Lesson - The Family In God's Plan

VERSES:  Ephesians 5:21-33

MEMORY VERSE:  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."  Ephesians 6:1

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the first four books of the New Testament -Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

PRAYER:   Pray that families will love each other more and will be kind to each other.

SPECIAL SONG:  The Family In God's Plan (see March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog.) Children, Obey Your Parents (see March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog.)  Be Patient And Kind (see April 2014 - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog.) (Click on orange circles to hear tunes.)

VISUAL AID:  Whiteboard or chalkboard. Draw an man, a woman, and a child on the board. As the lesson is taught, write responsibilities around each member of the family.

LESSON POINTS:

• From the beginning, God has always had a plan and a design for everything! When we look up at the stars and moon at night, we know that God is the One who designed the heavens. When we inspect a drop of water under a microscope, we can see that God has a plan for even the tiniest creatures. Everywhere we look, there is design, detail, and organization. We have studied in times past about God's plan for creation (See March 2014 - Lesson - God Created Everything on this blog), for the church (See October 2015 - Lesson - How Do Christians Worship God? on this blog), and now we turn to the family. Is there a design for the family in God's plan? When we remember how God created one man and one woman and how they became a family, we can definitely say, "Yes! God has a plan for the family." 
• MAN:  As Jesus is the head of the church, God created man to be head of the family (Ephesians 5:23). To be the head of the family means to be responsible for the family and to lead the family in all aspects of life, making certain that all members of the family are working towards a home in heaven. In God's plan, the man is the one whom God has chosen to have these responsibilities. The man is commanded to love his wife just like he loves himself. No one hates himself. He loves himself and takes care of himself just like he should love and take care of his wife. The man who loves his wife loves himself. In Ephesians 5:25, men are told to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and sacrificed himself for it. Did Jesus love the church? Yes! He purchased the church with His own blood. That is how much a husband should love his wife. The husband should love and cherish his wife and treat her like a precious treasure, knowing that she is the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7). Finding a wife is a good thing! (Proverbs 18:22). 
• When a husband becomes a father, he should delight or be joyful that he has children (Psalm 137:3-5). In these verses, Solomon compares children to arrows. Just like arrows that must be guided by mighty men, children are to be guided by godly fathers (Proverbs 19:18).The father should rule his own home well (1 Timothy 3:4). What responsibilities fathers have in this life (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4)!
• WOMAN:  The wife has a command, too. She is commanded to submit to her own husband just like she would submit to Christ. Just as she submits to Christ and lets Him lead her through life, this is the same way that she submits to her husband. She should not be bossy or try to rule over her husband. Her job is not to be the head of the family, but to love and support her husband. 
• In Titus 2:4, 5, Paul tells the young women to not only love their husbands, but to love their children, teaching them about God and His love for them (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; 2 Timothy 1:5). The mother takes care of things at home, so that her home is organized and everything runs smoothly. Some women work outside of the home for different reasons, but their main purpose is to love God, love their husband, love their children, and to take care of their home. 
• It is not God's way that children should be raising or training themselves. One of the parents' responsibilities is to keep their children safe, teaching them right from wrong and the rewards or consequences that follow. Discipline is a form of love and mothers know that training their children to do right will only help their children in their lives while they are growing up and after they are grown (Proverbs 22:15).
• CHILDREN:  Children also have responsibilities. They are to love, honor, and respect their parents, so that everything might go well for them in this life and that they might live a long time on this earth (Ephesians 6:1-3). Children should follow the advice of their parents because they know their parents love them, care for them, and always have their best interests at heart (Proverbs 1:8). There is much good advice in the book of Proverbs for children and what they should do to be pleasing in God's eyes.
• A few things that children should do: 
• Remember their father's commands and seek knowledge (Proverbs 2:1-5; 4:1-4).
• Be obedient (Proverbs 3:1-4).
• Be thankful for discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12; 13:24).
• A HOME:  God has always had and still has a plan for the family! Doing everything God's way is always the best way. A refuge from this wicked world, all should find love, forgiveness, and tenderness in their home, always serving the Lord (Joshua 24:15). It was God's idea from the very beginning and it is still God's plan today (Isaiah 55:8, 9). What a blessing a loving, God-centered home is!

