Our God is the only true God.

Praise Jesus! Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Lesson 3 Bible Point Our God is the only true God. Bible Verse Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord (Mark 12:29b). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that God is more powerful than any idol, n see how false gods can distract them from following God, and n find out that all of nature praises the one and only God. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18 During the time Elijah was staying in Zarephath, Ahab, the king of Israel, was apparently looking for him. God instructed Elijah to present himself to Ahab. The drought had grown severe, and it s apparent from Ahab s first words to Elijah that Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought. The crime Ahab accused Elijah of being a troublemaker of Israel was punishable by death (see Joshua 7:25). However, instead of ordering Elijah s execution, Ahab listened to Elijah and did what he said because Ahab was hoping Elijah would be able to end the drought. Elijah s challenge was intended to publicly prove that the God of Israel is the one true God so that the people would turn from their worship of Baal and once again worship God. Elijah wanted to ensure that there could be no doubt of the contest s fairness, so he asked that all 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah be present to plead with their god. Before Elijah s demonstration of God s power, the people refused to commit themselves to either God or Baal (1 Kings 18:21). Elijah stated that he was the only remaining prophet of God, but we know there were at least 100 others who had been hidden by Obadiah. After quite some time had passed without a response from Baal, Elijah began taunting the false prophets, revealing his knowledge of existing myths about Baal. When it was his turn, Elijah once again wanted to ensure that the contest couldn t possibly be seen as slanted in God s favor. That s why he had the altar and sacrifice drenched with water. Baal was thought to be the god of water and fire; Elijah wanted to show that the God of Israel is the one true God. When God responded as Elijah knew he would, the people made the right choice. With the people on his side, Elijah took advantage of the moment and got rid of the false prophets, and Ahab didn t stop him. God proved his power and then released the rain to end the drought in Israel. Prayer Read Deuteronomy 6:4. When was the last time you defended the name of God publicly? Pray: Lord, help me and the children I teach to always joyfully acknowledge you by 39

Lesson 3 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. Tug of War Play a variation of Tug of War until both sides are of equal strength; then learn that in the contest between God and Baal, all the power was on one side. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Listen to the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 18, and discover how God proved that he is the one and only God. Trust God name tags (p. 24), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Bible, paper, marker, masking tape, CD player Bible, CD player, book of matches, glass of water, paper cups, dish towel Closing Distracted Play a game in which they are distracted from following the right person, hear Deuteronomy 11:16, and talk about the things that can distract them from the one and only true God. Nature s Praise Participate in an action prayer from several psalms, and learn that all of nature praises the only true God. A Heart for God Play a game in which children share one reason they have for loving the only true God. You Are Lord Learn from Psalm 8:3-4 that the only true God loves and cares for people, and then sing a song about God being the one and only Lord. Bible, paper, tape Bible, CD player Bible, CD player, colored inkpad, poster board Bible, CD player 40

Welcome Elijah and the Prophets of Baal SUPPLIES: Trust God name tags (p. 24), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s lesson and Growing Together activities. Use questions such as Do you know who to call in an emergency? and How can we thank God for sending those people? Say: Today we re going to learn that our God is the only true God. Help children put on their name tags. If some children weren t in class last week, or if some of the name tags were damaged, photocopy the Trust God name tags and have children follow the instructions to create new name tags. Tell the children that the attention-getting signal you ll use during this lesson is clapping your hands three times. Ask children to respond by clapping their hands three times as they stop talking and focus their attention on you. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. Attention Grabber n Tug of War SUPPLIES: Bible, paper, marker, masking tape, CD player Before class, draw a stick figure on a sheet of paper and write track 4 Tug of War Champion at the top of the paper. Also stick a 3-foot strip of masking tape to the middle of the floor. Say: We re going to play Tug of War with the jumprope. But instead of seeing which side will win, we re going to work to make sure each side is equally matched. I ll hang this ball around the middle of the jump-rope. Let s try to keep it in the middle. Loop the return ball around the midpoint of the jump-rope so the ball will hang down over the masking-tape line and indicate when the jump-rope is being tugged equally from both sides. Tell the children to keep the return ball hanging over the masking-tape line. Form two teams and have them play Tug of War for about 15 seconds. Have the children pull on the rope, not on the handles. If one side is winning, join the losing side to even out the teams. Have them tug again for 15 seconds. Then ask: What was the hardest thing about playing this Tug of War? (Nobody seemed to get ahead; it was hard tugging on the rope; keeping the ball hanging over the line.) Who will win a Tug of War contest between two equal sides? (No one will; both teams will win.) Have all the children join together to form one team and have them grab the rope. Tape the picture of the stick figure you drew earlier to the other end of the rope and say: I m really proud of the Tug of War champion that I ve made. I m certain that my champion will win. Having kids repeat the Bible verse and the Bible Point will give them an opportunity to know the verse and the point of the lesson well. This opens them up to deeper understanding of ways they can apply the lesson to their lives. 41

