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Friday, June 3, 2016

A children's lesson: How The B.I.B.L.E is the Book of God

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Introduction:
Today we consider once again some reflections on important truths from God's Word that can be taught to children. Our template for these lessons derives partly from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. In a past post we considered how we could teach children about how the God of the Bible is made known to everyone, and how they - knowing about Him - can come to know Him on a personal level. The link for that first lesson is found here:http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/05/a-childrens-lesson-how-everyone-knows.html

In today's post we are not only considering the "God of the Book", but also "The Book of God". How can we communicate the truth contained in the first article of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 about the Bible so that children can grasp the character of sacred scripture? 

A simple way to begin explaining how the Bible is God's revealed Word might be through two old-familiar songs. The first is the beloved children's Sunday School Song: "The B.I.B.L.E". Once we introduce children to this song, we can then lead them in a second song, such as the one we as adults have either sung or heard others sing in times past: "Jesus loves me". These two songs capture in sum the total teaching of the BFM 2000 article on the Bible: namely that the Bible is the Word of God and that it's main point is to reveal Jesus Christ. Here is the link to the BFM 2000 on "The Scriptures" for adult teachers to study themselves as they break it down for children in the proposed lesson below: http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp 

Once the teacher begins the class with songs such as these, the lesson can begin to unfold. As the opening passage in today's post suggests - we ought to be passing on to the next generation not only the truths of God's Word, but God's Word and ways in which to study it and apply it to one's life. 

Proposed children's lesson: The Book of God - How the "B.I.B.L.E" is the Book of God

1. Begin with two songs: "The B.I.B.L.E" and "Jesus Loves Me"

2. Have a flashlight, an apple or ball and a towel. Have the children guess what is under the towel before revealing the object. Then take the flashlight and shine it on the towel while taking the towel off to reveal the object. This can be used to show children how the Bible reveals to us what God wants us to know. The Bible uncovers His good things for us, just as the towel uncovered the apple or ball, which are good for us. (This corresponds to the first sentence in the BFM 2000 article on "The Scripture")

3. Have the children take turns drawing as straight of a line as possible. Have them hang their pictures on a wall or lay them out on a table in the class room. Then take a ruler and compare their drawings to the ruler. Remind them that we cannot know what is a straight line unless we have a ruler. We cannot know the truth about God and His plan to rescue us from our sins by Jesus except by the Bible. Explain how this illustrates what we call "truth". The Bible is true and doesn't make mistakes nor contain any mistakes. (This is a suggested way of introducing children to the concept of inerrancy, an emphasis in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 article on "The Scripture).  

Conclusion:
It is hoped that this suggested lesson can be used to introduce children to such vital concepts as the Bible being God's revelation to human beings and it being totally true or without error. The Bible's point of revealing salvation in Jesus Christ ought to be emphasized. Without a doubt, closing out the class with a Gospel presentation that is age-appropriate is also suggested. May God be glorified as we aim to communicate His Word to the next generation.  


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