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Published by MICULATA, 2019-08-23 23:26:13

Primary Teacher Guide 2019 Q3

Primary Teacher Guide 2019 Q3

A FAMILY-ALIGNED CURRICULUM FOR EVERY GENERATION

TEACHING GUIDE
3RD QUARTER 2019

NEW TESTAMENT OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT

FAITHFUL HISTORY LESSONS LIVING OUT
BELIEVERS FROM THE BIBLE OUR FAITH

TEACHING GUIDE
3RD QUARTER 2019

Volume 1 • Number 3
Editorial Director: Christine Wallington, MDiv
Copy Editors: Gretchen Bethurum, Patty Marruffo, MDiv

Editorial Assistant: Ariana Chadwick
Content Director: Beverly Maravilla, MTS
Design Director: Shawna Campbell, MDiv
Content Developer: Amor Caro Del Castillo, MAT

Design Manager: Robi Gozzo
Financial Director: Manuel Vitug, MDiv, CPA

Executive Director: Isaac Kim, MS
SECC President: Sandra Roberts, DMin
Primary Teaching Guide is published quarterly by Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SECC),
11330 Riverwalk Pkwy, Riverside, California 92505.
Copyright © 2019 SECC, 11330 Riverwalk Pkwy, Riverside, California 92505.
All Rights Reserved. No reproduction permitted without permission under penalty of law.

www.GrowingTogether.church

ORDER INFORMATION

To order products mentioned in this publication,

please call 1-800-328-0525 or an affiliate bookstore.





TEACHING GUIDE

Welcome to the PRIMARY Kids Teaching Guide..............................................................................................2
PRIMARY Kids Components..............................................................................................................................4
Welcome to the Third Quarter..........................................................................................................................5
Talking With Children About Spiritual Matters.................................................................................................6

New Testament—Faithful Believers

July 6, 2016 Lesson 1...............................................................................................................7
Persecution of Stephen

July 13, 2016 Lesson 2.............................................................................................................14
Conversion of Saul

July 20, 2016 Lesson 3.............................................................................................................20
God’s Word Is Spread

July 27, 2016 Lesson 4.............................................................................................................26
Salvation Is for Everyone

Old Testament—History Lessons From the Bible

August 3, 2019 Lesson 1.............................................................................................................31
Word of the Day—Grace

August 10, 2019 Lesson 2.............................................................................................................37
Word of the Day—Presence

August 17, 2019 Lesson 3.............................................................................................................43
Word of the Day—Transformation

August 24, 2019 Lesson 4.............................................................................................................48
Word of the Day—Trust

August 31, 2019 Lesson 5.............................................................................................................54
Word of the Day—Blessings

New Testament—Living Out Our Faith

September 7, 2019 Lesson 1.............................................................................................................60
Keep Believing

September 14, 2019 Lesson 2.............................................................................................................66
Keep Serving

September 21, 2019 Lesson 3.............................................................................................................73
Keep Obeying

September 28, 2019 Lesson 4.............................................................................................................79
Keep Praying

Welcome to the PRIMARY Kids Teaching Guide!

PRIMARY Kids Teaching Guide is a leader’s guide for those who teach grades two and three. This teaching
guide will help you connect with the students in your class and challenge them to learn and apply the truths of
God’s Word. PRIMARY Kids is part of the GT family of Sabbath School/Bible study curriculum for all ages. GT is
a reference to the Scriptural teaching that says parents are to be the primary spiritual leaders for their children
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9). GT curriculum provides a six-year study of the story of the Bible, helping lead the entire
family to interact around the same biblical theme.

The More You Know . . .This section on the front page of every lesson provides helpful information with
regard to the rationale for teaching that unit’s lessons, or interesting background information about the
Scripture text being taught.

Timeline—Many lessons will include a graphic that helps you understand the period of history (both bibli-
cal and secular) in which the lesson is set. This is a good reminder that the Bible is not a book of “stories”
or fables, but rather an accurate historical record.

GT Doorposts—Each lesson will address key principles that frame a biblical worldview. We will identify
how the passage being studied supports a biblical worldview so teachers will be able to reinforce these
foundational concepts in age-appropriate ways.

PRIMARY Kids Teaching Guide is built around the CLEAR Learning System, which uses five important steps to
help students participate in every lesson. These five steps are:

Connect—These opening activities help capture the learners’ attention to help them transition to class
time and be ready to learn how the lesson relates to their lives. Two options are provided so teachers
can choose the activity that best fits their students and their classroom setting.

Learn—What does the Bible say? The Learn section answers this question by digging into the biblical
text and explaining it in ways students can understand.

Explore—The Explore section of each lesson provides additional teaching and reinforcement of biblical
truths presented in the lesson. It provides a helpful perspective for understanding God’s Word.

Apply—The Apply section provides interaction that encourages students to do more than learn facts
and details. It provides emphasis on the application of God’s Word in personal ways.

Respond—The final section in each lesson encourages students to consider specific responses they can
make to the lessons learned. Students are challenged to response from their hearts and take practical
action.

6

Application Verse: GT curriculum has always emphasized a memory verse for elementary students.
However, there is a more intentional focus for students to apply the verse to their lives and not just
memorize the words (James 1:22).

Lesson Objectives: It’s hard to know if you’ve hit the target when you’re not sure what you’re aim-
ing at. That’s why every lesson now includes three objectives that identify the lesson’s threefold
target.

Know—T he biblical knowledge you want your students to learn.
Think—A biblical world view you hope your students will adopt.
Do—The practical understanding of how to apply biblical truths to daily life.

Preparation Checklist: This lists the items needed for the different parts of the lesson
whether it is a Teaching Essential or items needed for activities.

The More You Know . . . This provides the teacher with background information on a
section of Scripture, rationale for teaching this topic to students, or even suggestions
for creative additions to the lessons. Sometimes the more you know, the better you can
prepare.

GT Doorpost: It is important to instill a biblical worldview to students of all ages. The
GT doorposts give an explanation of how the lesson supports a biblical worldview and
helps emphasize the relevance of the principle for the world today.

Take Note: These are additional tips and information you will find helpful when prepar-
ing and teaching the lesson.

Are you making a Home Connection with your kids? Home
Connection is a handout that gives parents a simple way to practice
faith at home by providing:

• A weekly Bible passage to read together as a family
• S uggestions to help you pray together as a family
• S uggested activities to do as a family to put your faith in action

It’s a great tool for parents who want to pass their faith on to their children!

Also, if your church uses GT Curriculum, Home Connection will let you know exactly what each member of
the family is learning in small group, or Sabbath School each week.

7

PRIMARY Kids Components

PRIMARY Kids
Teaching Guide

Application Teaching Essentials
Verse Poster
PRIMARY Kids Teaching Essentials provides
Teaching Pictures the resources needed to most effectively teach
grades two and three. Each kit includes one
PRIMARY Kids Teaching Guide, teaching pictures
and posters, reproducible sheets, application
verse posters, an attendance poster, and repro-
ducible take-home piece, Field Notes.

PRIMARY Kids Field Notes—These are a weekly
link between class and home. These reproducible
sheets are designed to reinforce weekly lessons
and themes through the use of age-appropriate
activities that are used in the class and home.
One side offers a worksheet activity related to
the lesson to be used in the classroom. The other
side provides ideas to do at home to reinforce
the lesson.

Field Notes This side is to be used at home.
Includes a weekly activity for families to
Field Notes do together.

Field Notes are reproducible work- This side is completed in class.
sheets provided in the Teaching
Essentials to be used in class and at
home.

This can be completed in class or at home.
Observations—students will write what they
learned in class.
Response—students will write ways to apply
what they have learned.

8

PRIMARY Student
Quarterly

PRIMARY Student Quarterly is the devo-
tional study guide for students in grades
two and three. It is a tool designed to help
the student establish the habit of spend-
ing daily time with God in His Word. This
magazine features 13 weeks of daily Bible
studies, which help reinforce the themes
of the lessons they learn each Sabbath.
It also includes puzzles, age-appropriate
jokes, short stories, and articles to help
them grow as Christ followers.

Welcome to the Summer quarter!

New Testament—Faithful Believers

What impact did the testimony of Stephen have on Paul? How would the world be different if Paul had not
carried the gospel across the Roman Empire? This study examines how the dedicated service of faithful believ-
ers can turn the world upside down. Believers are challenged to be faithful witnesses in sharing the gospel of
Christ, whether to one or many.

Old Testament—History Lessons From the Bible

What is the value of stories from ancient history? Are these accounts even reliable? This study investigates the
impact of key people in history and their influence on their descendants, world history, and our lives today
with a focus on Jacob and his son Joseph. Their stories provide examples for us to see how God brought His
people through hardships to be a blessing for all nations in a way no man could have orchestrated.

New Testament—Living Out Our Faith

The book of James offers practical instruction on a variety of topics for living out the Christian faith: humility,
temptation, good works, self-control, the power of words, and much more. Students will compare the way
they live with the faith they claim, be challenged to implement their faith in their daily thoughts and actions,
and measure their faith by its impact on their lives and those around them.

9

Talking With Children About Spiritual Matters

One of your most important roles as a church leader to elementary students will be to encourage and guide them in their spiritual
journey. God has given parents the most important and influential role when it comes to influencing a child’s path to salvation, and
leaders at church have the responsibility to support and encourage this process.

Ideally, parents will be the ones to help their kids navigate a decision to follow Christ, but children’s ministry leaders should be pre-
pared and ready when needed. Kids will have questions about faith at random times, so it’s important for everyone on your team to be
trained about leading them to Christ and answering questions they may have. Sometimes kids respond to an invitation for salvation,
but when you talk with them you can tell what they really need is assurance of salvation, help understanding how to fight temptations,
or some other aspect of navigating their walk with Christ. See #4 below for help with those situations.

There are many methods that are effective, but the following provides general guidelines and principles with regard to leading a child
to Christ.

Whenever a child responds, it’s important to discern the reasons for the response and the readiness of the child.

• Ask the child why he responded today (came forward, raised his hand, went to the back of the room, etc.). Don’t make the
assumption the child is responding to a need for salvation. Sometimes kids just want to tell you about an injury or a pet that is
sick. Be careful not to ask leading questions like, “Did you come to become a Christian?” Ask questions that allow the child to
word his reason for responding.

• If the child provides enough feedback to show readiness for this important step of faith, proceed with the next steps. If you do
not feel the child fully understands, listen to why she came and pray with her about her need, but do not proceed. Walking a
child through that decision before she is ready can lead to much confusion and provide a false sense of security in salvation.

Here are some guidelines for talking with children about salvation:

1. We have a problem—we all sin and there’s a penalty for sin.

• What is sin? Sin is anything we think, say, or do that goes against God’s Word. Sin breaks our relationship with God.
• Have you ever sinned? Encourage the child to recognize he has sinned and use the Bible to show that all have sinned (Romans

3:23).
• Do you know what punishment is? Allow the child to respond. The Bible teaches us the punishment for sin means that at some

point everyone will die and be separated from God. It’s a punishment earned because of sin (Romans 6:23).

2. God has a solution to the problem—Jesus took the punishment for sin and made a way to fix our relationship with God.

• God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins (Romans 5:8).
• God offers the free gift of salvation and all who choose that gift can live with Him forever (Romans 6:23b).
• God wants to be our friend and guide us every day!

3. You have a choice to make—Will you receive the free gift being offered to you?

• Nobody can make this choice for you. It’s a personal decision to follow Jesus (Romans 10:9, John 3:16).
• Discuss with the child what these verses mean and ask if she believes these things and wants to receive the gift of salvation. Pray

with her, but encourage her to use her own words to tell God what she is feeling and wants to do.

Children are literal thinkers, so using phrases like, “ask Jesus into your heart,” or “give your heart to Jesus” can be confusing to them.
Be simple and clear when choosing your words.

4. The choice to become a Christian is just the beginning of an exciting journey with the Lord. He is ready to help His children grow
and learn every day. Use these five-word promises from Gods Word to encourage kids along their journey. Encourage them to use
the fingers on one hand to be reminded of these truths.