Lesson 3 Ask: Do you think my champion will be able to beat you at Tug of War? Why not? (No way, he s just a piece of paper; he doesn t have any muscles; he won t be able to beat us.) Who do you think could easily win at Tug of War? (My big brother; grownups; God.) After the children have pulled the champion across the line, have them sit down. Put away the jump-rope and return ball and say: Today s story is about a contest between the God of Israel and a false god named Baal that the king worshipped. Now we all know that our God is the only true God. So we already know who won the contest. Listen to what the Bible has to say about that. Open your Bible to today s Bible verse, Mark 12:29b, and read it aloud to the class: Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. Say: My Tug of War champion was made up, and this Baal in the Bible was made up, too. They weren t real. My champion is just a piece of paper; he has no strength. Baal didn t have strength either. There is no other God besides our God, and the Bible tells us so. I m going to play a song now about the one and only God. Then we ll find out how God showed that he is the only true God. Play The One and Only Lord (Mark 12:29) (track 4) on the CD. Play it a second time and encourage the children to sing along with the CD. Lyrics are in the back of this guide. Keep the CD out for the next activity. Before class, listen to tracks 2 and 3 for Parts 1 and 2 of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal so that you ll know when you need to alert children to give a response and when you should pause the CD. Bible Insight Although the prophets of Baal raved all afternoon, there was no reply their gods were made of wood and stone. Today s secular gods power, appearance, and possessions are just as false and dangerous. They cause people to depend on something other than God, and when people call out to these gods, there is only silence. Only the true God can offer true answers, guidance, and wisdom. Bible Exploration & Application n Elijah and the Prophets of Baal SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player, book of matches, glass of water, paper cups, dish towel tracks 2 & 3 Cue the CD to track 2, Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, Part 1. Also gather a book of matches and a glass of water. Place the dish towel on the floor and surround it with empty paper cups. Make sure there s an empty cup for each child. Gather the children around the dish towel, open your Bible to 1 Kings 18, and say: This exciting story comes from 1 Kings 18. Listen carefully because the CD will give you instructions. When you hear cheers, yell a cheer. When you hear a raspberry sound, say boo. Also listen carefully so you ll know what to do with the cups that you see in the middle of our circle. Now let s listen to the Bible story. Start the CD and listen to the story. When there are cheering sounds, encourage the children to cheer. When you hear a raspberry sound, encourage them to boo. Also listen for the point in the story when water is poured over the altar. At that point stop the CD. Tell the children to pretend to pour water from the paper cups onto the dish towel three times. After the children have poured make-believe water on the dish towel, say: Let s do an experiment so we understand what happens in the story. Light one of the matches and let it burn for a few seconds, and then blow it out. Say: When a match is dry, like this one, it burns easily. But look what happens when it gets wet. 42

