Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 13 “Israel Prepares to Meet God”

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Author: Janth English

Read Together: God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Israel’s descendants lived in Egypt and grew into a great nation. But the Egyptians enslaved them and put them to hard labor. God worked many miracles to free Israel from slavery. After the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, God led Israel out from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. They miraculously walked on dry land through the Red Sea, and God protected His people from the Egyptian army. God told Moses to bring the children of Israel to Him at Mt. Sinai after they left Egypt (Exodus 3:12). A few weeks after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel were encamped near Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God. God called Moses and told him to offer the people of Israel a special agreement, called a covenant. Israel would obey Him, and in return, He would make them His special people. The people agreed. God instructed the Israelites to clean up and wash their clothes, and “consecrate” themselves (which means to prepare themselves to meet with God). They were getting ready to meet their Creator!

Read Together: Exodus 1:1–14; 14:5–31; 19:1–11

Discuss:

  • Explain that even though they had witnessed God’s miraculous interventions, Israel had not been obedient since leaving Egypt. They complained about the water and food (Exodus 15:22–25; 16:2–3). They broke the Sabbath (Exodus 16:26–29). And they complained against Moses (Exodus 17:2–3). Explain that experiencing miracles does not make it automatic that a person will respond by having faith in God.  We still have to choose to obey and respond to Him.
  • Ask your child why he or she thinks God told Israel to bathe and wash their clothes. What preparation would one make to visit the Queen of England? Use this as an opportunity to emphasize why we dress up for Sabbath services.
  • Discuss what it means to be “consecrated,” which means “set apart for holy use.” Explain that the Church is the Israel of God and that we are set apart by God’s Holy Spirit. Help your child understand that if our parents (or parent) is baptized and in the Church, that means that we have a chance to have a relationship with God that we otherwise wouldn’t have (Acts 2:38–39, 1 Corinthians 7:14)

Review Memorization:

Exodus 20:1–17 The Ten Commandments (long form)

 

Printable PDF – L3.13

Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 13 “Nimrod the Mighty Hunter”

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Author: Janth English

Read Together: God saved eight people from the great flood He brought upon the earth: Noah and his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his sons’ wives. The sons of Noah began to have children, and their families grew into all the nations of the world. The names of their descendants (children, grandchildren, etc.) can be found in Genesis 10. Even as these families grew into tribes and nations, the earth was still very sparsely populated. One of the sons of Ham was named Cush, and one of the sons of Cush was named Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter. The people began to trust in Nimrod for their protection in place of God Almighty. They called Nimrod “the mighty hunter before the LORD” (Genesis 10:9). People began to idolize him, and most of them soon forgot the lessons of the Flood.

Read Together: Genesis 9:18–19; 10:1–8, 13–32; Acts 17:26

Discuss:

  • Explain to your child that knowing the names of the ancient peoples and lands they lived in is important because it helps us identify their descendants today. This also helps us understand prophecies that affect them.
  • Discuss Acts 17:26 with your child. Explain that Acts 17:26 shows that God has given different parts of Noah’s family different lands to inherit.
  • Ask your child to picture himself or herself on the earth about 100 years after the flood. Would it be frightening to live in an area where wild animals outnumber humans? What would be the natural thing to do? What should they have done?
  • Ask your child what lessons he or she thinks people should have learned from the Flood. How does the people’s attitude toward Nimrod show they had not learned those lessons?

Review Memorization:

Genesis 11:9 “Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

Printable PDF – L2.13

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 13 “The Earth Before the Flood”

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Sweet Publishing | FreeBibleImages.org

Author: Janth English

Read Together: The people on the earth had become very wicked before the flood. In fact, the Bible says that they were thinking bad thoughts all the time! People were hurting other people, and the suffering was very great. When He saw how bad things were, God was sorry that He made man.  It was painful for Him to see people treating each other that way. He decided to destroy all the wicked people by sending a flood to cover the earth. God who is merciful did not want to destroy the good and obedient people with the wicked. So, He looked for someone on the earth who was obedient to Him, and He found Noah.

