SPRING 2012 F BIBLE TEACHING FOR KIDS 1st and 2nd Graders March: The Prophets April: Jesus the Savior May: Jesus Early Ministry LEADER GUIDE
Production & Ministry Team James Hargrave Content Editor Andrea Hultman Production Editor Ed Maksimowicz Graphic Designer Ernie Hickman Senior Graphic Design Specialist Bill Emeott Lead Childhood Ministry Specialist Klista Storts Childhood Ministry Specialist R. Scott Wiley Editorial Project Leader Send questions/comments to Editorial Project Leader, Bible Teaching for Kids 1st and 2nd Graders Leader Guide One LifeWay Plaza, MSN 172 Nashville, TN 37234-0172 Make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com. Management Personnel Jerry Vogel, Director Childhood Ministry Publishing Landry R. Holmes and Cindy Landes, Managing Directors Childhood Ministry Publishing Becky Loyd, Director Childhood Ministry David Francis, Director Sunday School Ministry Gary H. Hauk Director, Publishing LifeWay Church Resources Printed in the United States of America. Bible Teaching for Kids 1st and 2nd Graders Leader Guide (ISSN 1557-4393; Item 005075024) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, MSN 113, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. F BIBLE TEACHING FOR KIDS MARCH The Prophets... 7 March 4: Elijah... 8 March 11: Elisha...14 March 18: Daniel...20 March 25: Jonah...26 APRIL Jesus the Savior... 33 April 1: The Triumphal Entry...34 April 8: Jesus Crucifixion and Resurrection...40 April 15: Jesus Met Two Disciples on the Road...46 April 22: Thomas Believed...52 April 29: Jesus Appeared to the Disciples...58 MAY Jesus Early Ministry... 65 May 6: Jesus at the Temple...66 May 13: John the Baptist and Jesus Baptism...72 May 20: Jesus Was Tempted...78 May 27: Jesus Called Disciples...84 Writers Becky Fager, Tommy Sanders, Ann Tonks 1st and 2nd Graders LEADER GUIDE The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline. SPRING 2012 A guide for teaching Bible truths to children ages 6 to 8 Volume 6, Issue 3 All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Levels of Biblical Learning is a federally registered trademark of and Quick Scene is a trademark of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. SPRING 2012 3
The Prophets Concept Areas: God; Self SESSION TITLE AND SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE LIFE APPLICATION Week of March 4 Elijah 1 Kings 18 Come, let us worship and bow down. Psalm 95:6 I can worship the one true God. Week of March 11 Elisha 2 Kings 4:1 5:19 The Lord had done great things for us. Psalm 126:3 I can recognize God s activity in people s lives. Week of March 18 Daniel Daniel 1 2; 5 6 The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 I can respond to what happens to me in ways that please God. Week of March 25 Jonah Jonah Love the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 30:20 I can obey God. Levels of Biblical Learning resources may be purchased from LifeWay Christian Resources by calling 1 (800) 458-2772, by ordering online at www.lifeway.com, or by visiting your nearest LifeWay Christian Store. Books of the Bible Flash Cards (005397419) Holy Land Map floor puzzle (005159905) Giant Game Floor Mat (005408950) Giant Game Floor Mat Children s Games CD-ROM (005397774) MARCH 2012 7
WEEK OF MARCH 4, 2012 Elijah Bible Passage 1 Kings 18 Level of Biblical Learning (God) God is real, the only true God. Bible Truth God is the only true God. Life Application I can worship the one true God. Memory Verse Come, let us worship and bow down. Psalm 95:6 For a link to a life application video that supplements and supports this week s teaching, go to EXTRA! (www.lifewayextra.ning. com), and click on Kids Leaders. For over three years, there had been no rain in the land. God was about to change that. As the story begins, Obadiah, a man torn between his great fear of the Lord and his service to King Ahab, had been sent to find green grass for Ahab to feed his cattle. Obadiah suddenly met Elijah, who asked Obadiah to deliver a message to Ahab. Elijah confronted King Ahab. Ahab, influenced by his wife, Jezebel, had set up altars to Baal and Asherah (uh SHEE ruh). Baal was believed to be the god of rain and harvests. Asherah was a fertility goddess. The drought had been a clear message to Ahab that Baal was not powerful. Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to prove the deity of their gods. Do you find it interesting that later only the prophets to Baal are identified as being involved in this battle? What do you think happened to the 400 prophets of Asherah when this test began? Ahab, eager to discredit Elijah, called the nation together on Mount Carmel. The stage was now set for this showdown. In verse 21, Elijah chastised the nation whose devotion had swayed back and forth between God and the pagan dieties. Now confronted with their sin, the people did not respond. Why do you think they wavered? Was it due to peer pressure, enjoyment of sin, or doubt? The challenge was simple: sacrifice a bull, place it on the altar, and then call on Baal/God to send down fire to consume the offering. Even though Baal s prophets spent all day calling out to him, Baal never answered with fire. Elijah took a moment to repair the altar of God and began to prepare his sacrifice. Elijah s actions at this point may seem a little silly to us, but Elijah wanted there to be no doubt after this that there was only one true God. Many people during this period of history believed that multiple gods existed. However, Elijah knew that there was truly only one God. The day was an overwhelming demonstration of the power of God. Elijah announced the end of the drought and then outran Ahab s chariot back to Jezreel (vv. 45-46). Are you set on worshiping the one true God despite living in a world of acceptance and everyone is right? Know the one true God, and worship only Him. 8 BIBLE TEACHING FOR 1ST AND 2ND GRADERS
Session at a Glance 1) PREVIEW the Bible Study Use with children who arrive early. The children will find in the Bible the books in which this month s stories and memory verses are found. 2) POWER UP for Bible Study (5 10 minutes) Start at the time designated by your church for Sunday School to begin. The children will play a matching game with pictures from today s Bible story. 3) PLUG IN to Bible Study (25 30 minutes) Study the Bible content and worship. To help them know that they can worship the one true God, the children will sing The Prophets, listen to a Bible story, play Flying High! use their Bibles, learn Psalm 95:6 and Deuteronomy 30:20, and worship by singing and praying. 4) PERSONALIZE the Bible Study (20 25 minutes) Each teacher leads a group of children to do one of the following activities. Choice 1: Giant Worship Book Choice 2: Worship Actions Choice 3: Bible Verse Puzzles 1 2 PREVIEW the Bible Study The children will choose cards from the bag, read the Bible book names, and find the books in their Bibles. Each card shows the name of one of the Bible books in which the March Bible stories and memory verses are found. POWER UP for Bible Study Explain that you have scattered around the room pictures about today s Bible story. When the music starts (choose any track), the kids will find the pictures and bring them to you. When all the pictures have been found, mix them, and place them facedown on the floor. The children will take turns choosing two cards and trying to make matches. If the cards match, you will remove them from the game. If the cards do not match, the child will turn them facedown again. Play until all the matches have been made. Ask what is shown in each picture. On separate cards, print the following: Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Psalms, Daniel, and Jonah. (CD-ROM) Place the cards in a bag. Keep the cards to use again next week. Option: Use the appropriate cards from Books of the Bible Flash Cards (005397419). CD (pack item 1) Place the Bible Story Match cards (pack item 6) around the room. Each of the pictures tells something about today s story. Today s story is about an Old Testament prophet who taught that God is the only true God. We can worship the one true God. WEEK OF MARCH 4, 2012 9
Display the title banner (pack item 3) and The Prophets song chart (back of teaching picture 6). CD (pack item 1) Option Display a poster with the definition of prophet. (CD-ROM) Bible Story Match cards (pack item 6) 3 PLUG IN to Bible Study 1 Introduce the unit, and sing. Sing The Prophets with the CD (track 2). Hear Know In March, the kids will learn about four Old Testament prophets. A prophet is a person who speaks for God. God used the prophets to preach His messages to the people. 