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Dip a new match in the glass of water, hold it there for a couple of seconds, and then try to light it. It won t light. Say: When matches and wood get wet, it s hard to set them on fire. But Elijah poured 12 jars of water on the altar before he prayed to God. Let s find out what happened. Play track 3 of the CD and listen to the end of the story. Then stop the CD and ask: Why do you think Elijah poured water on the altar? (So everyone would see that even when the wood was wet, God could make it burn; to show how powerful our God is.) Were you surprised at the ending? Why or why not? (No, I knew God would win; I was surprised that so much stuff burned up.) Why didn t anything happen when the 450 prophets prayed to Baal? (Because their god wasn t real; because their god didn t have any power.) Say: The prophets of Baal lost the contest before it even began. They prayed to statues that they had made themselves. There s no way that a statue can do anything; it s just a piece of wood or metal or clay or stone. Baal was a fake, and our God is the only true God. God created us and the whole world, and he is greater than anyone. Elijah knew that, so he was sure he would win the contest. King Ahab and the prophets of Baal had forgotten all about the true God when they made their own god to worship. Let s find out how they could have forgotten about God. Return the CD to the Learning Lab. Set the matches out of reach of children. Please be sure to keep matches away from children. You may wish to use fireplace matches, which are long, easy to light, and easily seen at a distance. n Distracted SUPPLIES: Bible, paper, tape Before class, tape two sheets of paper to the sides of the visor to act as blinders. Experiment to create a very limited range of vision. With the visor on, you should be able to see only what is directly in front of you. Choose a child to be the first to wear the visor. Say to the child with the visor: Your job is to find out which person in the room is your partner and to follow him or her around the room. The way you ll identify your partner is that he or she will have a foam shape taped to his or her shirt. Send the person wearing the visor to a corner of the room and have him or her stand facing the wall with his or her eyes closed. Tape a foam animal to the back of another child s shirt. Quietly tell all of the children in the room that their job is to each try to convince the person wearing the visor that they have a foam animal on their shirt. They can do anything they want to convince the person wearing the visor that they re his or her partner. Mention to the false partners that if they stand to the side of the person wearing the visor, he or she won t be able to see their shirts and it ll be easier to lead him or her astray. Have the person wearing the visor open his or her eyes, return to the center of the room, and begin the game. Say to the person wearing the visor: Listen to your classmates and decide which one to follow to the other end of the room. If you think you ve chosen the wrong person, you can choose again. As you ask questions, first allow children time to think for themselves. Then, only as needed, use the answers provided to guide children to discover their own answers. Students learn through self-discovery. 43

Lesson 3 Bible Insight Just as God flashed fire from heaven for Elijah, God will help us accomplish what he commands us to do. The proof may not be as dramatic in our lives as in Elijah s, but we can have faith that the only true God will provide the help we need. We believe that the one thing that is needed in our lives is a relationship with Jesus. Because of this, a Jesus Connection is provided in every lesson to help children get in touch with Jesus. These connections are based on the Bible Point for the lesson, but are not necessarily related to the actual story. Play the game for a minute or two, and then reveal who had the foam animal. Then choose another person to wear the visor and another person to be the true partner, and play again. Play several times until each child has had a turn wearing the visor or as time allows. Then put away the foam animal and the visor. Ask the children who wore the visor: Why did you follow the people you followed? (I followed Emily because she s my friend; I followed Andrew because he talked the loudest; I followed Jordan because he showed me the foam animal on his back.) How did you decide who was telling the truth? (I looked for the foam animal; I listened for who was the loudest; I followed my friends.) Did it make a difference if you could see the people who were trying to persuade you that they were your partners? Why or why not? (Yes, because I saw the foam animal; no, because I couldn t see anyone s back.) Say: The false partners in this game tried to keep the person wearing the visor from finding the true partner. That s how it works with false gods. Listen to what the Bible says. Read Deuteronomy 11:16. Continue: False gods can fool us; they can keep us from thinking about God. A false god can be anything that keeps us from thinking about God and honoring God. For example, some people might care more about getting a lot of money than they do about God. Ask: What are some other false gods other things that people might care more about than they care about God? (Having fun; playing video games; hanging out with friends.) What are some things that might keep you from thinking about God? (Playing outside; my new dog; watching TV.) Say: It s OK to like money and video games and friends. Everything good that we have is a gift from God, and we can be thankful for it all. But sometimes people start to care more about things than they do about God. Then it s easy to stop thinking about God. But our God is the only true God. And God wants us to be loyal to him. It s important to put aside all the things that keep us from thinking about God. In the next activity, we are going to learn one effective way for us to avoid distractions. n Nature s Praise SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Say: Some people don t worship God. They don t track 4 understand that our God is the only true God. Some people choose to worship idols. Some people choose not to worship anything at all. But the Bible says that nature worships and praises God. Let s worship God the way nature does. Read aloud the following praise prayer, based on verses from Psalm 66; Psalm 95; Psalm 96; Psalm 98; and Psalm 148, and have the children do the actions indicated in parentheses. You may want to have a child who can read well, or an adult helper, lead the actions. 44