Read Together: Genesis 6:1–12

Discuss:

  • Talk to your child about what it means to be disobedient to God. Explain to them that disobedience can lead to “wickedness” and how this way of life hurts people.
  • Ask your child to picture what it would be like if you were the only people in your neighborhood who were being good, and all the other people were naughty. Remind them that only one person was left who was really obeying God!
  • Ask your child how God must have felt to see all the people he created being bad. Relate it to a situation they have experienced. (Example: “How does Mom feel when you are naughty and doing things you shouldn’t be doing?”)
  • Take this opportunity to explain the Great White Throne Judgment period (Revelation 20:11). One day, God will give everyone who has ever lived a chance to obey and follow Him, and be blessed for obedience.

Review Memorization:

2 Peter 2:5 “And [God] did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.”

Printable PDF – L1.13

Second Thoughts: The Immensity of Small Things

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By Thomas White, Student at Living Ed – Charlotte

“We all understand that God is preparing us for big things, for being kings and priests…things we are doing today that may seem mundane may make all the difference in the future, in our future, in our destiny.” ~ Mr. Rod McNair

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand – Photo courtesy of Dr. Germano, Living University

You know that nightmare where you randomly have to give a speech, and you didn’t prepare for it, and now everyone’s watching? Imagine that feeling multiplied by millions and you may have an idea of how Bhumibol Adulyadej felt when he was suddenly the King of Thailand at age 22. Mr. Rod McNair’s Assembly this week was largely based upon this singularly remarkable man, who had been so far down the line of succession for Thailand’s throne that he hadn’t been trained in any “kingly” subjects whatsoever.  What he did have, however, was an education in science, ecology, and conservation, and as the years went by, his knowledge turned out to be just what his people needed. King Bhumibol influenced the development of dams, reservoirs, water irrigation systems, and beyond. Since the top problem for 80% of Thailand’s people had been an inadequate water supply, he became an immensely popular ruler, all because of what he learned in his youth.

“…maybe a hundred, or two hundred, or five hundred years from now, as you are in God’s government and His Kingdom, administering and serving…you may think back to 2018, or 2019, and the lesson you learned back then that you’re using at that precise moment.”

Thankfully, God’s word tells us in advance of our ultimate destiny, so kingship hopefully won’t surprise us the way it surprised King Bhumibol. Even so, we probably will be surprised by how what we’re learning now, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, will end up being used by God to immense effect. Mr. McNair used the example of Joseph, who probably never thought for a second that his time as a slave and a prisoner would teach him skills he would later use to govern the nation of Egypt. But (spoilers!) that’s exactly what happened (Genesis 45:3-8). Mr. McNair advised us to look beyond what we see, to consider how what we’re learning right now might be used to unexpectedly shape our lives and the lives of others. As Mr. McNair said, “It’s always easy to think that the big, valuable stuff will be somewhere else, will be at another time, will be in another place…and to miss the goldmine in front of you.”

“We all have different abilities, we all have different talents, all with the potential to be used directly by God for a specific purpose in His government.”

As Mr. McNair pointed out, if God is planning on using what you and I are currently learning for the benefit of tomorrow’s world, we need to take advantage of what is right in front of us, and learn to interact with a variety of personalities. A king’s major responsibility is to care for the people he reigns over, so it’s crucial that we expand our personalities enough to genuinely understand people who are vastly different from us. It’s easy to coast along if we seem to be doing well enough, but does God want kings and priests who think, “Eh, this city seems fine,” or does He want those who go all out? If we foster a habit of learning, keep God at the center of our lives, and appreciate “the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10), we can look forward to being shown just how immense those small things really are.

Online Focus | The Role of the Holy Spirit
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A quick glimpse of what you may be missing…

In John 14:16–20, Jesus emphasized that after His departure to be with the Father, the disciples would not simply be abandoned (the Greek term used in verse 18 is orphanous, meaning “orphans”). Rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24), Jesus and the Father would dwell inside true Christians (John 14:20, 23). The Holy Spirit imparts both understanding and strength. It flows out from God (15:26), and connects our minds to His. God is Spirit (4:24); the Holy Spirit is not some separate and distinct personality of the Godhead. Rather, the Holy Spirit is the means by which Christ and the Father make their presence felt in the hearts and minds of believers.

