THIRD TERM Scheme of Work With Lesson Notes PRIMARY 4 BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
THIRD TERM CRS FOR PRIMARY 4
THIRD TERM CRS PRIMARY 4 BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
SCHEME OF WORK WITH LESSON NOTES
WEEK 1
Revision
WEEK 2
Topic: Jesus loves all people
Subtopic: God’s way of showing love to His people.
Guide
Matthew 5: 44 – 48; John 1 5:1 2; Mark 1 0: 46 – 52; Luke 1 9: 2 – 8
Learning objectives
At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
1 identify ways by which Jesus showed love to people.
2 identify instances when Jesus demonstrated his love for mankind.
3 explain the importance of showing love to one another.
Reference & Materials:
Building Background/connection to prior knowledge: Pupils were familiar with the topic in their previous classes
CONTENT
God’sways of showing love to his people
The love of God to his people is shown through many way. He provides such needs as food, shelter/house and clothes for his children. He makes the sun to shine both on the good and on evil people. God also sends rain on both the just and the unjust. It is the love of God that brings sinners to repentance.
The love of God for the world made him to send his only begotten son,Jesus, into the world to perform different miracles, signs and wonders. Jesus had pity on the sick, lame, blind, and many who had any need. He gave hope to the hopeless and life to the lifeless. Jesus was nailed to the cross and died for the sins of the people. He shed his blood for the forgive ness of sins. Jesus told us that we should love one another and be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect.
Remember
1 God showed his love to mankind by making special provision for man kind.
2 God sends rain upon both the just and the unjust.
3 God’ssun shines on both the evil and good people. God sent his only son Jesus to shed his blood and die for mankind.
5 Jesus demonstrated love through healing the sick, various diseases, opening the blind eyes, delivering the oppressed and raising the dead.
6 Jesus demonstrated his love to blind Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus and Mary Magdalene.
7 We are to show love to one another by taking care of the sick, giving good gifts to people, sharing things and being kind to one another.
Strategies & Activities:
Step1 : Teacher revised the previous topic.
Step2: Teacher introduces the new topic.
Step3: Teacher explains the new topic.
Step4: Teacher welcomes pupils questions.
Step 5: Teacher evaluates the pupils.
Assessment & Evaluation:
1 . identify ways by which Jesus showed love to people.
2. identify instances when Jesus demonstrated his love for mankind.
Summary: Teacher goes over the topic once again to enhance better understanding. Wrap_up(conclusion): Teacher corrects and Mark pupils notebooks.
Assignment:
1 Explain two ways Jesus showed love to people.
2 Give two examples of Jesus demonstrating love to mankind.
3 Give two importance of love to one another. Fill in the gaps with the correct answers.
4 For God so loved the world that he gave _______________.
5 God sends rain on both the _______ and the ________.
6 Jesus cast out demons from Mary __________
WEEK 3
Topic: Jesus loves all people
Subtopic:Instances of how Jesus demonstrated his love to people
Guide
Matthew 5: 44 – 48; John 1 5:1 2; Mark 1 0: 46 – 52; Luke 1 9: 2 – 8
Learning objectives : At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
1 identify ways by which Jesus showed love to people.
2 identify instances when Jesus demonstrated his love for mankind.
3 explain the importance of showing love to one another. Reference & Materials:
Building Background/connection to prior knowledge: Pupils were familiar with the topic in their previous classes
CONTENT
Instances of how Jesus demonstrated his love to people
There are many instances in the Bible when Jesus demonstrated his love to people. Examples are:) Blind Bartimeaus
One day, Jesus came to Jericho. As he was leaving, the disciples and many people followed him. Bartimeaus, a blind beggar and son of Timae us, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that Jesus was passing by,
he cried out to Jesus for help. He said, ‘Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me’.He did not stop shouting out until Jesus heard him and stopped.
Jesus sent for him. As he was coming, he threw away his garment. When he got to Jesus, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you’?
The blind man answered, ‘Master, let me receive my sight’.
Jesus replied him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well’.Immediately, the blind man received his sight and followed Jesus.
Blind Bartimaeus begging by the roadside b)
Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and a rich man. One day, Jesus was passing through Jericho. As usual, many people followed him. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but because he was too short, he couldnot see Jesus because of the crowd. He ran ahead and climbed a syca more tree so that he could see Jesus.
When Jesus came to the sycamore tree, he said to him, ‘Zacchaeus,make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today’.
Zacchaeus came down from the tree and received Jesus joyfully. The people around murmured because Jesus wanted to be the guest of a sinner.
Zacchaeus on the sycamore tree
When Jesus got to Zacchaeus’house, he told Jesus that he would give half of his goods to the poor; that if he had cheated anybody of anything, he would pay back four times the amount of the cheating.Jesus told Zacchaeus, ‘Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost’.
c) Mary Magdalene
Jesus also demonstrated his love towards Mary Magdalene. Jesus drove out seven demons from her.