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Everything on earth, shout joyful praises to God! (Raise hands upward and shout hooray! ) All the earth worships God and sings psalms of praises to him. (Jump up and down and sing, La la la la la. ) Let the dolphins and the whales and the fish all praise God. (Make dolphin, whale, and fish swimming motions.) Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! (Clap loudly.) Let the trees wave their branches in praise. (Wave your arms.) Let the mountains sing for joy. (Raise hands over head and touch fingers to create a mountain shape. Shout, Tum, ta dum, like a trumpet fanfare.) Let sun, moon, and shining stars praise him let everything in the sky praise God. (Make a big circle with your arms for the sun, make a smaller circle for the moon, and flick your fingers in the air for shining stars.) Praise God from the earth. Let the birds of the air praise God. (Flap arms and make bird noises.) Let the beasts of the field bears, tigers, and lions; sheep, cattle, and pigs; dogs, cats, and rabbits all praise God together. (Make animal noises.) Praise the Lord because he alone is great. He is more wonderful than heaven and earth. Come, let s worship him and bow down. (Kneel.) Let s kneel before the Lord who made us, because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of. Amen. After you ve finished the prayer, have the children sit down. Ask: Why does nature praise God? (Because nature knows that God made it; because God is great.) What can you do this week to praise God? (Sing; pray; tell others about God; follow God s rules.) Say: Choose one thing that you can do to praise God this week. Then tell at least three people what you will do. Give children a minute to exchange ideas. Then have volunteers tell the class what they ll do to praise God during the week. Children might invite a neighbor to church, obey their parents promptly, or sing a praise song every night before bed. Say: When we praise God, we re telling him and the whole world that we know that our God is the only true God. Let s sing our special song about that. Sing The One and Only Lord (Mark 12:29) with the CD (track 4) several times. If you have readers in your class, give them copies of the lyrics sheet, and point out the lyrics as you sing. Say: Now let s talk about another reason we can praise God. Return the CD to the Learning Lab for later use. Hands-on, experiential activities are designed to help those who learn through movement understand and apply the lesson for today. 45

Lesson 3 HANDS-ON BIBLE Set out some pencils, markers, and big sheets of newsprint. Say: We are learning today that there is no other God in heaven or on earth like our God. The Bible tells us so. Please open your Hands-On Bibles to Mark 12:29 and follow along with me as I read you today s Bible verse from the second half of Mark 12:29: Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. Now let s look at the activity on the opposite page called The #1 Command. I m going to read it to you, and then we ll try this together. Read through the activity and then have children get into pairs. Assist them as they trace one another s outlines on the newsprint. When everyone has finished, compliment children on their pictures and ask: God created each of you as special and unique individuals. What s one special thing he created about you? (I know how to whistle; I have nice curly hair; I m funny.) Why is it important that we follow the #1 command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? (Because God is the only God; because God loves us and wants us to love him back.) Say: God made each of us so special and unique that there is no one else like us in the world. Likewise, we know that our God is the only true God, and he deserves all our love and respect. Let s praise him now! Lead children in a round of applause for the one true God. n A Heart for God SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player, colored inkpad, poster board Before class, count out craft foam hearts so that you have one track 14 heart per child. During the activity, you will be taking them away one by one, so it s important to have an exact amount. Open up the beginning of your Bible and show kids the list of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Say: Since our God is the only true God, his words, which are in the Bible, are true words. We are learning that the Bible is one big book filled with many smaller books. Ask: Can anyone tell me what the two main sections of the Bible are called? (The Old Testament; the New Testament.) Which section tells about the things that happened before Jesus came? when Jesus came? (The Old Testament is about things that happened before Jesus came; the New Testament is about what happened when Jesus came.) 46

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Point out the Old and New Testaments in your Bible. Say: The Old Testament books tell us about what happened before Jesus came, and the New Testament tells us what happened when Jesus came. Let s try looking up today s Bible verse. It is from Mark 12:29. Ask: Is Mark in the Old Testament or New Testament? (New Testament.) Read Mark 12:29b: Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. Say: We can read a lot about Jesus in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Our Bible verse is in the New Testament, and it was Jesus talking. Jesus was telling some people about God, and he was repeating words about God that we can also read in the Old Testament. The more we learn about the Bible, the more we can learn about God. Now let s get ready to sing our Books of the Bible Song to help us remember the names of the books of the Bible. Lead the kids in singing The Books of the Bible Song (track 14) along with the CD once or twice. (The lyrics are at the back of this book.) When the song is over, turn off the CD player. Say: Our Bible story about Elijah comes from the Old Testament section of the Bible, and that s where we can learn more about Elijah. Elijah was a prophet, a man of God. He knew that our God is the only true God, and he told the people to worship only God. Let s play a game to help us tell God that we will love him and his Word only. Have the children form a large circle in an open area. Sprinkle the craft foam hearts randomly on the floor in the middle of the circle. Be sure to use a number of hearts that is fewer than the number of children. Hold the extra heart in your hand. Set the poster board and colored inkpad on a table near you. Say: As the CD plays our song again, move around the room and sing along. When I turn the music off, quickly stand on one of the hearts. But wait! There s one thing you should know. One of the hearts is missing, so somebody will not find a heart to stand on. If that s you, don t worry; I ll let you know what we can do to fix that. Play The Books of the Bible Song again and stop it after a few moments. Wait to make sure every child but one is standing on a heart. Say: We re short one heart, but that s because I have it here! [Name of child], you may take this heart and press it on the inkpad; then press it somewhere on the poster to make a special heart print. As you make your heart print, tell the class something you love about God. God is great, and we want everyone to know that we love the only true God. Then we ll keep playing until everyone has a chance to make a heart print and share what he or she loves about God. Allow the child to make a heart print on the poster, share one thing he or she loves about God, and then stand near you to cheer the others on. Remove one more heart from the floor and continue the game. Repeat until everyone has had a chance to stamp a heart on the poster and share one thing he or she loves about God. Say: You ve made a very pretty picture with all the hearts, and it is a nice reminder of how much we love God. It s fun to think about why we love God! There are many reasons we can think of. Elijah knew that our God is the only true God, and he loved God very much, too. 47