"Older Student" Tips:

• Marriage is the oldest institution that God created. Before the nation of Israel and even before the church, marriage was the first institution created by God.  
• There is a description of what makes a marriage and it is found in Genesis 2:24.
• Marriage is for life. God has always hated "putting away" or divorce (Malachi 2:16). Divorce comes from man's way of thinking, not God's. When a man and a woman marry, it is for their entire lives! Marriage is a covenant or a sacred promise, never to be broken, until either the husband or wife dies. Great care needs to be taken when selecting a husband or wife because divorce should never be an option. Marriage is for a lifetime. Also, we need to be careful who we date because those whom we date, we end up marrying.
• Discuss the definition of submit:  To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.
• In today's world, people are not fond of words like 'submit,' 'rule,' or 'responsibilities,' but God does not change (Malachi 3:6). God has always said what He meant and meant what He said. Christians need to change their thoughts to God's way of thinking (John 12:48).

ACTIVITY:  The Family In God's Plan
Materials:  12" x 18" tan construction paper, pink or red construction paper, scissors, crayons, stapler, staples.

1. Hand out tan paper.
2. Placing the paper landscape-style, fold up bottom edge up 4 inches.
   
3. Staple paper on outside edges. 
   
4. Fold paper into thirds.
5. Open folded paper.
6. Staple once on each of the fold lines at the bottom of the paper. This should form three 'pockets.'
7. On both sides of the paper, trace all fold lines with black crayon, even the edge of pocket
   
8. Open paper, so that the 'pockets' are on the backside or bottom and cannot be seen.
   
9. In first box, the student draws a picture of the student's father.
10. In second box, the student draws a picture of the student's mother.
11. In third box, the student draws a picture of himself/herself and their bothers and sisters.
12. Color.
13. In first box, write 'Husband' at the top of the box and 'my father' with an arrow pointing to the father.
14. In second box, write 'Wife' at the top of the box and 'my mother' with an arrow pointing to the mother.
15. In third box, write 'Children' at the top of the box and an arrow pointing to the siblings, writing either 'my sister' or 'my brother' and an arrow pointing to their sibling. Also, write 'me' and an arrow pointing to the student.
    
16. Turn the paper over to the 'pocket' side.
    
17. In the first box, write "Husband/Father' at the top.
18. In the first box, write 'Ephesians 5:21-23,' 'Titus 2:4, 5,' Deuteronomy 6:6-9,' and 'Joshua 24:15' on the pocket.
19. In the second box, write 'Wife/Mother' at the top.
20. In the second box, write 'THE FAMILY IN GOD'S PLAN' on the pocket.
21. In the third box, write 'Children' at the top.
22. In the third box, write 'Ephesians 6:1-3,' 'Ephesians 6:4,' 'Proverbs 22:6,' and '1 Peter 3:7' on the pocket.
    
23. Cut out a few hearts out of the pink or red paper. These are Responsibility Hearts.
    
24. On the hearts, write responsibilities like 'Loves his wife as himself,' 'Loves and submits to her husband,' 'Loves their parents,' 'Respects their parents,' 'Remembers their father's commands,' ' Is thankful for discipline,' 'Teaches God's ways,' etc. Some hearts may be suited for more than one person or 'pocket.' Student chooses where hearts are pocketed.
25. Place the appropriate heart in the matching pocket.
    
26. Fold tan paper with hearts inside pockets and take home.
    

Lesson - Jesus Is The Head Of The Church

VERSES:   Ephesians 1:20-23

MEMORY VERSE:  Ephesians 1:22  "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  "John." In order for the students to memorize the books of the New Testament, write a book each week on a small slip of paper, so the student may take the book home to memorize. This lesson's book to remember is John.

PRAYER: Pray that we have the kind of heart that treasures God's Word and molds our life around His Word, giving up man's traditions and ideas and clinging to God's desires. 

SPECIAL SONG:  No, Not One (see June 2014 -Songs We Sing In Bible Class #6 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)

VISUAL AID:  Draw a Large Activity (see below) on white board or chalk board.