Importance of showing love to one another
Jesus demonstrated his love to mankind by healing the sick, delivering the Oppressed, opening the eyes of the blind, healing many diseases, and raising up the dead. We can show love to people by taking care of them.
It is important to show love to one another because
1 Showing love to one another brings peace among people.
2 Showing love makes us draw closer to one another and to God.
3 Showing love to one another brings unity.
4 Showing love to one another brings joy and happiness among people.
Moral lessons
1 God demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus into the world to die for our sins.
We must love one another to the point of giving best gifts
to one another.
2 When Bartimaeus was going to Jesus, he removed his garment. We must remove things that will not allow us to receive mercy from God.
3 Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. We must not allow anything to stop our love for God.
4 We must forgive other people in love. Zacchaeus said that he would pay back four times, if he had taken anything from anybody unjustly. We should be able to pay whatever we owe other people.
Remember
1 God showed his love to mankind by making special provision for man kind.
2 God sends rain upon both the just and the unjust.
3 God’ssun shines on both the evil and good people. God sent his only son Jesus to shed his blood and die for mankind.
5 Jesus demonstrated love through healing the sick, various disease es, opening the blind eyes, the oppressed and raising the dead.
6 Jesus demonstrated his love to blind Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus and MaryMagdalene.
7 We are to show love to one another by taking care of the sick, giving good gifts to people, sharing things and being kind to one another.
Strategies & Activities:
Step1 : Teacher revised the previous topic.
Step2: Teacher introduces the new topic.
Step3: Teacher explains the new topic.
Step4: Teacher welcomes pupils questions.
Step 5: Teacher evaluates the pupils.
Assessment & Evaluation:
1 . identify ways by which Jesus showed love to people.
2. identify instances when Jesus demonstrated his love for mankind.
Summary: Teacher goes over the topic once again to enhance better understanding.
Wrap_up(conclusion): Teacher corrects and Mark pupils notebooks.
Exercise
1 Explain two ways Jesus showed love to people.
2 Give two examples of Jesus demonstrating love to mankind.
3 Give two importance of love to one another.
Fill in the gaps with the correct answers.
4 For God so loved the world that he gave _______________.
5 God sends rain on both the _______ and the ________.
6 Jesus cast out demons from Mary __________.
Choose the correct answers to the following:
7 For him to see Jesus Zacchaeus climbed
A. a mango tree. B. banana tree. C. sycamore
tree. D. orange tree.
8 Bartimaeus was the son of
A. Timothy. B. Titus. C. Timaeus.
D. Thomas.
9 Bartimaeus was
A. deaf. B. sick. C. blind.
D. cripple.
1 0 ‘Today, salvation has come to this house’was said by Jesus to
A. Mary Magdalene. B. Bartimaeus. C. Zacchaeus
WEEK 4
Topic :Jesus guides us by his spirit
Performance objectives
At the end of this unit, pupils should be able to:
1 explain how Jesus guides us by his spirit.
2 list some of the things Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do.
3 identify the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.
4 state the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Guide to Bible passages
Acts 8; 1 3:1 -3; 1 6:6-40; Galatians 5:22-23; John 1 3:25; 1 4:25; 1 6:4-1 2
6 Tuesday, May 1 9, 2020
CONTENT
Jesus promises his spirit
When Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, he promised his disciples the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit represents the spirit of Jesus and of God the father.
In John 1 6:4-1 1 , Jesus told his disciples that he would soon go back to his father. They became very sad. Jesus then explained to them that he would not leave them alone. He said he would send them the Holy Spirit who would be their counsellor. The Holy Spirit would teach the world righ teousness and condemn evil in the hearts of people.
On Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit was sent on the twelve apostles. Later
other believers started receiving the spirit because the promise was for all who would believe in Jesus
The Holy Spirit guided the early disciples in their work of spreading the Gospel. The same Holy Spirit is also guiding us today as Christians.
Evidence of the guidance of the spirit of Jesus
a) The choice of Paul and Barnabas In the Church at Antioch in Syria, there were prophets and teachers. Paul and Barnabas were among them.
One day, while they were worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them. ’The work the Holy Spirit said he had called them for was mis sionary work or evangelismJesus guides us by his spirit
Topic,:Jesus promises HIS spirit.
Performance objectives: At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
1 explain how Jesus guides us by his spirit.
2 list some of the things Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do.
3 identify the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.
4 state the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Guide to Bible passages
Acts 8; 1 3:1 -3; 1 6:6-40; Galatians 5:22-23; John 1 3:25; 1 4:25; 1 6:4-
CONTENT
Jesus promises his spirit
When Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, he promised his disciples the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit represents the spirit of Jesus and of God the father.
