Quarter Three Student Book

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The Kingdom and Its EnemiesGrade 5, Quarter 3, Student Book

Betty Burton Choate

Into Gods WorldBible Class Curriculum

Written by Christians, for ChristiansChurches of Christ


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Copyright 2014

Into Gods WorldBible class curricula written by Christians for Christians

Churches of Christ

All Quotes from the New King James Version of Scripture

World Evangelism Publications

P.O. Box 72

Winona, MS 38967

Phone: 662-283-1192

Email: [email protected]

Web sites: WorldEvangelism.org

Into Gods World.


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Table of ContentsLesson Page

1. A Little Man with Horns? ........................................................................ 2

2. A World of Hurt ........................................................................................ 7

3. A Messed-up World ............................................................................... 13

4. I Did This for You ................................................................................... 18

5. Am I Lost? ............................................................................................... 24

6. Gods Plan for the Church .................................................................... 30

7. Separate from the World ....................................................................... 38

8. A Dangerous World ................................................................................ 46

9. Providential Care ................................................................................... 53

10. Division and Confusion ....................................................................... 59

11. Many Kinds of gods .......................................................................... 65

12. Do We Sometimes Make Idols? .......................................................... 73

.

13. Lets Look Back .................................................................................... 79

A Word of Explanation:

This student class book is designed also as a tool for family

Bible studies. The format is in narrative form: a Daddy, Mother, son

and daughter, studying and discussing the lessons together. Daddy

leads the discussions and does most of the talking. His statements

are not enclosed with quotation marks, avoiding the repetitious Daddy

said..., Daddy answered..., Daddy asked... So when you are read-

ing text without quotation marks, keep in mind that Daddy is talking....


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For Teachers and Parents: We hope that you will nd these materials useful, in full agreementwith Gods word, and interesting to study. We ask that in the classroom

you teach with astuteness and compassion, aware that this ideal family

shown in the lessons will not be the home situation of some of your stu-dents. As teachers, get to know the children and their specic needs. In

this way you will be better able to instill in their minds what God wants the

family and home to be, without alienating them with the painful contrast

to their own lives. When divorce and broken homes are as prevalent in

the church as in the world, we as a body will either concede defeat and let

ruination continue, or we will bravely rise to the painful task of teaching the

clear message of Gods word so that things can be turned around. Only

true knowledge and humble obedience can save us from destruction.

For decades, many of the Bible class materials provided for theLords church were adapted from literature written for interdenominational

use. For that reason, no denitive doctrine was taught.

We cannot remain strong as Gods Family without knowledge of all

that He says in His message to mankind. Partial truths are not enough to

save us and secure our faithfulness to Him. We understand that the mar-

ket in the church is not large enough for literature to be developed as a

business,hiring people to do all the writing, artwork, graphic design, editing,

and printing, and still to be offered at an affordable price. This explains thelogic behind companies buying the rights to reproduce and edit materials

designed initially for use in the denominational world. They were providing

what they could afford to do.

But this lack of denitive teaching has opened the door to a major

apostasy that is already well underway. The only course for preventing the

loss of maybe 85% of the American church, following the death of the older

generations, is through literature. This is a vital work the church needs

to do for the church. We have asked volunteers to write and prepare thematerials, so that the nished products will be biblically sound, appealing

to the eye, offering the needed component parts, and yet remaining within

reason in cost.

To complete such an enormous job four quarters for every year

from the cradle through adult ages will take time. We pray that you will

keep in touch with us, to be aware of new materials as they are completed,

to use them, to offer your suggestions for improvement, and to volunteer

your talents in the work yet to be done. Most of all, pray for Gods people.


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1. Can we see Satan with our eyes?

2. Did God create an evil spirit that He called Satan? [God created all beings,

and all that He created was good. He did not cause Satan to choose to do

wrong. Satan made that choice himself, and because he rebelled against God,

he was thrown out of heaven Revelation 12:7-12.]

A Little Man

with Horns? Laura was helping her motherwith the dishes after lunch. Youre

quiet today! Mother exclaimed.

Whats on your mind?

Oh, I dont know, Laura

answered hesitantly. Something

that was said in our Bible class this

morning, I guess.

What was that? Mother asked.