LESSON POINTS:

• When we have a Bible question, where is the best place to go to find the answer? That's right! To the Bible! People can sometimes be wrong or mistaken, but the Bible is never wrong. Never, ever! God keeps His promises and can be trusted (1 Kings 8:56). God has always had a plan for everything. He had a plan for creating the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), He had and has a plan for the family (Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4), and He has a plan for the church. He knows how He wants the church to be ruled and that is by Jesus' Words. We always want to be able to prove what we do by quoting book, chapter, and verse. We speak where the Bible speaks and we are silent where the Bible is silent. In times past, God used to talk to people through the prophets, but how does God talk to us today? Only through His Son, Jesus (Hebrews 1:1, 2). We find His words in the Bible and the Bible only.
• When we look around our cities and maybe even our neighborhoods, we see many buildings that have the word "church" on their signs, but they teach many different things--sometimes conflicting things. How can that be? Does it matter to God how He is worshiped? Did it ever matter to God how His people worshiped Him? Yes. We can think back to the tabernacle and how God was very specific in His commands in building the tabernacle and was even particular about who touched certain things and who went into certain rooms (see May 2014 - Lesson - The Tabernacle on this blog). It definitely mattered to God how He was worshiped in the Old Testament! Let's see if it matters to God how He is worshiped in the church today.
• We may ask, "Who is the one who made up these rules on how to behave in the Lord's church?" or "Who is the head or the one in charge of Jesus' church?" Let's turn our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1 and read verses 20-23. (Read verses.) Who is the head of the church? Jesus is the head. Is Jesus over some things or a few things? No, He is over ALL things in the church. He is the One with the last word on everything in the church because He bought and paid for the church with His own blood. (Acts 20:28). These same verses also tell us that the church is Jesus' body. Jesus is the head of His body. Ephesians 4:4 tells us how many bodies there are--one! That makes sense, doesn't it? One head and one body. Not two or three heads and one body or one head over many bodies. Jesus is the one head over the one body which is the church.
• Some people think that it doesn't really matter what people do to worship God, as long as they "have a good and kind heart and they do the best they can." That is not what it says in the Bible. God wants things done His Way and His Way only. He always has and always will. We need to prove that we are worshiping God according to His Word by singing, praying, partaking of the Lord's Supper, giving, and preaching (see October 2015 - Lesson - How Do Christians Worship God? on this blog). There are always consequences for doing things our way instead of God's Way. We remember what happened to Korah and the men who followed him instead of following Moses like God wanted (see May 2014 - Lesson - Korah's Rebellion on this blog). They and everything that belonged to them were destroyed.
• Jesus said He would build His church (Matthew 16:18). So, who is the head of His church? Jesus is! No other man, council, conference, or group of men can man make changes or rules to the Lord's church. No one died and purchased the church, but Jesus. Jesus has power over all things in the heavens and on the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). That means that Jesus has authority or the 'last word' over all things, especially in His church. Jesus is the only head of His only church and He has all power in heaven and on earth!

"Older" Student Tips:

• We find that Paul has again written another letter to Christians, but this time he has written God's thoughts and instructions to the church at Ephesus. People who lived in the city of Ephesus were called Ephesians. That is why this letter of the New Testament is called "Ephesians." It is a letter to the Christians who were living in the city of Ephesus. We know that the apostle Paul wrote this letter because he signed the letter in the very first verse of the first chapter.
• If we discover that we have been taught wrong, we should adjust our thinking to God's Way instead of man's ideas.
• We should always ask ourselves if we can prove what we do by book, chapter, and verse. This is an excellent way to know if we are pleasing God.
• More verses:
• There is one body - Ephesians 4:4
• The body is the church - Colossians 1:18, 24
• The head of the body is Christ - Ephesians 1:22, 23
• The members of the body are Christians - 1 Corinthians 12:27

ACTIVITY:  One Head Over One Body, The Church
Materials:  8.5" X 11" white bond paper, crayons.

1. Hand out white paper.
2. Fold paper in half.
3. Write "Who Is The Head Of The Church?" on the front of the folded paper.
   
4. Open paper.
5. With dark crayon, trace folded line down the middle.
6. On the left side of the paper, draw a line across the middle of that half of the paper.
7. In top left box, draw three circles. These are heads.
8. In top left box, draw one body under the three heads.
9. In top left box, write "Many heads. One body."
10. In bottom left box, draw one circle. This is a head.
11. In bottom left box, draw three bodies.
12. In bottom left box, write "One head. Many bodies."
    
13. In the box on the right side of the paper, draw one circle. This the head.
14. In the box on the right side of the paper, draw one body.
15. In the box on the right side of the paper, write "CHRIST is One Head. CHURCH is one body."
    
16. Cross out both boxes on the left side of the paper with a red crayon since there are no Bible verses to prove these ideas.
    
17. In the box on the right side of the paper, write " Ephesians 1:20-23" and "Ephesians 4:4."
    
18. Fold paper and take home.

Lesson - We Will Reap What We Sow!

