Lesson 1 God Is Love

Serving the World
God is Love

Read: Romans 5:1-11, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 3:16-18, 1 John 4:16

Questions for Discussions:
What do these verses tell us about who God is?
Is God an angry God or a God of wrath? Explain your answer.
Do you ever feel that people promote a God who is angry or disappointed with us?
How does this view conflict with 1 John 4:16?
Is it easy for you to believe that God is Love?

As a family, challenge each person to write, or draw, six qualities or characteristics of God that you are thankful for (grace, faithfulness, forgiveness, etcetera). After everyone’s lists are complete, go around and compare lists. Talk about the root of most of these characteristics. How many of them stem from God’s unwavering love for us? Talk about the words, “God is Love.” How is this different than simply loving someone? The Bible says that God is love. Could “love” be the word that best describes God?

Key Thought: We know that God is love, however as we go through different things in life, we may forget in our hearts who God really is. At times, we may even begin to blame God for pain that we are enduring. Satan wants us to waver in our belief that we cannot be separated from God’s love, because than we are more susceptible to all of his lies. In addition, understanding who God is and how he feels about us is a huge step in developing a closer relationship with him.

Pray and thank God for being love and for loving us. Use your lists of qualities made earlier as a starting place to spend time as a family praising God. Challenge your family to spend time in adoration of God, separate from a time of prayer requests.
Pray that your family would resist lies that tempt them to place fault and blame on God and thank him for using everything we go through for his good.

Activities

Preschool:

Talk with your child about how people show love. Encourage them to draw a picture of one of the ways you discussed. As they draw or paint, talk about all of the ways that God shows his love for them. Talk about his provision, his forgiveness, and how he sent his son for them.

Lower Elementary:

Make a list with your child of all the ways that love can be shown (hugs, kisses, helping, patience and so on). Buy a pack of fuzzy pompoms or fuzzy pipe cleaners and help your child use them to make an assortment of fuzzy creations. Paper feet and body parts can be cut out of paper to help the creatures stand up and add personality. Use a pen to write one of the ways that love can be shown on a small piece of paper for each “warm fuzzy” they have created. Attach the paper to each warn fuzzy. Talk about how God shows his love to us, are any of the ways the same as the “warm fuzzies” that were created?

Upper Elementary:

Help your child write a love note to God. Encourage them to thank and praise God in the note. After it is completed, help them pray and use the note as a tool to help them understand praise. Remind them that God is love.

Teens:

Think of a time when you have struggled to believe that God is love. Do you have friends or family members who might be struggling with that belief right now? Pray that God would lay someone one your heart to share with about this. It may not have to be a long drawn out conversation, it could be simply reminding them that God is love and loves them. You could also write them a note of encouragement reminding them that God is love.

Lesson 2 We Love Others Because God Loves Us

Serving the World as a Family

We Love Others Because God Loves US

Read: 1 John 4: 7 – 21

Questions for Discussion:
What is the difference between our love and God’s love?
Imagine that someone made the perfect gift for everyone. Then they gave it to a few people and it was their job to share that gift with the whole world. Your neighbors received it, your best friends received it, maybe even some of your family members did. Now imagine at the end of your life you find out that they could have given you this gift at any time and for some reason or another decided not to share it. How would that make you feel?

Why is it important to love others?
What happens if we don’t share God’s love with others?

As a family, make a list of family members or close friends of the family who aren’t serving the Lord, then pray for each of them.

Key Thought: Because we know that God is love and that he gave us his love, we know that loving others is a way that we can share God with those who do not know him. We also know that it is our responsibility as his follower to share his love with others, even those who we would consider our enemies.

Pray: That God would teach you to better show His love to everyone you come into contact with.

Activities

Preschool:
Make Valentines Day cards saying I love you, because God loved us first! Then give them to someone special. The unexpected Valentine Surprise will make them very happy.

Lower Elementary:
Make heart shaped cookie and give them to friends or neighbors.

Upper Elementary:
Cut a crown shape out of card stock. Bend it into a circle and attach it in the back, and then cover the crown in aluminum foil. Put the crown in a prominent place with scraps of paper and a pen. Write prayer requests on the cards, fold them and place them in the crown. Every time you see the crown pray, that God would help you with the challenges on them. Remember that God is king over all the world and because God is love, we have His Love with us everywhere and in every situation.

Teens:
If you have job, go out of your work to smile at every customer you come across this week. Go out of your way to show God’s love that is in you. Even though they might not always be in the best mood, don’t let that affect you!

Lesson 3 Called to a Community

Serving the World as a Family
Called to a Community

Read: Luke 10:25-37; Proverbs 19:17

Questions for Discussion:
Why do you think Jesus responded to the question, “Who
is my neighbor?” with this parable?
Why do you think the priest and the Levite did not help?
Read the actions of the Samaritan in verses 33-35 again.
Do you think it was easy for him to do these things?
Who do you resemble when you see hurting and needy
people, the Priest and Levite or the Samaritan? Why?

As a family, get a map of Winona, or your neighborhood (If you do not have a map you may find one in the phone book or online at http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=Winona&state=MN ). Find all of your “normal” places on the map and mark them with a sticker or by circling them. Find your home, the church, work and school and other places you frequent. Does a community surface, or can you see a geographical area that you may consider your community? Are there any problems or people in need in that area or neighbors who are struggling in any area? Think, as a family, of something you can do to help the community that God has placed you in. Then, do it. Having trouble coming up with ideas? Check out the following web site for some great ideas on how to do servant evangelism, http://www.servantevangelism.com/ideas/search_ideas.php .