• God will always forgive me (1 John 1:9).
Children need to be reminded that becoming a Christian doesn’t mean they will never sin again. Some kids think they need to

become a Christian all over again every time they sin.
• God will never leave me (Hebrews 13:5b).
Sometimes kids just need assurance of salvation and a reminder that God is with them even when they cannot physically see

Him.
• The Lord is my helper (Hebrews 13:6).
It’s not easy to fight sin nature and follow Christ. Children often get discouraged if they feel alone.
• I can talk to God (Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7).
Children need to be reminded that God cares about everything they are going through and they can talk to Him about anything.
• The Bible is God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16).
Children need to know the Bible is not just a book about God or His teachings. It is actually God’s Word to us and very useful

for learning to follow Him every day.

10

New Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 1 CHECKLIST
July 6, 2019
LEARN
Persecution
of Stephen q TE 1-3
q W ads of paper to represent
STUDY TEXT: Acts 6:8-15; 7:51-60
stones (these will be used later
LESSON OBJECTIVE: in the lesson, so keep them)

Know: Stephen stayed true to Christ and the gospel even through q Stick-on nametags
persecution.
EXPLORE
Think: Remember God will always be with us.
Do: Follow Stephen’s example and let your words, actions, and q Field Notes NT-1
q Pencils
attitudes reflect Jesus to others.
APPLY
APPLICATION VERSE: John 17:3
q T E 1-1a
THEME: Faithful to the Gospel q T E 1-2
q T E 1-4
q TE 1-5
q Crumpled up paper
q P encils
q T rashcan

RESPOND

q F ield Notes NT-1

The More You Know DAILY BIBLE
READINGS
Stephen is most famously known for being the first Christian mar-
tyr, but did you know he was also one of the first deacons of the Day 1— Acts 6:8-11
early church? The disciples found their days were being consumed Day 2— Acts 6:12-15
by the urgent and demanding physical needs of the people, and it Day 3—1 Peter 4:12-16
was hindering them from praying and sharing God’s Word, so they Day 4— Acts 7:51-54
chose seven men who were Spirit-filled and wise to make sure the Day 5— Acts 7:55-60
people were provided for. It is widely accepted that these seven
men were the first deacons. Their services lay the foundation for
the deacons’ role in the church. Biblically speaking, deacons are
the servants of the church. They are to take care of the sick, poor,
disabled, and widowed of the congregation.

Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethical, illegal,

11and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

Option 1 Notes

Play a quick game of “Would You Rather” with the students to illustrate TE 1-3
that we all have things that we are afraid of or find difficult to do, but
God is with us, and with His help we can do hard things. Ask the students
the following questions and allow time for them to take turns answering
which they would rather do. Would you rather walk through a dark room
alone or eat a plate of cooked cabbage and corned beef? Allow time for
response. Would you rather let a big spider crawl over your arms and
face or go to the doctor for a shot? Allow time for response. Would you
rather walk barefoot in the snow for a mile or go to the dentist to get a
tooth pulled? Allow time for response. We all have fears and things that
scare us, and no one likes to be in a difficult situation. Today we will be
reminded God is always with us, even when we are afraid or have to do
hard things.

Option 2

Begin the activity by sharing about a time when you were very afraid
or one of your fears. Then have the students take turns naming one or
two things they are afraid of or have them describe a scary situation
they have experienced. Who likes to be afraid or in a scary situation?
Most likely the students will say they don’t like to be afraid. Everyone
has something they are afraid of. The Bible is full of stories of men and
women who were afraid, but God was with them, just like He is with
each of us. Today, we are going to learn about a very special man of
God, named Stephen, who had plenty of reasons to be afraid.

Items Needed: TE 1-3

Before class, copy TE 3-3 so each student will have a copy. Write the dif-
ferent names of the cast members on the nametags. Assign the different
roles and give each person the corresponding nametag.

Cast:

Narrator (This can be the teacher if necessary)
Stephen
Jewish leaders
Believing priests
False witnesses
High Priest
Saul

The narrator should stand facing the class, but off to the side. The rest
of the cast should stand with their groups and be ready to act out their
part or read their lines.

12

Notes Narrator: Now the number of believers in Jesus increased greatly. There
were even many priests who believed Jesus was the Messiah.

Believing priests: Silently bow heads, fold hands and mimic praying.

Narrator: All through Jerusalem people talked about Stephen.

Jewish leaders: Whisper behind your hands to each other and point at
Stephen as if you are talking about him.

Narrator: Stephen was filled with faith in God and because of this, he
was given the power to do many wonders and miracles.

Stephen: Mimic wonders and miracles by dramatic gestures with arms
and hands.

Narrator: The Jews met in the synagogue to study the Scriptures.
Stephen would go there to preach, but the some of the Jewish leaders
argued with him and didn’t like his teachings.

Jewish leaders: Act as if you are studying together and argue silently
with Stephen.

Stephen: Mimic preaching to the Jewish leaders.

Narrator: The Jewish leaders tried their best to prove Jesus was not the
Messiah, but God was with Stephen and gave him such wise words to
speak about Jesus that the Jewish leaders could not find anything to
say. This made them very angry.

Jewish leaders: Act silently angry with Stephen with arms folded and
scowling

Narrators: They were so angry with Stephen they hired men to speak
against Stephen to the other Jews and accuse him of things he didn’t
do. Wherever they traveled around Jerusalem, they lied about Stephen.

False witnesses: We’ve been hearing Stephen preach against Moses and
even against God!

Narrator: The people were very upset when they heard these things
and many even believed what the false witnesses said! When the Jewish
leaders heard about it, they grabbed Stephen and took him before the
council.

Jewish leaders: Act silently angry and take Stephen by the arms and
bring him to the council (this can just to the center of the class facing
the tables and chairs).

Narrator: All of the men who were hired to lie about Stephen were there
too. The Jewish leaders asked them to tell the council all they had heard
Stephen say.

False witnesses: Stephen talks all the time about Jesus. He says awful
things about the Temple and the Law. We even heard him say that Jesus
was going to destroy the Temple and change all the laws Moses gave
our ancestors!

Narrator: As the false witnesses were giving their testimony, the rest of
the people watched Stephen. His face shone like the face of an angel,
but they accused him anyway.

13

Stephen: Smile sweetly, looking up, and remain calm. Notes

High Priest: Go to Stephen. Are all of these things true?

Narrator: Stephen was very brave and faced them all. He told the story
of their people from Abraham to Moses to Solomon and reminded them
of how their fathers had disobeyed God’s laws. This made the Jewish
leaders very angry.

Jewish leaders: Silently mimic anger towards Stephen. Then scowl and
shake your fists at him.

Narrator: Stephen knew what he had said put his life in danger, but he
was not afraid.

Stephen: You stiff-necked people! You are no better than your fathers!
You resist the Holy Spirit just as they did. They killed God’s prophets,
but you killed Jesus, the Messiah!

Narrator: The Jewish leaders were very angry with Stephen and could
not believe he was accusing them of doing the wrong thing. They made
threats against Stephen, but Stephen did not worry.

Jewish leaders: Continue to silently mimic anger towards Stephen.

Narrator: To help Stephen be brave enough to face his enemies, God
allowed Stephen to see into Heaven so he could see Jesus.

Stephen: Raises hands and looks up to Heaven. I see the heavens
opened up and Jesus standing at the right hand of God!

Narrator: When they heard this, the Jewish leaders cried out loudly and
covered their ears so they would not have to hear Stephen’s words.

Jewish leaders: Silently, but dramatically, cover your ears as though you
can’t bear to hear any more.

Narrator: Suddenly, the Jewish leaders ran to Stephen, grabbed him,
and dragged him outside Jerusalem’s gate.

Jewish leaders: Silently take Stephen to the door of the classroom.

Narrator: All of the men who lied about Stephen took off their coats and
laid them at the feet of Saul. Saul hated Christians and wanted to stop
people from teaching about Jesus.

Saul: Lean casually against the wall with arms folded.

False witnesses: Silently mimic taking off coats and laying them at Saul’s
feet.

Narrator: The enemies of Stephen began to pick up stones and throw
them at him. But even through this, Stephen did not stop being brave.

False witnesses: Silently begin to throw stones at Stephen.

Stephen: Lift your hands and eyes toward Heaven. Lord Jesus, take me
to Heaven!

False witnesses: Continue to throw stones at Stephen until he falls down.

14

Notes Stephen: Kneel down, but keep your eyes and arms toward Heaven.
Lord, do not punish these men for this sin. Lay down as though you
have died.

Narrator: Soon, Stephen died and his spirit was with God in Heaven.
When Stephen’s friends heard about his death, they took his bruised
and bleeding body and buried it with tender care. They were so sad that
Stephen, who had bravely given his life to preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, was dead.

Believing priests: Kneel beside Stephen and mimic crying and sadness.

Items Needed: Field Notes NT-1
Pencils

Before class, copy Field Notes NT-1 for every student. Stephen was
the first person to die for believing in Jesus. When someone is killed
because of his or her faith, he or she is called a martyr. Stephen was
stoned to death. It is exactly what it sounds like—accusers throwing
rocks at the accused until he or she dies. Sounds like a truly horrible
way to die, doesn’t it? Stoning was actually a method of punishment
that was used in those days. Speaking disrespectful things about God,
working on the Sabbath, worshiping false gods, and children rebelling
against their parents were all some of the reasons one might have been
stoned in those days.

In most countries today, stoning is against the law. However, in some
places Christians are still stoned because of their belief in Jesus Christ.
It still happens in many countries. Sadly, believers on almost every con-
tinent face dangers because they believe in Jesus. They face persecu-
tion—being treated badly because of their faith—and sometimes death
because they refuse to stop believing in Jesus. Persecution happens to
all ages, male and female, rich and poor. We are so fortunate to live in a
country where we can still state our belief in Jesus without fear of being
stoned or persecuted in other physical ways. We need to remember
how fortunate we are and be thankful for that. But more importantly,
we need to pray for believers all around the world who are in danger
because they are Christians. We must pray that God will give them cour-
age in difficult situations, and ask Him for His protection over them.

Distribute Field Notes NT-1 to students along with pencils. Be sure to go
over the answers with the students to ensure they answered the ques-
tions correctly.

Field Notes NT-1

15

Items Needed: TE 1-1a Application
TE 1-2 Verse
TE 1-4—TE 1-5 Poster
Crumpled up paper
Pencils TE 1-4
Trashcan Application

Distribute two of the crumpled up pieces of paper (stones) to each stu- Verse
dent. Have students “uncrumple” the papers and set them aside. Activity
Pieces
Sometimes, God asks us to do really difficult things. As we saw earlier TE 1-5
in our lesson, Stephen was called to preach the truth of God’s Word to
unbelievers. He knew it would make the Jewish leaders upset, but he TE 1-1a
did it anyway. Display TE 1-4 and introduce the application verse for this
month by reading it with the students. Our verse for this month tells us TE 1-2
we can only know God through Jesus Christ who died on the cross for
us. Say the verse with the students several times to help them learn it.
Place the pieces from TE 1-5 on a table, and allow the students to work
together to put them in the correct order. Say the verse together again.
Then have the students close their eyes. Choose one student to turn one
of the pieces over. Whisper in the student’s ear not to turn over the piece
with the words Jesus Christ. Then have the students open their eyes and
say the verse again. Repeat the activity until the only piece left visible is
the one that says Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only way anyone can
have eternal life in Heaven.

Think of a situation that was difficult or scary for you or something dif-
ficult or scary that you are currently facing. Write it on one of the sheets
of paper. Allow a few moments for the students to do this. Stephen
faced a very difficult situation, but he was courageous, and God gave
him wise words. God doesn’t ask us to face scary or difficult tasks alone.
He tells us He will be near us and help us. All of us have been hurt by
someone else’s words or actions. Think of something someone said or
did to you recently that hurt you. Write it on the other sheet of paper.
Allow a few moments for the students to do so.

Display TE 1-2. Each week, we will learn about people in the Bible who
were faithful believers of Jesus. They shared what they knew to be true
about Jesus to help others have eternal life with Him. Add TE 3-1a to
TE 1-2. Today we learned from Stephen the importance of forgiveness.
While Stephen was in the process of being stoned to death, he prayed
God would forgive those who stoned him. Even when Jesus was dying
on the cross, He prayed God would forgive those who put Him there.
What great models of forgiveness for us!