VERSES:  Galatians 6:7-8

MEMORY VERSE:  Galatians 6:7  "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Luke. Write "Luke" on small slips of paper, so the students may take home another book of the New Testament home to memorize.

PRAYER: Pray that we are determined to live in a godly way here on this earth, pleasing God, and helping others.

SPECIAL SONG:  The Wise Man Built His House On The Rock  (See March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)  Adam And Eve In The Garden (See March 2014 - Lesson - Sin In The Garden on this blog. Click on the orange circle to hear tune.)

VISUAL AID:  Write "Galatians 6:7-8" on the white board or chalk board. Explain that 'Galatians' is the 'book,' '6' is the chapter, '7-8' are the verses, and the dash ( - ) means all the verses in between the numbered verses. As the Bible teacher teaches the lesson, "godly" words and "evil" words may be discussed and written on the board, also making it easier for the students to spell the words during the Activity (see below).

LESSON POINTS:

• (This lesson may be designed for older students, but can be made simple for the young ones. Please review to see if the lesson will be understood by your students.)
• God has always had laws or rules. In the very beginning of the pages of the Old Testament, we read about God giving rules to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (see March 2014 - Lesson - Sin In The Garden on this blog). God gave the first man and first woman a command: "You may eat of every tree in the garden, but do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The day that you eat of that tree, you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16, 17). Did Adam and Eve obey God's rules? No, they did not! They listened to the serpent and sinned in the Garden! Is that what God wanted them to do? No. God always wants us to obey Him. When we do what God tells us to do and are obedient to Him, God is pleased, but when we disobey, God is not pleased and there are always consequences that follow that disobedience. Were there consequences for Adam and Eve? Most certainly! In the end, they were banished or sent out of the beautiful Garden of Eden, working among the weeds for their food and having to eventually die a physical death.
• On the other hand, God rewards those who love and obey Him. We remember Abram in the book of Genesis (see March 2014 - Lesson - Abram Obeys God on this blog). God talked to Abram and told him to leave his home and travel to a place where God wanted him to go. Did Abram obey God and travel to a land far away, not knowing where he was going? Yes, he did! He listened to God and obeyed and was blessed by God. Did God reward Abram for his obedience? Yes! He promised that He would make Abram's name great, would make Abram a father of many nations, and through Abram all nations would be blessed. Did God keep His promises? Yes, He did. God always keeps His promises.
• There are many more examples of God blessing those who obeyed Him and even more examples of God's anger toward those who disobeyed Him. But, what determined God's blessings or His anger? The person either chose to obey God or to disobey.  Does God still want us to choose His way and obey His rules? Let's turn our Bibles to a New Testament book--the book of Galatians, chapter 6, and verses 7 and 8. (Read verses.) 
• "Be not deceived" - We are told not to be tricked!
• "God is not mocked" - No one makes fun of God!
• "For whatsoever a man soweth" - whatever someone plants in the ground
• "That shall he also reap" - that exact same thing is what the man will harvest or grow.
• When we plant carrots in this earth, what comes up? Carrots! When we plant watermelons in the dirt, what comes up? Watermelons! One cannot call carrot seeds watermelon seeds and expect to grow watermelons! God cannot be tricked and we, also, should not be tricked! God sets the rules for this physical earth and also for the spiritual. Man cannot change God's laws. 
• Are we sowing seeds of goodness, patience, and love or are we planting seeds of deceit, bitterness, and lies? It matters what is in our "seed packets." It matters what we are sowing and planting because one day, we will reap what we have sown. (Discuss godly and evil seeds that people plant in their lives and what they reap when the fruit of those seeds are harvested.)
• The person who is disobedient to God and plants bad things in his life, like lying and stealing, cannot expect to grow good things and be pleasing to God! God knows what kind of life we are living and knows what types of fruit we will harvest by the seeds we have planted. If we live in a wicked and worldly way, we will reap worldly and wicked fruit, but if we live in an obedient and godly way, then we will reap an everlasting life. What a reward it will be to be in heaven! Let's sow those good things and never the wicked. 

"Older Student" Tips:

• Sometimes people try to trick other people by pretending to live godly, but they are really living a wicked life. These people are called hypocrites. They say one thing, but do another. There will be no hypocrites in heaven. God cannot be tricked. He knows everything.
• Definitions:  "Sow" means to plant; "Reap" means to harvest.