Well, Tommy asked if Satan is

a little man in a red suit, with horns

and a pitchfork, or is he just the bad

things around us, or the influence

of our friends trying to get us to do

wrong or is he a real spirit person

who is working in the world?

What do you think? Motherturned the question around. Maybe we

havent studied enough about him for you to really know what the Bible teaches.

Does it say much about Satan?

Oh, yes! And by paying attention to what God says about him, we can be

warned so that well know how to protect ourselves!

Can he just take over our minds you know, like they say some people

are possessed by the devil?

Thats a good question, Mother smiled. And did you know theres onlyone place where we can find the true answers about God and about Satan? in

Gods word!

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Our World..... Lesson 1


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Into Gods World.....Who Is Satan?

Have you ever wondered who Satan is and what he looks like? We often

hear people speak about Satan or the devil. Is he just a bad influence or is he a

real being? Where did he come from? Has he always existed, or did someone

make him? Is he a bad god, equal with the true God, or is he less than God?

In Ezekiel 28:12-17, God speaks to someone, whom He calls a cherub

an angel and He says, You were the seal of perfection, full of wis-

dom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; ... you

were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on

the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of ery

stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till

iniquity was found in you...

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Memory Verse: Revelation 12:9:So the great dragon was cast out, that

serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole

world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.


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In Isaiah 14:12-15, we read of God speaking to Sa-

tan again: How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,

son of the morning! ... For you said in your heart, I

will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above

the stars of God. ... I will be like the Most High.

These are small glimpses of Satan or Lucifer, before

he chose to try to make himself greater than God. He was

a spirit being, called a cherub,and he was described as

beingthe anointed cherubso he must have been an

angel with great authority. God described him as perfect,

as being on the holy mountain of God, and in the Garden of

Eden. But pride filled his heart, and he decided to make his

throne higher than the stars, even to be like God!

What happened when Satan rebelled? We see

other glimpses in other verses:And the angels who did not keep their prop-

er domain, but left their own habitation, He [God]

has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness

for the judgment of the great day ...(Jude 6).

Then He will also say to those on the left hand,

Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting re

prepared for the devil and his angels ... (Matthew 25:41).

Evidently, when Satan rebelled, he had influenceover other angels, and he led many to follow him in re-

bellion against God. These verses show us that angels

have the choice to obey or disobey God, but when they

disobeyed, God prepared a place for them. All of us

should keep in mind that hell was originally planned for

Satan and his fallen angels, not for humans.

God cannot allow sin in heaven, though, and so

the angels were cast out of the presence of God.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and

his angels fought against the dragon; and the drag-

on and his angels fought, But they did not prevail,

nor was a place found for them in heaven any lon-

ger. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent

of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives

the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his

angels were cast out with him.

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Vocabulary

Spirit being: an immortal life

form which cannot be seen with

the human eye. Being invisible

to us does not mean that it is

notreal; in fact the spirit world

is more real in the sense of

being apermanent world thanours is because those beings

do not die as we do.

Angels:spirit beings who were

created by God before He

made the world and everything

in it. They are above man, and

are doing the bidding of God.

Part of their work is to serve

those who are heirs of salva-

tion. (Hebrews 1:14)

Michael:the archangel; theonly angel in the scriptures to

be designated as archangel.

Michael seems to serve now

as the commander of Gods

host of angels. See Jude 9.

The Devil:also called Satan;

an evil spirit being who wants

to lead us to be evil. Jesus

said. I saw Satan fall like

lightning from heaven. (Luke

10:18)

Demons:spirit beings who

are enemies of God; they are

servants of Satan.

Song:

Get Behind Me, Satan!

When temptations trouble you,

say,

Get behind me, Satan!

When the wrong road faces you,

say,


Christ will lead you all the way,

He will guide you day by day,

When temptations trouble you,

say,



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Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation, andstrength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come,

for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and

night, has been cast down(Revelation 12:7-10).

These verses show that there was a war in heaven. Satan and his angels

were overpowered by Michael and his angels, and the disobedient spirits were cast

out of heaven. Satan now roams the earth, going about, looking for ways to deceiveall who will listen to his temptations to do wrong.