Place the trashcan in the center of the room. We are going to take turns
throwing our stones away by asking God to help us to face scary times,
and then asking Him to help us forgive those who do wrong to us. When
it is your turn, you should stand at the trashcan, crumple the first piece
of paper, and as you throw it in the trash say, “I’m afraid of ___________,
but with Your help, God, I can face it.” Explain that if they don’t want to
say it aloud, they may do this silently. Then you will crumple your second
piece of paper, and as you throw it in the trash say, “With Christ’s help,

16

Field Notes NT-1 I forgive _____ for ______.” Again, if the students do not wish to say it
aloud, allow them to say it silently. Continue until each student has had
the chance to throw both of his or her papers away. Forgiving someone
who hurt you does not mean what that person did was right or that you
weren’t hurt. What the people did to Stephen was definitely wrong, and
their actions led to his death. But what forgiveness does mean is that
you are giving up the right to punish or get that person back for what
he or she did to you. Stephen chose to forgive the people and let God
handle it. You may not feel any differently when you choose to forgive
someone, but God hears your prayers. Every time you have bad feel-
ings toward that person, pray and ask for God’s help to keep forgiving
that person.

Items Needed: Field Notes NT-1

Sometimes, we focus so much on what others have done to hurt us or
said about us that we forget how our words and actions have hurt God.
When we begin following Him, He forgives us for our sins. However, we
need to remember to ask Him every day to forgive us for the sins we
commit. We can learn from Stephen’s example how our lives can show
the gospel to others. It is not just through our words that others see
Jesus, but also through our actions and attitudes. Have students turn
to the Next Step section on their Field Notes. Your Next Step is to fol-
low Stephen’s example and let our words, actions, and attitudes reflect
Jesus to others. End class with prayer for your students.

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your example of forgiveness. It is hard to
forgive when others hurt us, and we realize that we hurt You often with
our actions and words. We ask that You forgive our lying tongues, our
mouths that spew angry words, our tongues that spread untruths about
others or say words that are inappropriate or hurtful. We ask that You
forgive us when we take something that isn’t ours or go somewhere
we shouldn’t go. We want to do better and be more like You. Help us
be more faithful to read Your Word and pray. Help us to be strong and
courageous in our faith. Help us to forgive others, just as You forgive
us. We love You, Lord, and can’t thank You enough for forgiving us and
loving us.

17

New Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 2 CHECKLIST
July 13, 2019
CONNECT
Conversion of Saul
Option 1
STUDY TEXT: Acts 9
q TE 1-6
LESSON OBJECTIVE:
Option 2
Know: Saul’s eternal life was changed when God temporarily blind-
ed him. q T E 1-7

Think: God extended grace to Saul, and He does the same for me. LEARN
Do: Think about how your actions reflect your relationship with
q T E 1-8
Christ.
EXPLORE
APPLICATION VERSE: John 17:3
q T E 1-1b
THEME: Power of the Gospel q TE 1-2

APPLY

q T E 1-4
q TE 1-9
q Field Notes NT-2
q P ermanent marker
q P ens
q C rayons

The More You Know RESPOND

Jesus Christ paid the price for the sin of humanity, enabling all q F ield Notes NT-2
people to restore their connection to their Creator. This is the gos- q Mirror
pel. It’s more than just information in a book. It’s a treasure map, a
cure, a password, and a victory. It’s a problem solved and a wrong DAILY BIBLE
righted. It’s not a safety net; it’s a revolution. It’s not a healing; it’s READINGS
a metamorphosis.
Day 1— Acts 9:1-6
The gospel is not just an account of Jesus’ life. It’s the answer to a Day 2— Acts 9:7-13
6,000-year-old question. It’s a solved mystery. It’s the climax of the Day 3— Acts 9:15-19
epic battle of good versus evil. It’s full of power and excitement Day 4— Acts 9:20-22
and glory, and it is a real today as it was when it happened. When Day 5— Acts 9:26-28
you speak of the gospel, speak of it with the power that it holds.
Don’t reduce it to words on a page or it will lose its meaning alto-
gether.

18 Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethical,
illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

TE 1-6 Option 1
TE 1-7
Items Needed: TE 1-6

Before class, cut apart the pictures from TE 1-6. Display the four pictures
to the students. What do these pictures have in common? Allow time
for response. They are all related to grace. Do any of you know what
the word grace means? Allow time for response. Grace is undeserved
favor. Display the picture of the gift. Grace is a gift. It’s not something
you get because you deserve it. If we each received what we deserved
from God, it would be terrible. But instead, God shows us His favor and
gives us the gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8). Display the picture of the cross.
It is because of Jesus dying for our sin that we have grace (Romans
5:17). Display the picture of the water bottle. Just as the water in the
bottle is pure, so is grace. It is not because of anything we can do, but
only through the work of God (Ephesians 2:9). Display the picture of the
heart. Grace is God’s love in action. God does not show us His grace
because of our love for Him; rather He gives grace to show us His great
love for us. Our lesson today is about a man named Saul who experi-
enced God’s grace in a most unusual way.

Option 2

Items Needed: TE 1-7

Read the story about John Newton from TE 1-7 to the students. Do
any of you know what the word grace means? Allow time for response.
Grace is undeserved favor. Write the acrostic God’s Riches At Christ’s
Expense on the white board. Why did John Newton need God’s grace?
Allow time for response. Why do we need God’s grace? Allow time
for response. We are all living in darkness without Jesus. We cannot
save ourselves; only Jesus can do that. Today we will learn about a
man named Saul who did some horrible things to people who followed
Jesus. But then the light changed his life.

Saul is a great example of Items Needed: TE 1-8
how I cannot save myself,
I need a Savior. Before class, make five copies of TE 1-8. Divide the students into five
groups, and give each group a copy of TE 1-8. Encourage the groups to
TE 1-8 use emotion in the Reader’s Theater. Consider taping the performance
to share with parents. Another option is to have the students practice
the Reader’s Theater and then perform it for the Adventure Kids’ classes.

Reader 1: Our story starts with a man named Saul
Who believed that God on high
Told Jewish rulers and himself
“Jail the Christians! They must die!”

Readers 1, 3, 4, & 5: (March in place while Reader 2 reads the next part)

19

Reader 2: He marched to Damascus with a plan Notes
He wanted to cause a fuss.
He wanted to find Christians there
And stop them from talking about Jesus.

Reader 3: As he walked a bright light shone! (Readers 1, 2, 4, & 5
shield your eyes)

Saul collapsed there in the way.
He could not stand, for he was blind
God had taken his sight away.

Reader 4: Saul heard a voice speak very loud,

Reader 5: “Why do you persecute Me?”

Reader 4: Saul stammered, “Who are You, Lord?”

Reader 5: “It’s Jesus. You know it’s Me.”

Reader 5: “I’m Jesus, the one you hate.
Hear what I say to do:
Keep traveling to Damascus,
I’ll send some help for you.”

Reader 2: Saul’s men stood by, but had not heard
Jesus speaking to Saul so clear.
They saw the light, and understood not
They trembled much with fear.

Reader 3: With speed they raised Saul to his feet
And quickly marched away.
On to Damascus they would go,
To help Saul find his way.

Reader 1: For days he would not eat or drink
Saul much too weak to walk.
He did not know what he should do.
He would not even talk!

Reader 3: God sent a man who loved Jesus,
Ananias was his name,
To meet poor Saul and be his friend,
To say, “God loves you just the same.”

Reader 1: Ananias touched Saul’s head,
His eyes were healed and he could see.
It was a miracle from God!
Saul’s heart was filled with glee!

Reader 2: Ananias baptized Saul that day
Gave him food to make him strong.
Saul said to him, “The time has come.
I must now move along.”

Reader 4: “It’s time for me to share the news

Jesus, my heart, has stirred!
I have to leave you friend
To go and preach God’s Word!”

Reader 1: Saul traveled to Jerusalem
To meet Jesus’ faithful friends.
These men he once tried to kill

20

Notes Were scared to make amends.

TE 1-1b Reader 3: But Barnabas knew that God could change
TE 1-2 The sinner known as Saul.
God changed his heart, and changed his life,
Then changed his name to Paul!

Reader 2: Paul and Barnabas preached the Word.
Many people heard them say.

Reader 1: “Come know Jesus like we do.
Believe in Him this very day!”

Reader 2: They traveled many miles,
On land, sometimes by sea.

All Readers: “Won’t you (point to the class) believe in Jesus?
He died for you and me!”

Items Needed: TE 1-1b
TE 1-2

Add TE 1-1b to TE 1-2. This week’s word is grace. Do any of you
know what the word grace means? Allow time for response. It means
underserved favor. Do you think Saul deserved grace? Allow time for
response.  Saul didn’t deserve God’s grace, but that’s exactly what
grace is! It’s getting something you don’t deserve. God’s Word tells us
in Ephesians 2:8 that His grace is a gift! You don’t earn a gift. It’s freely
given to you. God offers the same grace He gave Saul to us. Saul was a
sinner saved by grace, and so are we. When Saul met Jesus on the road
to Damascus, he was reborn. What does reborn mean? Allow time for
response. He was saved from the old way he lived and was being shown
the right way to live. Why do you think God allowed Saul to be blind
for a couple of days? Allow time for response.  Saul was a very proud
person. He depended on himself a lot and thought no one could make
things happen as well as he could. God wanted to show Saul that Saul
was not in control. Only God is. It was probably good for Saul not to
have his sight so all he could do was listen to God.

To show God had changed his heart and he now believed in Jesus,
Saul was baptized. What is baptism a symbol of?  Allow time for
response. Baptism is a way for us to tell others we have let Jesus change
us, just like Saul did. Saul was now known as Paul. He changed so drasti-
cally that it was hard for others to believe, but eventually they were con-
vinced. Paul became a missionary to the Gentiles and spend the rest of
his life living for Christ and preaching His Word.

21

Items Needed: TE 1-4 Field Notes NT-2
TE 1-9
Field Notes NT-2 TE 1-9
Permanent marker
Pens Application
Crayons Verse
Poster
Before class, copy Field Notes NT-2 so each student will have one. We can
learn so much from Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus. When TE 1-4
Saul was on his way to Damascus, God stopped him with a bright light.
What does the red light on a stop light mean? Allow time for response.
It means we should stop. God brought Saul to a stop in his life! This was
very important. Saul had to stop so he didn’t cause any more trouble for
the Christians. Just like a red light keeps us from crashing into other cars
and harming others and ourselves, Saul had to be stopped right where
he was so he didn’t continue living the way he was living. Distribute Field
Notes NT-2 to students along with pens. Allow them to write the words
inside the traffic light as you discuss each point. If time allows, distribute
crayons and let the students color the traffic light.

Display TE 1-9 and point to the red light. Write believe on the red sec-
tion. When Saul was blinded, he realized who Jesus was and he learned
to believe. What are some other things that happened to Saul while he
was stopped? Allow time for response. Saul began to understand and
trust Jesus.

After Saul was stopped and blinded, this changed his path. He had to
slow down and wait for three days for God to heal him of his blindness.
Point to the yellow light on TE 1-9. Write wait on the yellow section. Just
like a yellow light on a stop sign slows us down and makes us proceed
with caution, Saul had to slow down and he learned to wait. I am sure
Saul was ready to see again and move along, but this time allowed him
to really understand what had happened. Because he couldn’t see, he
had to pay close to attention to hear what God wanted him to learn.

After Saul’s sight was restored and he regained his strength, God gave
him the green light. Point to the green light on TE 1-9. Write go on
the green section. What does the green light mean? Allow time for
response. Of course! It means go. God taught Saul what he needed to
know and when the time was right, God told him to go. God wanted
Saul to serve and follow Him by taking action.

