Date: 14 & 15 November 2015 GKidz Barnabas Club Music & Media Lesson 3 I Am Part of God s Story Key Verse: My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never die. No one will steal them out of my hand. John 10:27-28 (NIrV) Lesson Objectives: Children will learn that: 1) God continues to tell His story through music and media 2) They can be a part of telling His story by knowing His Word 3) They can navigate music and media with the armour of God NOTE TO LEADERS Lesson Overview I don t think we ve realized that media has become a two- way conversation. Storytelling, on every level, has become a two- way conversation Today, this generation s grown up with iphones, and Androids and interactive TV. It s a two- way conversation What if we actually listen to what people are saying? It doesn t mean we tone down our theology or change our storyline just to make it weaker. But I think this generation has grown up wanting to be a part of the conversation. And if we don t include them in the conversation, we will lose them, there s no question about it because they don t understand what one- way communication is about. They have grown up in the two- way world and that s the way we have to be. - Phil Cooke, founder of Cooke Pictures In the early 2000s, the TV drama Lost captivated viewers all over the world with the story of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. The show s producers think one of the biggest reasons why Lost became such a great hit was because the writers would gather weekly and trawl the hundreds of online fan sites dedicated to the show, and re- write storylines based on what the people were saying. Many in the music and media industry have come to embrace the involvement of their audience in the creative process. They realize that the people who watch or listen to their content want to contribute in some way too. Jim Krueger, creative director at Marvel Comics, says this participation allows the audience to attach themselves to a bigger story and have some significance. Barnabas Club 2015 1
In today s culture, people long to be involved and included in the conversation. That is the same for our children. The popularity of social media, and games like Minecraft and Growtopia, illustrate this desire to be a part of the bigger story. What is amazing is that we as believers are already part of a bigger story God s story! His story is one that is filled with hope, vision, faith and destiny. His story is one of unending love and unfailing compassion. We as believers, have an opportunity to invite people to be a part of God s story and cut through the deception that is out there. The mission is urgent. The evil one has become increasingly deceptive through music and media. As believers, we have no other choice but to engage in the very same mediums that the evil one lurks in. But the Lord has prepared us with the armour of God to engage. And if we know how to wield the armour of God, then we will be able to effectively invite others to be a part of God s story. Consider the quote below: No generation has ever been more manipulated than the generation that lives today. And they know it, and they re savvy, living in the technological environment that they also distrust, even if they feel compelled to use it. People are responding to an array of stimuli that is simply overwhelming today. To filter that out and to protect oneself requires a level of understanding, awareness, discipline and resistance that s very rare. If part of living in the modern world means we re going to be exposed to ideas that are repugnant, malevolent, dark and wicked, then what do we do to challenge the predominant institutions, the predominant powers that control these images? We should be the great conscientious objectors, who always want to return to truth, to a place of vulnerability to that truth. Most people don t really want to know the truth if it means being disappointed along the way. They ll eat, drink and be merry, be entertained and be distracted and amused to death. The risks of pursuing truth are tremendous. What could be a greater adventure than to risk everything to pursue the one truth that endures? If truth isn t all that, then it probably isn t true at all. - Dr Gordon Pennington As leaders, your aim this week is to: - Help the children see what God has to say about themes found in music and media (Themes of Fascination with Eternity and the Supernatural, Longing For Relationships, Desire for Purpose) - Help them realize that God wants them to be a part of His story and help others know about Him - Help them understand that they can tell God s story to others when they know God s Word - Allow them to see that when they have the armour of God, they will be able to make wise choices and not be trapped by satan s voices in music and media Barnabas Club 2015 2