ACTIVITY:  Godly and Evil Sowing 
Materials:  One 9.5 inch long envelope, one 12" x 18 " tan construction paper, scissors, crayons, marker.

1. Hand out one envelope to each student.
2. Lick the envelope and seal it.
   
3. Cut envelope in half. These are the seed packets.
   
4. On one half of the envelope, write "Godly Sowing" and "Galatians 6:7,8." Open side should be facing up.
5. Decorate "Godly Sowing" with cheerful coloring.
6. On the other half of the envelope, write "Evil Sowing" and "Galatians 6:7, 8." Open side should be facing up.
7. Decorate "Evil Sowing" envelope with plain coloring.
   
8. Hand out tan paper.
9. Fold tan paper in half, then in half again.
10. Draw the outline of three large "seeds".
    
11. Cut seeds out, cutting through all four thicknesses of paper. (If this is too difficult for smaller hands, simply draw a total of twelve seeds and cut them out one at a time.)
    
12. On six of the seeds, write six characteristics or deeds that would be considered "godly," such as "love," "joy," "kindness," "helping others," "goodness," and "patience." One deed should be written on each seed. If time permits, the words "The seed of" can be written above each deed.
13. On the other six seeds, write six characteristics or deeds that would be considered "evil," such as "gossiping," "envy," "stealing," "lying," "anger," and "selfishness." One deed should be written on each seed.
    
14. Place all seeds face down in front of the student, so that the words cannot be seen.
    
    
15. One by one, the student chooses a seed and places it in the appropriate seed packet until all seeds are in packets. 
    

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY:  (See October 2014 - Lesson - Ezekiel - Activity for another Activity idea, using this same message.)

Lesson - The Fruit Of The Spirit

VERSES:  Galatians 5:22-23

MEMORY VERSE:  Galatians 5:22, 23.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Mark. Write "Mark" on small slips of paper and encourage the students to memorize the second book of the New Testament at home, so they will be able to recite two books of the New Testament at the next meeting time.

PRAYER:  Pray that we all will develop spiritual fruit of the Spirit as we grow in our life of serving the Lord. May we always let our lights shine, showing that we are godlike.

SPECIAL SONG:   This Little Light Of Mine (see March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog). Be Patient And Kind (see Be Patient And Kind - April 2014 - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog). Click on orange circles to hear the tune of each song. 

VISUAL AID:  White board or chalkboard, writing the "Fruit of the Spirit" at the top of the board and listing the characteristics below the title as the lesson is taught.

LESSON POINTS:

• Note: Even though the fruit of the Spirit covers only two verses in the book of Galatians, there is a whole heap of learning in this short text. This is a subject that can be broken down into many lessons, studying one characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit each week for a series of weeks or for a Vacation Bible School. By studying a Bible story for each characteristic, the students are able to learn how a Bible character or Bible topic can exemplify that particular characteristic. Take a look below to see the characteristic and corresponding Bible story. In case the Bible teacher chooses to teach this lesson as one lesson instead of breaking the fruit of the Spirit down to many lessons, there is one Activity at the bottom of this lesson.

