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This web-site is for everyone interested in learning more about the Bible.
This section helps Sunday school teachers find new ways of teaching familiar materials. Our goal is to augment lessons you may already have in your Sunday school curriculum.
In June, July, and August, we are doing something very different on our Activities pages. We’ve asked Olene Carroll, who has taken many people on trips to the Holy Lands, to develop a “Kids Tour” of the Holy Lands for BibleWise. Obviously, there is much more to “show and tell” about than we have space for in three months, but it will be fun to get started by associating places in the world today that were traveled by Bible greats. There will be several ways to work with the tour. For June, the city on the tour is Netanya. We will list a few Bible stories to read from these cities, but not all of them. Please feel free to discover the rest on your own.
The entire Activities section is divided into Memory Work, Activities, and Discussion Questions. You can go to any of these sections and select what best works for your pupils.
You can now download all three sections for ease in using these materials for teaching. |
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MEMORY WORK |
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Teachers and Parents
It is so important to encourage our little ones as well as ourselves to memorize Bible verses and stories – to become so familiar with the passage or story that its timeless relevance appears to us more and more clearly with every retelling. A major difference was evident between Sunday school pupils required to tell the story versus those who gave nodding recognition to the same story. We can not overlook the significance of memorizing a verse or story.
Consider sharing with your Sunday school pupils and parents ways to help little ones learn the verse and understand the impact of the message on their lives.
- Write out or type this week’s Bible verse on a card and place it on a mirror the child uses each day.
- Place the verse for the week in his/her lunch box.
- Ask the child to recite the verse before or after grace at the dinner meal.
- Practice as a family at dinner, going around the table with each one saying a word until the verse is complete.
- Put the verse to music. Create your own tune for each Bible verse. Create pictures to help remember the verse.
- Write it in a Bible verse notebook as many times as you can.
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Bible Verses
Work with your child and your students to learn each verse. Then, discuss the meaning of the verse and how it can be applied to everyday lives. On Sundays during class, riding in the car, or at dinner, it's fun to share stories of how the children have used the verse in their lives that week.
We provide memorization verses for each week. You can add your own.
June 1
(NRSV) Ps. 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God, Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
- Is this a prayer?
- What is the difference between our will and God’s will?
- Why is it a good idea to let God lead us?
June 8
(YLT) Eph 5:15 See, then, how exactly ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise,
- As we start our Holy Land journey through the slides on BibleWise and in the Bible, what would it mean to walk wisely?
- Why is it important to see where we walk?
- Have you ever noticed how much you miss seeing if you’re not thinking about where you’re walking?
June 15
(NRSV) Rev. 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
- How often do you give God credit for the good in your life?
- Do you blame God if something goes wrong?
- How have you given God honor for what He has created?
June 22
(NASB) Acts 17:28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, `For we also are His children.
- How do you know you are a child of God?
- Do you think of God as your Father?
- What fathering qualities do you notice about God?
- What does it mean to “live and move and exist” in God?
June 29
(NRSV) Ps. 113:3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised.
- After looking at some of the Holy Land cities, isn’t it amazing to think of all God created?
- How often should we praise God?
- What should we praise Him for?
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Bible Stories
This month we are touring some of the cities where these stories actually took place. Study the slides of the city and think about these Bible characters and their stories.
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ACTIVITIES |
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Bible Overview explores 2 Esdras.
Make A Difference talks about the blessings of a father figure in a young boy’s life.
Teen Time Question and Answer addresses jealousy.
Kids Korner offers puzzles, games, and stories about the Kids’ Holy Land Tour.
Parenting with the Bible – discusses ways to eliminate “killing” from our everyday vocabulary. |
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Exercise: Get ready for a Holy Land Tour – download or print each tour and read the background and the Bible stories that go with each city.
 View Holy Land Tour - Netanya (Online)
 Print/Download Holy Land Tour - Netanya
Color: Kids’ Tour of the Holy Lands.
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Exercise: Download the map from Netanya slide one. Now find a modern map of that region. Place the names of today’s cities on the ancient map. What are some of the differences between the two maps? Do you see any major similarities? Why does this region continue to be so important? What’s happening there today?
Print/Download Map from Netanya Holy Land Tour |
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Exercise: The early church prayed for Peter and he was freed from prison.
- What needs prayerful attention in our lives?
- Write out a prayer for:
- All God has given you
- Your family members
- wisdom for your parents
- peace with your siblings
- Your school teachers
- Honesty for your friends
- The president and other government leaders
- Men and women defending their country
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Exercise: This is a good time to read through these wonderful stories of the early Christian church. Take some of the stories where Peter and Paul are thrown into prison. Would you be willing to die for Jesus and the church? What kind of individual would give his/her all for the success of the church? Do you know anyone today working that hard? Write them a letter of gratitude. Discuss what impresses you about the way they are witnesses for Christ. |
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Exercise: Use your Bible and a good Bible dictionary to discover what else Peter and Paul did in these regions. |
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Exercise: Many people keep a journal or a log of their travels. Keep a journal of each Holy Land city and include all the Bible stories you can find that took place in that city. Using a concordance, look up the name of the city and then read all the stories about that city in the Bible. Include your findings in your daily log of the Holy Land trip. |
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Exercise: Create your own time-line of each of the events in the cities of Netanya, Caesarea and Megiddo. When did each story happen? How long between the stories? |
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Exercise: In Kids Korner - Bible Characters Lily and Shep are talking about Ruth's qualities. Complete the exercise to list Ruth's qualities and then search the story for specific examples of each one.
Ask yourself "What does the story of Ruth teach me?”