In Ephesians 2:1-3 we learn that Satan is the spirit that now works in the

sons of disobedience. So God teaches us in His word that Satan is an evil spirit

being, which means that he does not have a physical body that we can see with our

human eyes. But this verse also tells us that Satan is leading people to be disobedi-

ent to God. It is his goal to turn each of us away from God! We can always know that

Satan is the one who has been at work whenever people disobey God.

Satan is powerful but he does not have the same

powers as God. He doesnt

know everything, as

God does, and he isnt

all-powerful, as God is.

He can do only what

God and humans allow

him to do. This means

that he cant move into

our bodies and force us

to do anything. He canonly tempt us to listen to

him. God says in James 4:7

that we are to resist the devil,

and he will leave us. Our power to

resist the devil comes from God and

from a knowledge of the Bible.

All of us know the story of Satans

first battle with humans, and of his victory. Eve

was in the beautiful Garden of Eden, the perfect home that God had made for Adam andhis wife. There, among the fruit trees, Satan, in the form of a snake, asked Eve, Has

God indeed said, You shall not eat of the fruit of every tree of the garden?

Eve knew what God had said. He had warned Adam that if they ate of the

fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. Eve understood Gods

words, but she foolishly listened to Satan. He convinced her that they wouldnt die

that the fruit would actually make themas wise as God! And, besides, it would

taste so good!

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Picture used with permission:

(c)2006 www.TeGloryStory.com


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So Eve ate the fruit (and, no, the Bible doesnt say it was an apple!) and

she gave some to Adam who was with her! Now, why wasnt Adam telling

Eve, No, Honey, we cant do this! We cant disobey God!? He just took what

she gave him and he ate it the first failure of a man as the spiritual leader in

the family! Be smart, boys, and grow up to be the leaders God wants you to be,so that you can protect your wife and children from Satans lies.

You know the rest of the story. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden, and

God placed cherubim as guards so that they could never return to that perfect home.

There are many examples in the Bible of Satans attacks on men and wom-

en. When he appeared to Eve, he added only a few words to Gods instructions,

but through that first lie he was able to deceive her and to persuade her to disobey

God. Deceit is one of his greatest tools, and he uses it every day, even now.

Satan tried to deceive Job into denying God, through bringing all kindsof problems into his life. Job had strong faith, though, and he did not turn away

from God as Satan wanted him to do (Job 1, 2). Problems are still some of the

devils best tools for discouraging people and getting them to doubt and

disobey God.

We read of Judas and of Ananias who did not resist Satans temptations to

do wrong. Satan led Judas to betray Gods own Son! (John 13:2). Later Satan

tempted one of the first Christians to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). Lying is a

tool that Satan uses every day,knowing that God has said that every liar will

5


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have his own place in hell. Of course, what Satan wants is to take as many with him as

he can so he convinces people that a little white lie wont hurt! But hes lying!

Satan even tempted Jesus in the wilderness, but Jesus answered each temp-

tation with a scripture. (Luke 4:1-13). If we follow Jesus example we will learn Gods

word so well that it will become our answer whenever Satan trails thoughts of temp-

tations through our minds.

We are warned that Satan will transform himself into an angel of light. This

means that he will make wrong things appear to be right (Read 2 Corinthians 11:13-

15). We must study Gods word so that we will know the real truths. This is the only

way we will be able to tell when Satan is pretending to be good and trying to lead us

away from God through his lies.

In the New Testament, Christians are warned that Satan will try to destroy us.

In 1 Peter 5:8 we read,...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring

lion, seeking whom he may devour.

For our own protection, we must study Gods word every day, so that we willbe prepared with the right answers when Satan slips into our hearts with tempta-

tions. Gods word is our shield and protection.

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To Do at Home Begin a collection of newspaper and magazine articles reportingSatan worship, cases of witchcraft, cult activities, crime, and religious

conict and division. This will help the entire family to be more aware of

Satans work in the everyday world around us.

In your mind, do you picture the devil and

angels something like this?

Cartoon drawings like this one are at work intwo ways: they take away some of our fear of Satan,because they make him seem to be a joke. And they

lessen our respect and awe of spiritual angelic beings.Angels are special workers for God, helping and caringfor those who will be saved (Hebrews 1:14).

