Children’s Teacher: July- September 2019

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Children’s Teacher is a teacher’s quarterly. In addition to the exposition of the printed text, each of the thirteen lessons includes the purpose of the lesson, extensive teaching plans, lesson introduction, background of the lesson, meaningful insights, and related activities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781681675435

Book preview

Lesson 1 for Week of July 7, 2019

LETTING OUR LIGHT SHINE

UNIFYING TOPIC

Jesus Teaches about Loving and Obeying God

LESSON SECTIONS

I. Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13–17)

II. Jesus Fulfills the Law (5:18–20)

KEY VERSE

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14, NRSV)

BIBLICAL EMPHASES

1. Jesus used the symbols of salt and light to teach how to follow the Great Commission.

2. Because of the relationship we have with Jesus, we learn how to treat others as we want to be treated from His example.

3. Jesus was saying that no one is good enough to enter heaven without faith.

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People express their beliefs through their actions. How do we express what we believe? Jesus teaches us that we are to do good for others and follow God’s law.

LESSON EMPHASES

•The spreading of the gospel is only accomplished through Christian community.

•We should be diligent in love for our Christian brothers and sisters.

•We must lead others to Jesus, not only through our words, but also through our actions.

Target Emphases

PRESCHOOLERS: The preschool students realize that when we are kind to each other, God’s light shines through us.

YOUNGER CHILDREN: The younger children can know that it is important to share the love of Jesus with others.

OLDER CHILDREN: The older children should be learning that God wants us to use our lifestyle as a witness for Him.

Materials Needed to Teach

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #511 (NNBH #401), and God’s Promises Bible.

Need more teacher helps?

Visit rhboyd.com.

Suggested Teaching Plan

GROWING WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player, table lamp, salt shaker, markers

GETTING STARTED: Greet each student as he or she enters the classroom. Have This Little Light of Mine playing as they come in to the class. Encourage them to sing along. Begin the class with prayer.

A GREAT BEGINNING: Ask the students if they know the song that is playing. Show them the table lamp and ask what is it used for. As they respond, share with them that we can be lights, too. Show them the salt shaker and tell them that it’s filled with salt that adds flavor to our food. Explain that Jesus tells us that we should be like salt and light to those who don’t know Jesus’ love.

AN IMPORTANT LESSON: Read the lesson story for today. Explain that Jesus gathered the people to teach them God’s rules. God wanted the people to love each other and be kind to one another. Jesus used light (like this lamp) and salt (like this shaker) to show the people how to live together. Turn off the lamp and have them describe their feelings. Turn on the light to show what it does to the darkness. That’s what happens when we are kind to others.

KEEPING IT GOING: Make sure they complete the other activities in their student books. Gather the students in a circle and dismiss with prayer.

JUST FOR YOU: This week, take time to pray for the students in your class, as well as the entire church, to be like light and salt to the world.

YOUNG LEARNERS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player, dark construction paper, salt, glue color pencils, salt-free chips, napkins

GETTING STARTED: Greet each student as he or she enters the classroom. Have an upbeat Christian song playing. Encourage them to sing along. Begin the class with prayer.

JUMP START: Signal someone to turn off the lights and ask the children what they can see. Then turn on the lights and ask the students if they can see better. Give each student a napkin with some of the salt-free chips on it. As they taste the chips, ask for a response. Share with them that chips don’t taste the same or as good when they don’t have salt on them. Explain that like the salt, Jesus wants us demonstrate God’s love to others and make better the lives of those who don’t know Him.

THE LESSON STORY: Read the lesson story for today. Jesus used symbols of salt and light to illustrate how we show God’s love when we are kind to one another. Without the love of Jesus in our hearts, we become like those salt-free chips. When we fail to let our lights shine, the world stumbles in darkness searching for God.