Display TE 1-4 and review the verse with the students. Our verse tells us
there is only one true God. We know God by knowing Jesus. The only
way to have eternal life is to accept Jesus, God’s Son, whom He sent
to die for our sin. We can believe with confidence that this is the truth.
Saul’s life was forever changed when he accepted the truth of who Jesus
was, and ours will be too. Then explain that as a radio or television has
a volume control, you will all say the verse softer and louder according
to the volume indicated. The simplest way to do this is to use your hand
and raise it higher (to indicate louder) and lower (to indicate softer).
Alternate the volume throughout the verse either gradually or drastically.
Repeat the activity several times.

22

Notes Items Needed: Field Notes NT-2
Mirror
Field Notes NT-2
Saul was a very smart man who really wanted to follow God. However,
his ways were full of hate, and the Jewish leaders misguided him.
Sometimes, people can be very serious about what they believe, but
they are still very wrong. Saul was not in God’s will. What does being
in God’s will mean? Allow time for response. If you are in God’s will,
then you have asked God to guide you and are following His purposes
for your life. Saul was listening to the Jewish leaders instead of God.
He was doing what he wanted to do, and not serving God. But what
happened on the road to Damascus changed all of that. Saul, who once
persecuted anyone who followed Jesus, now was one of those very
people. Isn’t it interesting how people can change once they believe in
Jesus? When we place our faith in Jesus, He changes us if we let Him.
God has a purpose for each believer as he or she follows and serves
Him. What kind of person would you like to be? As believers in Jesus,
we need to be different than those who don’t believe. Maybe you want
to be a more patient to a brother or sister or be a more obedient son
or daughter. Perhaps you’d like to be a better friend or a more honest
student. All of these are ways that would help us show the world that
we are different. Display the mirror. We are like a mirror—others should
be able to see Jesus in you. What purpose do you think God has for
your life? You may not be sure just yet what God wants for you to do
for Him when you grow up, but you can start preparing now by being a
good listener to His Word and by honoring Him with your actions and
words. Have students look at the Next Step section of their Field Notes.
Your Next Step this week is to think about how your actions reflect your
relationship with Christ. Do you demonstrate grace to others? Do you
use opportunities to share the gospel with others? Let’s pray together
about what we’ve learned today.

Dear Lord, it is really wonderful how we can learn lessons from the lives
of people who lived so long ago. Thank You for giving us examples of
how You can change a person’s heart and give grace. Help us to pay
attention to those times You stop us so we can learn from our mistakes.
Help us not rush through the hard lessons, but slow down and pay
attention to Your Word. Please give us a strong desire to go when You
tell us and to follow Your leading. I pray that if someone here in this
class doesn’t know You as Savior, You would help that person be brave
and ask You to be Lord of his or her life. Thank You for changing us and
giving us grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

23

New Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 3 CHECKLIST
July 20, 2019
CONNECT
God’s Word Is Spread
Option 1
STUDY TEXT: Acts 13
q Inflatable beach ball
LESSON OBJECTIVE:
Option 2
Know: Paul and Barnabas shared God’s Word with others.
Think: Remember to show God’s love to others through your words q C ards or pictures of missionaries

and actions. your church supports
Do: Listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and obey Him by sharing
LEARN
Jesus with someone this week.
q T E 1-10
APPLICATION VERSE: John 17:3 q TE 1-11
q TE 1-12
THEME: Spreading the Gospel q T E 1-13
q T E 1-14
q F ield Notes NT-3
q C olored pencils

EXPLORE

q TE 1-15

APPLY

q TE 1-4
q T E 1-5

The More You Know RESPOND

The last thing Jesus told the disciples before He ascended back to q T E 1-1c
Heaven was to go into the entire world and make disciples. Some of q T E 1-2
the disciples went here and there, but no one went very far from Jeru- q F ield Notes NT-3
salem. That is, until Paul, along with Barnabas and Mark, went.
DAILY BIBLE
Barnabas was a prominent Jewish Christian in Jerusalem. The book READINGS
of Acts tells us that when Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conver-
sion, Barnabas is the one who embraced him and introduced him to Day 1— Acts 13:2-5
the leaders in the Jerusalem church (9:27). Paul and Barnabas spent Day 2—Acts 13:6-12
a year together working to establish the church in Antioch, and were Day 3— Acts 13:16-19, 22-26
chosen by God travel to several cities to spread the gospel. Day 4— Acts 13:38-43
Day 5— Acts 13:44-49
Mark, sometimes referred to as John Mark, was Barnabas’ cousin and
came along. Most likely Barnabas was mentoring and discipling Mark
and wanted him to come along as a part of his training, like an intern-
ship. This is the same Mark that wrote the Gospel of Mark, which is
generally considered to be Peter’s account of his time with Jesus.

24 Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethical,
illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

Notes

Option 1

Items Needed: Inflatable beach ball

Let’s play a quick game. I am going to toss the ball to one person. When
you get the ball, name a place you might go during the week. You can’t
hold the ball for more than a couple of seconds before passing the ball
to someone else. The only time you name a place is when you have the
ball in your hand. It’s okay if some of the answers are repeated. Allow
this game to go until everyone has a chance to name a few places. You
should hear places such as: school, grocery, bank, hair salon, dentist, ball
practice, friend’s house, etc. Every week, we go a lot of places and see
a lot of people. Think about all of those places you go. Do you ever tell
people you meet there about Jesus? Allow time for response. What if
we went to four places every day of the week and we told one person
about Jesus in each place? At the end of the week, 28 people would
have heard about Jesus! At the end of the month, 112 people would
have heard about Jesus from you! At the end of the year, you would
have told over 1,400 people about Jesus! Wow! In our lesson today,
we will learn about Saul, now called Paul, who preached about Jesus
wherever he went.

Option 2

Items Needed: Cards or pictures of missionaries your church supports

What is a missionary? Allow time for response. A missionary is someone
who tells others about Jesus. Do any of you know anyone who is a mis-
sionary? Allow time for response. Take time to share some pictures of
missionaries and show on a map or globe where they are serving. If you
have missionaries in your church who are home for rest, consider asking
them to make a quick appearance in the class so the students can meet
a real missionary. Be sure to point out that they are just like us! Many
of these missionaries live far away from their homes and families. They
have dedicated their lives to serving God, learning new languages, and
telling people about Jesus. Did you know you don’t have to travel any-
where to be a missionary? Allow time for response. God called all of us
to be missionaries. There are people all around us who have never heard
about Jesus. We need to share God’s love with those people and help
them learn about Him. In our lesson today, we will learn about Saul, now
called Paul, who preached about Jesus wherever he traveled.

25

Items Needed: TE 1-10—TE 1-14 The ministry of Paul and
Field Notes NT-3 Barnabas are examples of
Colored pencils how God established the
church to make disciples
Before class, copy Field Notes NT-3 so each student will have one. Does and transfer the faith.
anyone remember what we learned about last week? Allow time for
response. Guide the class into recounting the story of Saul’s conversion Field Notes NT-3
and God’s renaming of him to Paul.
TE 1-10
Paul became a missionary. Do any of you know what a missionary is?
Allow time for response. A missionary is someone who tells others about TE 1-11
Jesus. Paul left his home and went many different places so he could tell
people about Jesus. The book of Acts tells us all about the places Paul TE 1-12
went as a missionary to tell others about Jesus.
TE 1-13
Our Scripture for this lesson is Acts 13. Paul was a teacher at a church
in Antioch with some of his friends, including Barnabas. They spent
their days getting to know God better and better by worshiping God
through fasting and prayer. Do you know what fasting is? Allow time
for response. Sometimes believers will not eat or drink for a certain
amount of time so they can focus on praying to God. While they were
fasting, Paul and his friends asked God to show them the best choices
to make with their time. If God wanted them to stay, they would stay. If
He wanted them to go, they would go. Paul and Barnabas just wanted
to do what God wanted them to do. They asked the Holy Spirit to show
them what God wanted. Distribute Field Notes NT-3 along with colored
pencils to the students. Have them fill in the blanks and then color the
picture of Paul and Barnabas.

Display TE 1-10 and refer to the first point. Paul and Barnabas were pre-
pared. They had prepared their hearts by praying, fasting, and asking
other teachers who loved Jesus what they should do. Paul and Barnabas
took the time to seek God and find out what He wanted them to do
first. The Holy Spirit sent them away from the church at Antioch to tell
other people who did not have churches about what Jesus had done
for them.

Refer to the second point on TE 1-10. Paul and Barnabas were focused.
They knew what their jobs were, and they didn’t get distracted. They
told as many people as they could the good news about Jesus! Once,
Paul and Barnabas went to a place called Paphos on the island of Cyprus.
Display TE 1-11. In Paphos, Paul and Barnabas met a man there who
pretended to love God. His name was Elymas, and he told lies about
Jesus. Elymas worked for an important ruler named Sergius. Sergius
did not know much about God, but he had lots of questions about Him.
Elymas gave Sergius lots of wrong answers to his questions. Sergius
was a Gentile. Does anyone remember what a Gentile is? Allow time for
response. A Gentile was someone who was not Jewish. Gentiles did not
grow up learning about God the way Paul and Barnabas did. Display TE
1-12. When Sergius heard Paul and Barnabas were in town, he asked
them to come to his palace and talk with him about God and Jesus.
Display TE 1-13. Elymas did not want Sergius to know about Jesus. He
tried to keep Sergius from hearing what Paul and Barnabas had to say.
Because God was on Paul’s side, he told Paul to look at Elymas and say,

26

TE 1-14 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of God! You are full of lies
TE 1-15 and tricks. You are going to be blind because of your lies and tricks!”
This sounds familiar doesn’t it? That’s similar to what happened to Paul
before he believed in Christ! Display TE 1-14. Elymas lost his sight and
had to be led away by someone else. Since Elymas could no longer tell
lies about God to Sergius, Paul and Barnabas were able to tell him the
truth about Jesus, and Sergius believed!

Refer to the third point on TE 1-10. Paul and Barnabas were brave.
Sergius thought Elymas was his true friend. Paul and Barnabas were
taking the risk of making Sergius mad when they called his friend a liar.
Sergius could have put Paul and Barnabas in jail just because he wanted
to, but Paul and Barnabas cared more about Sergius knowing the truth
than they did about staying safe. They wanted to show Sergius that
Elymas wasn’t a true friend. Because Paul and Barnabas were brave and
bold enough to tell the truth, Sergius chose to follow Jesus.

After Sergius believed the truth about Jesus, Paul and Barnabas left
Cyprus. They had other people who needed to hear the truth about
God! This time Paul and Barnabas were invited to tell some Jewish
people about Jesus. Remember that Jewish people knew a lot about
God—they were not like the Gentiles—but they didn’t know what to
think about Jesus. Some of them thought Jesus was lying when He said
He was God’s Son. Others were curious about Jesus and wanted to
know more. Paul told the Jewish people that everything God did for His
people in the stories we have in the Old Testament was to make a way
for Jesus to come and free everyone who wanted to be free from their
sin. Some of the Jewish people were angry at what Paul and Barnabas
taught. They were jealous because so many people were listening to
what Paul and Barnabas had to say. They were very mean to Paul and
Barnabas and began to persecute them. Paul told the mean Jews that
they had had the opportunity to hear about Jesus first, but because
they weren’t interested in the truth, he and Barnabas would preach
to the Gentiles. This made the Gentiles so happy and many of them
became believers!

Refer to the last point on TE 1-10. Paul and Barnabas were full of joy.
Paul and Barnabas could have become frustrated and worried because
of the people who did not want to know about Jesus; especially when
they were mean about it. But they stayed close to the Holy Spirit and
were filled with joy because they followed God and saw all of the great
things He did in those who wanted to know about Jesus.