Can you answer these questions from the lesson?

1. Who is Satan?

2. Is he as powerful as God?

3. Why were Satan and his angels cast out of heaven?

4. The terrible place called hell was made for

________ and ____ _________.

5. What lie did Satan tell Eve?6. How did Jesus answer Satans temptations?

7. How can Satan seem to be an angel of light?

Additional Scriptures:

Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 12:24-30

Matthew 25:41

Job 2:7

2 Corinthians 11:3

2 Corinthians 12:7Ephesians 6:1

Psalm 119:11


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A World of Hurt Anthony and Laura were

watching TV when suddenly theyheard sirens! A police car was rac-

ing down their street!

Whats that? Anthony

asked, jumping up to go to the door.

The police car pulled into

the driveway just next door. Ooh,

Laura whispered. Whats wrong at

Bobbys house?

Just then, Daddy andMother ran into the living room and

out the front door, concerned about

what was happening at their neigh-

bors house. Stay inside! Mother

shouted to Anthony and Laura.

Well see whats going on!

More sirens screamed

down the street, and an ambulance

stopped at the Browns house. Itseemed like a long time before

Daddy and Mother finally came

home. They sat down on the couch, tears in their eyes.

Laura ... Anthony, come here, Daddy said.

What happened at Bobbys house? Laura asked, almost afraid to hear

the answer.

Something terrible, Laura, Daddy answered. Bobbys Dad was drunk

and he got mad at Bobbys mother and hit her. The ambulance took her to the

hospital. Bobby and Brenda have gone to their grandparents house, and theirDad is in jail.

Laura began crying softly. Why would their Daddy do that? she asked.

Honey, Mother spoke up. Do you remember asking about Satan, and if

he is real or is just a little cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork?

Yes. You said hes real and he wants people to do bad things.

Thats right, Laura, Daddy answered. Lets talk about the kind of world

Satan wants.

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Our World..... Lesson 2


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Into Gods World.....Satans Kind of World

When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the beautiful world

He had made, everything was perfect. Have you seen pictures on the TV of a

town that has been blown away by a tornado? Have you seen pictures of people

on the roofs of their houses because of terrible rains and flooding? Have you

seen cars all piled up and wrecked because of an ice and snow storm?

When God made the world, none of these bad things happened. The

flowers bloomed, the trees had luscious fruit, the skies were clear, and everynight a gentle dew watered the ground. There were no storms and no dangers.

No one was afraid of the animals, not even the lions and bears and dinosaurs!

We dont know how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, in that

perfect world where nothing died and there was no fear in any heart. But one day

Satan came along and tempted Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit that grew

on the tree of knowledge. God had said, Of every tree of the garden you may

freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,

for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die(Genesis 2:16,17).

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Memory Verse: John 8:44: You are of your father the devil, and the

desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the

beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth

in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for

he is a liar and the father of it.


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But Satan said, You wont die, but God knows that when you eat it you

will be wise like He is! Eve listened to Satan and she even gave Adam some of

the fruit, and he ate it too.

Have you ever been in the middle of taking a shower, and the bathroom

door suddenly opened? Did you QUICK grab a towel to cover up?

It was that same shock that Adam and Eve had when they ate the fruit.Suddenly they realized that they were naked, and they were ashamed and ran to

hide themselves. No one told them that they needed to

cover their bodies, but they took leaves and stitched them

together to make the first clothes. Do you think they

might have looked something like this?

Do people and especially girls

today wear clothes that dont cover

enough of their bodies? Do you know

what the word modest means? It meansclothes that are not so tight they look like they are molded to your

skin. It means covering your body so that your top is not low or

your skirt is not short and your clothes are not see through.

Do you know what? God wantsus

to wear clothes. He knows that many sins are caused by

showing too much of our bodies, so from the very beginning

He taught a lesson about His standards of modesty. When

He came into the garden He did a surprising thing. He

caused the very first death! He killed animals and then

took their skins and made clothes for Adam and Eve!

That means that God is not satisfied with just some skimpy

little thing on our bodies, but He wants us to be modest.