In John 1 6:4-1 1 , Jesus told his disciples that he would soon go back to his father. They became very sad. Jesus then explained to them that he would not leave them alone. He said he would send them the Holy Spirit who would be their counsellor. The Holy Spirit would teach the world righteousness and condemn evil in the hearts of people.
On Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit was sent on the twelve apostles. Later, other believers started receiving the spirit because the promise was for all who would believe in Jesus.
The Holy Spirit guided the early disciples in their work of spreading the Gospel. The same Holy Spirit is also guiding us today as Christians.
Evidence of the guidance of the spirit of Jesus
a) The choice of Paul and Barnabas
In the Church at Antioch in Syria, there were prophets and teachers. Paul and Barnabas were among them.
One day, while they were worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them. ’The work the Holy Spirit said he had called them for was missionary work or evangelism
as the messengers of God. She started following them screaming, ‘These are the servants of the Most High God who proclaim to you the way of salvation’.
Paul had to cast out the evil spirit in her and she got converted. She was
no longer practizing soothsaying. This is because the evil spirit in her that was helping her in that pagan practice had been cast out.
The owners of the slave girl who were making money out of her sooth saying got angry with Paul and. They took them to the magistrates at a market place and lied that they
were disturbing people and teaching
them bad things.
The people there at the market place attacked them. The magistrates did not wait to find out the truth. They immediately gave an order that Paul and Silas should be beaten with rods.
Paul and Silas in a market place before the magistrates
After beating them with rods, they bound them and put them in the inner prison with very tight Security While they were in the prison bound in chains, the Spirit of Christ in them made them not to be afraid. They were praising and worshipping God
and other prisoners listened to them. As they were singing at midnight, God sent a very strong earthquake that shook the prison house. The fetters they bound Paul and Silas with broke. The prison doors opened but Paul and Silas did not run away. When the prison guard saw that the prison doors were open, he wanted to kill himself because he thought that Paul and Silas had escaped. He did not want to face the punishment of being killed. As Paul and Silas saw him trying to kill himself, they stopped him and he saw that they did not run Away after all Having seen all that happened, the prison guard changed. He took Paul and Silas to his house that very night. He washed their wounds and served them food. He was converted with all the members of his family.
While Paul and Silas were in the prison guard ’s house, the magistrates sent policemen to tell them that they had been released. Paul said that the magistrates must come and apologize to them for not respecting their rights as Roman citizens. They were punished without being given fair trial.
The magistrates had to come to the prison guard’shouse and apologized to them. After that Paul and Silas left Philippi.
WEEK 5 &6
Topic: The gifts of the Holy Spirit
Guide to Bible passage: Acts 8, John 1 4:25; John 1 6:1 2
Performance objectives: At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
1 explain how Jesus guides us by his spirit.
2 list some of the things Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do.
3 identify the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.
4 state the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
CONTENT
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
When Paul was persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem before his conversion, many disciples left the place and went to other parts of the world.The Spirit of Christ was with them guiding them on how to do the work of the Gospel.
An example was Philip who went to Samaria and preached the Gospel. The Spirit of
Christ in him made him to convert many people and to baptize them in the name of Jesus.The Spirit of Christ also gave him the power to heal the lame and blind people. He also cast demons from those that were possessed.
The Spirit also made Peter to have the power to lay hands on people and they received the Holy Spirit. When some believers that remained in Jerusalem heard that Philip had converted a lot of people to Christianity in Samaria, they were happy. They sent Peter to go and lay hands on them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.The Spirit of Christ through Peter exposed one false convert who was a magician. He was called Simon the great because of his great magical power. He was among those that came out as believers and was baptized by Philip. He showed that he was not a true believer when he tried to
offer money to Peter to sell to him the power of making people receive the Holy Spirit.
Peter was angry with him and told him to perish with his money. Peter said to him that the gift of God cannot be bought or sold. He advised Simon to pray to God for forgiveness of his evil intention. Simon repented and begged Peter to pray to God for him for forgiveness The Spirit of Christ also directed Philip from Samaria to Graza, to join one Ethiopian man in his chariot. The man went to Jerusalem to worship and was reading a passage from Isaiah as he was coming back. The passage was about Christ but the Ethiopian did not understand. When Philip joined the man in his chariot, he asked whether the man understood what he was reading. The man said no and asked for assistance.
Philip interpreted the passage to him and the man understood things about Christ and believed in him. So, when they came to where there was water, the Ethiopian told Philip to baptise him and Philip did. The man went home a believer in Christ and was happy. The Spirit took Philip to another place. Concerning Philip and Peter, we notice the following gifts of the Holy Spirit:
1 Wisdom to preach the Gospel and convert people.
2 Power to perform miracles of healing.
3 Power to lay hands on people for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
4 Wisdom to interpret the word of God.
Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be their counsellor and their teacher. He would help them remember all things. He said that the Spirit would guide them in the way of truth so that they would not speak by their own authority. They would speak only what they heard. The Spirit would reveal to them things to come.