Key Thought: We are called to serve the world that we live in. We are called to speak out against injustice and speak up for and serve the downtrodden in our community. Four essential characteristics can help us do this: Have eyes that see needs even when it is easier not to look, Have hands that get dirty because ministry happens with real people who have dirty lives, Have a heart willing to give sacrificially to those who are hurting, and Humble ourselves and serve our neighbors.

Pray and ask God to open your eyes to the needs of others, to remove any pride or fear that might keep you from helping, to give you a heart that is willing to give sacrificially, and to make you humble.


Activities

Preschool:
Help your child decorate a pair of sunglasses in a way that will allow them to still see out of the lenses. Pretend that their glasses help them see the needs of others. Encourage them to use the glasses to see what other people need, and then to help.

Lower Elementary:
Help your child to put together a family play that re-enacts the story of the Good Samaritan. After they have finished, discuss what the parable means for them today.

Upper Elementary:
Challenge your child to re-write the parable of The Good Samaritan into a modern picture book. Challenge them to be creative in choosing a setting and the characters that will carry out the plot. After the are finished, have them share their book and tell the story to someone else in the family.

Teens:
Think about the story of The Good Samaritan. How might the story sound if Jesus was talking to you and a group of your friends today? Try writing your own parable in a modern setting that has the same main point as the one Jesus told in Luke 10.

Lesson 4 God Wants to Give Everyone Eternal Life

Serving the World as a Family

God wants to give eternal life

Read: John 3:1 - 21

Questions for Discussion:
Why did Nicodemus visit Jesus?
What did Jesus tell Nicodemus about eternal life?
When you think about living forever, what kind of questions do you have?
How does God give us eternal life?

As a family, go outside and look at the stars. Then take a few minutes trying to count as many as you can. Think about how, just as the stars seem to go on forever, God wants to spend eternity with us forever.

Key Thought: God has given us the gift of eternal life and we need to tell others about the gift in return.

Pray: And thank God for the gift of eternal life that he has offered to everyone.


Activities

Preschool:

Write God a Thank You card, telling Him that you are thankful for eternal life.

Lower Elementary:

With your parents’ permission invite a friend to spend the night. Tell your friend how God invites us to stay forever in heaven.

Upper Elementary:

Make a survey with some interview questions for two or three older Christian friends or adults. These questions will ask them about their experience with eternal life.
-How did you hear about eternal life?
-How old were you when you received eternal life?
-How do you react when you know you would live forever?
-How would you tell other about eternal life?

Teens:

Find out more about eternal life by doing some research on how long the earth has been around. How many changes have happened over the earth since it’s creation. How do you think that compares to eternity?

Lesson 5 Jesus Is The Only Way to Heaven

Serving the World as a Family
Jesus is the Only Way to Heaven

Read: John 3: 5- 7, Luke 23: 32 - 43

Questions for Discussion:
How did the criminal get to heaven?
Why do you think the criminal believed in Jesus?
Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?
What did Jesus mean when He said: “if you really knew me, you would know My
Father as well?”
If Jesus is the only way to heaven, what about all the people who died before He
died on the cross?

As a family, talk about how other religions think there are other or many ways to heaven, but that Jesus is the only way! ! You may choose to research other religions on line or at the library if you do not know many off the top of your head.

Key Thought: Jesus is the only way to be saved!

Pray and thank God for sacrificing his Son, so that we can be made righteous.


Activities

Preschool:
Help your child put together a puzzle. Explain that just like there is only way to put together the puzzle, there is only one way to heaven.

Lower Elementary:
Invite a friend to church next week, who doesn’t go anywhere else?

Upper Elementary:
With Parent Permission climb a tree or go hiking. Think about the fact that no matter how high you go, even in a space ship, there is only one way to get to heaven.

Teens:
Read Matthew 7:13 – 14. What kinds of things have you seen in the last year that have shown these verses true to you? How can you avoid the wide road, and stick to the narrow

Lesson 6 We Can be Bold and Share Our Faith

Serving the World as a Family

We Can Be Bold and Share Our Faith

Read: Matthew 28:18 – 20, Acts 17: 16 -34

Questions for Discussion:
Why is it important to share our faith?
What did you notice about the way Paul shared his faith with the people of Athens?
Why do you think he didn’t immediately discredit what the people of Athens believed?
What does this teach us about the way we need to share our faith with others who don’t believe the same things we do?
What are some ways you can share you faith with those you meet?
If the word “gospel” means good news, why are we so hesitant to share it?


As a family, think of a way you can share your faith with someone in your neighborhood this week. Maybe walk to a neighbor’s house and offer to pray for them. You could also just call them and let them know that your family will pray for any needs that they have.

Key Thought: Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. We need to be bold in telling others our faith!

Pray: That God gives you strength and boldness to tell all those you meet about the truth you have found in Jesus.

Activities

Preschool:
Parents, help you child make a card with John 3:16 written on the inside. Then decorate the card, and send it to a friend or relative that doesn’t know Jesus.


Lower Elementary:
With your parents permission call a cousin, grandparent or friend who doesn’t know Jesus and sing them a song like Jesus Loves me or something else you learned at home or church.


Upper Elementary:
Make a card with John 3:16 written on the inside. Then decorate the card, and send it to a friend or relative that doesn’t know Jesus.


Teens:

If you use facebook or a blogspot, write a blog sharing your faith. It doesn’t have to be to complicated or researched, just let your friends know that your faith matters to you, and you aren’t afraid to let anyone know.

You could also send a text message to everyone in your phonebook with a simple message like “Jesus Loves You.!”

Or invite a new friend to church who has never been to a church before.