Have you ever thought about how amazing it is

that we all know a lot about what is right and what is wrong? Is it right to love your

little brother? Is it wrong to hit him? Is it right to tell Mother the truth? Is it wrong

to disobey? How do you feel when you do something thats good? You feel really

happy inside, dont you? How do you feel when you do something thats bad? Youmay feel ashamed or mad, but deep inside you know you are wrong, dont you?

When God made Adam in His own image, part of that gift was the knowl-

edge of what is rightand good. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and

ate of the forbidden fruit, they gained new knowledge of wrongand badthinking.

They were learning to think like Satan, and they now felt shame and fear.

Satan is still working every day to make people in his image, so they

will do bad, hurtful things. In Bobbys family, his dad got drunk and then he

was so angry with Bobbys mother that he hit her.

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Vocabulary

Modest: dressing so that our

bodies are fully covered, in

clothes that are not skin-tight.

Lust: the bad thoughts

boys often have when girlsdress immodestly or behave

immodestly.

Conscience: the voice in

our minds that tells us when

we are right or wrong.


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We were all afraid when we heard the sirens.

We knew something was really wrong in our neigh-

borhood. Thats the kind of mess Satan wants

everywhere in the world!

He wants kids to be bullies in school and to cheat

on tests. He wants them to learn curse words and

to be disrespectful to their parents and teachers. He

knows if he can get them to do these things when they

are your age, theyll keep on listening to him when

they get to be high school age and when they go off to

college. Then it will be easy to tempt them to get drunk

and to take drugs, so that they wont even know what

bad things they are doing. They will lie and steal and

hate each other, and they may get into fights and hurt

people or even take a gun and kill someone.[Note to teachers and parents: Be aware of the

situations in the lives of the students, and teach these lessons with wisdom and

compassion. If we are ever to change the divorce statistics in the church, teaching

must be done from young ages, but use great care that the lessons have a positive

instructional impact rather than discouragement and guilt in the childs heart.]

When people are not studying the Bible and learning how God wants us

to live, they dont have protection from Satans lies. He will make so much anger

in families that mothers and daddies will divorce, and their children may not have

the kind of support they need. Right now, Laura and Anthony, its so important for

you to be thinking, Ill be a strong Christian, because thats the best way to live

in this world, and Ill marry a strong Christian. Together, well raise our children to

love God and to live so that all of us can be in Heaven together.

Laura, maybe youre thinking, Im just in the fifth grade, Daddy! I dont

even have a boyfriend, so you dont have to talk to me about getting married!

But right now isthe time when we need to talk about who you will date and then

who you will marry. If you make the promise NOW that youll either date only

good Christian boys, or that youll teach and convert to Jesus anyone you mightdate whos not a Christian, and that you will never once even think of marrying

anybody who doesnt love God more than he loves you, then you will be protect-

ing yourself from one of the biggest mistakes Christians make.

What is that? Marrying someone who cant help you get to heaven. Let

me ask you a question. Suppose that soldiers were fighting in a field, shooting

back and forth in a war, and eight out of ten people who tried to sneak across

that field were shot. Would you want to try it? I think youre smarter than that.

But when a Christian marries outside the Lords church, eight out of ten lose their


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faith. Thats why your Mother and I want to teach younowto listen to what God

says in 2 Corinthians 6:14: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbe-

lievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what

communion has light with darkness?

In that verse we can see again the clash between Gods kind of world and

Satans kind of world. God wants us to be His children, to think like He thinks

and to live like He teaches in the Bible. Satan wants us not to believe in God and

then he can lead us into all kinds of trouble. The words God uses to show the

difference between the two kinds of lives is righteousnesscontrasted with law-

lessness, and lightcontrasted with darkness.

Christians are looking forward to the time When the Son of Man comes

in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him... (Matthew 25:31).

Would you want to be alive in this world when He comes back, Anthony?

I used to think that would be just wonderful! But then one day I paid attention to

what Jesus said in Matthew 24:37-39: But as the days of Noah were, so also

will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the ood,

they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the

day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the ood came andtook them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

But what was it like in the days of Noah? Genesis 6:5 says,Then the

Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every

intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

What does that verse tell us about the world Noah lived in? That Satan

had turned it into his kind of world! Everything was wrong, and even though

Noah is called a preacher of righteousness, in all his years of preaching nobody

listened to him except his family!