Items Needed: TE 1-15

Display TE 1-15. As Paul and Barnabas traveled around, they often were
able to preach in synagogues. A synagogue is where Jewish people
gathered for worship and to learn about God. The Jewish teachers
would teach people from what we call the Old Testament so they could
know all about what God had done for them, the Jewish people. They
learned all about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s 12 sons, David, and
all the other Jewish men who loved God, but they did not learn about
Jesus. Paul loved going into synagogues and telling people who loved

27

God so much about His Son, Jesus. He wanted the Jewish people to Notes
know God was still doing great things for them.
Application
As some Jewish people began to believe in Jesus, the other Jewish Verse
people no longer wanted them in their synagogues, so Christian Jews Poster
started churches on their own. Gentiles weren’t allowed in synagogues
so they had to start their own churches too! TE 1-4
Application
Items Needed: TE 1-4—TE 1-5
Verse
Have you ever felt like you were asked to do something that was just Activity
too hard? Allow time for response. What would have made it easier? Pieces
Allow time for response. Sometimes we are asked to do things that TE 1-5
seem too difficult for us. Do you think Paul and Barnabas thought what
they were doing was too hard? We don’t really know, we can only put
ourselves in their place and imagine how we would feel. The leaders
had been praying and fasting, and knew someone needed to go and
tell others about Jesus. God set the missionaries apart for the task and
He prepared them. He also sent many people through the years to help
and encourage Paul when things became difficult. God worked all these
things out for Paul. We can trust that if God asks us to do something,
He is going to help us accomplish our task.

Display TE 1-4 and review the verse with the students. Paul and Barnabas
understood the importance of this verse. They knew we have to believe
in Jesus to know God. The only way to have eternal life is through God’s
Son, Jesus. Mix up the words from TE 1-5 and place them on a table on
one side of the room. Line up the students on the opposite side of the
room. Explain that when you say, “Go,” the first student will run to the
table, find the first words of the verse, and put the strip at the top of the
table before running back. The next person in the line will then run to the
table, find the second set of words to the verse, and put that strip next to
the first. Continue the activity until all of the words to the verse are in the
correct order. Have the class say the verse together to end the activity.

28

TE 1-1c Items Needed: TE 1-1c
TE 1-2 TE 1-2
Field Notes NT-3
Field Notes NT-3
Add TE 1-1c to TE 1-2. This week, we learned Paul and Barnabas shared
Notes God’s Word as they traveled from city to city. We learned we are to
share God’s Word and tell others about Jesus too. What are some ways
we can do that? It may feel awkward to just walk up to someone and
say, “Hey, do you know Jesus?” or “Do you want to be a follower of
Jesus?” There are many things we can do to prepare someone to hear
about Jesus. Let’s brainstorm about some things we can do. Here are a
few suggestions:

Pray for those who are lost. Ask God to work in their hearts.

Pray for opportunities to share about Jesus.

Be friendly. Sit with someone at lunch who doesn’t have anyone to sit
with. Be encouraging. Be kind.

Demonstrate characteristics of Jesus in your life, such as patience, kind-
ness, self-control, etc. Read Galatians 5:22-23 to the students.

Serve others. We have to put others before ourselves when we serve.
You will probably have something you’d rather do instead of serve,
but the Bible tells us specifically in Galatians 5:13 to serve each other
through love.

Be a good listener and show genuine interest in others.

Invite those who are lost to different church activities.

Some of you may feel as though you’ve done too many wrong things to
tell others about Jesus. We must remember we can’t do something too
bad for God to forgive. Remember what Paul’s life was like before he
started following Jesus. But God saw potential in him, forgave him, and
then gave him the courage to spread the story of Jesus. He sees you the
same way. Focus on what Paul became with Jesus’ help. He can trans-
form your sinful ways and use you to do great things! Have students
refer to the Next Step section of their Field Notes. Your Next Step is to
listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and obey Him by sharing Jesus with
someone this week. Let’s pray about this.

Dear Lord, we are so thankful You died on the cross for us. Thank You for
the example of Paul and Barnabas telling others about You. Please help
us be aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence when we have an opportunity
to share about You. Give us boldness and the words to say when we
aren’t sure how to begin. We love You. Amen.

29

New Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 4 CHECKLIST
July 27, 2019
CONNECT
Salvation Is
for Everyone Option 1

STUDY TEXT: Acts 15 q O ne-dollar bill

LESSON OBJECTIVE: Option 2

Know: Paul and Barnabas taught salvation was by faith in Jesus q Gift bag
Christ. q Small items to go inside the gift

Think: Salvation is available for anyone who is willing to receive it. bag (pieces of candy, stickers,
Do: Share your faith with all people, because salvation is for any- pencils, etc.)

one who will accept the gift. LEARN

APPLICATION VERSE: John 17:3 q T E 1-16
q T E 1-17
THEME: Defending the Gospel q T E 1-18
q T E 1-19
q F ield Notes NT-4
q Pencils

EXPLORE

q T E 1-20
q TE 1-21

APPLY

q TE 1-4
q Whiteboard and marker

The More You Know RESPOND

In order for children to see that God’s Word is relevant to them, they q H ardboiled egg with shell intact
must see it at work in their lives, and in order to see how God can q Black permanent marker
work in their lives, they must see Him at work in your life and the lives q F ield Notes NT-4
of the other faithful adults they see. q TE 1-1d
q TE 1-2
Even if you happen to work with children who will memorize verses
happily and answer all of your questions perfectly after attentively DAILY BIBLE
listening to your lesson, if they aren’t experiencing the transformative READINGS
work of the Lord, they will eventually begin to question the relevance
of Scripture. Day 1— Acts 15:1-5
Day 2— Acts 15:6-11
The drive behind their church involvement can’t be obligation, fear, Day 3— Acts 15:12-14, 19-20
or expectation. Rather, they should surrender themselves to God’s Day 4— Acts 15:22-27
Word because through it and its truths they will discover life. If your Day 5— Acts 15:30-35
own relationship with the Lord lacks His fresh breath of life, your time
with your students will also lack it. Make it a priority to nurture your
relationship with the Lord. Everyone in your life will benefit, including
you, if you allow your service to Him to flow out of your love for Him.

30 Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethi-
cal, illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

Notes

Option 1

Items Needed: One-dollar bill

Randomly pick a student to stand beside you. Hold up the dollar bill and
ask the student if he or she would like to have it. Give him or her the
dollar bill, and explain it is a gift. What did you have to do to get this
gift? Allow time for response. This dollar bill was a gift. Salvation, being
saved from our sins by faith in Jesus, is a gift from God. All we have
to do is take the gift, and it is ours. We are going to learn today about
some early Christians who didn’t understand salvation was a gift. They
believed Christians had to follow the old Jewish rules in order to receive
the gift of salvation and eternal life.

Option 2

Items Needed: Gift bag
Small items to go inside the gift bag (pieces of candy,

stickers, pencils, etc.)

What would you say if I told you I brought each of you a gift? Allow time
for response. But then I tell you that you must complete a long list of
tasks before you can receive the gift. Would it still be a gift? Allow time
for response. When a gift it given, it is implied that we don’t have to do
anything to receive it. We are going to learn today about some early
Christians who didn’t understand that salvation was a gift.

Items Needed: TE 1-16—TE 1-19
Field Notes NT-4
Pencils

Before class, copy Field Notes NT-4 so each student will have one. Our
lesson today is from Acts 15. After Jesus went to Heaven, there were
two kinds of people who chose to follow Him and become Christians.
There were the Jews, who believed Jesus was God’s Son, and then
there were the Gentiles, who were finding out about one true God and
His Son, Jesus, for the very first time! The Jews, or Israelites, were the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know all about the Jews
from the Old Testament. God had given them a lot of rules to follow to
help them be holy and pure. The people around them worshiped idols.
He wanted His people to be different from all the people around them.
He wanted them to be like Him. The rules were designed to keep the
Jews pure and teach them how to worship God. God also told the Jews
that He would one day send someone to save them. He wanted them
to be looking for Jesus to come.

The Gentiles were all the people who were not Jewish. Some of them
had worshiped idols before they learned about Jesus. Some of them
hadn’t believed in anything at all. They weren’t used to following God’s

31

rules, and the laws of the Jews seemed strange to them. They did not TE 1-16
know much about God at all. Display TE 1-16. Paul and Barnabas wanted TE 1-17
everyone to know about Jesus. So they began traveling around telling TE 1-18
both Jews and Gentiles all about Jesus. Display TE 1-17. One day, some TE 1-19
Jewish men went to a church full of Gentiles and told the people there Field Notes NT-4
that if they didn’t begin to follow all the Jewish rules, then they couldn’t
be saved. Paul and Barnabas said, “That’s not true!” Paul and Barnabas
believed Jesus made a new law, a law of grace, when He died for our
sins. They said the new law was better than the old law and God wanted
everyone to obey the new law. So Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem
and got together with the leaders of the church to find out what God
wanted them to do. Should the new believers have to follow the old
law to be saved? What do you think? Allow time for response. Let’s see
what these men said.

Display TE 1-18. Peter stood before the group and said that Jesus saw
no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. Both the Jews and
Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit to guide them in God’s way when
Jesus went to Heaven. So if God gave the Gentiles the Holy Spirit when
they weren’t following the old law, Peter believed that meant they
didn’t have to start following it! He said that grace was for everyone.
He said that God looks at the heart. Peter said the old law had so many
rules even the Jews couldn’t keep them all! It was crazy to burden the
Gentiles with laws that even the Jews could not keep. Jesus had come
to make a better way. He wanted everyone to follow Him.

Display TE 1-19. All the Jews looked to James, the brother of Jesus, to
see what he had to say. He was a very important believer. James agreed
with Peter that the Gentiles shouldn’t have to keep all the Jewish laws.
James said the Gentile Christians should live holy lives instead of follow-
ing all the Jewish practices and laws. They could be themselves and still
follow Jesus. Paul and Barnabas were so happy to hear that James and
the other Jews made the right choice.

Distribute Field Notes NT-4 to students along with pencils. Allow time
for the students to use the word bank to fill in the blanks and then lead
Paul and Barnabas through the maze.

Items Needed: TE 1-20—TE 1-21

God made some of the old laws to help the Jewish people know Jesus
when it was time for Him to arrive. The Law of Moses had over 600 laws
for the Jews to follow. A lot of the laws had to do with the sacrifice
of animals. Do you know what a sacrifice is? Allow time for response.
Display TE 1-20. In the Bible, a sacrifice is when an animal is killed as a
symbol of the sins of the people. There were many rules about how a
sacrifice had to be made. The old law said the animal had to be perfect.
It couldn’t have scratch on it! It had to be a boy and it couldn’t have its
bones broken during the sacrifice. It had to be killed at a certain time of
day. I’m sure the people wondered sometimes, “Why does this matter?”
Display TE 3-21. Here’s why it mattered: when Jesus died on the cross
as the perfect sacrifice, he was sinless. He was a young man. None of
His bones were broken—just like the animal sacrifices the Jewish people
had been making all those years! The sacrifices they had been making

32

TE 1-20 were supposed to make them go, “Oh, I get it!” when Jesus died as a
TE 1-21 sacrifice.

Application Before Jesus came, the Jewish people were saved by looking forward
Verse to His coming, ultimately looking to the cross and His sacrifice. Now,
Poster we are saved by looking back to the cross and the sacrifice He made
for us. We remember what He did for us and look forward to His return
TE 1-4 and Heaven!

Items Needed: TE 1-4
Whiteboard and marker

What are some things we do that might cause others to think we are
Christians? Allow time for response and write the students’ answers
on the whiteboard. Going to church, reading the Bible, praying, giving
money to the church or to missionaries, going on a mission trip, feeding
the homeless, helping the poor, and being respectful to our parents are
all good things, but do any of those things make us Christians? Allow
time for response. Of course not! We can’t do anything to earn our way
to Heaven! What makes us a Christian, then? Allow time for response.
All we have to do is believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on
the cross for our sin and rose on the third day! We just have to accept
His gift of salvation—it’s that simple.

Does that mean we won’t sin anymore? Allow time for response. Only
Jesus is perfect. We will still sin, but we should sin much less because
we want to please God. We start to change the way we act because
we love Him and want to be good examples for those around us. God
knows we will make mistakes. Because we have the Holy Spirit with
us when we accept the gift of salvation, we are covered by grace. The
more we are obedient to God’s Word and listen to His voice, the less
we will sin. The Holy Spirit helps us want to obey God and live in a way
that is pleasing to Him! One way to be more obedient to His Word is to
know what it says. Display TE 1-4 and review the verse. Our verse tells us
we can only know God through Jesus who died on the cross for us. We
can’t be good enough to earn salvation; we need Jesus to have eternal
life in Heaven. Allow any students who would like to say the verse by
themselves the opportunity to do so.

