In Dive In! the students will learn: The Lessons at a Glance that God promised and sent a Savior from sin. that God gives us his powerful Word to fight the temptations of the devil. that Jesus lived a perfect life, died, and came back to life to save sinners. that God protects us and gives us what we need. that we serve God by helping others. The following is an overview of the Dive In! lessons. Note: The students in Levels 1 and 2 are exposed only to the underlined portions of the memory treasures. Day 1 Story: God Promises a Savior From Sin Scripture Reference: Genesis 3 Bible Truth: God promised and sent a Savior to take away the sins of all people. Life Application: God saves us from the punishment for our sins and the power of the devil. Memory Treasure: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15) Sea Creature: black dragonfish Day 2 Story: Jesus Says No to the Devil Scripture Reference: Matthew 4:1-11 Bible Truth: Jesus used the Word of God to fight the devil s temptations and win. Life Application: We want to be filled with God s Word so we can fight the devil s temptations and win. Memory Treasure: Blessed... are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28) Sea Creature: porcupine fish Day 3 Story: The Savior Dies and Comes Back to Life Scripture Reference: Portions of the Gospels Bible Truth: Jesus lived a sinless life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead to forgive our sins and give us heaven. Life Application: We trust Jesus alone to save us. Memory Treasure: We believe that Jesus died and rose again. (1 Thessalonians 4:14) Sea Creature: sand dollar Day 4 Story: God Protects His People Scripture Reference: Portions of Exodus 14 17 Bible Truth: God protected the Israelites from their enemies and fed his people in the desert. Life Application: We trust God to protect us and give us what we need. Memory Treasure: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) Sea Creature: sea anemone Day 5 Story: Jonathan Serves God by Helping David Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 18:1-12; 19:1-7 Bible Truth: Jonathan helped David, even though he knew David would become king instead of him. Life Application: We serve God by helping others. Memory Treasure: Serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13) Sea Creature: dolphin SAMPLE The Lessons at a Glance 1
The Students Level 1 is written for students ages 3 and 4. If your class is made up of all or mostly three-year-olds, we suggest you choose from the items marked with the following symbol: Getting Acquainted When the students arrive on the first day, they may not all know one another or you. The Welcoming Activity, suggested in the first lesson, is an option you may use to help everyone get acquainted. The Lesson Getting Ready to Teach The parts of the lesson are similar at each level. Introduction: We strongly encourage you to use the Dive In! devotions (see two options on the Leader s CD-ROM) to introduce the lessons. If you do not use them, an ocean-related introduction is provided. The introduction interests the students in what is to come and leads to the aim what you want them to think about and answer based on the Bible lesson. Telling the Story: The first option for telling the story is the Bible story skit (see the Leader s CD-ROM). This skit follows the opening devotion and is presented to the entire vacation Bible school. If you prefer to teach the Bible story to individual levels, other telling options are given in the teacher s guide. Choose the option that best fits the needs of your students. Developing and Applying the Truth: Lead the students to arrive at the truth of the lesson. Also help them apply the truth of the lesson to their lives. Note: If you use the Bible story skits, either develop and apply the truth of the lesson with the entire group after the skit or have teachers do this with their classes when they come to the Dive In! station described in the following section. Stations: After learning the Bible lesson, the students travel to three stations for activities: Dive In!: The students sing songs and do activities in their student lessons. For those who used the Bible story skit for the story presentation, this station can also be used for developing and applying the truth of the Bible lesson. Eat and Run: The students have recess and enjoy snacks. Look for reproducible suggestions for games and snacks on the Leader s CD-ROM. Make It/Take It: The students make crafts. Student Lessons The student lessons carry out an ocean theme. They include the Bible story, memory treasure, and student activities. Note: Each set of purchased student lessons is held together by one staple. Remove the staple to separate the lessons. Optional: A Student Lessons CD-ROM is available for purchase, which enables you to print as many student lessons as you need on your own printer. See the order form. Music Teach and practice the VBS theme song and other fun songs found in the Dive In! Music Guide and on the music CD. Also feel free to teach other songs that would interest the students. Crafts NEW! Craft ideas that go with the lessons and photos of completed projects are now on the Leader s CD-ROM. These crafts require easy-to-find materials. Kits produced by S&S Worldwide, Inc., are available if you prefer doing crafts that have all the materials provided. Ask your VBS superintendent for a Dive In! order form, or contact Northwestern Publishing House. SAMPLE Getting Ready to Teach 2
