 |
|
|
|
|
| |
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.
This year, BibleWise is making it easier for you to find the stories, characters, or themes you want to share with your Sunday school pupils. Starting last month, we have been collecting all of the archived resources for specific Bible stories, characters, and themes into one place: Swap Shop. We continue to add new material to the existing list, including stories not previously used on BibleWise. All the activities, discussion questions, puzzles and games on our site will be listed under each category.
We’d like your help with this ongoing project. If there is a Bible character or an event not covered by BibleWise, please contact us at biblewise.com.
Teen Time, Living with the Bible, Parenting with the Bible, and Bible Overview will continue with their existing structure. Teaching the Bible is being re-designed to enable you to find what you want to teach as opposed to creating a set curriculum every month. For now, we will run Activities as we have in the past. Check weekly for updates to the Swap Shop section. Our web-spinner has been working on this project for the last seven months. We are looking for a new name for this part of BibleWise. Send your name suggestions to: swapshop@biblewise.com.
The theme for 2009 comes from 2 Tim 2:15 (Good News Translation) “Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth.” In helping students follow through on their spiritual goals for this year, ask them to consider how they can be sure of God’s approval of all they do at home, school, church, scouts, athletic events, and with friends.
For the next few months, we will be studying stories about Bible characters who worked on maintaining God’s approval in their everyday lives. This month, we’ll look at Gideon’s ability to release human will; Elisha’s trust in God to supply human needs; Daniel and his friends’ (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) allegiance to God, which delivers them from death.
Encourage your pupils to review their daily activities to see how much they are willing to discover God’s approval for all they do in sports, relationships, academics, church, etc.
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. |
| |
|
| |
MEMORY WORK |
| |
|
| |
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.
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
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.
February 1
(KJV) John 5:39 (to ;) Search the scriptures;
Now that we’ve been learning verses about the scriptures, let’s live this year as searchers of the scriptures.
- What do you want to find in the Scriptures to help you be a better worker, son, daughter, friend, brother, sister, student?
- Share a passage of Scripture that has helped you in life.
- If someone is in need of your prayers, which verses would you share?
February 8
(GNT) Ps. 25:4 Teach me your ways, O LORD; make them known to me.
- Would you want God to teach you?
- What do you think God could teach you?
- What things has God taught you already?
February 15
(GNT) Ps. 119:33 Teach me, LORD, the meaning of your laws, and I will obey them at all times.
- What are God’s laws?
- Do you obey them all the time?
- Which laws are the easiest to obey?
February 22
(TAB) Ps. 27:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain and even path because of my enemies [those who lie in wait for me].
- Does this sound like a prayer that Daniel or the three Hebrew boys might pray?
- What do you consider “a plain and even path”?
- What might be considered enemies today?
March 1
(CEV) Prov. 31:30 Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised.
- What is “charm”?
- How can it be deceptive?
- What does this Bible verse tell us about beauty?
- Why is honoring God important?
Translations used:
CEV Contemporary English Version
GNT Good News Translation
TAB The Amplified Bible
KJV King James Version |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Bible Stories
This month’s Bible stories continue to show accounts of individuals who put God first and are assured of His approval.
Fellow workers gaining God’s approval:
Gideon
Read Judges 6 & 7; Trumpets and Torches; Shep and Lily – What do you know about Gideon?; How A Brave Man Tore Down an Altar of Baal; How the Midianites were Surprized at Midnight
Elisha
Read 2 Kings 4: 1-7; Jars of Oil; The Pot of Oil
Daniel and the Three Hebrew Boys
Read Daniel 1; Food for Daniel; Four Brave Boys Who Stood Before a Great King
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Read Daniel 3; A Very Hot Fire; What the King Saw in the Fiery Furnace
Daniel
Read Daniel 6; Daniel and the Lions; Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Rebekah
Read Genesis 24: A Wife for Isaac; How Abraham Found A Wife for Isaac
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
ACTIVITIES |
| |
Bible Overview continues to focus on the Apocrypha with Additions to Esther.
Teen Time’s Guest of the Month interviews the author of the best-selling book, Of Monkeys and Dragons, by Michele O’Donell.
