4 We Are Epistles All Pre-Class Arrange tables and chairs. Pray fr tnight s class. Have music playing. Take attendance. 7:00-7:20 REVIEW Chse an activity r activities frm the fllwing ideas: Review previus lessns. Ask questins regarding the last few lessns using the We Are Review Questins and Jesus is A thrugh Z Review Questins (in KPH binder). Reward crrect answers with Starbursts, etc. Play baseball with the review questins. Have the entire class play as ne team, trying t beat a scre f 20 runs (their recrd), r divide them int tw teams and see which team can scre the mst runs. An incrrect answer equals an ut. After three uts, it s the ther team s turn t bat (r if playing with the entire class as ne team, clear the bases f runners after three uts). Make sure each team gets an equal number f at bats. Have anther teacher keep track f uts and pints n the marker bard. Play musical chairs. When the music stps, ask the player withut a chair a review questin. If the student answers crrectly, he r she gets t stay in the game. Divide the grup int pairs. Give each pair ne f the mini psters with adjectives and titles f Jesus (i.e., the A sheet r the B sheet, etc.; in KPH binder). Have each team wrk tgether t memrize every adjective r title n their sheet. Then have them cme up frnt and recite them t the class. Have a student cme t the frnt f the class and pick a letter (A-Z) ut f a bag and then try t remember all the adjectives/titles that g with that letter. Play A-M r N-Z BINGO with adjectives/titles. Review ther previusly memrized items. Use cardbard chart and cards with bks f the Bible, as well as ther prps. One Gd, Sin and Repentance, etc., verses that students have been wrking n. Sing verses set t sng Bks f the Old and New Testaments Divisins f Old and New Testaments
All 7:20-7:40 BIBLE MEMORY WORK Divide the class int fur grups: tw each fr 5- t 7-year-lds and 8- t 10-year-lds, ne teacher with each grup. (T cut dwn n nise and cnfusin, tw grups may leave the rm t practice verses in the hallway, stairwell, r anther classrm.) Students will wrk n memrizing dctrinal verses. Each student will have his/her wn list r bklet t wrk frm, cntaining a chart fr teachers t initial as students qute the verses ne at a time, tw at a time, etc. (Teachers: Please read instructins n the bttm Bible memry wrk charts r in the frnt f the bklets.) Clring pages with the 10 Cmmandments r ther Bible verses are available (in the KPH binder) t help ccupy visitrs r yunger/distracted students while their classmates are wrking n verses. Remind students that there will be prizes fr thse wh pass with a scre f 80 percent r better. Remind students that during Bible Memry Wrk time, everyne must be wrking, nt distracting thers. They shuld help each ther learn the verses. It s fun wrking tgether! 7:40-7:45 RULES & PRAYER Review Pwer Hur Prmises with the students, reminding them f prper behavir during class. Pray tgether, thanking Gd fr yur time tgether and praying that each persn will understand and bey Gd s Wrd and grw int a strng Christian. 7:45-8:05 BIBLE LESSON Teacher Prep: Read 2 Crinthians 3:1-3 and Jeremiah 31:31-34. Pray fr aninting. Items Needed: We Are display bard; different types f letters (e.g., letter frm a friend, thank nte, business letter, nte frm a student, etc.); Epistles Visual. Lessn 4 We Are Epistles Annette R. Evans. All rights reserved. Page 2 www.creative-sunday-schl-ideas.cm
Intrductin During the first part f the year we learned abut Jesus titles and adjectives frm A thrugh Z. Refer t the Jesus is A thrugh Z bard. Nw we are learning abut sme f the things that the Bible says we Christians are. Refer t the We Are display bard. In this verse frm 2 nd Crinthians, listen fr smething that we are: Read 2 Crinthians 3:2 frm yur Bible. What are we? (ur epistle) What is an epistle? (a letter) Shw and discuss different types f letters and briefly read parts f sme. D yu enjy getting letters and ntes? (I d!) Lessn What d yu usually write letters with? (pen/pencil, paper) Listen t the next verse frm 2 nd Crinthians 3: Yu shw that yu are a letter frm Christ written nt with ink but with the Spirit f the living Gd, nt n tablets f stne but n tablets f human hearts. (2 Crinthians 3:3 NIV) We are a letter frm whm? (Christ) We are written nt with ink but with what? (the Spirit f the living Gd) Instead f writing n paper r tablets f stne, where has Christ written His letter? (n human hearts) What famus Old Testament items were written n tablets f stne? (the 10 Cmmandments) What happened t the first set f stne tablets? (Mses threw them dwn and brke them when he saw the Israelites wrshiping a glden calf) One prblem with letters written n stne tablets r n paper is that they can be ruined (r lst r stlen) s yu can t read them anymre. Jesus writes His letter right n ur hearts. N ne can ruin it r steal it away. Lessn 4 We Are Epistles Annette R. Evans. All rights reserved. Page 3 www.creative-sunday-schl-ideas.cm