Discuss At Leaders Briefing: - Observable examples of God speaking through music and media - The challenges faced by our children to tell God s story, in the light of music and media, especially if they don t have a good grasp of His Word - How can we help our children embrace and put on the armour of God in their everyday lives PLATFORM TEACHING (20 MINUTES) Logistics Needed: K- POP fan, PowerPoint Slides (GKidz will provide) (Teacher 2 is on ear phones listening to music) Teacher 2: (sings) and the players wanna play play play play play, and the haters wanna hate hate hate hate shake it off shake it off (Teacher 1 notices Teacher 2 listening to something on his/her phone) Teacher 1: EH- HEM! Today is the last weekend of our music and media series, and you still haven t remembered that you can give your fullest attention at GKidz instead of being distracted with your phone! Teacher 2: I m so sorry! Ok I will keep my phone. But I am so sad that I missed out on going to Taylor Swift s concert! She was here in Singapore last week leh! Teacher 1: Wait a minute, I thought you are the president of the ultimate K- POP fan club called the KPOP Kelong, Kampong Club? Teacher 2: Excuse me! It s called the K- POP K- PO K- POCK POCK KEH Club! And yes I m a K- POP fan! But I m also a fan of Taylor Swift! I think I shall start a new fan club. I will be her ultimate fan! Teacher 1: Wah you got so much time ah! Don t you know you are part of THE ultimate fan club? Teacher 2: Really? How come I don t know?! Teacher 1: Yes you are! We all are too! It s called Barnabas Club! And here at Barnabas Club, we are not crazy over Taylor Swift, or some K- POP star. We are crazy for Jesus! He is the true Star!! Over the past few weeks, we have been learning that music and media are meant to glorify Jesus, the true Star! Teacher 2: Oh I remember now! The verse that we have been memorizing is John 10:27-28! (read from slide shown) I also remember that you said something like everything in music and media has a theme right? Barnabas Club 2015 3
Teacher 1: That s right! Let s see if the children here can remember the three themes we talked about last week they are Fascination with.(show answer in slide: Fascination with the Eternity and Supernatural) Longing for. (Show answer in slide: Longing For Relationships ) and Desire for (Show answer in slide: Desire for Purpose ) Well done! All of you remembered! Teacher 2: (Show slide) We also learnt last week about G.O.A.L! We not only group music and media according to the theme, but we can also observe what is sung or shown, and then ask the question: Does this glorify God and tell of His great story? If it doesn t glorify God, then we leave it out! But if it does, then we can leave it in! Teacher 1: I am so happy that you have been listening and paying attention to what we ve been learning over the past two weeks! Teacher 2: Now that we know all this, I have a very important question! Last week, you were telling me that satan fills music and media with so many voices that try to draw us away from God. So, is God still speaking through music and media? Teacher 1: Yes He is! God is still using music and media to tell of His great story! There are so many examples for us to see. Let me show you a few! How many of you know this character? (show slide) Yes it is Snoopy and Charlie Brown! Well, every year during Christmas, one of the biggest TV channels in the United States plays a special TV program called A Charlie Brown Christmas, and there is one scene that tells the whole story of Jesus birth to millions of people in the US. Take a look! (show video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10ff- FQfs) Teacher 2: Wow this is amazing! That is exactly the story of Jesus birth! Does it mean that every Christmas, many people hear the word of God in this TV show? Teacher 1: That s right! It isn t normal in the United States to hear the word of God on TV, but here it is! In one of the most watched TV shows during Christmas! Teacher 2: Ok so God can use TV shows to tell of His great story, but what about music or computer games?? Teacher 1: That s easy! How many of you remember the name of our GKidz Easter harvest event? It was called (show slide) Hiscraft! Teacher 2: Oh I remember this! The game of Minecraft was used to tell of Jesus sacrifice on the Cross for us! You mean God used a computer game like Minecraft to tell us and our friends how much He loved us by allowing His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for us?! Barnabas Club 2015 4
Teacher 1: That s right! God can also use computer games to tell of His great story! As for music, there are many examples we can find. In our small group last week, one of the songs we covered was the song What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber. Let s see if you remember by playing this clip (show video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nywwb67z7zq from 0:13-1:15) Teacher 2: I remember this song! The theme is Longing For Relationships and when I hear this song, I feel like relationships are meant to be confusing and messy! It s like our hearts are supposed to feel confused when it comes to relationships. Teacher 1: Well, God has used music to speak His truth on relationships. Let s listen to this song (show video of You Are Loved by Stars Go Dim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywowyqtdlk4 from 0:01-1:03) Teacher 2: Wow! What a great reminder that we just need to look to Jesus to know that we are loved! It is a great thing to be in a relationship with Jesus! Teacher 1: That s right God can also use music and media to tell us of our purpose too! Check out this song! (show video of Gold by Britt Nicole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u_tcxjibca from 0:01-1:05) Teacher 2: Wow after watching all these videos that you ve showed us, I am convinced that God is still using music and media to tell of His great story! Teacher 1: That s right! And I m