The Holy Spirit is God’s outflowing power (Luke 1:35). It imparts God’s love as it is “poured out” in the hearts of believers (Romans 5:5). It is the means by which He created and brought into existence the very universe (Psalm 104:30). It is the power by which He works in the minds of human beings made in His image (Genesis 6:3). It is also the power by which the lame miraculously walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard and the dead were raised from their graves during Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (Luke 5:15–17).

The Bible describes the Holy Spirit in various ways. Primarily, the Spirit is compared to wind. After all, pneuma—the Greek word for “spirit”—means “wind” or “breath.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “spirit” is ruach,and has the same meaning as the Greek pneuma.

From Unit 4: Passover to the Resurrection – Lesson 2

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 12 “Noah’s Family Expands”

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Moody Publishers | FreeBibleimages.org

Author: Janth English

Read Together: Did you know that Noah’s name means “rest”? His name showed the hope his father had that God would use Noah to bring deliverance to His people. And of course, that’s what God did. God used Noah to preserve the human race. When Noah and his family left the ark, God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. This means God wanted them to have large families. All nations, races, ethnicities, and cultures–all people today can trace their lineage back to Noah. Noah saw many of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren because he lived for 350 years after the flood. He lived a total of 950 years, which was common for people in the pre-flood era. However, after the flood, the length of most people’s life began to shorten. Within about five generations after the flood, people were living less than two hundred years. Noah also lived to see, just as God had said, that man’s heart is inclined toward evil (Genesis 8:21). People did not learn from the problems of the pre-flood world. Not long after the flood, the human family was again walking contrary to God.

Read Together: Genesis 5:28–29; 9:18–29; 10:1–32

Parents:

  • Help your student to see how families are the structural building blocks of society.  Notice that families grown large became nations.
  • Point out to your child the care that God took to record the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth and where they lived. One reason for this is so that we can identify modern nations by their ancient names.
  • Noah was a preacher of righteousness before and after the flood (2 Peter 2:5). He also was the elder and leader (“patriarch,” which means the male head of a family or tribe) of his growing family. Discuss with your child why people did not listen to Noah. Explain that human beings have freedom of choice, but that Satan the devil influences their decisions.
  • The people did not listen to the wisdom of Noah who was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet 2:5). Ask if this is a common problem in families today. Think aloud with your child about Proverbs 1:7–8; 10:21. Ask your child if they can think of an incident in which things went wrong because someone failed to listen to their elders.

Review memorization:

Genesis 6:9 “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect [upright, blameless, or wholehearted] in his generations. Noah walked with God.”


Printable PDF – L1.11

Printable PDF – L1.9-L1.12

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 12 “God Punishes Cain”

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Sweeting Publishing | FreeBibleimages.org

Author: Janth English

Read Together: When God accepted Abel’s offering but did not accept Cain’s, Cain got very angry. He got so mad that he killed his brother! He became the first murderer in the human family. God knew that Abel was dead and came to talk to Cain about murdering his brother. God asked Cain where his brother was. Instead of admitting what he had done, Cain tried to hide what he had done from God and was not sorry for his actions. He replied to God, saying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” This lesson will show the idea of cause and effect. It will show that certain things happen because of our actions, when we don’t obey God. It will also show that everyone must love his neighbor.

 

Read Together:

Genesis 4:9–16; Luke 10:27

 Discuss:

  • Explain to your child that God, who knows everything, knew Cain had killed Abel. Cain couldn’t hide it from God, and neither can we hide our mistakes or sins from God.
  • Ask your child what Cain’s attitude was when God asked about Abel.
  • Discuss with your child Cain’s punishment. He was sent away from God and the community. Why would God send Cain away from the others?
  • Help your child understand that thinking bad things can lead to bad actions.
  • Ask your child how following the law to “love your neighbor” could have changed Cain’s life.

 Review memorization:

Luke 10:27 “So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

More to Do!

These activities are optional, but some children may find them enjoyable.

  • Show love for your neighbors by creating cards for the widows, widowers, or other older members in the congregation.
  • Help your child to plan a good deed to do for someone in the family.
  • Your child may like to sing along with this cute song Thank You God.