Kids Korner offers puzzles, games, and stories about Bible characters who worked hard to understand what it means to have God’s approval.
Parenting with the Bible shares the Love Quiz. |
| |
|
| |
Exercise: Spiritual goals for 2009
Help your pupils prepare a grid for accomplishment of their goals. For example:
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Pray daily |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Put God 1st |
M |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read a
Bible story (nightly) |
M |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Be more loving |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X = accomplished M = most of the time
Or whatever code. Make the chart for each child so the child can keep track of his or her progress. There is nothing wrong with missing the mark. We just keep working at it, without giving up. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Exercise: Spiritual Goals for 2009
- It is important to continue to encourage the students to keep their spiritual goals. Find out how they are doing and which goals seem difficult to uphold.
- Offer encouragement and suggestions on how to stay on track. Just because they may have missed opportunities is no reason to give up on this year. It’s a day-by-day process. Help them through any sense of guilt. Possibly suggest working on the goals incrementally. For instance, if the goal is to argue less, and they find they are arguing more, suggest they take one area of their lives to drop arguing. Maybe argue less with someone at school or with a sibling. Gain control in one area, and then build on it.
- Remember, our theme is gaining a better sense of God’s approval – not people-pleasing. Help them to see and understand the difference.
Talk to them about praying about their goals and how to best keep them by turning to God for help.
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Exercise: Read the Bible in a year or a couple of years.
You might consider age-appropriate Bibles for children to read through.
Toddler’s would need parents to read to them.
- The Toddlers Bible – Faithkidz publisher
Young children might enjoy:
- The Beginner’s Bible 2005 edition – Zonderkidz (ages 4-7)
- Read with Me Bible - Zonderkidz (ages 4-8)
- The Rhyme Bible – Zonderkidz (ages 5-9)
- The Little Kids’ Adventure Bible - Zonderkidz
- Magnify – Complete NT for Kids! - Tommy Nelson Publishers
- Holy Bible The Beginners Bible – NIRV – Zonderkidz (ages 6-9)
Older children might enjoy:
- Discoverer’s Bible – Zonderkidz (ages 8-12)
- NIV Boys Bible – Zonderkidz (ages 8-12)
- NIV Young Women of Faith Bible (ages 8-12)
- The Bible KJV – Kids Study Bible – Zonderkidz (ages 8-12)
- NLT Guys and Girls Life Application Bibles (ages 8-12)
- The Children’s Bible Storybook - Nelson publishers (8-10)
- Blossom BibleZine: The Complete New Testament for Girls
- Explore: The Complete New Testament (for boys)
Teens might enjoy:
- NIV Teen Study Bible (12-15)
- NIV True Images: The Bible For Teen Girls
- Revolve New Testament Biblezine 2008: The Complete New Testament
- Revolve 2: The Complete New Testament
- Becoming 2008: New Testament (Biblezines)
- Refuel 2008: The Complete New Testament (Biblezines)
- The Message Remix
See how they are working on this goal. Make a point to talk with the parents and explain the goal of reading Bible stories. Some of the Bibles can be read in a very short time.
With younger classes, take one of the toddler or pre-school Bibles we use in Kids Korner. Ask the parents to read at least one story (or more) a week to their children. Discuss this story in class each Sunday. With older children, give specific reading assignments for each week. For teens, use Eugene Peterson’s The Message or a translation of their liking. The important thing is to begin this wonderful journey. Don’t let falling behind keep you from finishing this goal. There are rich rewards in completing this assignment. If it takes two or three years to accomplish, stay with it. Look at Bible Overview for different ways to read through the Bible. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Exercise: How to Love
List all the stories where Jesus expressed love.
- Name the people who received his love.
- What did Jesus do that showed he was loving?
- Put together a “how to” sheet on following Jesus’ loving example.
- For example: Jesus fed the 5000. Who received his love?
- All the 5000 men, plus women and children.
- What did Jesus do that was loving?
- He noticed the people were hungry and since it was late, he fed them.
- He met their needs without a huge supply of food. He prayed.
- What do we learn from Jesus?
- He recognized the needs of others and met them. He prayed.