TAKING IT HOME: Allow the students time to complete the activities in their books. Using the construction paper, have the students draw a smiley face with the glue and then pour salt on the glue making a salty smiley face to take home. As they gather in a circle for prayer, remind them that they are salt and light to the world. Dismiss class with prayer.

ENERGY TO EDUCATE: Pray that your students will have the courage and ability to live their lives as salt and light to the world.

ADVENTURERS WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player, miniature flash lights, (or one large flash light), small packets of salt to give to for each student

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Greet each student as he or she enters the classroom. Have an upbeat Christian song playing. Encourage them to sing along. Begin the class with prayer.

’NET CHECK: Discuss and complete the activity from www.rhboyd.com. Bring extra copies to class for those who don’t have one. Allow time for both the ‘Net Check and Bible Quiz sections. Check and discuss the answers together.

INTRODUCTION: Give each student one of the miniature flash lights and have someone turn off the lights in the room. Have one student try to read today’s key verse with no light. If he or she struggles, allow the student to turn on a flashlight to read the verse. Explain that Jesus wants us to be like the light for others and show them the love of Jesus and His message. Turn the lights back on and continue.

TODAY’S LESSON STORY: Ask for several volunteers to read sections of the lesson story. Ask why they believe Jesus used the analogy of salt and light.

LESSON REVIEW: Let the students complete the activities in their student books and review the key verse. Ask the students to share what they can do to be more like salt and light to those around them. Answer any questions the students may have.

CLOSING: In preparation for the coming week, give each student a small packet of salt. Join hands in a circle and close with prayer.

— Lesson Overview —

Introduction

Jesus traveled many places teaching others how to live and follow the laws of God. One day, He sat at the top of a hill and began preaching. Today’s lesson is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew. The people sat quietly for hours as Jesus taught them in simple ways about what God wanted them to do with the laws He had given them. Jesus wanted the people to understand that His purpose on earth wasn’t to come and change the laws that had been given to the people thousands of years before. Instead He came to teach and provide clarity about the new covenant He would be establishing soon after this sermon. According to Numbers 23:19, God doesn’t change. Jesus wanted to re-emphasize the fact that He wasn’t disagreeing with God’s laws or even saying that God had changed. He was showing that the character of God’s people should even more accurately reflect the character of God and His will. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus helped the people get a glimpse into the mind of God and the way He sees His followers, judges sin, and rewards those who suffer for His sake.

Jesus often used symbols to emphasize what He was teaching. The Sermon on the Mount was no exception. Jesus knew His creation would understand and react well to His metaphorical teachings. He was clear and concise in His message, even though He used this form of teaching. By using this simple teaching style, His overall goal was to show the people that, as His follower, they are to please God, do His will, and bid to promote the gospel across the world.

CREATE INTEREST: Ask the participants why they believe the Sermon on the Mount was important for Christians today.

I. Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13–17)

During biblical days, salt was very important. Salt not only added flavor to the food, but more importantly, it acted as a preserver so food wouldn’t spoil. For the most part, salt is now used only for flavor. But up until a few decades ago, salt was more important to preserve many different types of food. Without salt, people may have starved to death because they wouldn’t have been able to preserve their food during the months when food wasn’t being grown or butchered. Salt is still so vitally important because it adds taste to many foods eaten today.

This is what Jesus was saying about our lives. Our smiles, kindness, and love act just like salt to others we join together for God’s purpose. As Christians, we should be focused on bringing godly wholesome flavor to the lives of those we meet, regardless of whether or not they are Christians. We are to also preserve those relationships and grow them in ways that draw them closer to God and give God glory.

In the same way, Jesus also compares those who are His followers to light. Trying to move in the darkness is hard since you cannot see where you are going. When there is no light, one could get hurt by going into an object that is unseen. Just one candle can provide enough light to move safely without being injured. Even more so for the people who were living during the time of Jesus, light represented safety, especially in travel. The light of a city gave travelers hope that they would make it to safety. When we see the light of Jesus, our spiritual travel finds rest, hope, and safety.

Because we