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12

To Do at Home Watch the news an hour a day for a week. Make a list of the reportsthat are made about crimes committed and the bad things people did

each day. Is the world a good place? a safe place?

Can you answer these questions?

1. When Adam and Eve sinned, was even nature affected, so that natural

disasters began to occur?

2. Were animals dangerous before the fall?

3. Because we were created in Gods image, we recognize right and wrong.

True or false

4. When we let our minds be shaped by Satan, does wrong seem to be right? 5. When we follow God, will we be loving, forgiving, and hard working?

6. When we follow Satan, how will we act toward others?

7. How should Christians dress?

8. Christians should marry ___________. Why?

9. What does God want in our lives? What does Satan want?

10. What was the world like in the days of Noah?

11. What will the world be like when Jesus returns?

12. What did Jesus teach us to do, to protect ourselves from Satan?

1. Love _____. 2. Love our neighbor ___ _________. 3. Do unto othersas _____________________________. 4. Seek first the _________ of

God and His _____________. 5. Believe in _________. 6. Be __________.

We want you to learn something from Noah: Your Mother and I want to

teach you what God says in the Bible about the kind of person He wants you to

be. Then, even if you live to see the whole world lying and stealing and hating and

divorcing and fighting and killing and doing every other bad thing you can think of,

you wont live like that! Youll be protected by the light of Jesus words:

L You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your

soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37)

L You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

L And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

(Luke 6:31)

L But seek rst the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all

these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

L ... if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.(John 8:24)

L Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.(Revelation 2:10)


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When Mother picked up Laura and Anthony from

school, Laura was bursting with eagerness to tell whathad happened during recess. Mother, Bobby got into

bad trouble today! He had to go to the Principals office

and they expelled him for a week!

Thats terrible, Laura! What was he doing?

He came onto campus with an older boy and

both of them were smoking something. The older boy

ran away when one of the teachers saw them, but they

caught Bobby. He was fighting and crying when they

took him inside.

Promise me, Laura, that you wont be making

friends with trouble-makers.

Yes, there are some kids that stay in trouble a lot, Laura answered. Yes-

terday four of the boys got into a fight in the computer lab and knocked one of the

computers off the desk and broke it. Why do they do things like that, Mother?

Do you remember our Bible study last week when we talked about the kind

of world Satan wants to make, Laura?

Yes, but what I dont understand is why anybody would want to be like

that! Whats the fun in fighting and smoking and talking in ugly language? It just

gets people in trouble, and thats no fun, Laura answered, puzzled.

Youre right, Hon. Just like we said, Satan

tells whopper lies about fun things because he

wants people to have all kinds of trouble.

But, Mother, you said God is stron-

ger than Satan. Does He have some way

to protect us, so we wont fall into Satanstraps?

Im glad you asked that question,

Laura. Youre getting old enough to be

learning what God does to help us live safely

in this dangerous world. Tonight in our Bible

study well see just what God has done to

make a wall of protection around us.

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Our World..... Lesson 3 A Messed-up World


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Into Gods World.....

What Did Jesus Do for Us?

Laura, maybe you and Anthony feel afraid sometimes of dangerous things

in this world, because you are children yet, and children cant do much to defend

themselves. But even grown-ups live in danger. Ever since Adam and Eve

sinned and Gods perfect world was broken, humans have faced danger from

storms and earthquakes and other disasters in nature. We hear every day of

terrible wrecks, and we know that people are hurt in all kinds of accidents.

These are physical dangers that all of us face, but the greater danger is

the kind that Satan brings. He wants to cause problems in this world, but

even worse he wants to take us to that terrible place called hell that God made

especially for Satan and his angels.

Weve been reading from the Bible to learn how God wants us to live, that

He wants us to be loving and helpful and honest, and to be His lights in a dark

world. Jesus said,Let your light so shine before men, that they may see

your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). But chil-

dren dont come into the world knowing how to read the Bible and knowing the

right things to do.

14

Memory Verse: Matthew 1:21: And she will bring forth a Son, and you

shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.


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Laura, what did God do so that you and Anthony would learn about Him?

Well.... I guess it was that He gave us a Daddy and a Mother.