Now it’s your turn. List the characters you can think of who expressed love in the Bible. Write a short summary of the account. Indicate how this person demonstrated love.
What have you learned about love from each story? |
|
|
| |
|
| |
With Valentine’s Day approaching, discuss how love is the cement that holds a relationship together. Consider the following exercises:
Exercise: Gifts of the Heart - 6-8 year olds
Have the students make lists of the types of gifts you give from the heart.
Some examples:
- Love
- Forgiveness
- The ability to listen
- Kindness
- Understanding
- Outreach
- Help to others
- Support of one another
- Sharing
- Make three 5” hearts of red construction paper.
- Wrap red crepe paper around a coat hanger so all you see is the red paper.
- Write one gift on each heart.
- Punch a small hole in the top of each heart.
- Run a strand of yarn through each heart.
- Tie each heart onto a coat hanger.
- Then it is ready to hang up in Sunday school or in a bedroom at home.
Exercise: Make a Valentine for God and for family and friends using God’s Bible messages.
Younger Children:
Open with a discussion about “love."
- What is God’s love like?
- Can you find a Valentine from God in any Bible verses?
Teachers, you might want to bring materials and Bible verses to help them create special Valentines for God, family members, and friends. Bring a list of Bible verses on index cards for children to read. There are many to choose from. Here are a few:
- Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
- Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
- Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- II Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
- I John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
- How can we love the way God loves?
- What is the Golden Rule?
- Why is love important in living the Golden Rule?
Older Children:
- Listen to their definitions of “love."
- Is “love” dependent on matter or Spirit?
- What qualities of love do they want to see expressed in their friends, teachers, and family members?
- Is the level of love or what it feels like different from person to person?
- How is it possible that God loves everyone?
- What kind of love is that?
- Get concordances to the Bible and give them five-ten minutes to find at least three verses that would qualify as a Hallmark Valentine card from God.
- For example: The Message has this wonderful verse from Jeremiah 31:3. God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!"
- At the end of the research time, have them share God’s special messages of love.
- You can bring notepaper and have the students write their Valentines from God. They can be signed “God loves you!” and put in church members’ mailboxes or take them home and tuck them under the pillows of parents and siblings.
- Another activity with the verses might include having the students add their verses to your prepared index cards and then having the pupils select one at random and create a card for someone special in the church or family.
During this activity, talk about God’s love for each of us.
Exercise: How Can I Love You More?
This is a fun exercise. Decide who you want to ask this question. It could be either or both of your parents, a sibling, grandparents, a close relative, SS teacher, coach, friend, or God – yes, God! Don’t tell the person it is an exercise. If you really want to improve your relationship with someone, then ask, “How can I love you more?” Then listen. Don’t react if you hear something you don’t want to hear – like, “You could help with the dishes more often, or get up when you’re called, or remember to clean up your room.” Remember you WANT to work on this relationship. Follow through on what is asked. In another week, ask the question again. I had a friend who asked his wife regularly that question and he was always amazed she had an answer. If you are willing, ask God. You will be amazed at His answers. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
| |
|
| |
|
Gideon
Read: Judges 6 & 7; Trumpets and Torches; Shep and Lily – What do you know about Gideon?; How A Brave Man Tore Down an Altar of Baal; How the Midianites were Surprized at Midnight
- Who appears to Gideon? (Judges 6:11-13)
- What does the angel ask Gideon to do? (Judges 6:25-28)
- What was wrong with the altar Gideon's father built?
- Which commandments were the people breaking by having an altar to Baal?
- What kinds of things do people bow down to today?
- How did Gideon's father react? (Judges 6:29-32)
- What kind of a person was Gideon?
- What did God want Gideon to do after he broke down Baal's altar? (Judges 6:16,17, 34-35)
- How did Gideon test God? (Judges 6:36-40) Imagine trying to thresh wheat so no one sees what you're doing. How difficult is that?
- The angel of the Lord appears before Gideon and asks him to do what?
- What personal altars do we need to knock down?
- When the angel appeared to Gideon, was it for the sole purpose of destroying Gideon's father's altar to Baal or for something else?
- What else did God want Gideon to do?