The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the present day Christians In our lives as Christians, the Holy Spirit enables us to
1 hate life of sin.
2 fellowship with one another.
3 show true love to others.
4 preach the word of God with truth.
5 condemn boldly the corrupt practices in our country.
6 perform genuine miracles such as that of healing.
7 prophesy.
8 get revelations from God.
9 have the wisdom to understand and interpret the word of God.speak in tongues genuinely.
1 1 interpret speaking in tongues.
1 2 have discerning spirit (to know a person operating with good spirit and the one operating with bad spirit, especially in prophecy.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
According to Paul in his teaching, a person that has the Holy Spirit in him
manifests these qualities in his daily life activities – love, joy, peace, patience or long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control,
and so on.
With the above qualities, we would be able to be law-abiding towards God and men.
Moral lessons
1 As Christians we should pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us avoid the life of sin.
2 Anytime we want to engage in Christian programmes like evangelism, church service, fellowship, children’sconcert, etc., we should pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
3 In our daily personal activities like going to school, work, travelling, etc. we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Remember
1 Jesus promised his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit which he said would come from the father after his ascension into Heaven.
2 Jesus said that very soon, he would not be physically present with them again, so they would need the Holy Spirit to guide them.
3 The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and of God the father.
4 The promise of the Holy Spirit was not only for Jesus’disciples then, but also for anybody who would believe in him, and become his disciple.
5 Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be to them:
a counsellor, comforter, teacher, guide, reminder, the spirit of truth and prophecy.
6 The Holy Spirit guided Christ’searly disciples in their activities. Examples are:
a) In choosing Paul and Barnabas for missionary work to the Gentiles b) Philip
and Peter in their evangelical work.
c) Paul and Silas in their missionary work to Philippi at Macedonia in Europe, etc.
7 As the present day Christians or disciples, we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all our activities.
Exercise
1 What is the Holy Spirit?
2 Why did Jesus promise his disciples the Holy Spirit?
3 In which ways did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would serve the disciples?
Strategies & Activities:
Step1 : Teacher revised the previous topic.
Step2: Teacher introduces the new topic.
Step3: Teacher explains the new topic.
Step4: Teacher welcomes pupils questions.
Step 5: Teacher evaluates the pupils.
Assessment & Evaluation:
1 . identify ways by which Jesus showed love to people.
2. identify instances when Jesus demonstrated his love for mankind.
Summary: Teacher goes over the topic once again to enhance better understanding. Wrap_up(conclusion): Teacher corrects and Mark pupils notebooks.
Assignment:
Fill in the gaps below with correct answers.
4 The Holy Spirit guided the early Christians in choosing ——————–
and ——————- for missionary work to the Gentiles.
5 During Paul’ssecond missionary journey, the Spirit of Christ told him and
Silas not to preach in ——————————.
Choose the correct answers to the questions below.
6 How did the Holy Spirit help Philip in his evangelical work in Samaria?
A. He converted people and healed the sick.
B. He escaped persecution.
C. He performed magic.
D. He rested.
7 Which is not one of the roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians? It enables us to:
A. teach the true word of God.
B. perform miracles of healing.
C. condemn boldly the evil practices in our country.
D. discriminate.
8 Who laid hands on people in Samaria and they received the Holy Spirit?
A. Philip B. Peter C. Simon the Great D. Paul
9 Which one of the following is a fruit of the Holy Spirit?
A. Envy B. Rough play C. Self-control
WEEK6&7
Topic: Jesus gives us a new life
Performance objectives
At the end of this unit, pupils should be able to:
1 explain what new life means.
2 discuss the evidence of a new life in a person.
3 enumerate the fruits of a new life.
4 identify the characteristics of a new life.
Guide to Bible passages
Acts 1 6:31 -34; Galatians 5:22-26
CONTENT
What new life means
A new life means a changed life. It means that a person living in sin suddenly changes and gives up his sinful ways. As a result
1 The old character gives way to a new character.
2 The old way that led to destruction now changes and leads to a new
life of salvation.
3 The old attitude changes to new attitude.
4 The old attitude of cheating, lying, fighting, abusing, cheating in examination,
disobedience, etc, now changes to telling the truth, loving,
obedience and kindness.
A new life in Christ means that a sinner who had lived his life in deceit, lying, disobedience, and so on, now accepts Jesus Christ into his life and so becomes a child of God. Such a person has a new life. New life can only come through Jesus Christ. Repentance of sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ will give us a new life.