More Adventures Optional activities are listed in this section. May I Interrupt? This section suggests ways to add interesting interruptions to each VBS session. Have someone dress up as a diver (Dan/Danielle) and enter each classroom to break up the day with ocean-related information or activities. Program Suggestions See the Leader s CD-ROM for the following program suggestions: Schedules Decorating and other ideas Various kinds of VBS programs Snacks and games Outreach ideas Service projects God bless you and your students as you dive in and learn the saving Word of God! SAMPLE Getting Ready to Teach 3
Pray Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the opportunity to share your Word with my students and their families. Help those of us who believe in you to grow stronger in our faith. Send your Holy Spirit to lead those who have no faith to believe in you and your promises. Bless my preparations and my teaching so that I speak your truths with certainty and with joy. Amen. Prepare Note: See the Leader s CD-ROM page 10 for the Dive In! logo. Read: Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin Scripture Reference: Genesis 3 Bible Truth: God promised and sent a Savior to take away the sins of all people. Life Application: God saves us from the punishment for our sins and the power of the devil. Memory Treasure: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15) Sea Creature: black dragonfish the introduction to this teacher s guide the lesson in Genesis 3 the following commentary pages: Franzmann, Bible History Commentary, Old Testament, pages 37-54 The People s Bible: Jeske, Genesis, pages 43-58 Proceed Welcoming Activity: Since you may have a mixture of member and nonmember students, the following idea is offered as an option to help you and the students get to know one another. Copy Master, bowl, fishing or butterfly net, table, blue paper Duplicate the copy master to make sea creature name tags. Put them in a bowl, and set them behind an overturned table. Decorate the table with blue paper waves. When all the children have arrived, welcome them to VBS and tell them that they will learn about Jesus, someone they can t see but who loves them. Dip the net into the "water" (over the paper waves and behind the table), and have a helper place a name tag in the net. Pull up the net and show your catch to the children. Print your name on the name tag, and introduce yourself to the children. Then have each child come and catch a sea creature in the net. Have the child tell his or her name. Write the name on the name tag for the child to wear each day. Opening Devotion Use a Dive In! devotion for Day 1 (see two options on the Leader s CD-ROM) for all students. Either teach the Bible lesson to all the students, using the Bible story skit (see the Leader s CD-ROM), or take the students to individual classrooms after the devotion and teach the story using one of the storytelling options in the teacher s guide. After the lesson has been taught, groups of students may take turns at each of the three stations. Introduction Option 1 We strongly encourage you to use one of the Dive In! devotions to introduce the lesson. Option 2 You ll Need SAMPLE You ll Need student lesson Level 1 Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 4
The theme for VBS is the ocean. God created the ocean and its plant and animal life, just as he created all things. God is truly amazing! One sea animal God created is the black dragonfish. (Show the picture of the black dragonfish on a student lesson.) The black dragonfish has a slender beard that dangles below its mouth and glows. Other fish see the light and come to it. What do you think happens then? Responses. Right! Chomp! They re gone! The black dragonfish has them in his powerful jaws. Today we ll dive into God s Word and learn that the devil is far more tricky than a black dragonfish. The devil wants to lead us away from our loving God. Let s learn how God stepped in to help us against the devil. Telling the Story Option 1 Use the Bible story skit for Day 1 (see the Leader s CD-ROM) to present the Bible lesson to the entire vacation Bible school. Note: If you choose this option, you will need to develop and apply the truth of the lesson in the large group setting after the skit, at the Dive In! station, or in individual classrooms. If you do not use the Bible story skit, choose from the following options for telling the story. Option 2 You ll Need six 8" paper squares, picture of Jesus to fit on one paper square Before class, draw each of the following pictures on a separate paper square: stick person Adam, stick person Eve, fruit tree (we don t know what kind of fruit was on the tree from which Adam and Eve ate), snake, heart with scribble marks on it (a heart full of sin). Leave the sixth square empty. Later you will attach a picture of Jesus. While telling the story, help volunteers attach the squares to the board in the shape of a cross (make the top, bottom, and sides with picture squares; put the empty square at the intersection of the beams). Then, while telling about God s promise of a Savior, outline the squares to draw a cross. Remove the picture squares from