Youre right, Honey. God made families, and daddys and mothers have

important work to do, taking care of their children when theyre babies, and pro-

tecting them in every way they can. Then as they grow older, there are so many

things to teach them: how to brush your teeth, how to button your shirt, that its agood thing to take a bath! And then theres cleaning your room and helping with

the dishes. When you get a little older, youll even get to learn how to run the

lawn mower!

But we teach you other things that are even more important. When you

fell the other day, Anthony, and scraped your knee, what did Mother do?

She washed off the dirt and put medicine on it, and a bandaid.

And didnt she wipe your tears away and give you a hug?

Yes sir. She said that would make me feel better, and it did!Thats part of the family thing, Anthony. You know that your Mother and

I are always there to do whatever you need us to do. Thats calledsecurity

knowing that youre not alone in this world: that you always have family around

you to love you and take care of you.

God knew how important our families are, so He made a bigger and very

special family for us. In that family, God is our Father, and Jesus is our older

Brother but, besides Him, we have lots and lots of brothers and sisters! Do

you know what Gods family is called, Laura?

Sure, Daddy! Youve been telling us how important it is for us to worship

God every Sunday with our spiritual family! See! I was listening!

Good, Honey! Yes, the church is Gods family, and in Ephesians 3:14,15,

we read these words, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. So the church

wears Jesus name, and it is in His name that we come together to worship and

to pray. So we do everything in the name of our Brother we are called Chris-

tians and the church is called the church of Christ or even the body of Christ

because He is the head, telling us what to do, and we are the hands and feet togo around in the world and to do His work.

15

1. God made husbands and wives, daddys and mothers. What does your

Daddy do to help you? What does your Mother do to help you?

2. Do you have friends whose parents are divorced?

3. How does having a mother and a daddy help you to feel secure?


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But not everybody is in Gods special family. Most of the

people are outside, out there in Satans dangerous world of sin.Satans world is scary, with lots of hurting and crying. We

dont want to live like that. Tonight I want to teach you what God

says about how we become a part of His family.

First, Anthony, how does God talk to us?

In the Bible?

Youre right. We dont hear a little voice telling us what to do. God

has given us all of the directions in the Bible, and so thats why we study it. How

often do we turn to the Bible to read what it says, Laura? Just on Sundays? orwhen we have a problem?

We have Bible study every night, Daddy.

And the reason we do that is to hear Gods words for us. I would be real-

ly hurt if you let me talk to you only once or twice a week. Im your Daddy, and

there are lots of things I want to say to you. God is our heavenly Father, and He

has lots of things to say to us too, to help us every day.

So the first thing we have to do to learn how to become a part of

Gods special family is to hear His word,His good news of the Gospel

about Jesus. What have you learned about Jesus, Anthony?

Lots of things, Daddy. I know He was born in Bethlehem, and

when He grew up He was teaching people about God.

Thats right, Anthony. We read about His sermon on the mountain where thou-

sands of people came to listen. The sad thing was that the leaders of the Jews be-

came jealous of Jesus. They didnt want people to follow Him instead of themselves,

so they planned how they would get rid of Jesus. What finally happened, Laura?

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He was arrested.

Yes. The Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and had a trial, and then they took Him

to Pilate, the Roman governor. They accused Jesus of claiming to be the King of the

Jews, and they knew that the punishment for that kind of treason was crucifixion.

They were really mean to Him, werent they, Daddy?

Yes, He was beaten so badly that in Psalm 22:14-18 the Bible says, Iam poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like

wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And

My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has en-

closed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones.

They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for

My clothing they cast lots.

But, Laura and Anthony, Mother spoke

up, even though David the shepherd boy/kingwrote many of the Psalms, the way this one is

worded shows that the One of the Godhead

who was born many centuries later as Jesus

the Son of God and the Son of Mary was the

One who was speaking those words. Already,

He could look down through time and could

see what humans would one day do to Him.

Then why did He let those mean thingshappen? asked Laura.

Thats a good question, and the answer

is what we need to hear from Gods word. In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Jo-

seph, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for

He will save His people from their sins.

Can you answer these questions?