• INTRODUCTION: There are two ways to live in this world and the Bible tells us that the best way is to live God's Way which is a good, wholesome, cheerful, and Christ-like way. There is a great difference in the way the world lives where people live under their own rules-which may not have rules at all-and the way that God wants His children to live.
• Living God's Way is always the best way, but some may wonder how do we know how He wants us to live. How can we find out what pleases our heavenly Father? The Bible tells us everything we need to know! (Second Timothy 3:16, 17). All we need to do is to read. We should always do the best we can in school and learn to read well, so we can read the Bible for ourselves and will not need to rely on others to tell us what pleases God.
• Christians need to know how to behave themselves in this world. We have learned in past lessons that Christians live differently than the world (See Lesson - A Different Life - October 2015 on this blog). Christians live by God's rules, not their own. Let's open our Bibles to book of Galatians, chapter 5, and verses 22 and 23 to see how God wants His children to live. (Read Galatians 5:22 and 23. List the fruit of the Spirit on the board as they are read explaining and defining each quality.)
• LOVE:  A Christian's life is a life of love and everything they do, say, or think should be filled with love! Christians have a tremendous love for God (First John 4: 8, 16), a love for Christ (John 14:15), a love for the church (Romans 12:10), a love for spiritual things (Matthew 6:33), a love for their family (Ephesians 5:22, 25, 6:1,2), a love for their friends (Proverbs 18:24), and even a love for their enemies (Matthew 5:44). 
• Christians are known by their love. They show their love to Christ by keeping His commandments. (John 14:15). Why do Christians love God? Because He first loved us (First John 4:19). Christians live a different life than the world because they are motivated by love. (See October 2015 - Lesson - A Different Life on this blog)
• JOY: A Christian's life should be filled with joy! With so many blessings that the Lord has blessed them with, they should be happy and content. Can we name some of our blessings? (Family, living in peace, protection, enough food, shelter, clothing.) While there are physical blessings such as the ones we just mentioned, Christians also have spiritual blessings. Can we name a few spiritual blessings? (Salvation, prayer, no condemnation, reconciliation.)  
• We remember the lesson about the prodigal son and, after leaving his family and wasting all of his money, he finally returns home to his father, who has continued to watch for his son, hoping for his return. While his son is still far down the road, his father sees his son and he runs to meet him before he ever even gets to the house! What joy his father feels as his wayward son returns home! This same feeling of joy is what the Christian feels as he or she daily continues serving the Lord and knowing that our Father in heaven is pleased. (See March 2015 - Lesson - The Parable Of The Prodigal Son on this blog).
• PEACE:  A Christian's life should be filled with peace.  Christians are not anxious of what is to come (Matthew 6:31, 32), knowing that their heavenly Father will take care of their needs. Christians are content with what they have here on this earth (Philippians 4:11), never being envious of their neighbor and what they own. Christians are a peaceful people, unlike the world (2 Timothy 2:22). 
• There is a great difference in living a stormy, disruptive life and living a life of peace, calm and tranquility. We can see the literal difference of 'peace' and 'no peace' by studying Jesus calming the storm. (See January 2015 - Lesson - Peace, Be Still on this blog.)
• LONGSUFFERING:  A Christian's life is one that is patient or suffers with others a long time as Christ is longsuffering or shows patience to us (1 Timothy 1:16). Christians are patient to those whom they love and those whom are in the world. They walk through life with patience (Ephesians 4:2). They look to Jesus as their example. When someone asks them for their coat, they also give them their cloak, when they are asked to go one mile, they go two miles (Matthew 5:40-42). Christians do not look to this world for their examples, or even to their friends, family, preachers, or elders in the church. They only look to Jesus as their example, not to man (1 Peter 2:21).
• Job is a perfect example of patience or longsufferning. What Job suffered! Yet, Job was patient and never blamed God for his suffering. He never asked, "Why me?" Job's patience is showed throughout his suffering. Christians should follow Job's example in patience. (See October 2014 - Lesson - The Patience Of Job on this blog)
• GENTLENESS:  A Christian is a gentle person, one who listens, who thinks before they speak, and is not easily angered (James 1:19). Christians are to be gentle to all people, those whom they like and those whom they might not care for as much. ALL people means ALL people (2 Timothy 2:24). Christians are kind, calm, tenderhearted, and gentle (Ephesians 4:32).
• When we think of a gentle person, we may think of Jesus. In fact, when we think of any of these characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, we may think of Jesus because He truly was our perfect example in all things. Looking at Jesus' gentleness when the small children came to Him, we know that He loved them and cared for them. We, too, need to show our gentle nature to young and old alike just as Jesus did (See March 2015 - Lesson - Jesus Loves The Little Children on this blog).
• GOODNESS:  A Christian has a good, sincere heart, one who looks for the good in others and finds it, and one who shows their goodness through the way they treat others. Christians show their love of others through doing good works. Helping others should come naturally, choosing to help rather than hinder others. Christians cling to the good and hate the evil (Romans 12:9). 
• In Acts 9, we find that there was a woman named Dorcas who was full of good works. She sewed coats and different types of clothing and gave them to the poor people. What kind of good deeds do we do? How do we help people?  Christians should always be thinking, "How can I help someone?" and finding out how (See May 2015 - Lesson - Dorcas, The Benevolent Seamstress on this blog).
• FAITH:  Christians should be full of faith! Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things unseen. Like many strong Bible characters in Hebrews chapter 11, such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, Christians know that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Christians MUST believe in God and believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 
• Abraham had so much faith in God that he was willing to offer up his son, Isaac, at God's request because he believed that God could raise Isaac up from the dead (Hebrews 11:29). A Christian's faith should never waver (James 1:6). Christians should believe in God and obey Him with their whole heart. (See March 2014 - Lesson - Abraham Offers Isaac on this blog).
• MEEKNESS:  Sometimes people think that the two words, "meek" and "weak" mean the same thing, but they do not. To be meek, one is submissive, obedient, and humble; yet can still be strong. Meekness is one of the beatitudes:  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Christians are commanded to walk worthy...with all meekness (Ephesians 4:2). Christians can be meek and strong.
• Moses was an example of meekness. In fact, at the time Moses lived on the earth, there was not one who was meeker than Moses (Numbers 12:3). Moses' brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, were disciplined because they spoke against Moses, the servant of God. (See May 2014 - Lesson - Miriam And Aaron Forgot God's Ears on this blog).
• TEMPERANCE: A good definition of temperance is having control of yourself. Just think if a Christian possessed all the fruit of the Spirit but could not control himself, all would be for nothing. Christians need to control the words that they choose to say, control what they do, where they go, their anger, and all things in their lives. 
• After Daniel and his three friends were brought to Babylon to serve in the king's palace, Daniel and his friends exercised self-control over what food they ate, so that they would not defile themselves. (See October 2014 - Lesson - Daniel In The Palace on this blog).