the drawn cross. Ask who that promised Savior is. Then attach the picture of Jesus to the remaining empty square. Option 3 green tissue paper, several cardboard rolls from toilet tissue, sticky tack (or play dough), toy people figures (one man, one woman), fake snake or some yarn to represent a snake, picture of Jesus Before class, make several trees by pushing crumpled green tissue paper into one end of some toilet tissue rolls. Attach tiny bits of sticky tack or play dough to some of the trees as fruit. Put one fruit tree in the center of the group of trees. Use two toy people figures to act out the parts of Adam and Eve. Place a fake snake or a length of yarn on the middle tree when you tell about the devil tempting Eve. When telling about Eve s sin, remove a piece of sticky tack (play dough), and place it in Eve s hand. Have her give the fruit to Adam. When telling about the devil being crushed by the promised Savior, remove the snake from the tree, squeeze it, and set it on a table. When telling about the promised Savior, ask who that Savior is and then show a picture of Jesus. Cover the snake with the picture of Jesus. Option 4 You ll Need You ll Need student lesson Read the Bible story as written on the student lesson, or tell it as written here, using the bold words as a guide. Level 1 Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin 5 God had made a beautiful garden to be the home of Adam and Eve, the first people. God had put many trees in his garden. Adam and Eve could eat fruit from all the trees but one. That tree was in the middle of the garden. God said, Eat from any tree but this one. It is the tree of knowing about good and evil. If you eat from this tree, you will die. By not eating from this tree, Adam and Eve would show that they loved God and wanted to obey him. SAMPLE It was a joy to live and work in the garden! God had made Adam and Eve perfect. Everything they did pleased God; they obeyed him. They did not sin. They were never sick or sad.
But one day a snake came to Eve in the garden. It was really the devil coming as a snake. The devil hated God and wanted Eve to disobey God. The devil said to Eve, Did God really say you could not eat from any tree? Eve said, We may eat fruit from the trees. But God did say that we must not eat from the tree in the middle or we will die. The tricky snake lied and said, You won t die! God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know about good things and bad things, as he does. Eve looked at the fruit. It looked delicious. And Eve did want to be like God, knowing good and evil. So she picked the fruit and ate it. Adam was with her. Eve gave some fruit to him, and he ate it too. Right away, Adam and Eve knew they had done something wrong. They had disobeyed God. They had sinned. Adam and Eve were sad and afraid. They had never felt that way before. They had sinned by doing what God had told them not to do. Then Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden. They were afraid and hid in the trees. God knew where they were, but he wanted them to come to him for help. So he called, Where are you? Have you eaten the fruit that I told you not to eat? Adam answered, Eve gave me the fruit, and I ate it. Then God asked Eve, What have you done? Eve said to God, The snake tricked me, and I ate it. God was not pleased that sin had come into his perfect world. He told the devil, I will bring trouble to you, and someday you will be crushed. God was promising to send his Son, Jesus, to be the Savior. Jesus would fight against the devil and win. Jesus would take away the sins of all people. Then God told Adam and Eve that things would be different for them. Sin had changed everything. God said, Eve, you will have pain when you have children. And, Adam, work will be hard for you now. Thorns and weeds will grow with your good plants. And someday you both will die. Level 1 Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin 6 The sins of Adam and Eve had changed God s perfect world. But God still loved his people. He had a plan to help the world. One day he would send his Son to save all people from their sins. How wonderful God is! Developing and Applying the Truth Use the following to arrive at the truth of the lesson and to apply the truth to the lives of your students. Do Have Diver Dan/Danielle enter the classroom with a picture of a manta ray (check online), say the following rhyme, and tell about this sea creature that God made. The manta ray has eyes on the sides of its head. Although mantas are very large, they eat tiny plants, small fish, shrimp, and animals that are smaller than a dot made by a pencil. Mantas are usually peaceful animals, but they sometimes jump out of the water and could knock over boats that get too close. Dive with me into the deep blue sea. (pretend to dive) Swim with the fishes happily. (pretend to swim) What do we find on our dive today? (hold hand above eyes, looking) A creature God made called the manta ray. (hold hand in back like a tail) Option 1 SAMPLE You ll Need picture of Jesus Cover your ears and say that Eve should not have listened when the devil told her to disobey God. Then ask the children what they should do if the devil tells them to take a toy that does not belong to them. Lead them in covering their ears to remind them not to listen to the devil.