going to let you in on a little secret. God doesn t only use music and media to tell His great story. He wants us to be a part of telling of His great story too! Your small group leaders will tell you more about how you can tell God s great story in your small group time. But first, let s pray! Dear Father, thank You for showing us how You use music and media to tell the world of Your great story. I pray that we would learn to recognize and pay attention to Your voice in the music and media today. Help us to be a part of telling Your great story to those who do not know You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen! SMALL GROUP TIME (45 MINUTES) A. Connect (5 minutes) Check with the children if their parents had completed the previous week s take home with them. If they had, encourage the children to share with the rest of the group what their conversation with their parents entailed. Otherwise, you may choose to ask if the children had watched or heard anything interesting, whether on the television, online or on their phone. Barnabas Club 2015 5
*Leaders should collate and share the information on the above to your Team Leader or GKidz Pastor B. Recap (5 minutes) Recap with the children the memory verse of the series, and the main point of the platform teaching, that God still uses music and media to tell of His great story. Share with them some other examples that were discussed in the leaders briefing of how God speaks through the music and media to tell of His great story. If possible, share your own testimony of a time that you heard God speak to you as you were listening to a song or watching a video clip. Transition to Into The Word: God wants us to help Him tell His great story to the people who have yet to know Him. These people are surrounded by voices that seek to keep them away from God! But we can make a difference and help draw them closer to Him! In order to do that, we must follow the example of Jesus and how He drew people into God s Kingdom. B. Into The Word (5 minutes) Get the children to read John 1:1-14. Thereafter, repeat verse 14 for the children aloud before asking them the following questions: - - - In the passage, we see the word; Word, mentioned many times. Who is the word Word referring to? (Ans: God or Jesus) Besides the word Word, what other word was used to describe Jesus? (Ans: The word Light ) What does the Bible describe Jesus as being full of? (Ans: Jesus is full of grace and truth) In summary, Jesus is referred to as the Word, the Light and the Truth. C. Going Deep And Application: Matching Activity (20 minutes) Logistics Needed: Laminated paper strips, Music and Media Cards (GKidz will provide) Share with the children that Jesus knew that His mission during His life in our world was to tell of God s great story and helped, as many people become children of God! John 1:14 describes how Jesus made His home among us. He was most probably familiar with the culture, music and media of that time that was filled with many voices that were drawing people away from God. But He was not overwhelmed and was focused on His mission. Let the children know that they are going to complete an activity that will require them to read the Bible and match the passage to the related characteristic of Christ using the laminated paper strips. The correct arrangement is as follows: Barnabas Club 2015 6
Luke 2:48-49 John 1:14 John 1:11-13 Jesus was sure in His identity as the Son of God Jesus had God s truths hidden in His heart Jesus believed and required belief from the people 1) Jesus was sure in His identity as the Son of God Explain to the children that this excerpt reflected the incident when Jesus earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, lost Jesus and found Him eventually at the temple. What is interesting to note is that Jesus understood from a young age that He was the Son of God! This truth was consistent all throughout His life. In the same way, we need to be confident of the fact that we are children of God! We must not allow anything in our heart to doubt that we belong to God. 2) Jesus had God s truths hidden in His heart John 1 uses the word Word to describe Jesus, suggesting that Jesus was definitely very familiar with what God had to say about many of the topics of the day. At this point, ask the children to reflect on how well do they know God s Word? Are they reading their Bible daily? Do they hide God s Word in their heart by memorizing Scripture? Do they know what God has to say about the themes found in music and media? If we want to avoid the traps of satan in music and media and let God use us to tell of His great story, then we must hide God s truths in our hearts. 3) Jesus believed and required belief from the people Becoming a child of God was not automatic. You had to believe in God s great story and trust Him. In the same way, ask the children to reflect if they truly believe in God s great story, of how much He loves them and sacrificed His only Son for them. This would be an appropriate point to lead your children in prayer to reaffirm their belief in God s great story for their lives. Reiterate to the children that they can be used by God to tell of His great story. Summarize for the children that while satan will continue to use music and media to deceive others, we can avoid his traps and draw many people closer to God if we follow Jesus example and are sure of our identity as children of God, we hide His Word in our hearts and if we believe in Him. We can do these three when we put on the armour of God. Get the children to read Ephesians 6:16-17, and use the laminated strips to match the three pieces of armour mentioned in this excerpt to the relevant characteristic of Christ, as follows: Barnabas Club 2015 7
