Who Can Expect Your Respect? KEY VERSE 1 Thessalonians 5:12 STICKY STATEMENT God, our Master, tells us to appreciate our pastor. LESSON OBJECTIVE Children will understand God s direction in regards to living under authority and demonstrate through words and actions respect for their pastors and leaders. CHECKLIST 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Video: Samuel Chapters 8 and 9 https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/25-1/ (2:33) (Younger Adaptation) 3. Visual 7 Seven Ways in Seven Days handout (Enough for each child) (Application) 4. If available, a picture of your pastor(s) (Enough for each child) (Application) 5. Visuals 1-6 LESSON OVERVIEW Olympian children experience mixed messages on how to relate to those in authority. Paul wrote in Hebrews 13:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12 that God wants us to demonstrate respect for authority, specifically our pastors and church leaders. Through this lesson, we will outline some specific ways the child can express their respect for all authority. Younger Adaptation Teacher s Note: Throughout the lesson we talk about assigned authority. Younger children may find these terms difficult to understand. Therefore, just refer to them as authority or people in charge. This video could replace telling part of the narrative story in the body of the lesson. Show the video Bible Story: Samuel Chapters 8 and 9 https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/2 5-1/ (2:33) 25. Who Can Expect Your Respect? (Module 7 Not Virtual Reality) - 173
INTRODUCTION Teacher s Note: This may be a good lesson to teach in October since October is typically set aside as pastor appreciation month. Look at this riddle to see if you can guess the word it describes. [Show Visual 1.] What can t you have until you give it to others? [Allow children to guess.] [Show Visual 2.] The answer is respect. You can t have respect until you give respect to others. Listen to these real life situations. Tell me if that person is showing respect and if they are not, how they can show respect. Scenario #1 You and your friends are outside being loud and crazy. The neighbor asks you to stop or go someplace else. Even though you heard what he said, you ignore him and continue. Are you showing respect? [No.] Scenario #2 You have a very important question to ask your mom, but she is on the phone. Instead of interrupting, you wait until she is finished. Are you showing respect? [Yes.] Scenario #3 Your pastor stops by for a visit. Your little brother asks, Hey, how old are you? Is your little brother showing respect? [No.] Scenario #4 Your new teacher speaks with an accent. During recess, some kids from your class are making fun of her. You ask them to stop then walk away. Are you showing respect for your teacher? [Yes.] BODY Who decides which people are in charge? The answer is simple. God decides because God has all authority. He has the right to rule, and the right to be obeyed. [Show Visual 3.] Everyone is under God s direct authority. However, God puts other people in charge over us, too. Those people are called God s assigned authority. A person who is God s assigned authority represents God s authority and must be obeyed. Whoever God puts over us, we should treat them with respect. [Show Visual 4.] Here are some examples of groups of people who are God s assigned authority for you. God s authority covers every area of our life at every stage in our life. Let s talk about how God uses these authorities in our lives. In families, God appoints parents to represent God s authority. You may be living with caregivers other than your parents. Since they are taking the role of your parent, you need to show them respect. The Bible says in Colossians 3:20 that children are to obey their parents. When your parents set limits on you and tell you not to do something, it is because they love and care about you. If you go to a school, you have a principal that makes the decisions. He or she has authority over the teachers and the students. Even if you do not agree with every decision that they make, you need to show them your respect. Our country elects a president to be in charge of the leadership for our country. We may not agree with who has been elected for the office. However, it is clear that God wants us to be thankful for and pray for anyone in authority. 25. Who Can Expect Your Respect? (Module 7 Not Virtual Reality) - 174
A policeman s job is to enforce the laws of our country. We have brave men and women who put their own safety in danger every day for our protection. The police keep you and others safe by making sure that everyone obeys the law. Every day the police must deal with people who break the law. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that it is all right to show disrespect for our police. It is never right to be disrespectful or stop the police from doing their job. We also have assigned authorities in the church. By obeying God s assigned authorities, we are obeying God. The Bible states this in 1 Thessalonians 5:12. [Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12.] Another way to describe admonish or instruct is to caution or warn you. To be disrespectful to someone who represents God s authority is like being disrespectful to God Himself! Maybe you know someone who is not living with their parents for some reason. God gives us an example of a young boy who was living under someone else s authority in the book of 1 Samuel. In fact, this boy s name is Samuel. Hannah, Samuel s mother, had promised God if she could have a child, she would give him back to God s service. When Samuel was a preschooler, he was taken to live at the temple. The temple was a place of worship like our church. Eli, who was like a pastor, was in charge of the temple. Eli was God s assigned authority over Samuel. Samuel was an obedient boy who served in the temple and the Bible says he grew before the Lord (1 Samuel 2:21). Samuel was respectful to Eli s authority. Teacher s Note: This is where you would insert the video for younger children and pick up narrative after this paragraph. Video: Samuel Chapters 8 and 9 https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/25-1/ (2:33). One night Samuel heard his name called three times and obediently responded by going to Eli saying, Here I am, did you call me? Eli realized that this must be God s voice and instructed Samuel to answer directly to God. On the next call, Samuel responded with, Speak, for your servant hears. God gave a message to Samuel. Because Samuel demonstrated his obedience to both Eli and God, when he grew up, Samuel was given the great responsibility as a prophet to his people. [Show Visual 5.] Who is God s assigned authority at this church? God s assigned authority is the pastor. His position of authority requires us to respect God s leader as well as any additional church leaders under the pastor s direction. Let me read to you what Hebrew 13:17 says. [Read Hebrew 13:17.] Who are those who rule over us? That would be God s assigned authorities. To be submissive is to do what is asked of us, willingly. And to watch out for your souls means that our pastor is accountable to God for those under his authority. More specifically --- YOU! God, our Master, tells us to appreciate our pastor! In thinking about our pastor here at (insert your church s name), let s discuss how God would expect you to treat your pastor with respect. If you would ask our pastor what he would want, he probably would say that he would like to know that all of you were listening in church and learning how to be more like Christ. Here are some things that a pastor needs. [Show Visual #6.] Your pastor needs: Your faithfulness in attendance. Your prayers for his Bible teaching. Your open communication to speak to him. Your willingness to be part of church activities. 25. Who Can Expect Your Respect? (Module 7 Not Virtual Reality) - 175
APPLICATION How can you put this into practice today? God, our Master, tells us to appreciate our pastor. Here are some ideas on how you can get to know the pastor God has authorized to lead this church. [Show Visual 7.] Get to know your pastor: Ask him to tell you his story How and when he accepted Christ into his heart When God called him into ministry What does he enjoy most about being a pastor? Who is ready for a new challenge this week? The name of the challenge is: Seven Ways in Seven Days. Your challenge is to pray for Pastor for the next seven days. We have a sheet for you to take home that gives you one way you can pray for Pastor each day. As soon as you get home, put the sheet where you will be reminded to pray for him. Place a check next to each day when you have prayed for Pastor. Next week return your sheet. We will give the sheets to Pastor to encourage him that so many kids are praying for him. Altogether, let s shout out, Seven ways in seven days! Let s try that again. Seven ways in seven days! Great job! Now, let s all pray for Pastor this week to show him that our Olympians really appreciate our pastor. [Close in prayer.] Teacher s Note: Hand out the Seven Ways for Seven Days prayer sheet to each child along with a picture of your pastor(s) if available. Encourage the children to draw a picture or write a note to pastor on the other side of the paper. Have the leaders call, email, or text each family during the week to remind them to return their sheets. PERSONAL TRAINING TIME Goal of this Personal Training Time To encourage the children to show respect for both their authorities and their pastor. Discussion Questions 1. Who are some assigned authorities in your life? How can you show them respect? (Discuss with the children that God expects them to listen to and obey those authorities with the right attitude.) 2. How can you show respect for our pastor? (They should listen when pastor preaches and not be distracted in church. They should try to get to know pastor and pray for his needs.) 25. Who Can Expect Your Respect? (Module 7 Not Virtual Reality) - 176
3. Go over the Seven Ways in Seven Days handout. When and where are you going to pray for pastor? (Discuss the place and time that works best for them. Maybe they can encourage their family to pray together at meal time or bedtime. Remind them to write a note or draw a picture on their sheet and return their sheets next week.) PARENT CONNECTION Our lesson today shared how God intends for us to demonstrate respect for all authority. We also talked about how to show respect for our pastors and church leaders and encouraged the children with some specific ways to express that. We sent home a sheet entitled, Seven Ways for Seven Days. We asked your children to pray each day in one specific way for our pastor. We encourage you to help them accomplish this challenge and return the paper next week. You may want to do this challenge as a family. 25. Who Can Expect Your Respect? (Module 7 Not Virtual Reality) - 177
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