Evidence of a new life
When a person’slife changes, it is evident in his character, attitude and behaviour. The life of a person with new life will have joy, kindness, peace, and other virtues.
The behaviour of the changed life will be noticed by the people around. The story of the Philippian jailer is an example of the evidence of a new life.
Paul and Silas went to Philippi to preach the gospel of Christ. They met a slave girl who had an evil spirit. Paul cast out the spirit. The owner of the girl realised that the means of making money through evil spirit had been stopped. Paul and Silas were arrested and accused of disturbing the city. The magistrates ordered them to be flogged. After beating them they threw them into prison. The jailer was instructed to keep them in prison. He put them into the inner prison and p
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, the foundation of the prison shook, all the doors were opened and every chain was loosened. The jailer woke up and wanted to kill himself, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. Paul told him that they were still in prison. The jailer became afraid. He asked Paul and Silas, ‘What must I do to be saved’?They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’.
Paul and Silas spoke the word of God to him. He accepted Christ the
same hour. He took Paul and Silas to his house and prepared food for
them. He rejoiced with his household that he had believed in God.
The fruits of a new life
The Holy Spirit gives the fruits of the spirit to a person with new life. The fruits
of the spirit are
1 Love 5 Kindness
2 Joy 6 Goodness
3 Peace 7 Faithfulness
4 Patience 8 Gentleness
9 Self-control
These fruits will be shown in the character of the person who changes from
his old ways to a new way. The evidence of these fruits will be seen and
known by both the changed person and the people around him.
Characteristics of a new life
The characteristics of a new life in Christ are:
1 Obedience
2 Right-living
3 Kindness
4 Being honest
5 Speaking the truth
6 Self-control
7 Gentleness
8 Showing love
9 Forgiving one another
Moral lessons
1 God loves us. He wants us to have a change of life.
2 God wants us to repent from our sins, accept Jesus and receive a new life.
3 It is the wish of God that all mankind will come to repentance and ac cept the new life in Christ.
4 God wants us to receive the fruits of the spirit.
5 The evidence of a new life must be seen in us.
6 Our lives must show the characteristics of a new life.
Remember
1 When a man changes from his old habits and attitude, we say he has a new life.
2 When a person repents from his sins, accepts Jesus and forsakes his old ways, we say he has a new life in Christ.
3 Evidence of a new life is usually shown in the character of the person. People around him must see the changes from old life to new life.
4 The Holy Spirit gives the fruits of the spirit which include: peace, love, joy, kindness, patience, and so on.
Exercise
1 Explain what new life means.
2 State the evidence of a new life.
3 Mention two fruits of a new life.
4 List three characteristics of a new life. Fill in the gaps with the correct answers.
5 ‘Ifanyone is in Christ he is a new —————–‘.
6 The fruits of the spirit are ————- and ——————-.
Choose the correct answers to the following.
7 Evidence of a new life is usually seen in
A. character. B. food. C. meal.
D. drink.
8 Love, joy, kindness, are the fruits of
A. man. B. Holy Spirit. C. food
WEEK8&9
Topic: Jesus prayed to the father
Performance objectives
At the end of this unit, pupils should be able to:
1 explain why Jesus prayed.
2 list out the contents of Jesus’prayer.
3 mention instances when Jesus prayed.
4 state the importance of prayer.
5 identify things to pray for.
Guide to Bible passages
Matthew 6; 21 :22; Luke 6:1 2; 21 :22
CONTENT
Reasons why Jesus prayed
Prayer is a means of talking to our heavenly father. Jesus, while he was physically here on earth, did pray to his father. Why did Jesus pray? He prayed to receive power, strength and grace to fulfill his mission, or task, on earth. Jesus always prayed to be a role model to his disciples. He also prayed to honour God, his father.
We as the followers of Jesus must do the same.Contents of Jesus’prayer Jesus taught us how to pray when he gave us ‘The Lord’sPrayer’.So, when we pray we should first give thanks to God. We thank God for giving us a new a day, a new life. We thank him for providing food, clothes, money for our parents.
After thanks, we should confess our sins. We must forgive those who have offended us. This is to allow God to forgive us our own sins.
We should tell God what we need. For instance,
1 We can tell God to give us wisdom, understanding so as to pass our examinations.
2 We can also pray to the Lord to let the government show concern for the citizens of this country.
3 Our prayer could be to ask the Lord to grant mummy and daddy sound health.
4 We must thank the Lord for hearing our prayers.
5 All prayers must be in the name of Jesus.
Instances when Jesus prayed
Jesus was always praying. Before he chose the twelve apostles, he went to pray. He prayed all night. When Mary and Martha sent for Jesus on the death of their brother, Lazarus, Jesus went to the grave, thanked God and prayed for the dead Lazarus to rise up. The prayer was answered. Lazarus came back to life. Lazarus coming out of the grave
At the end of Jesus’life here on earth, when he faced death, he prayed seriously at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus was always prayerful. We should always follow his examples of prayer.