2 Introduce and tell the Bible story. Explain that Elijah was a prophet who lived in Israel during Old Testament times. He lived during the reign of King Ahab, an evil king whose actions angered God. King Ahab worshiped false gods instead of worshiping the Lord God. King Ahab s wife, Jezebel, had put to death many of God s prophets. God had stopped the rain, causing a severe famine throughout the land. In the third year of the famine, King Ahab sent his palace overseer, Obadiah, to go through the land seeking water and grass for the king s herds of livestock. Open your Bible to 1 Kings 18. Distribute the cards used in Power Up. Ask each child to quietly hold up his picture when the person or thing is mentioned in the story. Tell the Bible story in your own words. Elijah 10 While Obadiah was searching for water, he met Elijah. Obadiah knew that King Ahab had been searching for Elijah for a long time. Elijah promised that he would meet with the king. Obadiah reported to King Ahab, and the king went to meet with Elijah. Elijah said that God had caused the drought because Ahab had disobeyed God and followed the false god, Baal. Elijah challenged the king to bring the false prophets of Baal and all the people to Mount Carmel. When they came, Elijah offered a challenge. I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal has 450 prophets. Let each of us prepare a sacrifice, but neither will light a fire. They will call on the name of Baal, and I will call on the name of the one true God. The God who answers with fire, He is God! The prophets of Baal chose a bull and prepared it. They called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, but nothing happened. At noon, Elijah made fun of them. He said, Shout loudly! Maybe Baal is thinking it over, or maybe he wandered away. Perhaps he s sleeping and will wake up! The prophets of Baal shouted louder and louder. They kept on raving until evening, but of course, no one answered. Baal was not real. No fire came. Then Elijah took 12 stones and repaired the altar of God. He dug a trench around the altar. He put wood on top of the stones and meat on top of the wood. Elijah told the people to fill four pots with water and to pour the water onto the BIBLE TEACHING FOR 1ST AND 2ND GRADERS
offering and onto the wood. Then he ordered that four more pots of water be poured over the altar. Finally, he ordered it done a third time! Water ran all around the altar and filled the trench. Elijah approached the altar and prayed to God. Then God sent fire that burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, and even the dust. The fire even licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! Elijah told King Ahab that rain was coming. And it came! God used Elijah to show the people of Israel that God is the one true God. 1 Kings 18 3 Review. Show the teaching picture. Ask how Elijah showed the people that God is the one true God. Ask what part of the Bible story is shown in the picture. Ask what happened before this part of the Bible story and what happened next. Ask what the people did when they saw the fire fall on the altar. Form teams, and play the Flying High! game with today s review questions. 4 Learn the memory verse, and worship through singing. Read Psalm 95:6 from the display. Lead the boys and girls to say the verse together. Guide the kids to find the verse in their Bibles. Stand and say the verse together again. Ask what the verse says we should do. (worship God) Teaching picture 1 and the Flying High! gameboard (pack item 2) Place the session 1 review questions (pack item 5) in a bag. Display the March memory verses (pack item 4). Suggest that one way to worship God is to sing to Him. Read Deuteronomy 30:20 from the display. Sing Love the Lord Your God (Deuteronomy 30:20) with the CD (track 3) as a way to worship Him. 5 Explore the life application, and pray. Ask the children to identify ways, times, and places they worship the one true God. God is real and is the only true God. Children can worship God by singing; praying; reading their Bibles; listening to the Bible story or the pastor s sermon; listening to the choir, praise team, or a soloist; listening to the organ, piano, or orchestral music; or singing in children s choir. Children can worship at home, at school, outside, in a car or on a bus, and at any time of the day. Pray, thanking God that you and the children can worship Him in many ways and in many places. Ask God to help the children remember to always worship Him. 6 Choose Personalize activities. Describe the activities that will help the kids continue to learn about worshiping God. Help each child choose a learning activity. WEEK OF MARCH 4, 2012 11