"Older Student" Tips:

• Living God's way is an easier life than living the world's way. We can spare ourselves and our families much grief and sadness if we will only listen to what the Bible says instead of doing what we choose in life. The book of Proverbs is a book filled with warnings and words of caution. It would be a good idea to read a few verses of this book each night, so we could digest its words. God loves us and has sent us words of advice. We only need to read the Bible and listen!
• Nine little words--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. There is no law against any of these words. Discuss what "against such there is no law" means.

ACTIVITY:   The Fruit Of The Spirit
Materials:  9" x 12" dark brown construction paper, 6 1/2" x 10" tan construction paper, 9" x 12" purple construction paper, 9" x 12" light purple construction paper, scrap green paper, scrap brown paper, small round dish, scissors, glue, tape, marker.

1. Hand out dark brown construction paper.
2. Fold up 1/2" on all four sides of dark brown paper.
   
3. Cut on two folds on both 'long' sides ONLY. Do not cut the folds on the short sides, too. 
   
4. Fold corners up and tape each side. This should look like a box when finished. This is the frame.
   
5. Set frame aside.
6. Hand out purple and light purple paper.
7. With small round dish on purple paper, trace four circles on the paper.
8. With small round dish on light purple paper, trace five circles on the paper.
   
9. Cut all the circles out. These are the fruit of the Spirit.
10. Hand out tan paper.
11. Arrange circles on tan paper.
    
12. Write "Love" on one circle.
13. Write "Joy" on one circle.
14. Write "Peace" on one circle.
15. Write "Longsuffering" on one circle.
16. Write "Gentleness" on one circle.
17. Write "Goodness" on one circle.
18. Write "Faith" on one circle.
19. Write "Meekness" on one circle.
20. Write "Temperance" on one circle.
21. Glue.
22. Hand out small rectangle of scrap of brown paper.
23. Glue to the the widest side of the fruit. This is the stem.
24. Hand out scraps of green paper.
25. Cut out two leaves.
26. Fold each leaf down the middle.
27. Fold gently from the outside of the leaf to the middle of the leaf. These are the veins of the leaf.
    
28. Glue leaves by the stem. If the leaves are not glued down completely, there will be a 3-dimensional look to the picture that is created.
29. At the top of the tan paper, write "The Fruit of the Spirit" and write "Galatians 5:22, 23" at the bottom of the paper.
    
30. Glue the tan paper to the inside of the dark brown frame.
    
31. Before leaving class, recite the Fruit of the Spirit together with the students reading their own pictures.

Lesson - The Letter To The Galatians - Chapter One

VERSES: Galatians 1:1-12

MEMORY VERSE:   Galatians 1:8  "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Beginning again with the New Testament books, for those who have not learned them, we will strive to memorize all 27 New Testament books. Write "Matthew" on a small slip of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class, instructing them to come back the next week and recite this new book they have learned. In the following weeks, we shall add another New Testament book until the students have, with effort, learned all 27 books.

PRAYER:   Pray that all Christians may hold fast to the God's Word and shun the teachings of false teachers. May we read daily from our Bibles, so that we will know what is truly from God and what is from a false teacher.

SPECIAL SONG:  Read, Read Every Day (see February 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1 on this blog. Click orange circle for the tune of the song.)

