Lesson - The Love Of Money

VERSE:  1 Timothy 6:6-12

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Timothy 6:10  "For the love of money is the root of all evil..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Ephesians.  In order for the Bible students to memorize all the books of the Bible, continue writing books of the Bible on small strips of paper, so the students may taken them home to memorize. Ephesians is the special book at this time. By adding a book each week, the students will eventually meet the goal of reciting all 66 books of the Bible from memory.  

PRAYER:  Pray that all those in the Bible class avoid loving money; instead, may they all be rich in good works and laying up treasures in heaven.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Books Of The New Testament (see March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog.  Click on orange icon to hear tune.)

VISUAL AID:   Draw a bag of money, a fancy car, and a big house on the white board or chalk board.  As the Bible teacher teaches the lesson, cross out each of the drawings.  Replace them with a big heart with the word "GOD" in the middle of it.

LESSON POINTS:

• We studied last time about how God's ways are higher than our ways are and how God sees things differently than we do.  Most people think that getting rich and buying fancy cars and huge mansions are the most important things they can do as they try to gain more and more money each day as they live here on the earth, but we find that our heavenly Father does not want His people to love money so much that they forget Him. It is written in the book of First Timothy that "the love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:10).  Does the verse say that money is the root of all evil? No--the "love" of money is what makes it wrong in God's eyes.  Do we need money? Yes--we need to buy food and our apartments or houses, we need to buy clothes. There are many ways that we can use money, but what does God say that is wrong with money?  It is sinful for us to LOVE money so much that we can only think of things money can buy for us and we forget that God is the one who supplies us all of the things we need (Philippians 4:19).
• So, if God does not want us to love money, what does He want us to love and follow?  Listen carefully as we read 1 Timothy 6:11 together.  God wants us to follow righteousness or doing good, godliness or being like God. He wants us to have faith in Him which we can get by hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17).  Loving Him and others is important  to God.  Always being patient with others and being humble in the things that we do is how God wants us to be, not thinking about money so much that we can only think of getting more and more!
• Should we trust in riches?  First Timothy 6:17 says that the rich people in this world should not think that they are better than everyone else and that they should not trust in their riches, but that they should trust in God who gives all things. We should all do good and be rich in good works rather than money. We should be willing to help others with the money we possess (1 Timothy 6:18) and always trust God for what we need.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Read Matthew 6:19-21, 24-33.  After reading these select verses, ask the students what treasures can be laid up in heaven (not riches of gold and silver, but obeying God and keeping His commandments, doing good to all men, things of a spiritual nature, etc.)  Ask the students what is one of the most important things in God's eyes (Read Matthew 6:33 again).

ACTIVITY:   "Should we Love Money?"
Materials:  White paper, crayons.

1. Hand out white paper to students.
2. Students write "SHOULD WE LOVE MONEY???" at the top of the paper. ( A drawn heart and a money sign is fine instead of words.)
3. Write "1 TIMOTHY 6:10" under the title.
4. Students draw a bag of money, a car, a house and a red heart somewhere on the paper.
5. Inside the heart, students write the word "GOD".
6. Students cross out the bag of money, the car, and the house and circle the heart, showing what is important to God.

Lesson - Be Not Weary In Well Doing

VERSE:  2 Thessalonians 3:13

MEMORY VERSE:  2 Thessalonians 3:13  "...be not weary in well doing."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Galatians.  To help students remember the next book of the New Testament, write "Galatians" on small strips of paper and hand out one strip to each student to take home and memorize. By memorizing a book a week, eventually the Bible student will achieve the goal of memorizing all 66 books of the Bible.  Becoming familiar with the names of the Bible books and knowing which testament (Old Testament or New Testament) the book is in will enable the student to look up Bible verses quickly and efficiently.  

PRAYER:  May we all strive to do well in God's sight and not be afraid to do good to our neighbors, friends, and even enemies each and every day as Jesus did.

SPECIAL SONG:  Be Patient And Kind (see April 2014 - Lesson Title-Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog.  Click on orange icon to hear song.)

VISUAL AID:   Photos of those in the congregation and/or in the classroom.  As an example, write a letter of a couple of lines on the white or chalk board.

LESSON POINTS:

• Those who try and obey God in everything they do are also ones who want the best for others. It doesn't matter who that "other person" is.  It may be a friend or a good neighbor who lives next door, but it may also be someone who is unkind to us.  While we do not want to share in others' unkindness, we always want to be kind to everyone. Every person is valuable to the Lord and we need to always treat them with politeness, gentleness, and kindness.  We find in Romans 12:14 that we are to bless those who persecute us--or treat us with unkindness.
• The Bible verse states "...be not weary..."  We do good things as often as we can and we should never grow tired of doing good.  We don't proclaim the good things we do for all to see; we do good like Jesus did--quietly, not to build ourselves up, but to glorify God. God knows what we do and what our intentions are.
• What are some ways in which we can "be good" to others?
• If someone who we know is sick, we can write letters or draw pictures of happy scenes and send them to those who are feeling poorly. Maybe we can take them a little food like soup and crackers. Think about how we feel when we are sick and do those helpful things that make us feel better. At times, it might be washing dishes, mowing a lawn, etc. 
• When someone is sad, we do not always need to do anything. Just by sitting beside them, we let the one who is sad know that they are not alone and that they have a friend.  Doing good does not always cost money; sometimes it only costs time.
• There are many things we can do for others.  (Ask the students for their ideas.)

"Older Student" Tips:

• Read Isaiah 55:8. God's ways are higher than our ways, meaning that His ways are better than our ways. Sometimes people want to "get even" or "treat them they way they treat us," but that has never been God's way.  Read Romans 12:17-21.

ACTIVITY:  Helping Others

Materials Needed:  Addresses of those in need of an encouraging word, white paper, envelopes, stickers, pencils, crayons, markers, stamps.

1. Hand out white paper.
2. Depending on the age and skills of the student, have them draw a picture or write a note to someone who would appreciate an encouraging letter.
3. Check each 'letter,' making certain the contents are appropriate and the student has signed their letter. 
4. If possible, let the student address the envelope in their own handwriting.
5. The return address could be the Bible teacher's address.
6. Lick the envelope carefully.
7. Place stamp in appropriate place.
8. Bible teacher then mails the treasured letters the next morning. 
9. Hopefully, those receiving the letters will thank the students for their thoughtfulness which will motivate the students to write more on their own.