Importance of prayer
It is important to talk to our heavenly father. When we do this, we shall have a right relationship with God. When we pray and ask God for our needs such as sound health, protection, wisdom and so on, God will answer us and we will become happy.
Prayer is also important because it builds our confidence in God. When we are confident in God, we trust him more
Moral lessons
1 We must always be prayerful.
2 When we ask God for anything, we should have faith that he will answer us.
3 We should give thanks to God always and when our needs are me Remember
Jesus prayed all night. We should know how to build a good relationship with God. We must be prayerful.
Exercise
1 Mention two reasons why we should pray.
2 List out five contents in ‘The Lord’sPrayer’.
Fill in the gaps below with the correct answers.
3 When we pray we should have______________ in God.
4 When we pray we must forgive our offenders so that God can _______
_______.
5 The first thing to do when we pray is to give ______________ to God.
Choose the correct answers to the questions below.
6 At the end of his life here on earth, Jesus prayed at the Garden of
______________.
A. Gethsemane. B. Jordan. C. Bethsaida.
D. mountain.
7 Lazarus ______________ when Jesus prayed at his grave.
A. resurrected. B. died again. C. was angry.
D. was not happy.
8 We should always ask God for
A. our needs. B. little things. C. nothing.
D. special things only
WEEK 10&11
Question: “What does it mean that God is with us?”
Answer: It is good to know that God is omnipresent (everywhere at one time) —it is one of His attributes. Coinciding with His omnipresence are the attributes of omniscience (all knowledge) and omnipotence (all power) . These concepts are a bit much for us humans to comprehend, but God knows that, too (Isaiah 55:8) . God fills His creation and is universally present in person, in understanding, and in power at all times. “He is not far from any one of us”(Acts 1 7:27) .
On a more personal level, God is with all believers today in that His Holy Spirit indwells us.
This indwelling can only happen if one is born again (John 3:3) . First John 5:1 1 -1 2 tells
us it is Jesus who indwells us: “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”And Jesus said the Father comes to abide with us: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”(John 1 4:23) .
In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “Christ lives in me. ”Then in 3:5 he says that God has given us His Spirit. In verses 26-27, he says that believers are “baptized into Christ ”and are “clothed”with Christ. (God is as close as our clothing!) Galatians 5 then discusses the fruit of the Spirit and states in verse 25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ”With many such verses as these, it is clear that God is in three Persons and that all Three dwell in all born-again believers—at all times (Matthew 28:20) . One of Jesus’titles is “Immanuel, ”which means “God with us”(Matthew 1 :23) . When Jesus came into this world, He was truly, literally “God with us. ”Because God is with us,
we know that we will never be separated from His love (Romans 8:38-39) . God ’s
presence assures us that we can accomplish His will for us (1 Chronicles 22:1 7-1 9) . God’ s presence overcomes our fear, worry, and dissatisfaction (Hebrews 1 3:5) .
The Holy Spirit in us is always praying for us (Romans 8:26) . We are told to pray without
ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:1 7), which means we should maintain an attitude of prayer and receptiveness in order to verbalize prayer to God whenever He leads. He is near to His children, attentive to their cry (Psalm 34:1 5) . We should verify that we are indeed walking with the Lord our God by often consulting His Word, fellowshipping with other believers, and seeking godly counsel from pastors, Christian counselors, and Christian friends. We should have the attitude that we are at all times in ministry with the Lord. The Holy Spirit will lead us. We will see God at work. God is alive, and He is near. He wants to communicate and commune with us. That is the joy of the Christian life.
Main Point: Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation.
Key Verse:
Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:1 7
Props: A plastic caterpillar (or picture of a caterpillar) . A plastic butterfly (or picture) .
Background
Say: One time a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what one thing he must do to receive eternal life. Maybe you remember the story. The young man was good at keeping the rules, but Jesus told him that the kingdom of God wasn’tjust about keeping rules.
Jesus wanted this young man to be His follower, but He also knew that the man had turned his money into an idol. He loved his riches as much or more than he loved God! So Jesus told the man to sell everything and give the money to the poor. Then he would be able to follow Jesus and be part of the kingdom of God. But something surprising happened next. The rich young ruler became very sad and walked away from Jesus. He loved his money so much that he didn’twant to give it up, even to follow the Son of God.
