UNIT 4#2 THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH K/1 ST GRADE CONCEPT GOAL ONE TRUE GOD There is only one true God who is able and faithful to meet our needs. Christian students will learn that through Jesus death on the cross we are freed to trust God for all we need so we can give to others. Non-Christian students will learn that there is nothing and no one greater and more powerful than God. They will be called to place their trust in God alone. PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 10:1-8 Key verse: " We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one." 1 Corinthians 8:4b PLANNING AHEAD Lesson Supplies Lesson: Cartoon picture of a cow NLT Bible Learning Activity #2: There is no God but one! stickers, 4/child Craft Supplies Activity Station: Adam Raccoon in Lost Woods, Glen Keane 10 small pebbles Magazines Sunday newspaper ad inserts Construction paper, 1 sheet/student Glue Sticks Scissors Teachers please note: For clarity, the shaded areas in the Planning Ahead section indicate supplies that are in and should be returned to your classroom SHARED SUPPLY bag. Items followed by an asterisk* are to be supplied by the teaching team.
Background Information / Teacher Helps We live in a culture that promotes the acquisition of things to achieve status, significance and fulfillment. In and of themselves things are not wrong or evil. The Bible says we are given all things, including the temporal, to enjoy. However, when we depend on them rather than God for fulfillment and significance, the result is disastrous. Some people don't have a problem with materialism but depend on people or even their intelligence for fulfillment and significance. The point is that, as fallen people, we are all prone to replace God with some type of idol/s. Are they our friends, family, money, jobs, toys, etc.? It is important for each of us to identify those idols and to see them for the counterfeit they are because they never produce what they promise. On the other hand, as we choose to depend on God for purpose, meaning and significance in our lives, He does keep His promises. He provides us with everything we need for an abundant life as we accomplish His purposes. We deny ourselves the privilege of partaking all that God has for us when we look to anything to meet a need that only God can truly meet. In the Corinthian church "[verse] 1 The importance of the question of 'foods offered in sacrifice to idols' (eidolothuton) becomes evident when one realizes how thoroughly idolatry and pagan sacrifices permeated all levels of Greek and Roman society. Indeed, people could hardly escape contact with the pagan practices and their influence. Thus a considerable amount of sacrificed meat ending up in the public market, on the tables of pagan neighbors and friends, or at the pagan festivals. The problems Christians faced are obvious. Was the meat spiritually contaminated? Did the pagan god actually have an effect on the meat? Even if one did not think so, what would his participation do to his Christian brother who might have scruples about this? Though Christians today do not have to deal with this particular problem, they too must face questions of how to conduct themselves in a non-christian society." 1 "[verse] 4 The main thing to remember in connection with such meat, Paul says, is that the idol before which it was sacrificed and the god it represents are actually nothing--that is, nothing as to personal reality and power. That he means this is clear from his statement 'There is no God but one' (cf. Deut. 6:4-9; 1 Kings 18:39; Isa 45:5). "[Verses] 5, 6 Paul grants that there are 'so-called gods' in heaven and earth such as those the pagans recognized in Greek and Roman mythology. In addition, he mentions the many 'gods' and 'lords' who are called such in Scripture (cf. Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:2, 3) and who in the widest sense represent rulers in the universe who are subordinate to God (Col. 1:16). So Paul is teaching that the 'so-called gods' of the pagans are unreal and that the real 'gods' and 'lords,' whatever they may be, are all subordinate to the only or supreme God whom alone we recognize. Actually, Paul declares the Christian's 'one God, the Father one Lord, Jesus Christ, to be the source of all things and the One for whom all Christians live' (v.6). Concerning the world, the Father is the source (ex hou) of all creation, and Jesus Christ is the dynamic One through whom (di' hou) creation came into existence. As for the Christian, he lives for God, the source of all, and has the power for so living through Jesus Christ. So why, implies Paul, should we be concerned with idols or meat sacrificed to idols?" 2 "4, 5 The truth about God that 'there is no God but one' (Deut. 6:4) is fundamental to right understanding and practice. For in spite of the many so-called gods, an idol has no existence as a god. It is a 'nothing' or a 'vain thing' (cf. Dt. 32:17, 21; Acts 14:15) 3 Our passage in I Corinthians 10 refers to Exodus 32. "The things that happened to those people are examples. And they were written down to be warnings for us" (I Cor. 10:11). 4 It's easy for us to see the folly of the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. However, we are often deceived about our own "golden calves". Our role as teachers is to instill in the student confidence in the Lord to provide all that they need. We must be examples of those who trust God as the center of our lives rejecting the lie that material possessions or certain people will provide what only God can. Additional reading: Exodus 32; Daniel 3; Matthew 6:19-24, 35; Colossians 3:5; Isaiah 44:6-23; 1 Corinthians 10:6-10 1 Frank Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 10, 1976 by The Zondervan Corporation, p. 238. 2 Frank Gaebelein, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 10, 1976 by Zondervan Corporation, p. 239. 3 Motyer and Wiseman, New Bible Commentary: Revised, 1970 Inter-Varsity Press, London, p. 1062. 4 Holy Bible, International Children's Bible, 1988 Word Publishing, p. 865.
