home>> week 15 >> follow me kids discipleship training week 16
16th week
of our Journey - SPIRITUAL GROWTH - WITNESS
This week’s destination: THE FIVE MEANS
OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH – WITNESS
MATERIALS: Photocopy all Bible Verse Visual Aids
for colouring. Print Stop and Go signs. Photocopy Stop and Go badges
enough for each child. Sword Play Tracks Photocopy The Jesus Flower
AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON:
Welcome Teacher/Trainers, Trainers and students. Get the children
to colour all the Bible Verse Visual Aids.
1. GAMES: (10 minutes)
EYEWITNESS SNACK: Have a variety snacks in a bag. Each
child will reach in the bag and choose a snack and try and describe
it telling everything they know about the snack that they picked.
A witness, if he is giving evidence has to tell everything he knows
in court. After the game have the children to tell something they
know about JESUS and to share as many details about what they have
"witnessed" about JESUS in their lives. (He loves
us; He takes care of us; He heals us; He protects us, etc.)
2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
Divide the group into two teams, sit the groups in two circles (adults
and children). Ask everyone to think of something that they like
to do. Then pick someone to start by telling the group for example
“I like to swim”. The person to their right will then
tell the group what the first person liked and adding what they
like to do, for example “Fred likes to swim, I like to walk.
This continues right around the circle until the last person has
to say what everyone likes to do. Other members of the group can
prompt by miming the activity if anyone falls into difficulty. If
the player gets it wrong they are out and move outside the circle.
3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS: (10 minutes)
Stop! and Let Me Tell You (See music song sheet use Stop and God
demo and badges for children)
4. INTIMATE WORSHIP: (5 minutes)
Hey! Jesus Loves me! (Use music video and lyrics from Visual Aid
Manual)
Prayer: Heavenly Father give us the power of the
Holy Spirit so that we will be Your witnesses in Jerusalem, in our
home territory, our school, our village and in all Judea, our region
and Samaria, the places we don’t want to go, and to the ends
of the earth for your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
5. TEACHING:
a) “Back Track”
Remember last week we learnt fellowship with God and with one another
really are just the two Great Commandments, to love God with all
your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22: 37-40)
Optional: Get a child to come up and read the Bible verses.
b) Sword Play (Wave the Power Sword)
Ready…Swords up… John 15:16… CHARGE!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem… (Acts
1: 8)
(Give out the Sword Play Tracks one for each child)
c) Teaching the Lesson - Five Means to Spiritual
Growth: - Witnessing: (Telling Others about Jesus)
How does witnessing to others help our faith grow?
When we tell others about Jesus, we help them to
know how they can have eternal life. When we see how God works in
their lives, it makes our own faith and love for Jesus grow even
stronger.
Long before the birth of Jesus, God spoke through
the prophet Isaiah to tell how he would spread the news of the coming
of the Messiah. This is what he said, "I will send my messenger
to prepare the way. He will be a voice of one crying in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the coming of the Lord! Clear the road for
him.'" Who was the messenger that God chose to bring this
good news to his people? It was a man named John the Baptist. John
was a very unusual man who wore clothes made of camel hair with
a leather belt around his waist. His favorite food was locusts and
wild honey. He traveled around in the desert preaching that people
should repent of their sins and turn to God. When they confessed
their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan river.
John the Baptist was very popular and had a great
following, but he always told the people about Jesus. "Someone
is coming soon who is greater than I am," he said. "He
is so much greater that I am not even worthy to stoop down and untie
the straps on his sandals." Yes, John was faithful in
bringing the news to the people.
One day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward
him. He said to the people with him, "Look! There is the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one I
told you about. I didn't know he was the Messiah, but when I baptized
him, I saw the Holy Spirit coming down from the heavens like a dove.
It came down and landed right on his shoulder. I saw it with my
own two eyes and I tell you, this is the Son of God." When
the people heard John's eye-witness report, it helped them to understand
and believe that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
Most people come to know about Jesus because someone
else tells them about him. Perhaps it is their parents, a Sunday
School teacher, a pastor, or a good friend. They give an eyewitness
account how Jesus came into their heart and changed their life.
What would you say about what Jesus means to you?
Perhaps you would say, "Since Jesus came into my heart, sadness
has turned to joy; doubt has turned to faith; worry has turned to
trust; fear has turned to confidence." Whatever Jesus has done
for you, tell others so they can know him too.
Extracts from http://www.sermons4kids.com/eye_witness.htm
6. APPLICATION/ENCOUNTERING GOD: Refer
to our Encountering God Handbook for ideas for this important section
of the session. Experience the Holy Spirit Learning Centers creating
an atmospher
‘Mystery Clue’ Witnessing tool:
The Jesus Flower
CLOSING PRAYER: Lord God you sent
your Son Jesus who called us to be witnesses. Help us not to be
afraid to testify. We know you want us to tell others what You has
done for to change our lives. Help us to share how you, Jesus are
God, you lived a perfect life, to be an example to us, then you
died and was raised from the dead so that we could have eternal
life, we receive this gift by Faith in you. Give us strength and
courage to boldly testify in your name. Amen
TAKE HOME PAGE: Optional: ‘Take
Home Quiz’ books are available for the children at the end
of this session covering all five means of Spiritual Growth.
CLICK to
view Session #17.
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