Here’swhat Jesus said next to His disciples: “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’ s kingdom! Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for the rich to enter God’skingdom!”(Luke 1 8:24-25)
This worried the disciples. “Then who can be saved?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”(Luke 1 8:26-27)
Today we are going to read a story about another rich man who met up with Jesus. But unlike the rich young ruler, who wanted eternal life but wasn’twilling to change his life, the rich man in today ’s story is a beautiful example of what Jesus told his disciples. “Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
The man in today’sstory is named Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector, which meant that most people hated him. He was also very, very small in size, which meant that he probably got lost in a crowd. But Jesus didn’tcare about either of these things. Jesus wanted to spend time with Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus was more than happy to become Jesus’friend. Look with me at Luke 1 9:1 -1 0.
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Teacher Note: Any children who have sung the Sunday School song, “Zacchaeus, ”will be able to tell you Zacchaeus’distinguishing characteristic—his short stature. Zacchaeus was a wee little man/And a wee little man was he/He climbed up in that sycamore tree/For the Lord he wanted to see. But the kids are probably less likely to know other facts about Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector. He was despised and looked upon as the worst of sinners by most people. And finally, he was a completely changed man after spending some time with Jesus. Although we don’tknow what Jesus said to Zacchaeus after arriving at the tax collector’s home, we do see the result of their interaction. Zacchaeus was changed, through and through. Because of his encounter with the Son of God that day, the wee little tax collector became a new creation. So really, the fact that Zacchaeus was small matters little to the story. The fact that his sinner’sheart repented completely is going to be our focus today. Zacchaeus Is Curious About Jesus Say: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was a chief tax collector and was very rich. Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. But he was a short man. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. He wanted to see Jesus, who was coming that way. – Luke 1 9:1 -4
Teacher Note: Jesus was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, where the events of Holy Week would soon unfold. Many, many Jews from Galilee were passing through Jericho that day on their way to observe Passover in Jerusalem. Jericho was a gateway into Roman-controlled territory and a major tax collection site, which is likely why Zacchaeus was so wealthy. He had much opportunity to abuse the system that funded the occupying Roman army.
Say: Zacchaeus was a man who worked for the Roman government collecting taxes. A tax is money collected by a government from its citizens. For example, when you buy a book at the bookstore, a certain amount of tax is added to the price of the book. The government then collects the tax money that you pay on the book. Most grown ups pay taxes on the money they earn at work, on the things they buy, on their homes, on their cars. You get the idea. In Jesus’time, Israel was under the control of the Roman empire. People in Israel didn’t like this at all. They were not a free nation. They had to obey Roman laws and submit to
Roman authority. And because tax collectors worked for the Roman government, they were a constant reminder that Israel was once again under the authority of a foreign government. Every time a citizen had to pay money to a tax collector, they probably thought really bad thoughts about the person taking their money.
That was more than enough to make tax collectors unpopular, don’tyou think? But there was something else that made people hate the tax collectors. Many of the tax collectors were also very dishonest, and collected more money than they were supposed to. What do you suppose they did with the extra money they collected? That’sright. They put it in their own pockets and kept it!
So for these reasons tax collectors were not very popular people in their communities. And because Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector —the boss of all the other tax collectors—he was probably especially disliked.
When Jesus traveled through Zacchaeus ’ town of Jericho, He was on His way to Jerusalem, where He would celebrate the last supper with His disciples.
So many people followed Jesus wherever He went at this point in His ministry. Everyone wanted to hear Him teach about the kingdom of God. Everyone wanted to see Him heal the sick. And Zacchaeus was no exception. We’re not told why he was so curious about Jesus, but Zacchaeus the tax collector was very eager to see what Jesus was doing.
There was only one problem. Zacchaeus was much smaller than everyone else in the crowd that surrounded Jesus. He tried standing on his tip toes, but that didn’twork. He tried pushing his way to the front of the crowd, but that didn’twork. Maybe he even asked if he could climb up on someone’sshoulders! But who would let the chief tax collector do that?
Finally, Zacchaeus had an idea. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into the biggest tree he could find. It was a sycamore fig tree. Finally, little Zacchaeus the tax collector, could see what Jesus was up to. He had a bird’s-eye view of all the action.
Application: Zacchaeus was curious about Jesus and wanted to see with his PHYSICAL eyes what all the commotion was about. But God was also working in Zacchaeus’heart to enable him to see with SPIRITUAL eyes. God wanted the little tax collector to see that Jesus could bring salvation to every single person in that crowd, even a hated outcast like Zacchaeus. God wants us to see Jesus like that, too. When we listen to stories about Jesus and learn about what He said and did, we are like Zacchaeus watching from a distance. But when we truly understand that Jesus is the Son of God who died so that our sins can be forgiven and we can have eternal life, then we are seeing with our spiritual eyes!
Now let’sread on in Luke 1 9:5-7.
Zacchaeus Is Called By Name
Say:
Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay at your house today.”So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed Him gladly.
All the people saw this. They began to whisper among themselves. They said, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
Zacchaeus climbed up into the tree so that he could see the attention that Jesus was getting. Now HE was the center of attention!