- Why do you think God selected someone like Gideon? After all, he was from the weakest of the twelve tribes, he doubted his ability, and he tested God.
- How did Gideon test God? (Judges 6:37-40)
- What is fleece?
- How many times did he test God?
- After God passed the test, what did Gideon do?
- Do we ever test God?
- Is it a good practice to test God?
- Who was Gideon to defeat? (Judges 6:16)
- Gideon had to select an army. How many did he recruit? (32,000 Judges 7:3)
- Why did God want a smaller army? (Judges 7:2)
- What did Gideon do to reduce the size of his army? (Judges 7:3)
- How many left because they were afraid? (22,000)
- What did Gideon have to do to reduce the size of the 10,000? (Judges 7:5-6)
- Describe why those who didn't drink from their hands would be a bad risk militarily?
- What were God's instructions to this army?
- What have you learned about God?
- What have you learned about listening to God?
- How do you think Gideon won God’s approval in light of our theme: 2 Tim 2:15?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Elisha
Read 2 Kings 4: 1-7; Jars of Oil; The Pot of Oil
- Does this story remind you of another healing? (Elijah and the widow)
- What was going to happen to this woman?
- What did Elisha ask her? [one of my favorite questions in the Bible: what hast thou in the house?]
- What does that question mean?
- Who was obedient in this story?
- Why do you think obedience is important?
- Have you ever had to see what you've had in the house for survival?
- What did the woman and her sons do?
- What did you learn from this story?
- How did Elisha earn God’s approval?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Daniel and the Three Hebrew Boys
Read Daniel 1; Food for Daniel; Four Brave Boys Who Stood Before a Great King
- Who are the major characters in this chapter?
- Who is Ashpenaz? [chief of the eunuchs]
- Melzar? [the steward to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego]
- Belteshazzar? [the name means “protect his life.” The chief eunuch named Daniel, Belteshazzar.]
- Hananiah? [name given to Shadrach]
- Mishael? [name given to Meshach]
- Azariah? [name given to Abed-nego]
- Jehoiakim? [king of Judah]
- Nebuchadnezzar? [king of Babylon]
- What kind of food did the King want the Children of Israel to eat?
- Why wouldn’t Daniel and his friends eat the king’s food?
- Would you have rejected eating food fit for a king?
- What food did they want to eat?
- What is pulse? [Some Bible dictionaries claim it is vegetables; beans and legumes; or meal and legumes (peas, beans and lentils). The Hebrews were insistent about abiding by Jewish dietary laws.]
- Would that mean Daniel and his friends were vegetarians?
- Why was pulse better than the king’s meat?
- What is the purpose of a diet?
- Think about what God supplied people with when they needed to be fed.
- What does that say about what we all eat today?
- How many foods are in the Bible?
- What does this story have to do with seeking God’s approval?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Read Daniel 3; A Very Hot Fire; What the King Saw in the Fiery Furnace
- Who was the King?
- What did the King create?
- What did the King want the people to do when they heard the music?
- Have you ever heard music from a cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, or dulcimer?
- What is a cornet? [horn] Flute? Harp? Sackbut? [in the book of Daniel, it is a string instrument; elsewhere in the Bible, it is a wind instrument with a slide similar to a trombone], Psaltery? [a harp with a soprano register] Dulcimer? [In Daniel, it's more like a bagpipe]. Curiously enough, the line opens with two wind instruments, goes to three string instruments (varied in the number of strings each has), and closes with a wind instrument.
Teachers: If any of these instruments are available for you to bring to church, it adds to the lesson. If possible, make an audio recording of each of these instruments and bring pictures of each one so the children can hear and see the differences. Once you have them recorded, they can be used in the telling of the story. If you have pupils who play a musical instrument, ask them to bring their instruments to class and they can provide the music for that part of the story.
- What was the penalty if they didn't bow down to the image when the music played?
- Name the three Hebrew boys who refused to bow down to this image.
- What were their names before King Nebuchadnezzar changed them? (Dan. 1:6,7) [Shadrach was Hananiah, Meshach was Mishael, and Abed-nego was Azariah]
- How did the King respond when he heard that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego wouldn't pray to his gods or bow to his image of gold?