33

Items Needed: Hardboiled egg with shell intact TE 1-1d
Black permanent marker TE 1-2
Field Notes NT-4 Field Notes NT-4
TE 1-1d
TE 1-2

Display the egg. This egg reminds me of our hearts before we become
Christians. Allow students to touch the egg. How does it feel? Allow
time for response. God knows that we are a mess without Him. What
are some of the sinful things we do? Write the words the students say
with a marker on the eggshell. We have all of these sins and they keep
us far away from Jesus. Start to peel the egg. But Jesus lived for us, died
for us, and rose again for us. If we ask Him, He can take all of this sin
away! If there are still little pieces of egg shell on the egg, just use that
as an opportunity to remind the students that we still sin, sometimes and
we aren’t perfect, but Jesus is always willing to help us if we let Him. Is
there anyone who is unable to receive God’s forgiveness? No. Salvation
is available to everyone! What do we have to do to have eternal life in
Heaven? All we have to do is ask God to forgive us and be our Savior!
He gives us the gift of His salvation and all we have to do it receive
it! Add TE 1-1d to TE 1-2. We learned this week that Salvation is for
everyone who wants it. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and James defended the
Gospel. They knew Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t just for some people and not
for others. It is for anyone who believes and chooses to follow Him.

Have students refer to the Next Step section of their Field Notes. Your
Next Step is to share your faith with all people, because salvation is for
anyone who will accept the gift. We need to encourage each other and
ask for God’s help in defending His Word. End class with prayer for your
students that they would remember the truth about salvation. Ask God
to give them wisdom and guidance as they defend their faith at school,
at home, in their neighborhoods, and anywhere else where they may
face opposition.

Are you making a Home Connection with your kids? Home
Connection is a handout that gives parents a simple way to practice
faith at home by providing:

• A weekly Bible passage to read together as a family
• S uggestions to help you pray together as a family
• S uggested activities to do as a family to put your faith in action

It’s a great tool for parents who want to pass their faith on to their children!

Also, if your church uses GT Curriculum, Home Connection will let you know exactly what each mem-
ber of the family is learning in small group, LIFE group, or Sabbath School each week.

34

Old Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 1 CHECKLIST
August 3, 2019
CONNECT
Word of the Day—
Grace Option 1

STUDY TEXT: Genesis 27 q T wo small cups for each student
q O ne Kool-Aid packet
LESSON OBJECTIVE q W ater
q S ugar
Know: Grace means undeserved favor, and it is only by grace we are q Two pitchers or containers
saved.
LEARN
Think: God continues to show us grace in our lives.
Do: Think about how God’s grace impacts your life. q T E 2-2
q TE 2-3
APPLICATION VERSE: Ephesians 2:4-5 q TE 2-4
q T E 2-5
THEME: God Chose by Grace q T E 2-6
q T E 2-7
q TE 2-8

The More You Know APPLY

Growing Together (GT) is divided into three individual studies. If q TE 2-1a
you look at the front of your lesson book, you will see the three q T E 2-9
units featured in this quarter of curriculum. Every quarter will fea- q F ield Notes OT-1
ture a New Testament unit, an Old Testament unit, and a Special q Gift bag or box
Topics unit. The units will coordinate with the months, so a month q Small treats (sticks of gum, small
with five Sabbaths will feature five lessons. That also means that
each time you roll over to a new month on your calendar, you will pieces of candy, fun erasers, etc.)
also be changing gears with a fresh, new unit.
q Colored pencils
This week, the first Sabbath in August, you will begin studying the
Old Testament passages where God continues to keep His prom- RESPOND
ise and covenant with Abraham to establish His nation through
Abraham’s family. This unit you will explore the story of Abra- q F ield Notes OT-1
ham’s grandson, Jacob, and later in the month, Jacob’s son, Jo-
seph. When the opportunity arises, take the time to point out how DAILY BIBLE
uniquely God works. This is certainly not a plan that any man could READINGS
have imagined and implemented!
Day 1—Genesis 27:1-10
Day 2—Genesis 27:14-19
Day 3—Genesis 27:21-29
Day 4—Genesis 27:30-38
Day 5—Genesis 27:39-45

Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is 35
unethical, illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

Notes Option 1

36 Items Needed: Two small cups for each student
One Kool-Aid packet
Water
Sugar
Two pitchers or containers

Before arriving to class, mix half of the Kool-Aid packet with sugar as
directed on the package and the other half without sugar, placing them
in pitchers marked “A” and “B.” The students will participate in a taste
test, so only a small amount is needed. Gather the students around the
table. Instruct students to wait until everyone is served before tasting.
Give each student two cups and pour a small amount of liquid from
pitcher “A” into one and pitcher “B” into the other. After they have
tasted each cup, have a vote to see which ones the students like best,
“A” or “B.”

Can anyone tell me what was different about “B”? Allow time for
response. Can you guess what was left out? Allow time for response. In
today’s Bible lesson we will learn something God gives us that makes
the biggest difference.

Option 2

Below are three short scenarios to read aloud to the students. At the end
of each one is a question to discuss.

Scenario 1: Two sisters were cleaning their room until the one stopped
to go outside and play with a friend who dropped by. The first sister
continued until her room was clean. But when their mom came home,
they both wanted to go for an ice cream treat. Who did not deserve to
go for the special treat? Allow time for response. Explain your answer.

Scenario 2: The team worked hard each game and finally won the cham-
pionship. But there was one player that missed practices and games
as much as he missed catching the ball and hitting it. So when it came
time for the “Most Valuable Player” trophy to be given out, who did not
deserve the award? Allow time for response. Explain your answer.

Scenario 3: The teacher at church promised a special treat for the stu-
dent who came to class each week, brought his or her Bible, and could
say the memory verses. Only one student never missed a Sabbath,
always brought his Bible, and could recite the verses. Who did not
deserve the treat? Allow time for response. Explain your answer.

Many times it is easy to judge who deserves and who does not deserve
awards, special treats, etc. But it is not always easy to look at our own
lives and see times we did not deserve something. In today’s Bible les-
son, we will learn a reward was received even when the person did not
deserve it. Listen to find out who this man was and what it shows us
about God.

Notes

Items Needed: TE 2-2—TE 2-8 TE 2-2

Today we are going to be studying in Genesis, the very first book in the TE 2-3
Bible. Do any of you know anything about the book in God’s word called
Genesis? Allow time for response. Genesis is where we learn all about TE 2-4
how God created the earth and everything in it! It’s also where we find
out everything we know about Noah and Abraham. Do you remember TE 2-5
Noah and Abraham? Allow time for response. This week we are going
to begin learning about Abraham’s grandsons.

Display TE 2-2 and point to the different pictures. Remember, Abraham
and Sarah had a son named Isaac. When Isaac grew up, he married a
girl named Rebekah. Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys. They named
their babies Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau were very different from
one another! Esau liked to be outdoors and go hunting. Jacob was the
opposite of his brother. He was quieter and he loved staying at home—
indoors. Everyone is unique and special in his or her own way! But Jacob
and Esau fought all the time. They did not get along, but it wasn’t just
because of how different they were from one another. Jacob and Esau
didn’t get along also because their mom and dad played favorites. Isaac
favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. Can you imagine how hard
this must have been for Jacob and Esau? It caused them to be jealous
of each other.

Genesis 25 tells us all about what happened because of that jealousy.
Display TE 2-3. One day, Jacob made a pot of stew (red pottage) and
Esau begged him for some because he was tired and hungry. Jacob told
his brother that he could only have some stew if Esau would give him
something in return. Because Esau was the oldest child in the family, he
was supposed to be in charge of the family when their father died. This
was called the family birthright. Will you say birthright with me? Allow
time for response. The birthright would have made Esau richer and
more powerful than Jacob. What do you think Esau should have done?
Should he have traded his birthright for a bowl of stew? Allow time for
response. Of course not! But he did! Esau told Jacob he could have the
birthright if he would just give him a bowl of stew. Jacob and Esau both
made bad choices that day.

Several years later, Isaac, who favored Esau, was very old and thought
he was about to die. Display TE 2-4. Isaac was blind, so he asked Esau
to go hunting and to prepare his favorite meal so Isaac could give him
a special blessing. Isaac’s plan was to bless Esau after they ate the meal
he was to prepare.

Now Rebekah, who favored Jacob, overheard Isaac’s plan for Esau.
Display TE 2-5. She wanted Jacob to have the blessing, so she came up
with her own plan. While Esau was out hunting, Rebekah cooked Isaac’s
favorite dish and made Jacob pretend to be Esau. Since Isaac couldn’t
see, they covered Jacob’s arms with goat hair so he would be hairy like
Esau. Jacob wore Esau’s clothes and took Isaac’s favorite meal to him so
Jacob couldn’t give Esau the blessing.

Do you think Jacob was nervous when he carried in the food for his
father, knowing this plan to trick him might not work? Allow time for

37

TE 2-6 response. Isaac was surprised Esau was able to hunt the food and
TE 2-7 prepare it so quickly, so he asked his son to come closer. When Isaac
TE 2-8 touched Jacob, he felt the hairy arms. Remember, Jacob was wearing
goat hair on his arms. “Is it really you, Esau?” Isaac asked. Of course,
Notes Jacob lied.

Display TE 2-6. Isaac ate the meal. When he had his son come closer, he
smelled Esau’s clothes and was finally convinced he was with Esau. He
began his special blessing: “May God always give you abundant food
and drink. May many nations become your servants and bow down to
you. May you be the master over your brothers. May all who curse you
be cursed and all who bless you be blessed.”

Their trick worked! Esau returned soon after and brought in his father’s
favorite dish he had prepared. Display TE 2-7. Puzzled, Isaac asked,
“Who are you?” When Esau answered, his father began to shake uncon-
trollably. “Who just served me the food I ate and blessed? I cannot
change the blessing I gave him.”

Display TE 2-8. Although Esau was angry that he had given Jacob his
birthright, this time after Jacob stole his blessing, Esau hated Jacob.
Esau made the choice that he would kill Jacob. Jacob had to move away
to save his life.

When you grow up you will probably choose a job and move out of
your mom and dad’s house and begin your own family. This is not how
it worked when Jacob and Esau were alive. Families were huge and
stayed together even when the children grew up. The dad of the family
was like the king. Even when his children grew up, he was still in charge
of his family. All the land and animals and riches his family had belonged
to him, just like a king. The boys in the family were like princes. They
would get married and bring their wives into their big family, and the
girls would get married and go live with their husband’s family. Being
the firstborn during the time of Jacob and Esau had a very different
meaning than it does today. During this time, being the firstborn meant
you had special authority over the other siblings. This was known as the
birthright. When the dad of the family died, the son with the birthright
became the new head of the family. He was like the new king. His broth-
ers stayed with the family, but they answered to the new king in charge,
their brother. That’s why Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of stew
was not a good decision.

A blessing during this time period was a very important action. Because
of its importance, fathers would often wait until they were about to die
before giving the blessing to their sons. Once it was given, it could not
be taken back or changed. That is why Esau was so angry with Jacob’s
deception.

38

Items Needed: TE 2-1a TE 2-1a
TE 2-9
Field Notes OT-1 Application
Gift bag or box Verse
Small treats (sticks of gum, small pieces of candy, fun Poster

erasers, etc.) TE 2-9
Colored pencils
Field Notes OT-1
Before class, copy Field Notes OT-1 so each student will have one. Also,
place the items in the gift bag or box so each student will have one. Notes
Each week we will learn a different word of the day. Display TE 2-1a.
This week’s word is grace. Grace is the undeserved favor of God. Stop 39
and have the students repeat the definition with you. It is only by grace
we are saved from our sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). Did Jacob deserve any of
the good things he received? Allow time for response. No, he didn’t, but
neither do we. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that everyone has sinned.
But that is where the beautiful word grace comes in. We do not deserve
God’s favor, but through grace He gives it to us. Listen to this month’s
application verse, which will help us understand why God would do that
for you and me. Display TE 2-9 and introduce the application verse by
reading it to the students. Be sure to point to each word as you say it.
Because of God’s mercy, we can have a new life through Christ. You
and I deserved to be forever separated from God because of our sin
(Romans 6:23). But through His grace, He chose to send His Son, Jesus,
to take our punishment for sin on the cross.