Say Eve sinned when she did not obey God. Eve listened to the devil instead. Do Have a student stand by you pretending to be Adam. Pretend to give Adam a piece of fruit, and have the student pretend to eat it. Have the student return to his or her place. Say Adam also sinned against God. Do Clench your fists and have the children do the same as you tell that God promised to send a Savior to crush the devil and his power. Then show a picture of Jesus and say, That Savior s name is! Jesus. Say Jesus lived on earth and died on a cross to take away all the sins (naughty things) we do when we disobey God. Thank you, Jesus! Option 2 Say God made a beautiful world and put the first two people in it. Ask What were their names? Adam and Eve. Say God made Adam and Eve perfect they did not sin. They did not do wrong things. That s the way God wanted his people to stay. Ask But who wanted Adam and Eve to disobey God? The devil. And what does the devil want you and me to do? Disobey God. What does the devil want you to do when your parents say it s time for bed? Pout and argue instead of going to bed. What does the devil want you to do when a child pushes you? Get angry and push back. Say The devil wants you to sin, just as he wanted Adam and Eve to sin. Make your arm move like the animal the devil spoke through. The children should move their arms like a snake. Ask What one special rule had God given to Adam and Eve to obey to show that they loved him? Not to eat from one tree in the middle of the garden. Say The devil knew that rule. The devil is very tricky. He lied to Eve and told her there would be no problem if she ate from that tree. In fact, he said she would become wise like God. Ask Whom did Eve obey, God or the devil? The devil. Say Show what Adam also did. The children should pretend to eat fruit (we don t know what kind it was). Ask Who knew what Adam and Eve had done? God. Say God came to help them right away. He punished the devil and told him that someday someone much stronger would come and crush his power. Ask Who would that someone be? Jesus, the Savior. Say God not only promised a Savior, he sent one! The Bible tells us, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Jesus is the Savior, who fought against the devil for us and won! Jesus came to take away the sins of all people by dying on a cross. Ask What did God promise to send for Adam and Eve and all other sinners? God promised to send a Savior. And what would the Savior take away? The sins of all people. Say That Savior came for you and me! His name is! Jesus! Prayer Close with the following prayer: Jesus, I am sorry for all the sins I do. I m glad you came to save me! Help me love and follow you. Amen. 1. Dive In! (Lesson Activities and Music) Lesson Activities Distribute the student lesson page for Day 1. Discuss the Bible lesson and picture, and do the activities. Read each of the following statements, and have the children color or mark the picture that answers it. 1. Find the picture of the first two people God made Adam and Eve. Color (mark) it. (Adam and Eve picture.) SAMPLE Level 1 Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin 7 2. Mark the picture of what God said not to eat fruit from. (Fruit tree.) 3. Mark which animal the devil used to come to Eve. (Snake.) 4. Mark the picture of what Adam and Eve ate to disobey God. (Fruit.) 5. Mark the picture that shows how your face looks when you know you have disobeyed God. (Sad face.)
6. Mark the picture of the one who came to take away all the wrong things you do. (Jesus.) Answers: The six colored pictures form a cross. Explain what a cross is, and tell about Jesus dying on a cross to take away our sins. Music Choose from the lesson-related songs found in the Music Guide and on the music CD. If you plan to use the VBS closing service, please check the Leader s CD-ROM for suggested songs and recitations to teach your students during the week. 2. Eat and Run (Recess and Snack) See the reproducible suggestions for snacks and games on the Leader s CD-ROM. Always check for food allergies. Before eating, join in the common table prayer. 3. Make It/Take It (Crafts) Plans for crafts are offered on the Leader s CD-ROM. These crafts are made from readily available materials. You may also purchase craft kits produced by S&S Worldwide, Inc. See the order form for suggested kits. Everyone may join at the end of the day for a closing, or each level may close individually. Sing the theme song and any other songs you are teaching the students. Close with the following prayer: God in heaven, thank you For sending us your Son. He lived and died to save us, Each and every one. Help us show our love to you As we live each day. Teach us to be loving, and Help us to obey. Amen. More Adventures Here are some more ideas you may want to use. 1. Piggyback Song: Sing the following words to the tune of Happy Birthday to You. Suggestion: Teach very young children just one stanza. God promised a Savior. God promised a Savior. His name would be Jesus. God promised a Savior. God sent his dear Son. God sent his dear Son To take away sins. God sent his dear Son. 2. Memory Treasure Activities: Have each child: Place a Jesus sticker in the middle of a paper cross and then glue the cross to the middle of a large piece of paper. Fill the areas around the cross with pictures of people cut from magazines and add a self-portrait. Then say the memory treasure while having the children point to Jesus at Christ Jesus, to the cross at to save, and to the self-portrait and people pictures at sinners. Use the following actions to practice the memory treasure. Christ Jesus (point up) came into the world (use arms to make circle above head) to save sinners (make cross with arms). 