Lesson - How Does God Talk To Us?

VERSES:  Hebrews 1:1, 2;  2 Tim. 3:16, 17

MEMORY VERSE:  Ps. 119:105  

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Introduction - no book assigned yet

PRAYER:  Remember to thank God for the Bible.

SPECIAL SONG:  The Bible, The Bible  (see February's Blog:  Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 for tune)

VISUAL AID:  Your Bible (and a map for older students)

LESSON POINTS:  

• Does anyone know what this book is called? That's right! The Bible! Did you know it is different than any other book? It is from God! It is God's Words!
• This is how God talks to us today. A long time ago, God used to talk to people through dreams, or talk to people just like I am talking to you right now, or He spoke through visions, but now, in this Christian age, there is only one way God talks to us…through the Bible. (Heb. 1:1, 2) God told 40 men who lived at different times to write down the things He would tell them to write. That is called INSPIRED (God-breathed). The Bible is INSPIRED by God because God told the men what to write. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17)
• The Bible is made up of 66 little books that are all bound together in this one big book. It's like a library that you can carry in your hand! There are two main parts in the Bible: The Old Testament and the New Testament. Can you find this page right here that I am showing you in your Bible that says "The New Testament?" It is a little past the middle of the book. Let’s put our bookmark right here. All of these pages in the front of the Bible make up the Old Testament and this, towards the end of the Bible, is the New Testament. Each part has little books in it. The Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. Which part looks bigger? That's right! The Old Testament. The New Testament looks smaller. We are going to begin memorizing these books of the Bible very soon!
• In the Old Testament, we read about Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph’s coat of many colors,  David and Goliath, Jonah and the Great Fish, Daniel and the Lions' Den, but in the New Testament, we read about Jesus as a baby, when He was a boy, and when He traveled around and preached to people.  In the New Testament, we also read about the apostles, Zaccheus climbing a tree to see Jesus, how the church began, and how people should live their lives today. There is a big difference in the two Testaments. Tell me, what are the two main parts of the Bible? Do you remember how many books are in the Old Testament? How many are in the New Testament?
• Because the Bible is from God, it makes this book different from all the other books you have at home or in the library or at school. This is a precious book, a dear book, a book that can tell us how to get to heaven. We need to treasure this book and read it every day, so God can talk to us. What happens if we don't read this Bible? That's right! God does not talk to us and we don't know what He wants us to do! We need to read every day and, if don't know how to read, we need to ask someone to read it to us. Who could we ask to read the Bible to us? Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, brother, sister--there are many people who could help us.

"Older Student" Tips:  

• Elaborate on the different names the Bible calls itself: God's Word (Ps. 119:89), scripture (2 Tim. 3:16, 17), a lamp and light (Ps. 119:195), a sword (Eph. 6:17), etc.
• Ask if anyone already knows the books of the Bible. Explain that this will be a task that the class will be undertaking as the study begins...to memorize all 66 books!  
• Point out where Old and New Testament characters lived on a Bible map.

ACTIVITY:   Handmade Bible  (Easy activity)

Materials needed:  9" x 12" black construction paper, 8.5" x 11" white typing paper, 10" strip of red ribbon or red paper, scissors, glue, crayons. (If this is a class of 2- and 3-year-olds: Prior to class, write or type this verse out on a piece of paper and let the students glue to the front of their "Bibles." Some of the cutting might need to be pre-cut before class begins.)

• Directions For Black paper:

1. Fold black construction paper in half, landscape or width-wise.
2. Round three corners of folded black paper with scissors (2 corners on open side of paper; 1 corner of folded side the top of paper)
3. On the uncut corner, begin cutting from the middle of the folded side curving to the rounded corner.
   

• Directions For White Paper:

1. Do exactly what you did with the black paper, but with the white paper.

• Next:

1. Glue white paper inside the black paper, so it looks like a book.
2. Glue red ribbon down the middle of 'Bible.' Let a little ribbon hang down off the bottom of the book to look like a bookmark.
3. Have the student write their memory verse (Ps. 119:105) in the middle of the 'Bible.'
4. Remember that "student work" is treasured by parents and kept for years. "Adult work" is not. If they cut the book in half by mistake, tape it back. Let the child do the work, imperfect or not. No one can duplicate a child's artwork!