Gather the students in a circle. Have the students say one word of the
verse as they pass the bag or box around. Whoever says the last word
(the reference) will take one item out of the bag. He or she will then step
out of the circle and begin forming a circle outside of that circle. Repeat
the activity until each student has received a gift from the bag. Although
it is good to know the meaning of grace, it is more important to under-
stand that without it, you and I would get what we deserve, and that is
being forever separated from God. Distribute Field Notes OT-1 along
with colored pencils to the students. Have them color the words to the
application verse. Encourage them to hang it somewhere so they will see
it often as a reminder of God’s grace.

Items Needed: Field Notes OT-1

Today we learned about different people who made wrong choices.
They allowed their selfish desires to keep them from trusting God’s
plan. Their choices led to bad results. Jacob tricked his brother into
selling his birthright for a bowl of stew, and Esau foolishly accepted it.
Rebekah deceived her husband into giving a blessing to Jacob. Just
as they made wrong choices, we do too. But God’s grace is there. The
forgiveness of sin comes because of God’s grace. Read Ephesians 2:8
to the students. You don’t deserve God’s favor, but He gives it to you
anyway. As we learned in our verse, God is loving and full of mercy and

Notes grace. I don’t even want to think about where we would be without
God’s grace. Because even after salvation, God continues to show us
Field Notes OT-1 undeserved favor and grace by helping and guiding us, answering and
blessing us, and just by being with us. What should we say when some-
one gives us a wonderful gift? Allow time for response. Are you thankful
for His grace? Allow time for response. Do you value that quality about
God? Allow time for response. Do you realize how important it is to have
God’s grace not only for salvation, but also for every day as a follower
of Jesus Christ? Allow time for response.

When was the last time you thanked Him for such undeserved favor, His
grace, toward you?

Have students refer to the Next Step section on their Field Notes. Your
Next Step is to think about how God’s grace impacts your life. Share
God’s grace with someone this week.

Close in prayer, thanking God for His amazing, wonderful, awesome
grace.

Are you making a Home Connection with your kids? Home
Connection is a handout that gives parents a simple way to practice
faith at home by providing:

• A weekly Bible passage to read together as a family
• Suggestions to help you pray together as a family
• S uggested activities to do as a family to put your faith in action

It’s a great tool for parents who want to pass their faith on to their children!

Also, if your church uses GT Curriculum, Home Connection will let you know exactly what each mem-
ber of the family is learning in small group, or Sabbath School each week.

40

Old Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 2 CHECKLIST
August 10, 2019
CONNECT
Word of the Day—
Presence Option 1

TEXT: Genesis 28:1-22 q Magnifying glass
q Various small objects (see side-
LESSON OBJECTIVE
bar)
Know: God promises to always be with us.
Think: I never have to face anything or anyone alone because God Option 2

is always with me. q T E 2-10 (one copy/two students)
Do: Confidently know God is with you because of His promises. q 1 " brass fasteners (one for each

APPLICATION VERSE: Ephesians 2:4-5 pinwheel)

THEME: God Is With Us q Straws (one for each pinwheel)
q Scissors (one pair/student)
q P encils
q H ole-punch
q Colored pencils

LEARN

q T E 2-11
q TE 2-12

The More You Know APPLY

What do we mean whenever we talk about drawing “close” to q TE 2-1b
God? We could mean relationally, as if we are getting to know Him q TE 2-9
better, but mostly I think we mean that we are becoming more like q Six foam or plastic disposable
Him. We obviously don’t mean physically, and yet we mostly use
physical imagery to describe this very non-physical relationship we cups
have. We talk about drawing near to the Lord and we refer to our
walk with Him. Understanding the significance of Jacob’s dream is q Pen or marker (see sidebar)
easier when you put yourself in this frame of mind.
RESPOND
Jacob’s ladder is the common name that has been given to the
passage that describes Jacob’s dream. It has become a symbol q Field Notes OT-2
that represents our journey to and with God. As we begin to reflect q C olored pencils
God within us more than we reflect our natural self, we become q Bible (for each student)
“closer” to the Lord. The ladder in Jacob’s dream is just another
piece of physical imagery, like a path or a walk to help us envision DAILY BIBLE
the goal of the life-long process of drawing nearer to the Lord. READINGS

Day 1—Genesis 28:10-12
Day 2—Genesis 28:13-15
Day 3—Genesis 28:16-19
Day 4—Genesis 28:20-22
Day 5—Hebrews 13:5-8

Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethical,

41illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

Notes

Take Note: Option 1

To see step-by-step pictures of the craft, go to Items Needed: Magnifying glass
www.GTteacher.com. Various small objects (see sidebar)

TE 2-10 Do any of you know what it means to worship God? Allow time for
response. The word worship means to show respect and honor. In the
Old Testament, the Hebrew word shacah was used to mean worship. In
the New Testament, the Greek word proskuneo is used. Both mean to
bow down or kneel to show respect and honor. So how do we worship
God? We magnify Him. Display the magnifying glass. Let’s look at some
items under this magnifying glass. Allow the students to see the differ-
ent items under the magnifying glass. Worshiping God is more than just
singing a song or participating in a church service. It’s how you live your
life. It’s whether or not you honor God and give Him praise and glory
through your thoughts, words, and actions. Today we will discover how
Jacob worshiped God.

Option 2

Items Needed: TE 2-10 (one copy/two students)
Cardstock
1" brass fasteners (one for each pinwheel)
Paper straws (one for each pinwheel)
Scissors (one pair/student)
Pencils
Hole-punch
Colored pencils

Before class, copy TE 2-10 and cut apart so each student will have a sec-
tion. Distribute a copy of TE 2-10, colored pencils, a fastener, a straw,
and a pair of scissors to each student. Allow a few minutes for the stu-
dents to decorate one side of the square. Then have the students cut
out the square. It may be best to do each of the following steps together
as a class.

Step 1: Fold the undecorated side of the square so that it makes a tri-
angle. Then with that triangle, fold it again to make a smaller triangle.
Press down on the edges so that it makes a good crease line.

Step 2: Now unfold the paper, back to the square you started with. Your
paper will have crease lines in an “X” shape.

Step 3: Cut about 3/4 the way up towards the center of the paper on
each fold line.

Step 4: Use the hole-punch to make a hole in each corner of your paper.
Be sure not to punch the holes too close to the edge; come in at least
¾" from the tip.

Step 5: With a pencil, mark a dot in the center of the square (where all
creased lines come together). Now, bring each corner with a hole in it
toward the center of the paper, lining it up so that the marked dot can

42

be seen through each hole. (It should start looking like a pinwheel at this Notes
step.)

Step 6: Once you’ve gathered all of the hole-punched corners to the
center, put the fastener through the center to hold them down.

Step 7: Finally, put the fastener down into the straw with the pinwheel on
top. While using the straw as the handle, blow the pinwheel to make it
turn. (If the pinwheel is not turning, loosen it from the straw a bit.)

What made the pinwheel turn around and around? Allow time for
response. How do you know it was air moving it? Did you see it? Allow
time for response.

So, you are telling me the pinwheel moved because you were blowing
air onto it. That means you saw the effects of the air—the pinwheel turn-
ing—not the air itself. This reminds me of today’s Bible lesson because
we are not able to physically see God with our eyes, but we can see the
effects of His presence with us. Listen carefully to understand what that
means and what God’s promises to us.

Items Needed: TE 2-11—TE 2-12 God’s promises and His ability to
keep them remind us that He is
Before class, cut apart the pictures from TE 2-12 and distribute the
pieces to the students. When indicated, have the student come forward the Sovereign Lord of all.
to place the stones on the altar. His personal appearance
to Jacob reminds us He is
Last week, we studied Genesis 25 and 27, and we learned how Jacob a personal, spiritual being.
tricked his brother, Esau, out of his special birthright, as well as his
special blessing. Esau hated his brother and planned to kill him. Their TE 2-11
mother, Rebekah, told Jacob he must leave. She told him that after Esau
calmed down, she would send for him to return. Rebekah asked Isaac, TE 2-12
her husband, to let Jacob leave to find a wife. Display TE 2-12. Have
the student with TE 2-11a place it on TE 2-12. Isaac told Jacob to go far
away to find a wife that did not worship idol like the Canaanite people
did. Jacob obeyed his parents and left. Have the student with TE 2-11b
place it on TE 2-12. When nighttime came, Jacob stopped to rest. He
found a stone for a pillow to rest his head against and went to sleep.
While Jacob was asleep, he had a very special dream. Have the student
with TE 2-11c place it on TE 2-12. Jacob dreamed that stairs came down
from Heaven to earth. He saw the angels of God going up and down the
stairs. God told Jacob who He was. He told him Isaac and Abraham, his
father and grandfather, loved Him and served Him. God told Jacob He
would make his family very large, just like He had told Abraham. He told
Jacob He would protect him and bless him. God wanted Jacob to love
Him and serve Him. Jacob hadn’t done a very good job of that up to this
point, had he? Allow time for response. God told Jacob three things that
would help him no matter what happened or what he was feeling. They
all start with the letter P. Maybe that will make them easier to remem-
ber. Have the student with TE 2-11d place it on TE 2-12. First, God
assured Jacob of His presence. God said, “I am with you.” The God who
created the heavens and earth would be with Jacob. He wouldn’t be
alone. That was great for Jacob, because he was probably feeling alone
since he had left his home and family. Have the student with TE 2-11e
place it on TE 2-12. Next, God told Jacob He would be with him as a

43

Notes protector. God said, “I will protect you.” Do you think Jacob was afraid?
His brother had vowed to kill him. He was going to a new country, new
home, and new people. Jacob did not need to be afraid, because God
said He would protect Jacob wherever he went. Have the student with
TE 2-11f place it on TE 2-12. Then God told Jacob He had a plan for his
life. God would be with him in His plan. God’s plan was to bring Jacob
home to be in charge of his family. God was going to keep the promise
He made to Abraham and Isaac by making the same promise to Jacob.
God keeps His promises. If He said it, you can be sure He will do it! He
was going to be with Jacob during this time and with him in his future.
Why? Was it because Jacob deserved it? No! Jacob had made some
terrible choices! Jacob had taken care of himself instead of trusting God
to take care of him. But God wanted Jacob to learn to trust Him. This is
why God promised to take care of Jacob. When Jacob woke from this
dream, what do you think he did? Allow time for response. When he
realized it was God who talked with him, he was amazed! He named the
place where he had his dream Bethel, which means “house of God,” and
he worshiped God. He promised God that if He would be with him, pro-
tect him, and return him safely home, then the LORD would be his God.
The stone memorial would become a place to worship God, and Jacob
would give a tenth—a tithe—of everything God gave him back to Him.

God knew everything Jacob had done; yet He still loved him and had a
plan for his life. God’s promise to Jacob in his dream sounds a lot like
the promise God gave to Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. God chose to
continue making His promises to Abraham come true through Jacob,
but this promise to Jacob did not mean that God was pleased with his
bad choices. Jacob did not deserve these blessings, but God always
keeps His promises. God showed grace to Jacob. We talked about
grace last week. Does anyone remember what grace is? Allow time for
response. Grace is undeserved favor. It is when you get something good
that you didn’t deserve. Will you say that with me? Repeat the definition
of grace with your students. God extends that same grace to us. First
John 1:9 tells us God forgives our sin when we admit to Him that we
made a bad choice and ask for forgiveness.

