UNIT 1 GOD S WORD UNIT 2 ME, MYSELF, AND I UNIT 3 WORLD VOLUME 4. LEADER GUIDE

UNIT 1 GOD S WORD UNIT 2 ME, MYSELF, AND I UNIT 3 WORLD VOLUME 4. LEADER GUIDE

faith. life. together. VOLUME 4 2012 LifeWay Press No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to LifeWay Press, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0172. ISBN 978-1-4158-7063-1 Item 5399877 Dewey Decimal Classification Number: 220.07 Subject Heading: BIBLE STUDY AND TEACHING/PRETEENS Printed in the United States of America Childhood Ministry Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, Tennessee 37234-0172 We believe 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. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline. All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. FLYTE

CONTENTS Unit 1: GOD S WORD 7 Where Did the Bible Come From? 9 What Does God Tell Me About Himself? 15 How Do I Use the Bible? 21 Can the Bible Be Fun? 27 Unit 2: ME, MYSELF, AND I 33 Why Should I Care? 35 Don t I Deserve It? 41 Who Am I Trying to Please? 47 Who Is Really in Charge? 53 Unit 3: WORLD 59 What Is Poverty and How Does It Affect the World? 61 What Is Terrorism? 67 Why Should I Care About the Environment? 73 Am I Safe from Natural Disasters? 79 Bonus: Bible Skills Games 85 4 FLYTE Table of Contents

WHERE DID THE BIBLE COME FROM? Session Overview A communication game, a study of Jeremiah and Baruch, an overview of various holy texts, and a study of God s characteristics will reveal to preteens that the Bible is the only inspired word of God. Image Credits: istockphoto/thinkstock Teacher Bible Study >>> Read this week s passage, Jeremiah 36. God had a painful message for His people. God was going to punish them for their wickedness if they did not seek His forgiveness. God gave His message to the prophet Jeremiah, who dictated the words to Baruch, his scribe. Jeremiah began prophesying during a turbulent time in history. The Assyrians had conquered Israel, and the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians threatened Judah the southern half of Israel. Under King Josiah, Judah returned to God. When King Jehoiakim took the throne, he led the people back to idolatry. Jeremiah warned the people of their destruction if they would not turn to God. Jehoiakim responded by burning Jeremiah s scroll and seeking to punish him. God protected Jeremiah and Baruch and ordered them to recopy the scroll. The king destroyed the first scroll, but God s message did not change. The story of Jeremiah and Baruch is a snapshot of the origin of the Bible. Over a period of 1500 years, God spoke His Word to men who carefully recorded His message. This week, you will help the preteens you teach learn where the Bible comes from and that God s Word is unchanging and true. FLYTE Plan This week s session presents the Bible as an unchanged message from God, faithfully written down by men. Bible Study Jeremiah 36 Memory Passage Psalm 119:103-105 Level of Biblical Learning (Bible): The Bible is the only written word of God. Pray. Thank God for giving you the Bible. Pray that each preteen will choose to accept God s message of love. Session 1 Where Did the Bible Come From? 9

Get Ready God s Word Session 1: Takeoff (DVD) FLYTE magazine (page 7) sticky notes markers Get Started >>> Takeoff Play God s Word Session 1: Takeoff (DVD) three minutes before the designated start time for the session. Allow preteens a minute or two to talk about the Weird of the Day. Say What? Write a sentence on a sticky note and place a pad of sticky notes beside it. Make up your own sentence or use an example below: A man changes a tire. A giraffe eats leaves on a tree. A woman puts on makeup. Instruct preteens to form a line at the opposite side of the room. Explain that they are going to play a communication game: The first person reads the sentence to himself, draws a picture on another sticky note of what he reads, and places the drawing on top. The second person sees only the drawing, writes a sentence on another sticky note describing it, and puts it on top. Alternate play until each person has a turn to draw or write. Display the notes in order to reveal the change from the original message to the final drawing or sentence. Continue with new sentences as time permits. Discuss how the message changed each time someone shared it. Today, preteens will learn about the miracle of God s unchanging Word: the Bible. Message Board Distribute FLYTE magazines to preteens. Invite them to complete the activity Message Board (page 7). Describe the many communication options preteens have. Survey the group to determine what form of communication they favor when sharing an important message. Explain that God has an important message for preteens: Throughout history, He has spoken His message to people, and they have recorded it in the books of the Bible. The Bible began as God s spoken word written down by men, and it has been translated and copied throughout history. God s Word remains unchanged, revealing a perfect God as the author. 10 FLYTE Unit 1 God s Word

Faith: God s Answer >>> Where Did the Bible Come From? Ask preteens to share how old they think the Bible is. Ask: Where did the Bible come from? Play the feature video from the DVD. Background Write the word prophets on a large sheet of paper and ask preteens for a definition. Share that a prophet is a person who speaks God s word to the nations. Explain that before Jesus was born, God used prophets in the Old Testament to tell the nation of Israel about the coming Messiah. The prophets encouraged the people to obey God, warned them of punishment, and told them to repent of sin. Invite preteens to write the names of prophets from the Old Testament on the paper. (Examples: Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah) Explain that the books of the Old Testament from Isaiah to Malachi (except Lamentations) are also the names of prophets. Share that today s session is about how God revealed His word to the prophet Jeremiah. Study the Bible: Jeremiah 36 Instruct preteens to open their Bibles and locate the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. Offer these facts about Jeremiah s life: Jeremiah was born approximately 646 years before Jesus. He preached about the coming judgment of God on Israel because the people had disobeyed God. When Jeremiah was 20 years old, he spoke God s word to King Josiah. Josiah obeyed God, but the kings after him did not. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, locked up, and deported to Egypt because he shared God s message with people who did not want to hear it. Jeremiah Dictates a Scroll Guide preteens to Jeremiah Dictates a Scroll to Baruch (page 7) in their FLYTE magazines. Direct them to turn in their Bibles to Jeremiah 36. Encourage volunteers to read Jeremiah 36:1-4 aloud, then answer the questions in the magazines as a large group. Invite a preteen to read Jeremiah 36:5 to learn why Jeremiah didn t read the scroll himself. (He was forbidden to go to the temple, Jeremiah 36:5.) Get Ready Your Word (Music Video), Where Did the Bible Come From? (Feature) (DVD) Item 1: Psalm 119:103-105 Poster (CD-ROM) FLYTE magazine (page 7) large sheet of paper markers roll of paper towels Session 1 Where Did the Bible Come From? 11

