GROWING IN CHRIST

SONGS: Read Your Bible and Pray Every Day; chose one more
MEMORY VERSE: Acts 2:38 part 1&2, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
ACTIVITY: to water plants

LESSON 6 – “WALKING WITH JESUS”

Billy and Tessa were sitting on the swings after school waiting for Susie to arrive. Today she was going to explain how to walk with Jesus even though He is in heaven.

“What do you think Susie meant walking with Jesus?” Tessa asked Billy.

“Beats me. I don’t see how we can walk with Jesus every day when we can’t even see Him,” exclaimed Billy.

“I know,” said Tessa. “I wish she would hurry up and get here. I wonder what is taking her so long.”

“Here she comes now,” Billy said. Tessa looked up and saw Susie running towards them.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I had to talk to one of my teachers about my project,” Susie explained.

“That’s ok,” said Billy as Susie sat down on a swing beside him.

“I can’t wait for you to tell us what the final step is to get to heaven,” Tessa said excitedly.

“Do you remember all the steps so far?” Susie asked them.

(Have the children repeat each step as you say them.)

“Step #1 is Believe Jesus is God and that God is real,” said Billy
“Step #2 is Repent, tell God you are sorry, and ask Him to forgive you,” said Tessa.

“Step #3 is to get Baptize in Jesus’ name,” said Billy.

“Step #4 is to receive the Holy Ghost, a gift from God,” said Tessa.

“That’s right. And step #5 is walking with Jesus every day,” said Susie.

“You told us that already. What we want to know is how do we walk with Jesus every day if we can’t even see Him?” asked Billy.

“Walking with Jesus means reading God’s Word every day and talking to God through prayers. God’s Word is the Bible. Do you have a Bible?” Susie asked them. Billy and Tessa both nodded their heads yes.

“I got mine for my birthday last year,” said Tessa.

“My aunt bought me one when I was born,” said Billy.

“I brought you each that verse I told you last week.” Susie handed them each a piece of paper.

Billy looked at it and read it out loud. “Acts 2:38, Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

“Thank you, Susie,” said Tessa.

“If you read your Bible every day, you will get to know Jesus better. There are so many cool things to learn. You will read about how He heals people and raises them from the dead. You will read about rain that flooded the whole earth and only eight people were saved. And then there’s a boy who killed a lion and a bear with his hands, and then he killed a giant with just a slingshot and a stone,” Susie explained. “oh, and did you know that someone was actually swallowed by a whale and lived to tell about it?”

Billy’s eyes got big and his mouth dropped open. “Wow! Wow! Wow! I can’t wait to read the Bible. I never knew those stories were in there. Are they true stories?”

“Oh yes, everything you read in the Bible is true. God gave men the words to write it,” Susie said.Billy’s eyes got bigger. “Wow!”

“You will also find the Ten Commandments in there, even the eleventh commandment where Jesus tells everyone to love one another like He loves us,” Susie said.“Amazing,” Billy whispered.

“You also said we need to pray every day. How do we do that?” asked Tessa.

“You can pray to God any time of the day, any place you want. You just talk to Him as though He is right there beside you, because He really is. You just can’t see Him,” said Susie.

“When is the best time to pray?” asked Billy.

“It’s always the best time to pray,” said Susie. “In the morning when you wake up, thank God for waking you up and ask Him to help you get through the day. Ask Him to help you be a blessing to other people. In the afternoon, you can talk to Him again. And then just before you go to bed, talk to Him. Tell Him you are sorry for the sins you did that day and ask for His forgiveness. You will be able to sleep so much better if you know God has forgiven you of your sins.”

“Do we always have to kneel down to pray?” asked Billy.

“No, you can kneel, stand, bow, or even lay flat on your stomach or back. It’s up to you how you want to pray,” said Susie.

“What do we say when we pray?” asked Tessa.

“A simple prayer could be something like this:
Dear Lord, You are wonderful and created all things. Sometimes I forget to be kind. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. Thank You for everything you have done for me and all You have given me. Help those who are hungry, cold, or sick. Help me to be a better person. Please keep me safe. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.”

“That’s it?” said Billy. “That’s not a very long prayer. I thought prayer had to be really long.”

