Children’s Christian Educator: 1st Quarter 2014

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Children’s Christian Educator Teacher Manual (ages 4-11). This book is an instructional manual for the children’s books Young Believers, Young Explorers, and Trailblazer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Oct 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781589427617

Book preview

LESSON 1

WEEK OF JANUARY 5, 2014

WHAT IS FAITH?

HEBREWS 11:1

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

• The Way to Restoration

• The Conviction That Jesus Is Victorious

• The Acceptance of Jesus Sight Unseen

TARGET OBJECTIVES:

• Young Believers (ages 4-5): These children are learning that there are some things that are not seen but can be believed in.

• Young Explorers (ages 6-8): These children can understand that their faith is important to Jesus.

• Trailblazers (ages 9-11): These children can understand the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and in the Bible.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Children understand the need for comfort, protection, and relationships even though they may voice these needs using different wording or through their actions. Children need relationships, and they show this by seeking comfort, guidance, and love from their families and loved ones. They long to be protected, and they want to be close to the people who love them.

Although faith is an abstract concept and may be difficult for children to understand, they will be able to understand the idea of having a relationship with God. They are learning that God loves them, and He wants a relationship with them too.

Talk to the children about brokenness. Use tangible examples of items that have been broken (e.g., toys, cars, playground equipment, etc.). Discuss why broken items need to be fixed (e.g., some broken items can hurt others, some broken items make them sad, etc.). Talk to the children about sin and how sin breaks (hurts) the world and how it breaks (hurts) God’s people. Explain that because sin breaks them, they need to be fixed. Jesus is the way to restoration, and He can restore everyone. As the children grow in their faith, they will trust that God can fix any problems or brokenness within them.

Because the children can’t see God, it’s not always easy for them to understand and know that He is present. How do they believe in someone they cannot see? Use the analogy of the wind and the air they breathe. Explain how they can’t see the wind, but they can see how it affects the world (e.g., moves leaves blows through trees, warms their cheeks etc.). Even though they can’t see the wind, they can see how it changes the world around them. They have faith that the wind exists. This same type of faith can be applied to Jesus.

KES VERSE:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, NRSV)

Even though they can’t see Jesus with their own eyes children can have faith that He is present and He is still in the world They can have faith that He is the Son of God, He loves them, and He will protect them.

Because children understand the need for relationships, they will understand that Jesus wants to have a relationship. This desire for a relationship is what led to His death on the cross.

Talk to the children about the Bible and how it is the source that believers use to learn more about God and to strengthen their faith. Believers trust in the reliability of the Bible. Because of faith, they believe that the stories about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are real. They trust that Jesus’ death was for them and because He wants their love in return.

Everyone wants to be accepted, whether by family members, siblings, friends, or schoolmates. Jesus also wants to be accepted. He wants His children to know Him, love Him, and accept Him. Discuss why the acceptance of Jesus is so important to our salvation. Explain why salvation is important to the lives of believers.

Not only is faith important for accepting Jesus, but it’s important because it means believers accept Jesus without ever seeing Him and with knowing that they will probably not see Him until they pass away from this earth.

Give the children examples of people with great faith, both in and outside of the Bible. Talk to them about how they can have great faith too. Stress the importance of faith and of having a relationship with Jesus.

Teaching Plan and Resources for YOUNG BELIEVERS

MATERIALS NEEDED: plug-in fan, beach ball or balloon

1. Before class, fill a beach ball or a balloon with air. Plug in an electric fan, and place these items on a table or on the floor. Greet the students as they arrive. Welcome any visitors or first-time students. Tell the students that today’s lesson is about faith.

2. Read the lesson story aloud, or explain it in your own words. Remind the students that having faith is important, but faith is not something they can see. Place the beach ball or balloon in front of the fan. Ask the children what will happen when the fan is turned on. They’ll tell you that the air will move the object. Explain