exciting life you can have! It doesn t mean it s always easy, but it s the most fulfilling life we could ever want. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit creates holiness in our lives. Learning to live a holy life takes time; it doesn t happen overnight. For our entire life the Holy Spirit will be with us, making us pure and holy people. (Put down the paper and pen.) Thanks for listening to this letter, kids! I hope it encourages you too to know the Holy Spirit has the power to create holiness in your lives. I hope it gives you joy to know that living life as God intended is the most exciting way to live! (Have Paul exit, change his appearance, and return as the Storyteller [or have the Storyteller enter, if someone else has been playing Paul].) Storyteller: Wow! God used Paul to encourage the Thessalonians in their faith and to remind them the Holy Spirit would give them the strength to be holy like God is holy. But you know what s even cooler? God didn t just use Paul to write that letter to the Thessalonians; He used Paul to write that letter to us! (Turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians.) 5

6 The letter Paul wrote is in our Bibles, so we can be encouraged too! In fact, I m encouraged by this part of Scripture right now! I m encouraged that God gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit so we can have the strength to live holy lives for His glory. (This would be a good place to tell a story from your personal life about how God gave you the strength to live the kind of life He calls us to live.) 6

7 Respond// (Large Group) min. 1. Worship Response Stations Spend 5-10 minutes in Worship Response Stations, letting children respond to the lesson they just heard in their own way. Assist younger children and guide when necessary. If the kids need help getting started in Worship Response Stations, give them this prompt: God says that if you want to live a holy life, it s very important that you learn how to watch your words and your actions. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn how to watch your words and actions. Play the Worship Response Song (Hymns of Majesty) and allow the kids to spend that time in stations. Then after that song, play Come, Now Is The Time to Worship and use that song as the transition cue for children to finish up what they are working on and come together as a large group to Worship Through Music. 2. Worship Through Music Finish large group Celebrate with a time of singing music. 1. Like Jesus 2. Forgiven 3. Celebrate Then exit Large Group to spend time applying the things from today in a small group setting. 7

8 Respond// (Small Group) min. 1. Reflect: The Holy Spirit Awakens Us to Holiness Paul encouraged the church of Thessalonica to continue living holy and pure lives. Paul reminded the Thessalonians that holiness means living life God s way, through the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. (Leaders: Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages.) Questions for Younger Kids Why did Paul write to the Thessalonians? (1 Thessalonians 3:1 5) What is holiness? Who helps us become holy? (2 Thessalonians 2:13) What type of life does God want you to live? (1 Peter 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:16 18) If you were part of the Thessalonian church, what would you write back to Paul? Questions for Older Kids Why did Paul write to the Thessalonians? (1 Thessalonians 3:1 13) What is holiness? Who helps us become holy? (2 Thessalonians 2:13) What are some ways we can pursue holiness? (1 Peter 1:14 16; 1 John 3:6 10) What type of life does God want you to live? (1 Thessalonians 4:7 8; Romans 12:1) How did Paul encourage the Thessalonians? (1 Thessalonians 3:2 3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 17) Why is a holy life difficult? And why is a holy life fulfilling? If you were part of the Thessalonian church, what would you write back to Paul? 2. Create: A Beautiful Life With God SUPPLIES- White butcher paper section, water color paints, paint brushes, plastic cups (fill ony ⅓ of the way with water) SETUP- Set out butcher paper, fill cups ⅓ way with water ENGAGE- When we live the life God has planned for us a life in which the Holy Spirit inspires us to be holy we live beautiful lives! Holiness doesn t happen all at once. It s the result of a life lived with the Holy Spirit, walking with Him every day. The process of becoming holy like God is sort of like a beautiful painting. Imagine that you have a paintbrush and God and you are the painters. God is the One who knows what the picture will look like and leads you in the way you should mix the paints and create amazing colors. The power of the Holy Spirit leads you to choose a color or draw an image, and your life becomes a living piece of art that pleases God. Explain that together, your small group is going to make a masterpiece mural, each child adding his or her own artistic flair as a symbol of their beautiful life with God. 3. Bless: SETUP AND ENGAGE- Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. This posture is meant to symbolize a willingness of heart to respond to God s Holy Spirit and receive what God has for them. Open a Bible and read I Thessalonians 5:23 24 (NLT): Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. Children, I pray you remember that you have been called by God to be holy, and that He will be faithful to complete the good work He has begun in you. HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 8