3. Fishing Game: See the craft section on the Leader s CD-ROM for a fishing game the children could make and use during VBS. 4. Pass the Fruit: Have one child sit on the floor and hold a picture of Jesus. Have the remaining children sit in a circle around that child. Hand a tennis ball (the fruit) to one of the children in the circle. As you say the memory treasure, have the children pass the fruit around the circle. When you finish, the child holding the fruit should tell a way we sometimes sin (think, say, or do something wrong). Have the child in the center show the picture and respond, Jesus saved us from our sins. Then have the child holding the fruit go to the center of the circle and hold the picture. The child who had been in the center should take the fruit and join the circle. Repeat the process several times. SAMPLE Level 1 Day 1 God Promises a Savior From Sin 8
Get your mask and flippers and Dive In! for a weeklong VBS deep sea adventure! Essential elements of each day s lesson are listed below. All levels study the same lesson, using age-appropriate materials. Note: Levels 1 and 2 learn only the underlined portions of the memory treasures. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Story God Promises a Savior From Sin Jesus Says No to the Devil The Savior Dies and Comes Back to Life God Protects His People Jonathan Serves God by Helping David References Genesis 3 Matthew 4:1-11 Portions of the Gospels Portions of Exodus 14 17 1 Samuel 18:1-12; 19:1-7 black dragonfish porcupine fish sand dollar sea anemone dolphin Sea Creature Bible Truth Life Application Memory Treasure God promised and sent a Savior to take away the sins of all people. Jesus used the Word of God to fight the devil s temptations and win. Jesus lived a sinless life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead to forgive our sins and give us eternal life in heaven. God protected the Israelites from their enemies and fed his people in the desert. Jonathan helped David, even though he knew David would become king instead of him. God saved us from the punishment for our sins and the power of the devil. We want to be filled with God s Word so we can fight the devil s temptations and win. We trust Jesus alone to save us. We trust God to protect us and give us what we need. We serve God by helping others. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Blessed... are those who hear the word of God and obey it. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Serve one another in love. (1 Timothy 1:15) (Luke 11:28) (1 Thessalonians 4:14) (1 Peter 5:7) (Galatians 5:13)
Day 1: God Promises a Savior From Sin Objective: By the end of this session, all participants should be able to identify the cause of everything that s wrong in the world and explain God s solution to it. Focus You have just been handed a magic wand to use to make this world a better place. Name one change you would make other than eliminate sin! Inform Read Genesis 3: God Promises a Savior From Sin. 1. Determine the characteristics of Satan and his words in verses 1-5 that made him and his talk so deceptive. 2. Eve engaged in the conversation with Satan (verse 3) and took the fruit (verse 6), but the Lord came looking for Adam (verse 9). Explain. Sample 3. List all the consequences of sin you can find in verses 9-19. 4. Privately rank the consequences listed in the previous activity from the most troubling to the least troubling. Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Zondervan Publishing. 2008 Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, WI. All rights reserved. Used by permission. 1
5. Verse 15 is called the protevangel the first good news, or the first gospel. Identify each underlined word by telling who it is or when it happened: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Connect 6. For each of the consequences of sin you listed previously, prepare to tell one clear practical example of this consequence today. 7. Take one of the examples you gave for the previous question. Explain the difference made by the gospel knowing that Jesus has utterly crushed our enemy. 8. God offers his gospel at times and in ways that are best for those involved. God announced the gospel to Adam and Eve as they were coming to grips with the consequences of sin. God calls us to bring the gospel to people in the same context stuck in the consequences of sin. Think of one person you know who is not a Christian, or at least doesn t worship at a Christian church, and who is right now facing an unpleasant consequence of sin. Write three brief sentences to show how you might explain to that person what God has shown you today: where bad things come from, what remedy God has provided, and the difference that knowing the gospel makes. Vision Jesus life, death, and resurrection make us sure that we are free from the eternal consequences of sin. But even Christians can get bogged down in the pain, hurt, and drudgery that are the earthly consequences of sin. When that happens, the good news of Jesus lifts us up. Tell one another the words or phrases you ve heard Christians use in their suffering to demonstrate their trust in God s promises. Memory Sample God s people see his saving Word as the most important thing for life. Challenge yourself to memorize this portion of that Word: 1 Timothy 1:15: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Zondervan Publishing. 2008 Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, WI. All rights reserved. Used by permission. 2