When Mses saw the peple wrshiping the glden calf, which cmmandment were they already breaking? (2 nd : Thu shalt nt make unt thee any graven image, r any likeness f any thing that is in heaven abve, r that is in the earth beneath, r that is in the water under the earth. Exdus 20:4) We have truble beying Gd s Wrd when it s just written n a stne tablet r a piece f paper. Gd said thrugh the prphet Jeremiah that it was time fr smething new: Read Jeremiah 31:31-33 frm yur Bible (highlight the mst imprtant parts). What is a cvenant? (agreement, prmise) Gd s new cvenant is that His law will be written where? (in hearts) Have a student attach the Epistles visual t the We Are display bard. Life Applicatin Listen t 2 Crinthians 3:3 again and tell me what writes Christ s epistle, r letter, in ur hearts: Yu shw that yu are a letter frm Christ written nt with ink but with the Spirit f the living Gd, nt n tablets f stne but n tablets f human hearts. (2 Crinthians 3:3 NIV) What writes Christ s letter in ur hearts? (the Spirit f the living Gd) Have yu received the Hly Spirit? (take time t nte respnses) When yu receive the Hly Spirit, Christ s epistle is written in yur heart. And we re nt talking abut yur bld-pumping rgan. What heart are we talking abut? (the center f yur persnality [wh YOU are], yur feelings and emtins) If Christ puts His letter right at the center f YOU, d yu think it will be easier t bey His wrds? (yes; when His Wrd is in yur heart, yu will LOVE it!) Lessn 4 We Are Epistles Annette R. Evans. All rights reserved. Page 4 www.creative-sunday-schl-ideas.cm
Once Jesus writes His letter in yur Heart, yu becme His epistle t everyne arund yu. Hw yu act shws peple what is written there. Hw shuld we act t shw peple that Jesus has written in ur hearts? (shw the fruit f the Spirit: lve, jy, peace, lngsuffering [patience], gentleness, gdness, faith, meekness, and temperance [self-cntrl]) Let s pray right nw and ask Jesus t write His epistle in ur hearts. If yu ve never received the Hly Spirit, ask Jesus t frgive yu f yur sins and t fill yu with His Spirit. If yu have received the Hly Spirit, ask Jesus t refill yu and help yu shw the fruit f the Spirit in yur life. Lead the kids in prayer respnse t lessn. 8:05-8:15 BIBLE SKILLS Use the Bks f the Bible display bard t pint things ut as yu ask these questins: Hw many bks are in the New Testament? (27 [3 letters in the wrd New x 9 letters in the wrd Testament = 27]) Tnight ur lessn was abut us being epistles. What is an epistle? (a letter) Hw many Epistles r Letters are there in the New Testament? (21) Mst f the bks f the New Testament (21 ut f the 27) are Epistles! Wh wrte mst f these Epistles? (Paul) Wh else wrte sme f the Epistles? (James, Peter, Jhn, Jude) Hand ut Bibles. Remind students t handle Bibles carefully and t help yunger students find verses. Find Paul s Epistle t the Ephesians. What d letters usually begin with? (Dear ; a greeting; a salutatin) Lessn 4 We Are Epistles Annette R. Evans. All rights reserved. Page 5 www.creative-sunday-schl-ideas.cm
Find Paul s greeting in Ephesians 1:1 (Have a student read this verse ut lud.) Is this Epistle written t ne persn r several peple? (several peple: t the saints [hly, set-apart nes] at Ephesus and t the faithful [believers] in Christ Jesus) Nw find Paul s greeting in 2 Timthy 1:1-2. (Have a student read these verses ut lud.) T whm did Paul write this Epistle? (Timthy, his dearly belved sn [spiritual, nt natural, sn]) Whether Paul s Epistles were riginally written t a few peple r ne persn, they have nw been read by millins! The infrmatin in them was given by Gd t help us all becme better Christians. Read an Epistle t becme a better Epistle. J Chse a cuple f students t carefully cllect the Bibles. 8:15-8:30 ACTIVITY/SNACK Supplies: Fun statinery Pencils, pens Alpha-Bits cereal Napkins Drinks (drink bxes/smething that wn t spill easily) Give kids sme statinery and pens r pencils. Encurage them t write a letter t smene. It can be letter f encuragement, a letter just t say hi, a thank-yu letter, etc. As the kids are writing their letters, give them sme Alpha-Bit letters t snack n, as well as a drink that wn t spill easily. Remind kids t say a prayer f thanks fr their snack. Als remind them: Jesus has written His Epistle in ur hearts. Hw we act shws everyne what is written there. Lessn 4 We Are Epistles Annette R. Evans. All rights reserved. Page 6 www.creative-sunday-schl-ideas.cm