Jesus stopped right under the tree where the little tax collector was perched did something really surprising. He called Zacchaeus by name! The two men had never met before, yet Jesus knew everything about Zacchaeus. Because Jesus is God, He knew all there was to know about the man in the tree—his name, his job, even the number of hairs on his head!
Application: Psalm 1 39:1 3 says, You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’sbody. God knew everything about you before you were even born, because He is the one who made you! And John 1 0:3, which tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His dearly loved sheep, says: …The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.
Ask: Did Jesus know that Zacchaeus was a sinner? Yes! And Jesus, the Good Shepherd, called out to him anyway. Happily Zacchaeus listened to the Good Shepherd’svoice, and that made all the difference in his life. When we listen to the Shepherd calling us by name and respond to Him, our lives will be changed too!
Say: When Zacchaeus heard Jesus tell him to come down from the tree, what did he do? He came down immediately. There must have been something amazing about Jesus to make the tax collector scramble down from the branches as fast as he could! All throughout the New Testament are stories of people who stopped whatever they were doing to follow Jesus. Ask: Who did we learn about who left everything to follow Jesus? Peter, James and John were the fishermen who left their nets right on the beach to follow Jesus!
How do you think Zacchaeus felt when Jesus said He wanted to stay at the little tax collector’shouse? Excited. Nervous. Confused. Zacchaeus was probably feeling all those
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emotions and more. We aren’ttold exactly what he thought. But we are told in Luke 1 9:7 how the CROWD felt about Jesus going to the home of a tax collector: They began to whisper among themselves. They said, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’“
Tax collectors like Zacchaeus were especially looked down upon by the Pharisees and rule makers. To them, he was among the worst of sinners. Zacchaeus wouldn’teven have been allowed to be part of the synagogue or to worship with others. But here Jesus was, inviting Himself to a tax collector’shouse, acting like He was His friend. So people began to whisper and complain, even though every single person in Jericho that day was a sinner just like Zacchaeus.
Romans 3:23 says, Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God ’s glory. That includes Pharisees. And that includes you and me. We may not be tax collectors, we may not be thieves or murderers, but we are all sinners. And any sin, big or small, separates us from God.
When Jesus says to any sinner “follow Me, ”and that sinner decides to follow Him, God forgives their sin and gives them a new life. They are part of the kingdom of God! If only the people in the crowd had opened their eyes to that truth, they would have been rejoicing that Zacchaeus was about to become a whole new person instead of complaining about Jesus’friendship with a “sinner.”
Let’scontinue reading to learn just how different Zacchaeus was after Jesus came to his house! Look at Luke 1 9:8-1 0.
Zacchaeus Becomes A New Creation
Say:
But Zacchaeus stood up. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of what I own to those who are poor. And if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay it back. I will pay back four times the amount I took.”
Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house. You are a member of Abraham’sfamily line. The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.”
Wow. This Zacchaeus was behaving very differently than the rich young ruler we talked about at the beginning of the lesson! The rich young ruler did not follow Jesus because he loved money more than he loved Jesus. He like some of the things that Jesus said, but he wasn’tready to give up everything to be part of the kingdom.
Zacchaeus, though, was completely changed by his encounter with Jesus. Zacchaeus repented of his sins right there, in front of Jesus and the crowd. True repentance means that you “change your mind”and “turn away from sin. ” Zacchaeus demonstrated his repentance by saying he would give half his money to the poor and that he would make things right with anyone he had cheated in his job as tax collector. In fact, he wasn’tjust going to pay back what he stole from people, he was going to pay back FOUR TIMES what he stole!
Zacchaeus truly became a new man that day. But how is that possible? 2 Corinthians 5:1 7 says, Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!
That is what happened to Zacchaeus when he decided to repent and follow Jesus. When the tax collector became part of the kingdom of God, he was changed from the inside out. Before he met Jesus, Zacchaeus was kind of like a caterpillar. Hold up the plastic caterpillar or picture of a caterpillar. Caterpillars are very hungry. They just eat, eat, eat all the time. They are so greedy that if you put one in a jar with a bunch of green leaves, the leaves will disappear before you know it! Zacchaeus was greedy like that, wasn’the?
But when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, it is changed completely, from the inside out. Hold up the plastic caterpillar or picture of a caterpillar. Nothing about the butterfly even resembles the creepy, crawly, greedy, munching caterpillar it used to be. It is a totally new creation. When a butterfly flits by on a sunny summer day, it brings joy to all who see it because it is so beautiful!
Application: Meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus into a completely new person. And Jesus wants everyone to believe in Him so they can be new creations, too! Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. When we believe that, repent, and follow Him—just like Zacchaeus did—Jesus will change our lives and make us new and beautiful!