Printable PDF – L1.11

Printable PDF – L1.9-L.12

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 12 “Inheriting the Promises”

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Author: Janth English

Read Together: After Abraham showed God that he would obey Him no matter what, God made His promises to Abraham unconditional. These promises included rulership, military power, and ownership of the most productive land on earth. Yet, Abraham died without having received them. Did God lie? No! God passed the promises on to Abraham’s son Isaac, and from Isaac to Jacob. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons, who next received the promises. Through Jacob, God gave the “scepter” promise, which includes kingship and the promise of the future Messiah, to Judah. A scepter is a staff that a king holds, which represents his rulership and authority. The promise of the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was born of the tribe of Judah and who will rule over all nations. The “birthright” promise of national wealth and greatness was given to Joseph. The English-speaking nations of today, who are descendants of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, have inherited the birthright promises. Many of the blessings we enjoy today are a direct result of Abraham’s obedience to God, and God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to Abraham.

Read Together: Genesis 35:9–15; 48:8–20; 49:1–2, 8–12, 22–26; Hebrews 7:14

Discuss:

  • Ask your child how they think Abraham felt about not receiving all the promises during his physical life.  What was Abraham’s focus (Hebrews 11:13–16)?
  • Encourage your child to think about the millennium. Will Jesus Christ be the Messiah and King of kings? Will the descendants of Jacob possess national wealth and greatness?
  • Remind your child that the identity of the English-speaking peoples can be proven. Refer to the booklet The United States and Britain in Prophecy by Mr. John Ogwyn.

Review memorization:

Genesis 18:19 “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

Printable PDF – L3.12

Printable PDF – L3.9-L3.12

Second Thoughts: What News is “Good News”?

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By Thomas White, Student at Living Ed – Charlotte

“We do have a biblical mandate to develop wisdom, to develop understanding, to develop discretion, knowledge. …we should be watching, learning from what happens around us.” ~ Mr. Jonathan McNair

The concept of “News” has been around almost as long as humanity itself. Things have always happened, and people have almost always had to be told, so news isn’t new. But our access to it certainly is. Now we have podcasts, more websites than we can possibly keep track of, scores of television channels, radio stations, that one uncle who always seems to know what’s going on, and newspapers for the traditionalists among us. The vast number of available news sources can ironically make it more overwhelming to keep up with the world’s endless shenanigans, at least for me. Fortunately, Mr. Jonathan McNair’s Assembly this week offered ways to manage the myriad of news sources clamoring for our attention, in order to minimize the risk of being misled and focus our attention upon “good news.”

“…the system is geared to get our attention, to catch our eye, to make scoops, and it’s not from God’s perspective.”

If news is coming from humans, which it pretty often the case, then news is biased. As God’s people, our task is to recognize its biases, and that all sources of worldly news have a slant. This being the case, we should always know the source of the news we keep up on, and consider the perspective of that source. Doing so enables us to read or listen with an awareness of the source’s bias. Even a largely fact-oriented source is based on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and as such, it’s going to contain just that: good and evil. Bits of both.  As Mr. McNair pointed out, we should seek the most credible and objective news sources we can find (that one uncle probably isn’t the safest bet), but accept that none of them will give us the unvarnished truth every time. It’s tempting to just trust “conservative” sources and shun “liberal” ones, but is that really exercising discernment? Would Satan let it be that easy?

“We are not involved in politics, so be careful where you stand. Even though you don’t vote, even though you may not go to the ballot box, you can still be political in your perspective if you’re not careful.”

We’re also humans (crazy, right?), so we’re also biased. That’s unavoidable, so Mr. McNair suggested that we need to understand ourselves and recognize what our biases are, and why we have them. The most dangerous sources of “news” are out to manipulate rather than inform, and knowing where we are biased can protect us from having our emotions played with by certain topics. As Mr. McNair pointed out, we all need to be looking for God’s perspective, not remaining content with our own, so it would probably be wise to ask members of God’s ministry where they get their news from, and what they’ve noticed about those sources. Understanding our own perspectives, thinking critically about our sources of news, and keeping God’s greater plan at the forefront of our minds can help us to “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Focus on Living Education Online

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