Choice 1 Half-sheets of poster board, pencils, markers, a hole punch, and 4 binder rings Option Make smaller, individual worship booklets. 4 PERSONALIZE the Bible Study Do Choice 1: Giant Worship Book Children who participate in this activity will make a giant book illustrating ways they can worship the one true God. Learner guide pages 5 6: Complete Ways to Worship and Worship God. Make a giant book to illustrate and to describe ways kids can worship God at different times and places. Plan what each page will say and show, and assign each page to a child. Decide if you or the kids will print a caption to describe each illustration. Choose a title, and ask a volunteer to print it on the cover of the book. Decide who will illustrate the cover. Decide where all the kids will sign the book. Choice 2 Worship Actions cards (pack item 7) and pencils Teaching Tip You can enrich this activity by printing on blank cards additional worship action ideas. Add your cards to the pack item cards. Punch four holes evenly spaced along the left side of the cover. Place the cover on top of each completed page to serve as a stencil to mark the placement for all the holes. Punch the holes on all the poster board pages. Align the cover and pages in order, and attach the binder rings. Display the completed book. Read each page to remind the children of the ways they said that they can worship God. Identify times, places, and ways girls and boys can worship God. Children can pray and can read their Bibles alone or with their families. Children can sing worship songs at church, at home, or in the car. Children can say Bible verses and can thank God for many things. * Apply the Bible truth all week. Choice 2: Worship Actions Children who participate in this activity will play a game that instructs them to complete worship action experiences. Learner guide pages 5 6: Complete Ways to Worship and Worship God. Place the Worship Action cards facedown on the table. Lead the boys and girls to take turns choosing cards and following the suggestions of ways to worship God. When all the cards have been used, ask the kids to name all the ways they worshiped God. Ask if they can think of other ways to worship God. Ask how many of the worship actions they could do at home. Ask if any are actions they would probably do only at church. Guide the group to plan a worship time. Decide if the plan will be used at church or at home. Decide what the worship time will include. Decide the order in which things will happen. If the plan is to be used now, decide who will lead each part, and use the plan to continue to worship God. 12 BIBLE TEACHING FOR 1ST AND 2ND GRADERS
Identify times, places, and ways girls and boys can worship God. Children can pray and can read their Bibles alone or with their families. Children can sing worship songs at church, at home, or in the car. Children can say Bible verses and can thank God for many things. * Apply the Bible truth all week. Choice 3: Bible Verse Puzzles Children who participate in this activity will create puzzles to help them learn Bible verses about worshiping God. Learner guide pages 5 6: Complete Ways to Worship and Worship God. Ask volunteers to take turns opening your Bible to the marked verses. Read each verse. Ask how kids can worship God in that way. Guide each child to choose, print, and illustrate one of the verses they read and discussed. Encourage the kids to print and draw large enough to fill their papers. Direct the children to draw lines on the backs of their papers to divide them into five or six large puzzle pieces. Each child will cut apart her puzzle pieces and place them into a clear plastic bag. Allow the boys and girls to trade, assemble, and read their puzzles. If time allows, help the children make additional Bible verse puzzles. Choice 3 Markers, crayons, scissors, construction paper, and clear plastic bags In your Bible, mark these verses: 1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 95:1; Psalm 95:6; Psalm 107:1; and Psalm 119:16. Bring an offering and come before Him. 1 Chronicles 16:29 Identify times, places, and ways girls and boys can worship God. Children can pray and can read their Bibles alone or with their families. Children can sing worship songs at church, at home, or in the car. Children can say Bible verses and can thank God for many things. * Apply the Bible truth all week. * Apply the Bible truth all week. Ask each child to name a time and a way he will worship God this week. Worship God by quietly singing Love the LORD Your God without the CD. Pray, asking God to help the kids worship Him every day. WEEK OF MARCH 4, 2012 13