Adult/Teen Bible Study Sample Teacher s Guide
Author: Pastor Randy Hunter Editorial Team: Owen Dorn, Lynn Groth Design Team: Paula Brouwer, Lynda Williams Art Director: Karen Knutson Sample Published by Northwestern Publishing House in cooperation with Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Parish Services. Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Purchase of the electronic files for this Bible study allows the purchaser to adapt and reproduce these pages. The electronic files or right to adapt and reproduce them may not be transferred to anyone else. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI 53226-3284 www.nph.net 2008 by Northwestern Publishing House
Contents Page About These Lessons... iv Day 1: God Promises a Savior From Sin Genesis 3... 1 Day 2: Jesus Says No to the Devil Matthew 4:1-11... 5 Day 3: The Savior Dies and Comes Back to Life Portions of the Gospels... 9 Day 4: God Protects His People Portions of Exodus 13 17... 13 Day 5: Jonathan Serves God by Helping David Sample 1 Samuel 18:1-12; 19:1-7... 16 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
About These Lessons These Bible study lessons are built on two educational assumptions: (1) adults and teens learn best when they are responsible for learning, and (2) adults and teens learn best when they are active in the process. These studies are written to help you, the Bible study leader, know what you want to communicate and how to lead your students to discover it. Each lesson aids learning through four sections: Focus is a time to do just that: bring everyone together around a common problem, task, or idea, and lead the group into the text. Inform is a study of the body of knowledge the Lord Jesus has entrusted to you to pass on to others. Questions help learners probe the meaning and lead them into the application. Connect is the application. Adults hunger for it. Don t rush through these activities. Try to involve everyone. This is the time to make sure you ve accomplished the lesson objective. Vision is about the future. It focuses on putting into practice what God s people have learned in the lesson. Feel free to add your own ideas. Sample iv 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Dive In! Day 1: God Promises a Savior From Sin Objective: By the end of this session, all participants should be able to identify the cause of everything that s wrong in the world and explain God s solution to it. Prepare If the objective for this lesson sounds a bit like an evangelism training course, it is. To equip participants to better tell about their faith, it s important that you are confident and prepared to do the same. Acquaint yourself with methods for witnessing such as God s Great Exchange, found in the back of New Life in Christ by Northwestern Publishing House, or available from the WELS Evangelism office. Another method for witnessing is presented in the NPH series Prepared to Answer. An easel pad or white board will be helpful for learning activities in the Inform and Connect sections. Focus You have just been handed a magic wand to use to make this world a better place. Name one change you would make other than eliminate sin! Have the class pause for one minute of silence while everyone writes down his or her response, and then have participants share their answers with the class or a small group. Inform Read Genesis 3: God Promises a Savior From Sin. Create a Readers Theater with a cast of characters: Narrator, Eve, Adam, Serpent, and the Lord. Be sensitive to those who do not want to read or are embarrassed about their reading ability. Sample 1. Determine the characteristics of Satan and his words in verses 1-5 that made him and his talk so deceptive. People may need to think about this for a few seconds before answering. Possible answers: Satan was engaging, even when he argued. He was forceful and clear. He was confident. He mixed some truth in with error. He appealed to Eve s pride. 2. Eve engaged in the conversation with Satan (verse 3) and took the fruit (verse 6), but the Lord came looking for Adam (verse 9). Explain. Adam was with her but he did nothing to help her. He was to love and protect her, but he did nothing when she was in spiritual danger. 3. List all the consequences of sin you can find in verses 9-19. Give groups of three or four about three minutes to write their own lists, independent of one another. Inform the groups when one minute remains. When time is up, ask one person 1 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
SAMPLE
Day 1 God Promised and Sent a Savior Level 1 Listen to your teacher to know what boxes to color or mark. You will see a picture of how God s Son, Jesus, saved you. SAMPLE