- Anger certainly can make people hot under the collar. Did the King's rage get hot like a fiery furnace? Was he heated seven times greater than normal?
- Why is anger bad?
- Who does anger hurt?
- How did the three Hebrew boys respond to the King's anger?
Dan 3:17,18 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
- Describe what it feels like to stand up to evil?
- What did it take for these Hebrew boys to willingly submit to the fire rather than compromise their belief and faith in God?
- Are you faced with those kinds of challenges today?
- How hot did the King get the furnace?
- When the King looked into the furnace, what did he see? [see Q&A in Bible Overview]
- Who saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego?
- What was unusual about their appearance when they came out of the furnace?
- What kinds of things are we tempted to bow down to?
- Name some fiery furnace experiences that you have faced. [Not that you've actually been put into a fire, but there might have been times when you were put in uncomfortable circumstances as a result of taking a stand for good.]
- How have you dealt with difficult situations?
- Did you think you could come out of it without "the smell of fire”?
- What would the "smell of fire" be like today? [Any hurt that we carry with us from the past?]
- What lessons do you learn from the story of the three Hebrew boys?
- How do you think they won God’s approval?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Daniel
Read Daniel 6; Daniel and the Lions; Daniel in the Lions’ Den
- What kind of a man was Daniel?
- What did Daniel know about God?
- Why were the princes jealous of Daniel?
- What is jealousy?
- How do you deal with jealousy? (Either being jealous yourself or others being jealous of you?)
- What was in the law the King signed?
- What did the princes catch Daniel doing?
- Why didn’t Daniel observe the King’s law, knowing he’d be thrown into the den with lions?
- Why didn’t Daniel try to hide the fact that he was praying?
- Do you think the king wanted Daniel to die? Why or why not?
- Who shut the lions’ mouths?
- Why couldn’t the King sleep?
- What are some modern lion’s den experiences?
- Do your friends ever try to talk you out of being obedient to God or to your parents?
- How often do you pray each day?
- Why is praying important?
- Do you have that deep abiding faith in God to deliver you from all evil? If not, how can you attain it? Where do you start?
- How do you know God?
- How do you rely on one God?
- Who’s approval did Daniel seek?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Rebekah
Read Genesis 24: A Wife for Isaac; How Abraham Found A Wife for Isaac
- Retell this wonderful story.
- What is unusual about this story?
- How old is Isaac?
- Why isn’t he getting a wife on his own?
- Why did his dad wait so long to find him a bride?
- How would you feel if you were the servant?
- What do you think of arranged marriages?
- Why was it so important to find Isaac a wife from Abraham's homeland?
- How would you feel if your parents decided whom you were going to marry?
- Does that happen anywhere in the world today?
- So maybe you’re not thinking about marriage, but what if your parents selected your date for the prom?
- What was the servant's prayer? (Gen 24:11-14)
- Are we that specific when we pray?
- What did the servant ask God to do?
- What was the sign that Rebekah was the one?
- Does Isaac like Rebekah?
- One would think it would take a long time for someone not only to offer him water but to be willing to serve 10 camels as well. In the book, Running with the Giants, author John C. Maxwell calculates how many jars of water it would take to water 10 camels. "Each camel could drink 20 gallons of water."
- "10 camels at 20 gallons each = 200 gallons 200 gallons drawn with a 5-gallon jar = 40 trips 40 trips at (a conservative) 3 minutes each = 2 hours": What seemed like a simple act of kindness would require 2 hours of work.
- Maxwell contends extra effort brings extra blessings. Would you be willing to do that much for a stranger? A friend? A member of the family? A boss?
- What extra blessing did Rebekah receive? A husband? Or something even greater? [she was the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother of Jesus.]
- Who is blessed when we give generously?
- What was special about Rebekah besides being beautiful?
- What qualities did she express?
- Was she looking for approval?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
GAL |
| |
|
| |
Home | Teaching the Bible | Kids Korner | Teen Time
Bible Overview | Parenting
with the Bible | Living with the Bible | Contact
Us |
| |
|
| |
Copyright © 2009, BibleWise. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
