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Friends with God

Unit 5 / Lesson 2

Friends with God

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Teacher's Prep

  • Games

    • Blow the Ping Pong Ball

      • Materials needed

        • One ping pong ball per group of five children

        • One chair per group of five children

    • Hula Hoop Pass

      • Watch this video

      • Materials needed

        • One hula hoop for each team 

        • Two loops of rope around the size of a hula hoop, or more hula hoops

        • If possible, have hula hoops of varying sizes so you can adjust the difficulty of the game.

    • Captain's Coming

    • Main Activity

      • Provide simple board games or carnival games for the children to enjoy


    Intro

    SLIDE 1

  • Gathering

    • How was your week?

    SLIDE 2

  • Intro Game: Blow The Ping Pong Ball

    • Instructions

      • We'll start off our time with a game!

      • It's a relay with ping pong balls! Here's how it works. We will have teams of five people each. If you have six people, one of you needs to join another team. If you have less than five, some of you might need to go twice.

      • Each team will have a ping pong ball. You will take turns blowing the ping pong ball across the room and back. To make this more challenging, there is a chair on the other side of the room, and your goal is to blow the ping pong ball around the far side of the chair before you get back.

      • Teacher: demonstrate the path of the ball – from the starting line, around the back of the chair, and then back to the starting line.

      • Let's form our teams, and line up one one side of the room. We'll see how fast we can do this relay race.

      • Teacher: pick the side of the room that the children will line up on, and mark a starting line, either with tape or with some physical markers like pylons. On the far side of the room, set chairs for each team, leaving space all around the chairs so that children can blow a ping pong ball around the chairs. You may want to play more than one round if time and interest allows.

    SLIDE 3

    • Debrief

      • We played this game because it uses the power of wind. Wind is something we can't see, but we can feel it and we can see what it does.

      • God is a bit like that too. We can't see Him, but we can see what He does, and we can read about what He has done in the past.

      • Most importantly though, we can be His friend. We can talk with Him, and work with Him, and He can help us and give us power. 

    SLIDE 4

  • Big Question

    • Our big question today is: How can we be friends with an invisible God?

    SLIDE 5

    • Last time we started to learn the answer, which is faith.

    • Does anyone remember what faith is?

      • Suggested answer: Faith means knowing things without seeing them.

    SLIDE 6

  • Bible Reference

    • Today we will learn about two people who had faith that we can copy so we will know how to be friends with our invisible God. Their names were Abel and Noah. Let's read about them:

      • Hebrews 11:4 (ICB)

        • 4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered. So God called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking. 

    SLIDE 7

    • Hebrews 11:7 (ICB)

      • 7 It was by faith Noah heard God’s warnings about things that he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith. 

    SLIDE 8

  • Big Idea

    • These two guys teach us what it's like to be friends with an invisible God. They will teach us that:

      • 1. We need to try our best for God, and

      • 2. We need to do what God says.

    • If we do these things, we will find that God does more for us than we do for Him.


    Point 1

    SLIDE 9

  • Our first point is, we need to try our best for God.

    SLIDE 10

  • Game: Hula Hoop Pass

    • Instructions

      • We will start this point with a game! It's called the Hula Hoop pass. Let's watch this video to see how it works.

      • Teacher: form two groups, and play two rounds. For the first round, give each group one hula hoop. For the second round, give each group a hula hoop and a second loop going in the opposite direction. If there are not many children, you can just have one group.

    SLIDE 11

    • Debrief

      • We played this game because it can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you've never played it before. Usually when you need to do something new that you've never done before, the best thing to do is just try your best. It's important to try our best for the people on our team, and people we care about. That’s what our first Bible story is about.

    SLIDE 12

  • Bible Reference

    SLIDE 13

    • Now let’s read the story from the Bible:

      • Hebrews 11:4 (ICB)

        • 4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered. So God called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking. 

    SLIDE 14

  • Explanation

    • Our first story is about two guys named Cain and Abel. They both knew God, and it was time for them to give a present to God. It's kind of like what we do for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Sometimes we’re supposed to give a present to someone.