VISUAL AID: Bible Map, showing Galatia; Large Activity (see below)

LESSON:

• As we look at this next book or letter to the church at Galatia, we see that the letter was written by the Apostle Paul. How do we know that? Because he signed the letter in the first verse of the very first chapter! (Read Galatians 1:1). We find that Paul calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ in that same verse. 
• Paul was amazed that the church at Galatia had so quickly left the teachings of Christ for false teaching. Many false teachers change the pure and simple words of God to make people sin, sometimes changing only one word. That is what the devil did in Genesis 3. What word did the serpent add to God's Words in Genesis 3? That's right! Only the simple word 'not' in the statement "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). That is exactly what the false teachers were doing in Galatia! They were changing or perverting God's Words by adding their own thoughts or taking away God's Words to come up with something different than what God had intended.
• What did Paul say about what was going on in the church at Galatia? He said something very important! He said even if the apostles or even if an angel came down from heaven and preached any other gospel than what Paul and his companions had preached to the church already to let him be accursed! This message was SO important that Paul said it twice! Let's read it for ourselves. Let's turn to Galatians 1:8, 9 and see what it says. (Read the verses). When God says something once, it is important, but if He says it twice, it is EXTREMELY important!
• Paul went on to say that he was not seeking to please men because if he did, he would not be a servant of Christ. He was not a "men-pleaser," but a "Christ-pleaser." In Galatians 1:12, Paul said that men had not told him what to preach and neither had he been taught what to preach, but he had received the teaching by revelation from Jesus. Paul was an apostle and was definitely special. We do not have apostles any longer because we have the Word of God or the Bible to read and when we read, we can believe or not believe it. In the days when Paul was writing his letters to the churches, he was writing the Bible! The people had no Bible then, so the apostles who were inspired or told what to say by God would teach God's Word to the people. Now, there is no need for apostles because we have the Bible to read for ourselves.

"Older Student" Tips:

• God knows everything. God knew there would be false teachers come and try to persuade Christians to go back to the Old Law which had been taken away with Jesus' death on the cross (Hebrews 9:28; 10:9, 10). He was telling the church at Galatia through Paul that they should not believe any other man's words if he was teaching something different than what Paul and the apostles had already taught the people. If anyone came up with any new thing, they were not to believe them because they were not bringing a message from God! Even if an ANGEL came down from heaven and said something different than what the apostles had taught, they were not to believe the angel either! God says what He means and means what He says. There are always grave consequences for those who do not believe and obey His Word. Everything we need today to be saved is in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). We don't need anything else. There will not be another book, another gospel, another teaching, another prophet, another apostle, anything else sent by God. Only the Bible will judge us in the last day John 12:48). We need to read and obey.
• There are three warnings written in the Bible, commanding people not to add or take away from God's Words. Read Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5, 6; Revelation 22:18, 19. God says what He means and means what He says.

ACTIVITY:
Materials needed:  9" x 12" blue construction paper, two 5" x 5" yellow construction papers, crayons, scissors, stapler, staples, pencil.

1. Hand out blue paper.
2. Lengthwise, fold blue paper up to 3" from bottom.
   
   
3. Vertically, fold paper in half.
   
4. Staple the 3" strip in the middle on the folded line. (A extra long stapler works well, stapling in the middle, but if only a small stapler is available, loosely fold one side of the blue paper, so it will fit into the smaller stapler.)
5. Staple 3" strip on the outside edges of the paper.
   
6. Set blue paper aside.
7. Hand out yellow papers.
8. On one yellow paper, draw a "1," using most of the paper. 
9. On the other yellow paper, draw a "2," using most of the paper.
   
10. Cut both numbers out.
    
11. On the "1," write "But, though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" and "Galatians 1:8."
12. On the "2," write "As we said before, so I say now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" and "Galatians 1:9."
    
13. Set aside the yellow papers.
14. On the outside of the folded blue paper, write "Galatians 1:8, 9."
    
15. Open the booklet.
16. Above the pocket on the left side, write "If God says something ONE time, it is..."
17. On the left pocket, write "IMPORTANT." in red.
18. Above the pocket on the right side, write "But, if God says the same thing twice, then it is..."
19. On the right pocket, write "VERY IMPORTANT!" in red.
    
    
20. Place the "1" inside the left pocket.
21. Place the "2" inside the right pocket.
    
22. Review by reading the booklets with a friend.