Baruch Reads the Scroll Direct a preteen to locate Jeremiah 36:8,14-19 in her Bible and to read aloud the reaction officials had to the message. (They were afraid of God s word, but they wanted the king to hear it; Jeremiah 36:16.) Invite preteens to learn what reaction Jehoiakim s father, Josiah, had to God s word. Instruct a volunteer to locate and read aloud 2 Kings 22:11,19-20. Ask: What did this king tear when he heard the word of God? (his clothes, 2 Kings 22:11) How was Josiah s response different from Jehoiakim s response? (Josiah repented, 2 Kings 22:19-20.) Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll and Jeremiah Dictates Another Scroll Enlist preteens to read Jeremiah 36:22-23,27-28 in their Bibles and to answer the questions in their FLYTE magazines. Write the words Jeremiah, Baruch, Jehoiakim, officials, and people on the large sheet of paper. Encourage volunteers to write each person s reaction to God s message. Write me on the paper and ask preteens to consider how they react to God s Word today, especially if it tells them something they don t want to hear. Memory Passage: Psalm 119:103-105 Read Psalm 119:103-105 together from the Psalm 119:103-105 Poster (Item 1). Unroll a large section of paper towels. (Do not separate them.) Invite preteens to use markers to write the memory verse across the paper towels and to form a scroll. Tear off several pieces of the scroll and challenge preteens to say the verse. Distribute the pieces of the scroll among preteens. Direct those holding a piece of the scroll to share a characteristic of the Bible which they learned from this passage or from the Bible story. Encourage preteens to reassemble the scroll. OPTION: Show the Your Word music video from the DVD. 12 FLYTE Unit 1 God s Word

Life: World s Answer >>> Man on the Street Invite preteens to create a documentary which presents different people s responses to today s question: Where did the Bible come from? Distribute Man on the Street Cards (Item 2) to several preteens. Encourage preteens to role-play each character for their responses. Enlist an interviewer to ask each preteen, Where did the Bible come from? Discuss the responses as a group. Ask: Which responses to this question have you heard people give? What is the most common response to this question? What responses do you consider to be true? Do you think most people see a difference between the Bible and other religious books? Why or why not? Holy Books of the World Invite preteens to explore the differences among holy books from other religions. Distribute Holy Book Summaries (Item 3) to volunteers. Guide preteens to Holy Books of the World on page 8 in their FLYTE magazines. Direct preteens to take notes as someone reads the passages. Invite volunteers to read each Holy Book Summary aloud. Complete the chart as a group. Highlight the differences among the books and religions. Ask: What are the oldest religions discussed? (Judiasm, Hinduism) What is the newest religion discussed? (Islam) Which of the religious books combines the sacred text of one religion with a new sacred text? (Christianity uses the Old Testament and the Jewish Torah.) Which of these books teaches that people must do something to earn salvation? (all except the Bible) You may not be familiar with the names of the sacred texts of Hinduism and Buddhism. Do you recognize some of the terms used in the summaries of these faiths? (Examples: zen, nirvana, avatar, karma) Why do you think it s important to know where these texts come from? Get Ready Items 2, 3: Man on the Street Cards, Holy Book Summaries (CD-ROM) FLYTE magazine (page 8) Session 1 Where Did the Bible Come From? 13

Get Ready Project Northern Lights (FLYTE Option) (DVD) FLYTE magazine (page 9) large sheet of paper markers Together: My Answer >>> Author, Author Encourage preteens to imagine that they are going to follow written directions in order to build a boat. Ask them to consider: Did someone familiar with rafting write these directions? What are some characteristics you would want the author of the directions to have? (Examples: accurate, reliable, truthful) Remind preteens of the memory passage and Bible story. Ask: Are these characteristics of God? Explain that in order to understand where the Bible came from and to trust it, a person needs to know who God is. Direct attention to Bible Breakdown on page 9 in the FLYTE magazine. Select preteens to read and respond to each Bible fact. Write the word God on a large sheet of paper. Enlist preteens to locate the Scriptures in the article. After preteens read each verse, invite a preteen to write a characteristic of God on the paper. Ask: Considering these attributes of God, do you trust what He has written? A Light Unto My Path Review Psalm 119:103-105. Explain that in some places, it is illegal to share the message of the Bible. Cue the DVD to Project Northern Lights. Explain that this video depicts Project Northern Lights, a ministry which distributes God s Word to North African people. After playing the video, lead a discussion using the following questions: Who is receiving the Bibles? (immigrants from North Africa who work in Europe) Where are volunteers distributing these Bible? (ports in Southern Europe) What prevents volunteers from giving out Bibles in Northern Africa? (It is punishable by 5 years in prison and a $300,000 fine.) What prevents you from sharing God s Word? Over and Out Dismiss preteens with these final thoughts: The Bible is the only written word of God. The Bible was written down by men who listened to God s instructions. Nothing can change the message of God s Word or His love for you. Pray, thanking God for His perfect Word which directs Christians paths. 14 FLYTE Unit 1 God s Word