    • It's not that our parents really need our present. They could probably make a present for themselves if they really needed it.  When we give them a present, it makes them happy because it came from us. Our present shows our parents that we were thinking about them and we care about them. That’s what it’s like when people give a present to God.

    SLIDE 15

    • In our Bible story, Cain gave some vegetables to God. They weren’t his best vegetables, they were some random vegetables that he saw lying around. Cain’s gift showed that he didn't care very much about God, because he wasn’t trying. Abel gave God his biggest, fattest sheep. God really liked Abel's gift, because it was the best Abel could give, and it came with effort and love.

    SLIDE 16

  • Application

    • That's what it's like with us and God. God doesn't need our help. If God needed something, He could make it Himself. But, it makes God happy when we give Him a present that shows Him that we love Him. 

    • It doesn't matter if our gift is big or small, or if our service is big or small. What matters is that we are doing our best for Him. He is after our hearts the whole time. In response, let's always give our best effort to God.

    SLIDE 17

  • Discussion Question

    • What is something you can give to God that would take effort?


    Point 2

    SLIDE 18

  • Our second point is, we need to do what God says.

    SLIDE 19

  • Game: Captain's Coming

    • Instructions

      • Let's start this point with a game of Captain's Coming!

      • Sample Phrases

        • BOW: shipmates race to the front of the room

        • STERN: shipmates run to the back of the room

        • STARBOARD: shipmates run to the right of the room

        • PORT: shipmates run to the left of the room

        • CAPTAIN'S COMING: shipmates stand at attention, salute, and say, "Aye aye, Captain!"

        • SCRUB THE DECK: shipmates mime scrubbing on hands and knees or with a mop

        • CLIMB THE RIGGING: shipmates pretend to climb a rope ladder

        • MAN THE LIFEBOAT: shipmates find a partner and hold both hands together

        • SHARK ATTACK: shipmates lie on their backs with their feet up

        • FREEZE: shipmates stop all actions and can't continue until the captain says, "Unfreeze"

    SLIDE 20

    • Debrief

      • Let's all get back to our seats!

      • The reason we played this game is because it's about following instructions. The game only works properly if we follow the instructions. 

      • Life is like that too. God has given us instructions, and life only works properly when we follow those instructions. That's what Noah learned in our second Bible story.

    SLIDE 21

  • Bible Reference

    SLIDE 22

    • Now let's read what the Bible says about Noah:

      • Hebrews 11:7 (ICB)

        • 7 It was by faith Noah heard God’s warnings about things that he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith. 

    SLIDE 23

  • Explanation

    • The Bible tells us Noah lived in a time when nobody did what God wanted except for Noah and his family. God told them to do a very difficult thing. They needed to build a giant boat. Nobody had ever seen a boat like that. His neighbors must have laughed at him the whole time he was building it. It took him many years to build the boat, and to fill it with enough food to feed the animals. In the end, that boat saved his life and his family, so it was worth the work.

    SLIDE 24

    • The point of the story is, Noah did what God said. Even though it was a lot of work and took a lot of time, it was worth it.

    SLIDE 25

  • Application

    • All of us are a bit like Noah, because God has given instructions to all of us too. His instructions are in the Bible, and they can be hard to follow! God tells us to obey our parents, to get wisdom, and to work with all our heart in whatever we do. We might not always feel like following God's instructions, but if we do what He says, it will be good for us, and we can help a lot of people.

    SLIDE 26

  • Discussion Question

    • What is something difficult that God tells us to do?


    Conclusion

    SLIDE 27

  • Let’s wrap up our lesson by going over the big ideas again.

  • Our big question today was: How can we be friends with an invisible God? Our two Bible heroes showed us how.

  • Abel showed us that we need to try our best for God, because God is happy when we do our best for Him.

  • Our second hero Noah showed us that we need to do what God says, even when it takes a lot of time and a lot of work.

  • If we do these things, God will take care of us. That’s how we can be friends with an invisible God! 


    Main Activity: Board or Carnival Games

    SLIDE 28

  • We’ll end our time together with some games! Games are great because they are fun, and they help us to think about how to do things and how to make choices. Our games can remind us that the best choice in life is to do our best for God, and to trust Him.

  • Teacher: provide board games or carnival games

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