44

Items Needed: TE 2-1b Take Note:
TE 2-9
Six foam or plastic disposable cups Foam cups can easily be written on with ink
Pen or marker (see sidebar) pen or marker, whereas you need a permanent
marker (e.g., Sharpie) for plastic cups. If you
Before class, divide the application verse into sections and write the have a large number of students, it will be
words on each cup. Write the words upside down so that when stacked, advantageous to have two sets of cups with
the words are visible. the application verse words and divide them
accordingly.
Last week I said we would have a different word of the week. Display
TE 2-1b. This week’s word is presence. If you only listened to the word TE 2-1b
rather than seeing it in writing, you might have thought I was saying
presents, as in gifts and packages. We are focusing on God’s presence. Application
Write both words on a whiteboard or piece of paper to show the dif- Verse
ference. God was present with Jacob, and God is present with us each Poster
day. Every person who has accepted and follows Christ has the promise
of His presence. Read Hebrews 13:5b to the class. God will never leave TE 2-9
you. Even if you have doubts or worries, feel alone, afraid, or unloved,
God is with you. What a great truth to know God is with you! Notes

Why would God, who created the heavens and the earth and controls
it all, want to be with us? Why would the one true God want to be with
me as a protector? Why would God, who is mighty in power and knows
everything, promise to be with me in His plan for my life?

Throughout the Bible, God answered this question, which was asked by
more than one person.

Display TE 2-9 and review the verse by reading it with the students.
Our verse tells us God is rich in mercy. If you are rich in something, you
have lots and lots of it, right? God does not just have mercy; He has
lots of it. God made a way for us to have eternal life with Him. We will
never be able to completely stop sinning while we live on earth, but
God made a way for us to be free from sin when He saved us. He knew
we would keep going our own selfish way, so He sent Jesus to die on
the cross and took away the power of sin over us. When we accept and
trust what Jesus did, we are a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Before,
we were dead because we were separated from God because of our
sin. But after Jesus’ death on the cross, God made us alive—alive to a
new life with Him. We still have the same physical body, but inside God
is changing us to become a new person who thinks and acts like Jesus.
Let’s use these cups to review our verse. Ask for a volunteer to stack
the cups in the correct order from bottom to top. Another option would
be to make this a timed activity with students trying to beat a set time
or a time set by another student. End the activity by saying the verse
together as a class.

45

Field Notes OT-2 Items Needed: Field Notes OT-2
Field Notes OT-2 Colored pencils
Bible (for each student)

Before class, copy Field Notes OT-2 for each student. Distribute Field
Notes OT-2 to the students along with colored pencils and Bibles. At the
top of the page are the words God is always with me. I never have to
face anything or anyone alone because God is always with me. Repeat
this truth with me. Allow time for response. We must remember this bib-
lical truth is not a promise from me or any other person. It is a promise
from God in His Word to those who have accepted and trusted in Jesus
for the forgiveness of their sin. Knowing these promises are true and
from God will help us when we face difficult times. Look up the verses
so you will remember the promises found in God’s Word. Allow time for
the students to find the verses in their Bibles.

Which verse tells us God’s words will always remain? Allow time for
response. Read or have a student read Matthew 24:35 to the class.

Which verse assures us God will never leave us? Allow time for response.
Read or choose a student to read Hebrews 13:5 to the class.

Which verse tells us us God is our strength and we don’t have to be
afraid? Allow time for response. Read or choose a student to read Psalm
27:1 to the class.

Which verse reminds us God can work all things for good for those who
love HIm? Allow time for response. Read or have a student read Romans
8:28 aloud.

Which verse tells us God proved His love for use when Jesus died for
us? Allow time for response. Read or have a student read Romans 5:8
aloud.

God promises to always be with us. We know we can trust His promises.

Refer to the Next Step section on the Field Notes. Your Next Step for
this week is to confidently know God is with you because of His promis-
es. End class with a prayer of thanks to God for His many promises to us.

46

Old Testament PREPARATION
Lesson 3 CHECKLIST
August 17, 2019
CONNECT
Word of the Day—
Transformation Option 1

STUDY TEXT: Genesis 35 q T E 2-13
q M arker
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Option 2
Know: Jacob’s life was transformed because of God.
Think: We cannot change on our own; we need God’s help. q TE 2-14
Do: Say “yes” to the Holy Spirit and God’s words. q T E 2-15
q Colored pencils
APPLICATION VERSE: Ephesians 2:4-5 q S cissors
q Stapler
THEME: God Established a Nation
LEARN

q T E 2-16
q T E 2-17
q F ield Notes OT-3
q S cissors
q P encils

EXPLORE

q TE 2-18

The More You Know APPLY

q T E 2-1c
q TE 2-9
q Bible

Our tendency to oversimplify Bible heroes makes the story of Ja- RESPOND
cob and Esau problematic. Sure, Esau had anger issues, but Jacob
was a sneaky scoundrel. Why did he deserve God’s favor more q F ield Notes OT-3
than his brother? In fact, the entire matter was a demonstration q B ible
of God’s grace, not any merit on Jacob’s part. The only way to be
satisfied with any answer is to begin by acknowledging that we all DAILY BIBLE
make bad choices, and sometimes we make really bad choices. All READINGS
of us. Jacob was on a journey just like we are. God, in His complete
wisdom and mercy, extends His grace to all of us. Day 1—Genesis 32:9-13, 20-21, 33:4
Day 2—Genesis 35:1-4
Jacob’s sneakiness, more than anything, showed his lack of trust Day 3—Genesis 35:5-7
in God to work out the details. His grandfather, Abraham, was Day 4—Genesis 35:9-15
guilty of the same sin. God knew the heart of both Jacob and Day 5—Genesis 35:16-18, 27-29
Esau, though, and He knew Jacob would seek a relationship with
Him. God values what He sees in the heart of a person rather than
outward actions (1 Samuel 16:7).

Copyright 2019. This study is licensed to the purchasing church and only to be used by the teacher or teaching team for one group or class. Sharing copies of this study is unethical,

47illegal, and hinders the efforts of the publisher to provide high quality, affordable resources to you.

TE 2-13 Option 1

TE 2-14 Items Needed: TE 2-13
TE 2-15 Marker
Field Notes OT-3
Display TE 2-13 and ask the students to look closely at the two pictures
48 to see if they can find the ten differences. Ask for volunteers to come to
the picture (one at a time) and circle one difference until all have been
found.

Some of the changes were easier to spot than others. If I were to ask
if others could spot some changes in you, what would they say? Allow
time for response. How hard is it to make changes in our behavior?
Allow time for response. Sometimes, we want to change, but we keep
doing the same wrong things. Today we will talk about the change God
made in Jacob and the change God makes in us.

Option 2

Items Needed: TE 2-14—TE 2-15
Colored pencils
Scissors
Stapler

Before class, copy TE 2-15a, b, c for each student. Distribute the pages
from TE 2-15 to the students along with colored pencils and scissors.
Allow time for them cut along the dotted lines to separate the pages.
Display TE 2-14 and share the information from the back. Allow the stu-
dents to fill in the blanks on the pages from TE 2-15. The word metamor-
phosis describes the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly. When
the caterpillar emerges from the chrysalis, it doesn’t look anything like a
caterpillar. Instead, it is a beautiful butterfly!

Today we are going to talk about the transformation God makes inside
us when we accept and trust Him for the forgiveness of our sins. Staple
the edges of the pages to create a book. Allow the students to color the
pages if time permits.

Items Needed: TE 2-16—TE 2-17
Field Notes OT-3
Scissors
Pencils

Before class, copy Field Notes OT-3 for every student. Then, cut apart
the strips from TE 2-16. Attach the strips with the words before and after
on the wall. Display the pictures underneath the correct heading so they
form two columns. Distribute Field Notes OT-3 along with pencils to the
students. Have them fill in the blanks in the before and after columns of
Jacob’s transformation.

We have been learning about a man named Jacob. Encourage students Notes
to help you rebuild the story of Jacob and Esau that they’ve learned up
to this point, being sure to cover that Jacob left home, God promised to TE 2-16
take care of him, and Jacob chose to worship God. TE 2-17

Jacob had been gone from home for 20 years. That’s a long time! But 49
God told Jacob it was time to go back. Jacob was a totally different
person from the person he had been before he left. He may have looked
like the same person on the outside, but inside, Jacob had allowed
God to make some changes. Let’s compare what we know about Jacob
before and after he left home.

Place TE 2-16a underneath the before heading. Jacob disobeyed God.
Jacob broke God’s rules and lied to his own father to get his blessing.
Instead of going God’s way, he went his own way.

Place TE 2-16b underneath the after heading. Jacob was obedient to
God. When God told Jacob to go home, he gathered his family and
possessions and did what God said.

Place TE 2-16c place it underneath the before heading. Jacob was a
trickster and deceiver. Jacob tricked his brother Esau to get his birth-
right. Jacob lied and did whatever was needed to get his own way. He
pretended to be Esau and deceived his own father in order to receive
the blessing from him. Esau became so angry that he wanted to kill
Jacob.

Place TE 2-16d underneath the after heading. Jacob was a peacemaker.
Now Jacob wanted to make peace with his brother. Jacob sent messen-
gers ahead to tell Esau he was returning. The messengers returned to
Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on
his way to meet you and he has his own army with him!” How would you
have felt if you were Jacob? Allow time for response. Jacob wanted to
make things right, so he sent Esau many animals as a gift. Read Genesis
32:14-15 to the students. Instead of tricking Esau out of things, Jacob
was giving to him.

Place TE 2-16e place it underneath the before heading. Jacob depended
on himself. Instead of humbling himself and making things right with his
father and brother, he ran away. He made his own plans and followed
them.

Place TE 2-16f place it underneath the after heading. Jacob depended
on God. When Jacob heard Esau was coming to meet him with an army,
he was scared, but he did not run away. He prayed and asked God to
protect him and his family. He trusted God to keep His promise to pro-
tect him, so he stayed and waited on Esau to arrive.

Display TE 2-17. When the two brothers finally saw each other, Esau
didn’t attack Jacob at all! He ran to meet his brother. They hugged
each other and wept! Esau wanted to be friends with his brother just
like Jacob did. Jacob introduced his family to his brother. God was with
Jacob and protected him, just as He said He would. Now that Jacob
depended on God, things turned out better for him and Esau.

If time permits, have the students find the words in the word search.

Notes

Items Needed: TE 2-18

In Genesis 35, God told Jacob to move to Bethel. Do any of you
remember what happened in Bethel? Allow time for response. Bethel
was where Jacob had the dream with the angles going up and down
the stairway. It was where God spoke to him and promised to be with
him and give him many descendants and land. When Jacob moved
his family, servants, and animals they passed through many cities. Not
one person in any of the cities tried to attack Jacob. The people were
afraid of what God would do to them if they went against Jacob. Once
they arrived at Bethel, Jacob did as he had promised. Display TE 2-18.
He built an altar to God. God spoke a blessing on Jacob; many great
nations and kings would come from his family. Jacob arranged a stone
pillar to mark the place named Bethel. It would not only be a special
place to Jacob, but it would also be a special place of honor to God
(Genesis 35:5-15).

TE 2-1c Items Needed: TE 2-1c
TE 2-9
Application Bible
Verse
Poster Display TE 2-1c. Our word for the day is transformation—a big word
that means change. God’s plan for each of us is to change us from the
TE 2-9 inside out to make us more like Himself—more loving, more honest,
more just, more holy, etc. (2 Corinthians 3:18). He doesn’t leave us to
50 do this on our own, but sends His Holy Spirit to live inside us. It’s a slow
process, but every time we say yes to the Holy Spirit and no to our
own selfish ways, we are changed. The Holy Spirit also uses the Bible
to transform and change us. Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform to the
world’s way of thinking, but to be transformed through our thoughts,
words, and actions to show others God’s will. As we read the Bible, we
will know the right way to live. Every time we obey God and do the
right thing, we will look more and more like God, who is holy and good.

Let’s review our verse we’ve been learning. Display TE 2-9 and review
the verse by having the students say it with you. Our verse tells us God
is rich in mercy. We can learn from these verses God loves us so much
that before we chose to follow Him, He made a way for us to have
eternal life with Him. When we accept and trust what Jesus did, we are
a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Before, we were dead because we
were separated from God because of our sin. But after Jesus’ death
on the cross, God made us alive—alive to a new life with Him. We still
have the same physical body, but inside God is changing us to become
a new person who thinks and acts like Jesus. Have the students sit in a
circle. Explain that you will hand the Bible to one student and he or she
will say the first word of the verse before passing it to the person to his
or her right. That student will say the second word and pass the Bible to
his or her right. Continue until the entire verse is said. Repeat the activity


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