Teaching tip 51.
Teaching tip 51 - The road of life.
Preparation.
Take a piece of cardboard and draw the "road of life" on it (Unfortunately I was not able to upload this image from my computer. Email me if you would like a copy -
mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz ). Show it to your class.
Presentation.
"I call this my "Road of life". Everyone is on a journey through life and, as you can see, this road has three lanes.
The left hand lane (marked Good) is travelled by the good people. Those who try hard to be good and kind to others. They try to avoid doing anything wrong and would never deliberately hurt anyone. They probably believe in God, and may well go to church every week.
The centre lane (marked Middle) is travelled by most people. They do a few good deeds, but usually only towards their family and friends. They don't do anything really bad, but will sometimes act selfishly, tell a few lies and cheat others if they think it will benefit themselves.
The right hand lane (marked Bad) is travelled by criminals, those who set out to hurt or rob others.
But do you notice? All three groups of travellers are heading in the same direction - towards Death and Destruction! Because of the selfish nature we are all born with, we are all heading for an eternity without God. But God doesn't want us to go that way. He wants us all to spend eternity with Him in heaven. And, as you can see, He has provided a way for us to get there through His Son, Jesus. Jesus says "I am the way." You will also note that God has provided signs along the way to help us find our way to Jesus, and then to heaven. Some of God's signs may include His wonderful creative acts that are all around us, an unexpected act of kindness by someone towards us, or a word of direction or encouragement from a Christian parent or friend.
Do you notice something interesting about this road of life? The exit to heaven is on the right. Next to the "Bad " lane! Many people think that those travelling on the "Good" lane are the most likely to get to heaven. That is not true. It is just as easy for a "Bad lane" traveller to come to Jesus as it is for a "Good lane" traveller. In fact, some times it is easier for those on the "Bad" lane. This is because those on the "Good" lane are sometimes too proud to come to Jesus. They think that God will accept them because of their good deeds. But they are mistaken. Nobody can be good enough. Conversely, those on the "Bad" lane are often aware of their sins and realise that they nees Jesus to forgive them.
So, no matter which lane you are travelling along, remember that the only way to heaven is through Jesus."
Teaching tip 50.
Teaching tip 50 - The Church.
It never ceases to surprise me that, even among children that regularly attend church, there is a general lack of knowledge as to what the church actually is. Many have little idea of why they go to church (other than their parents take them), how the church started, or what it's function in society is. But don't take my word for it! If you teach Sunday school, ask your children 1. Why they come to church? and 2. What does the church do? I think you may be surprised by their answers (or lack of them!).
When teaching on the function of the church, I always begin with it's origin and early development as described in "Acts". I then ensure that the children realise that the church is not a building. Rather it is made up of PEOPLE - who have all put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I then ask the two questions mentioned above. Here is how I answer them.
Why go to church?
1. God tells us to (See Hebrews10.25).
It is a question of obedience. If Jesus is Lord of your life, that means that you are obedient to him. You can hardly say "Jesus, you are my Lord, but I am not going to do what you tell me!" Of course not. You would be contradicting yourself. If that was your attitude, then Jesus wouldn't really be Lord of your life.
"I enjoy going to church regularly, but even if I didn't, I would still go - because Jesus is my Lord, and I have to be obedient to him. Most of you children probably come to church or Sunday school because your parents bring you, or send you along. But when you are older, you will have to decide for yourselves. But if you are serious about living for Jesus, then regular church attendance should be a priority."
2. To meet together as a family / team.
Everyone who has put their trust in Jesus is now part of God's special family. And families meet together, and do things together. It would be a very strange family indeed if the members hardly ever saw each other, or never did things together, like sharing a meal!
Another way of looking at this is to realise that now we are all part of God's team to help bring about His Kingdom on earth.
"Suppose I were to tell you that I was a soccer player. You might reply, "You are, which team do you play for? Manchester United? Real Madrid?" If I replied "I don't actually play for a team", you would say "Oh, come on teacher, you can't be a soccer player and not play for a team." And you would be quite right. In the same way, you can't really be a true Christian and not be part of a local team, or church."
Imagine many coals burning brightly together. Suddenly one of the individual coals falls away from the fire. What will happen to it? Answer. It will burn less and less brightly until eventually it goes out and becomes cold. That is a typical 'picture' of the individual Christian who comes away from the Church and tries to live for Jesus on his own. He will grow cold, and probably give up his faith altogether. We all need the help, support and encouragement of other church members. In the Bible, there is no such thing as an "Individual Christian".
3. To help find God's plan for your life.
God has a special plan for each one of you which is far more wonderful than any plans you may have for yourselves. By going to church, you will meet people who will help you discover what God wants you to do with your life.
4. To help you on your way to heaven.
God wants us all to live with him in heaven. However, our journey to heaven can be a long and dangerous one. We have enemies who don't want us to get to heaven, but by going regularly to church, we can find out how to beat them.
What does the church do?
1. Worship God.
The word 'Worship' is derived from the word 'Worth'. God is indeed worthy of all we can give him. Without God, we would have nothing. In fact we wouldn't even be alive. Everything we have comes from Him. Christians realise this and meet together to give back to God a little of what He has already given us. This might include thanks, praise, love, money, etc.
2. To continue the work of Jesus.
A. Telling others about Jesus.
Jesus wants EVERYONE to know about Him, and what He did for us all on the cross. And He has chosen His church (every believer) to spread this GOOD NEWS throughout the whole earth. It is exciting to be part of this because Jesus promised that when every group of people have heard this GOOD NEWS, then He will return to earth and set up His Kingdom.
B. Demonstrating God's love.
It is no good telling people that God loves them if, at the same time, we don't demonstrate His love by helping others in whatever ways we can.
Jesus loves everyone, but when He was here on earth, He was particularly concerned for the poor, the sick, the weak, the oppressed and the elderly. As part of His church, we should likewise be especially concerned for these groups.
Although the church is not perfect, and has made mistakes, generally, over the last 2,000 years, it has been effective in demonstrating God's love to the world. Much of what is good in society today has been started by the church. Examples include many early schools, universities, hospitals, and organizations such as the scouts, guides, boys and girls' brigades.
It has also been the church that were first to speak out against evils in society such as slavery, child labour and racism.
The church is not only concerned with what is happening in it's own neighbourhood or even country. It also has a good record of sending resources (including people and money) to help the needy in "poor" countries. You may have heard of agencies such as World Vision and Tear Fund which are involved in this.
As someone once said "The church is the only organization which exists for the benefit of it's non members."
Note. You may wish to conclude by giving a few examples of what your church is doing to reach others for Jesus and help meet their needs.