Lesson 3 Ask: How did Elijah know that God is the only true God? (Elijah believed him; because God talked to Elijah; because God did miracles for Elijah.) How do you know that God is the only true God? (Because the Bible says so; because you told us; I m not sure.) Why do you think God wants us to worship only him? (Because he s the only God; because he knows all other gods aren t real; because he s real.) Say: God is so amazing and wonderful! There is no other God besides him! That s why it s important for us to worship only him. Our God is the only true God, and I m so glad we can know him and love him! Wash out the craft foam hearts at the end of the activity for use in future lessons. Return the CD and craft foam hearts (when dry) to the Learning Lab. Closing n You Are Lord SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Ask: What did you learn today? (I learned that God is the track 4 only God; I learned that God has more power than anyone else; I learned that nature praises God.) Say: Listen to this Bible verse. It asks a question. See if you know the answer. Read Psalm 8:3-4. Ask: Do you know the answer? Why does God think about and care for people? (Because God loves people; because God made people.) Say: We can feel special because our God is the only true God and he loves each one of us. Let s sing a song about our one and only God! Sing The One and Only Lord (Mark 12:29) (track 4) with the CD several times. If you have readers in your class, give them copies of the lyrics sheet, and point out the lyrics as you sing. At the end of the song, have all the children shout amen together. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 48

Elijah 3: Our God is the only true God. Bible Story Elijah and the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18) Bible Key Verse No ` Listen, eye has O Israel! seen, no The ear Lord has heard, our God and no is the mind one has and imagined only what God Lord has (Mark prepared 12:29b). for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9b). Today your child learned that false gods and idols will never be able to compete with God because God is more powerful than anything or anyone else. The children also learned that a false god is anything that distracts them from honoring God. Use these ideas at home to help your child worship the one and only true God. God Is Great This week, look all around you for evidence of God s greatness. Keep a piece of paper on your dining table, and before each evening meal, write down what you ve seen. You might see God s power in a thunderstorm, God s sense of beauty in the delicate colors of wildflowers, or God s protection in the den of a woodland creature. Notice the multitude of stars, the warmth of the sun, and the sweet smell of the earth and air. Then thank God for being the only true God. Rain Pictures Make a rain picture as a reminder that the one true God ended Israel s drought. Color a white sheet of paper with watercolor markers. Set it in the rain for a few seconds, and then carefully carry it inside to dry. If you live in an area that doesn t get much rain, dip a toothbrush in water and run your fingers across the bristles, sending a fine spray of water onto your marker-colored paper. Fire Power Go to a local park for a picnic. Take along hot dogs to roast. If permitted, collect fallen twigs and branches to make a fire. Take newspaper to help start the fire. Help your child arrange the wood and newspaper in a fire pit. Light the fire yourself. Have your child stand nearby to help blow on the flames. Talk about how much work it takes to make a fire. Then read 1 Kings 18:30-38 and praise God for his power. Rising to the Top Pour 1/2 cup of water into a large jar. Add 6 drops of food coloring and stir. Pour in 1/4 cup of cooking oil. Then screw the lid on and shake the jar for 20 seconds. Watch as the oil separates from the water and rises. Talk about how God is the only God God will always rise to the top in any competition with man-made gods. And just as the oil wouldn t stay mixed with the water, we can t worship God and man-made gods. Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 49