LESSON PLAN SET UP/ INCORPORATION 15-20 MIN INSTRUCTION/ INTRODUCTION 2 MIN LESSON LG GROUP 10 MIN Cartoon Cow: Activity Stations: Craft Collage Instructions: Using the provided ads and magazines have children identify and cut out pictures of things they would like to have or people they look up to. Have them glue them in collage form on a piece of paper. These will be used for the STORY. Roman Games Instructions: In the days of the early church the children played games much like in our day. They played jacks using chicken wings or oxtail bones for the jacks. Micatio is a game for two players. Each player raises the fingers of their right hands at the same time, keeping the rest of their fingers folded down. They change the number of fingers they raise each time they do this. As they raise fingers at the same time, they each call out the number they guess to be the total number of fingers raised by both. They keep playing until one player guesses correctly and wins. Odd or Even: Even the emperor s family played this game. In odd or even, the players guess whether the number of pebbles or nuts hidden in the other player s hand is an odd or even number. Missions Prayer Instructions: Talk about and pray for Oasis Giving campaign and adopted missionary child. Can anyone tell me some of the things God promises He will provide for us? (He promises to love us, give us food, help us to love other people and to be good friends. He promises He will be our friend if we ask Him for His forgiveness, to give us work to do that will last forever.) God promises us a lot of things and he is very faithful to keep His promises. But we often forget that God is so generous and look to things or other people for the things God promises He will provide. Today we are going to learn about idols that take the place of God in our lives. An idol is someone or something that we believe will give us what we need. Rather than trusting God we trust something or someone else. So an idol takes God's place. What do you know about Moses? (He was put in a basket when infant so wouldn t be killed, Egyptian princess rescued & raised him, killed an Egyptian & ran away, burning bush, God made Him the leader of the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, etc.). God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. As He led them to the land He promised to give them, He provided everything they needed food, water and guidance through the desert. They experienced the power and faithfulness of the true God. Moses went up on a mountain to meet with God and was gone a long time. Listen while I read from the Bible (Exodus 32:1-9) what happened. When their leader, Moses, took a long time to come back, the Israelites thought they didn't have a leader so they looked for something they could see and feel. They made a statue of a calf from their gold jewelry. Moses and God were really angry about the golden calf. The Israelites said that the golden calf would lead them. They worshipped the golden calf rather than God. Isn't that crazy?! Can you imagine thinking that a gold statue made by people could take God s place or even could do what God can do?! God had guided them and provided their food and clothes. He had given them everything they needed. I wonder why they chose to look to a statue that they had made rather than continue to choose to look to God who made them?!! In his letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul reminded them about the golden calf because he was afraid that they would also replace God with idols. Some people in the Corinthian church were being tempted to turn away from God to worship idols. They were proud and didn t think it was a problem. Paul reminded them what had happened to the Israelites. Even the Israelites who had seen all that God had done quickly forgot who God was and how He had provided. It seems very hard to believe that they could so quickly forget God s faithfulness and turn to a silly gold
calf. (Put the golden calf picture on the white board.) Now do you think that this calf will help you when you are in trouble or keep you safe when you're afraid? Or do you think it will be your good friend? It's really silly to think that this picture or even a statue of a calf can do anything for us. TRANSITION 2 MIN LEARNING ACTIVITY #1 LG GROUP 7 MIN TRANSITION 2 MIN LEARNING ACTIVITY #2 SM GROUPS 10 MIN Rationale: to apply scripture to real life. GOOD NEWS The Israelites were very foolish. You probably think you would never be so foolish. But is that true? There are religions today that worship statues, animals and other objects. Some people worship Buddha, some worship nature and totem poles, some believe that crystals have power and some people even believe that they are a god. Remember our key verse, "... We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4b). This verse tells us that there is only one true God. He is not in a totem pole, or crystals, or nature. He s not Buddha or Mohammed or the president or a famous athlete or a movie star. He is the creator who made the whole world and holds it together. There is nothing and no one greater than He. He created us. And He created us to be in relationship with Him. But because of our sin against Him, we are separated from Him. His love for us is so great that Jesus came to this earth as a perfect man to die on the cross to pay for our sin against God. When you tell Him you want Jesus death to count for you, you are forgiven and become His child. Then you are free to trust to God for all that you need so you can give to others. Let s stand up in a circle and sing, My God is so Big. (Sing the song.) We re going to read a story now so sit down in a spot where you can see. Story Adam Raccoon in Lost Woods, Glen Keane Instructions: Have an animated reader read the book to the class. Everyone get the collage you made at the beginning of class and we ll get into small groups to talk about the Adam Raccoon story and our pictures. Who can repeat the key verse? "... We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4b). God showed the Israelites that He was the one true God when He parted the water of the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land. For the forty years they were in the desert He kept them from getting sick. And their sandals and clothes never wore out. God works in many ways to show us that He is the one true God. Adam Raccoon reminds me of the Israelites in some ways. Let's talk about Adam Raccoon's idols. Do you remember why did Adam get lost? (He couldn't see King Aren because he was carrying so many things.) Do you remember what Adam learned? (Adam learned that his things were worthless. He didn t need any of those things.) Can you think of any ways you are like Adam? (We think we need more than God. We need certain things to make us happy.) There isn't anything wrong with having things. So why might "things" become a problem? (Might be when we think about them all the time or that we have to have them to be happy, okay or acceptable.) Why did Adam leave his ball behind at the end of the story? (He decided didn't need it, King Aren was all that he needed.) Jesus wants to care for us like King Aren cared for Adam and He wants us to know that He is all we need. Let s look at the pictures you made. Are any of these things so important to you that you think you have to have them I order to be happy? Even though we are happy when we get a new toy, it isn t long until we want something else that is better, is it?
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY (Put stickers over the things that you think might become so important to you that you might forget that there is only one God.) Can you think of ways that God has shown you that He loves you? Maybe He has helped you have self-control when you were really mad at someone. Maybe He has comforted you when you were sad or afraid. (Teachers, be prepared to share an age-appropriate personal example.) Maybe some of you haven t turned to God and asked Jesus to forgive your sin. God wants to be your friend. When we are His children He is with us wherever we go. He will help us to love and serve others. Let's pray now. If you want to ask Jesus to forgive your sins you can do that now. Let's ask God to show us the things that are idols for us and how to trust Him to be the one true God. Game Duck, Duck, Goose