 Love all my relatives (Ruth 1:12-19)
 Don't feel sorry for myself
 Fight for what is right
 Hold on to good
 Be kind, courageous, and obedient
 Trust God with all my heart
 Leave idols behind
 Work for a living 
Expect good and treat others with respect even if I feel like an outsider |
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
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Holy Land Tour of Netanya
- Find Tel Aviv on the map. Has this modern city always been called Tel Aviv?
- Imagine how long it would have taken you to go 20 miles 2000 years ago! How would you have traveled that distance?
- What other products would have been grown in ancient times?
- Why was it such a surprise to Cornelius to hear God tell him to find Simon Peter?
- Why were Gentiles considered to be “unclean”?
- What practices do we follow today that might be judgmental or narrow-minded? That might be excluding others? Or causing us to see others as inferior?
— AES |
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Cornelius Read Acts 10; read the story from Netanya slides 8-14
- Who is Cornelius?
- What did Cornelius see in a vision?
- Where was Peter?
- Why was he told to get in touch with Peter?
- How did God reveal Himself to Peter?
- What was Peter told to do?
- What does “unclean” mean in this instance?
- What did Peter say to Cornelius?
- What was Peter’s message to Cornelius about Jesus?
- What kind of person was Cornelius?
- How does God reveal Himself to you?
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Holy Land Tour of Caesarea
- Check the map to see how big the Roman Empire was – how much influence Rome had over so many cities and people. Rome ruled by laws. How did Jesus lead people?
- Why weren’t there many Jews in Roman cities?
- What else besides theater productions might have been considered “unclean”?
- What do you think contributed to Herod’s death?
- Look at a map of the ancient world to see how far Peter had to go to reach Asia Minor and Greece. How long would a trip like that take in his day? How would he have traveled?
- What’s the difference between the word “apostle” and the word “disciple”?
- Which of the disciples were also apostles?
- Why weren’t there any passenger ships at that time?
- Imagine the “history” between Paul and Philip. Could you spend the night, eating and talking with someone who had once been your enemy, to the point of trying to kill you? Why could these two men do it?
- Saul’s conversion story is pretty remarkable…and complete – Paul never turned back to being Saul-like again. Can you imagine anyone today who could benefit from a Saul-Paul conversion experience? How could each of us be “transformed”?
— AES |
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Holy Land Tour of Megiddo
- Imagine what it must have taken to create the “tell” by hand, without dump trucks or bulldozers? What kind of human strength would that require? How many people? How long would it take to create a mound big enough for a city to be built on it?
- What ways can you think of that the Megiddo citizens might have used to keep themselves safe?
- Can you think of any cities outside of the Holy Land that have been destroyed and rebuilt?
- Think of the different ways the gates were used in ancient times. Where do those same activities take place in a modern city?
- Imagine being able to hear all the day’s news as you pass through the gate. How do we hear the day’s news today? Do you think we are more connected or less connected to our neighbors today than in ancient times? Why or why not? Is the change a good thing? Why or why not?
- Imagine the scene of Boaz securing permission from the other relative to marry Ruth, finding 10 witnesses, and sealing the agreement all in one day at one gate! Now imagine what it would take to do the same thing today. Which would be easier?
- Read the story of Absalom in II Samuel. Why did David neglect his duties? What else did Absalom do to steal the hearts of the people away from David?
- Why would a granary be built in the ground?
- Abraham was one of the most devout, God-fearing, faithful and obedient men who ever lived. So why didn’t he follow through with the sacrifice of his son, Isaac?
- Do a little research to find out what the farms all around Megiddo produced.
- Make a list in your class of good things about living in Bible times and compare it to reasons you might have for complaining about living in modern times!
— AES |
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Peter in Prison Read Acts 12:3-18 An Angel Helps Peter Escape From Prison; How Peter’s Coming Broke Up A Midnight Prayer-Meeting
- Who killed James, the brother of John, and put Peter in prison?
- What did the church members do while Peter was in prison?
- How did Peter get out of prison?
- Did Peter know what was actually happening?
- Where did Peter go after he got out of prison?
- Who answered the door?
- What did she do?
- How did the people there respond?
- Do we sometimes question the answers to our prayers?
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Saul Sees the Light Read Acts 9; A Bright Light; Saul Sees the Light
- Who consented to Stephen’s death?
- Where was Saul going and what was he going to do?
- What happened as he traveled?
- Who talked with Saul?
- Why was Saul blinded?
- Which disciple was told to go and heal Saul?
- Why didn’t he want to see Saul?
- Would you have trusted God and visited Saul, a known killer of those who followed Jesus?
- How did Ananias greet Saul?
- What did Saul do after his healing?
- Why was Saul so important to the Christian church?
- By what name is he best known?
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| Ruth Read Ruth; Ruth and Naomi; The Young Woman Who Forsook Idols to Serve God
- Ask the students to tell the story of Ruth.
- Who is Ruth? (teachers may want to read Bible Characters (from our 2004 archives) and Ruth (from our 2004 archives) in Bible Overview)
- The name Ruth means friendship.
- How does Ruth show she is a friend?
- Who is she a friend to?
- After reading the story of Ruth, what qualities did Ruth express?
- Would Ruth make a good friend? Why or why not?
- What did Ruth do that was so unexpected?
- Why was staying with Naomi a surprise?
- What task did she take on to make sure they had food to eat?
- Why was Boaz important to Naomi? Ruth?
- What task did Boaz perform at the city gate?
- Why did he offer his sandal in the bargain for Ruth?
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Absalom Read II Samuel 15; The Wicked Prince Who Tried to Steal His
Discuss with older students. This is a story of deception.
- Why did the people love Absalom? (II Sam 15:1-6)
- Why did Absalom deceive the people? David?
- Why did David flee?
- What important lessons do we learn from David and his family?
- What are some of the negative characteristics that need to be cast out? (pride, greed, lust, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, anger, deception, vanity, pretense)
- How do we avoid these characteristics?
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