Luke 2:48-49 John 1:14 John 1:11-13 Jesus was sure in His identity as the Son of God Jesus had God s truths hidden in His heart Jesus believed and required belief from the people Helmet of Salvation (Identity) Sword of the Spirit (God s Word) Shield of Faith (Belief) 1) Helmet of Salvation = Identity We will be confident of our identity as sons and daughters of God when we put on the helmet of salvation. Putting on the helmet of salvation is important as it protects our mind and reminds us of our identity as children of God. Because we have received the light of Christ in our lives, we do not have to be deceived by darkness any longer. Therefore, whenever we watch a TV show, YouTube video or movie, or whenever we listen to a song, we must put on the helmet of salvation and remind ourselves that we are saved by Jesus and belong to Him now! 2) Sword of The Spirit = God s Word We should learn from Jesus example and be filled with the truths of God. God s Word is described as being sharper than any two- edged sword. As sons and daughters of God, we must wield this sword effectively if we are to help God tell His great story to those who have yet to know Him. Remind the children that we are in a spiritual battle that takes place daily. We will lose this battle if we do not know God s Word, which is a powerful weapon! Music and media is filled with deceptive voices. We can bring truth when we are filled with God s truths! 3) Shield of Faith = Belief The shield of faith protects us from the fiery arrows of the evil one. Suggest to the children that these fiery arrows can hurt us when we watch or listen to music and media that cause us to doubt if God is real, or if it cause us to have fear in our hearts because we watched something scary, or it caused us to sin because we saw it take place in music and media. Share with the children your own experience of how music and media had either caused you to doubt, fear or sin, and how having the shield of faith protected you from falling into those traps. We need the shield of faith in our lives! D. Testimony And Wrap- Up (10 mins) Logistics Needed: Smart phone, tablet or laptop to stream video (Leaders to bring) *Suntec leaders may wish to do this portion on the platform if applicable Recap with the children that music and media are meant to glorify God and tell of His great story. As children of God, we will not be deceived by satan s many voices if we put on the armour of God and let God use us to tell of His great story. Barnabas Club 2015 8
Tell the children that you would like to share with them about the life of a lady called Dami Im. She s a Korean lady who stays in Australia, and who decided to participate in the reality- singing contest X- Factor Australia. Play the audition video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvgeyfdio- o = play from 0:01 to 1:58) After playing the audition video, let the children know that Dami passed her audition and she went all the way to the finals. Ask the children to guess if she won or lost the competition (Ans: She won!) Let the children know that what was interesting was what she said after she won, that you would like them to listen to. Play the results video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njlcztk- TCc = play from 3:47 to 4:31) After playing the results video, tell the children that you are going to let them hear one of her songs from her recent album. Play song video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scl7cbgrekg) After playing the song video, point out to the children that isn t it interesting that in her song, she refers to a particular light? Remind the children of what they had read earlier in John 1, that Jesus brought the Light into our lives, and darkness has not overcome the Light! Tell the children that Dami knows that she is a child of God, she has God s Word hidden in her, as seen in what she says and sings, and she believes that she is part of telling God s great story through music! Encourage the children that they can too! They may not be like Dami who can sing songs so well, but they can be a part of telling God s story when they hide God s word in their hearts, when they refuse to allow satan s voices in music and media to shape them, and when they hear their friends talking about the messages they ve watched or heard in music and media, they are able to point their friends to God s truth. E. Parent Take- Home Explain to the parents that what was covered in this lesson, which includes a component for the parents to have faith- filled conversations with their children at home. Do encourage the parents to continue with the G.O.A.L framework and help their children be filled with God s truths. Let the parents know that the weekly take- home will include examples of music and media that tell God s great story. These are examples that they can encourage their children to include in their music and media consumption. The weekly take- home can be found in our Parents Download section at http://bit.ly/gkidzparents. Barnabas Club 2015 9