“A prayer can be as long or as short as you want. Just talk to God about whatever is on your mind. He will hear you always,” said Susie. “Talking to Jesus is better than talking to your best friend.”

“Why?” asked Tessa.

“Your friend is not always available to talk when you might need them. Maybe your friend is on a vacation. Jesus never takes a vacation. Jesus is always available, day or night. Or maybe your friend is asleep, and you really need to talk to someone in the middle of the night because you had a bad dream. Jesus never sleeps. Your friend might be mad at you and not talking to you when you need them. Jesus will always love you and will always listen to You,” explained Susie.

“When I get home, I’m going to talk to Jesus,” said Billy.

DISCUSSION WITH THE CHILDREN

• What is step #5? (Walking with Jesus every day)
• What do we need to read every day? (Bible)
• What verse did Susie bring to Tessa and Billy? (Acts 2:38)
• When is the best time to pray? (anytime)

GROWING IN CHRIST 

SONGS: Read Your Bible and Pray Every Day; chose one more
MEMORY VERSE: Acts 2:38 part 1, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent”
ACTIVITY: plant and water

LESSON 1 – IS THERE REALLY A HEAVEN?

Most certainly, heaven is for real. Over the next three months, we are going to learn about heaven, what it is, what it looks like, and what we can do to get there. We are going to grow in our knowledge of heaven.

Who wants to go to heaven?

Heaven is for people who love God, who believe Jesus is God, and who keep God’s commandments. People who do bad things cannot go to heaven.

Do you know Who lives in heaven? (Jesus)

That’s right. Jesus died on the cross many, many years ago. He took our place on that cross, but He is alive today. He doesn’t only live in heaven. Jesus lives everywhere and He can even live in our hearts. When we repent of our sins, He forgives us, but we will learn more about the cross in April, closer to Easter.

What will Heaven look like?

In Revelations 21, John describes heaven. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven… And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

(Have children close their eyes)

And then John said, “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”

Sounds like a really big and beautiful place. Who wants to go there?

(Have children close their eyes again)

John continued describing this beautiful heaven. “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof… And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”

Can you see what heaven is going to look like?

Who can go to heaven?

John tells us in Revelation 21:27, that only those whose name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can enter into heaven.

What is the Lamb’s Book of Life?

The Lamb’s Book of Life is where your name is written if you have followed all of the steps Jesus gave us. These five steps are: (Have children repeat after you)
1. Believe that Jesus is God – Do you believe Jesus is God?
2. Repent of your sins –Do you know what sins are? Have you told Jesus you are sorry and asked Him to forgive you of your sins? Do we have to repent every day? Or just once?
3. Be baptized in Jesus’ name – have you been baptized? Do you know why we are baptized? Do we need to get baptized more than once?
4. Receive the Holy Ghost – have you spoken in tongues? Do you know what the Holy Ghost is?
5. Live for Christ daily – how can we live for Christ daily?

We will learn more about each step over the next few weeks.

Do you still want to go to heaven?

What do you think we will wear in heaven?

We will wear a crown of life.

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

The crown of life belongs to anyone who obeys the commandments of God and lives according to the five steps. (repeat the steps)

We will also wear white robes.

Revelations 6:11, says “and white robes were given to every one of them.”

Revelations 7:9 says, “a great multitude…stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.”

We won’t have to worry about what we are going to wear. Everyone will get the same – a white robe and a crown of life, but only if we obey the 5 steps on how to get to heaven. (Repeat the steps)

If heaven is real, and you have to follow certain steps to get there, what happens if you don’t go to heaven?

There is a hell, a lake of fire, for those who do not obey the commandments of God and follow His steps.

Who wants to be thrown into a lake of fire?

I know I sure don’t. I want to go to heaven and be with Jesus for all eternity.

Do you all remember the commandments God gave us?

1. Worship only one God
2. Do not worship statues
3. Be careful with God’s name
4. Keep Sunday special
5. Obey your father and mother
6. Do not kill
7. Keep your marriage promises
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie
10. Do not be greedy

And the final commandment, the new one Jesus gave us?

11. Love one another as I have loved you.

Let’s see how many of those steps we can learn over the next few weeks so that we can all make it to heaven one day.