1. What are some of the wrong things that happen that you know about?

2. How does God teach us the right things to do?

3. Can we know what God wants unless we study the Bible?

4. Give some reasons why God made Daddys and Mothers.

5. How does family make us strong and help us to feel secure?

6. What is Gods spiritual family called?

7. Who was talking in Psalm 22? Who was He talking about? How did He

know so many hundreds of years before what was going to happen

to Him?

8. Jesus died to save _____ __________ _______ _________ _______.

17

Learn New Words:PROPHE: A person who, byinspiration, told beforehand ofthings that would happen. Also,the word was used for preachers men who brought the messageof God to the church.

PROPHESY: o speak of thingsthat would happen in the future.

PROPHECY: Te statement ofwhat would happen in the future.


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18

God and Satan are in a war. God wants everyone to love Him, to listen to

His word, and to obey Him so He can take them home to heaven when they die.

Satan is not God. He is a spirit being who wanted to be greater than God,

so he led some of the angels in a rebellion against God. Revelation 12:7-9 says

that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven, and that the horrible place

called hell has been prepared for them. But Satan lies to people and deceives

them because he wants everyone to go to hell with him. That is why there are so

many bad things in this world. Satan is getting people to fight and lie and steal

and kill. And when Jesus was crucified, Satan thought he was winning the war

against God! But was he.....?

Our World..... Lesson 4The Great Gift


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19


The Gospel The Good News

Tonight, Daddy said as he and Mother settled down in the den for their

Bible study with Laura and Anthony, we want to learn more about the special

family God made for the ones who love Him. We talked last night about the ter-

rible things that were done to Jesus. The soldiers crucified Him, and that was a

horrible way to die.

Satan must have thought he was winning the war when he saw the only

Son of God being nailed to a cross. He thought he had the whole world in his

hands, but he was wrong! God was using that very thing the death of His Son as the weapon to defeat Satan!

Now, before we learn more about our part in this, I want to ask you, Laura,

why did Jesus die for us? Do you know?

Ive heard the preacher say that He died for our sins...

Thats right. When people get old enough to understand what is right and

what is wrong, we all sometimes choose to do the wrong things and that makes

us sinners. Romans 3:23 says, ... for all have sinned and fall short of the

Memory Verse: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave

His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not per-

ish but have everlasting life.


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glory of God. That means that everybody who has lived since Adam and Eve

has sinned, and no one who practices sin can go to heaven. Thats really bad,

because God loves us and wants us to live with Him eternally. But sin shuts

the door, and we cant open it. Romans 6:23 says,For the wages of sin is

death....

Then how can anybody go to heaven, Daddy?

The Bible tells us the answer: For God so loved the world that He gave

His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but

have everlasting life(John 3:16). You see, we were under the sentence of

death, and we didnt own anything precious enough that we could give it to God

so that our sins would be taken away. Its sort of like when you go to a store and

see something you really want, if you have enough money to pay for it, you can

buy it. Well, what all of us want is to go to heaven, but our sins closed the door,

and we didnt have anything to pay so that we could go there.

But Jesus was born as the Son of God and as the Son of Mary, so Hebecame a human, our brother. And He never sinned. When He died on the

cross, He ... bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died

to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed

(1 Peter 2:24).

The question, now, is How do we die to sins, so that we can live in Christ

as His brother or sister? Who can tell us what to do?

I know, Daddy! God tells us in the Bible!

Youre right, Honey. We have to hearwhat God teaches us inthe Bible, and we have to believe it in our hearts. Romans 10:10 says,

For with the heart one believesunto righteousness... So the first

real step we can take toward being righteous is to believe what God

says in His word.

We were saying that Jesus died on the cross, to pay the price for our

sins. All that He did for us is called the Gospel, which means the good news.

It really is good news that we can have our sins forgiven, so we need to know

what Jesus did. But, after His death, what is the rest of the story?

He was buried, wasnt He?

Yes, near to the place where He was crucified was a tomb that belonged to

a man named Joseph, and Jesus was buried there with guards to be sure that no

one took His body away. You see, Jesus had said that after three days He would

come alive again, and the Jewish leaders were afraid that His disciples would

sneak in and take Him out of the tomb and then claim that He really had been

resurrected. So the tomb was sealed and a Roman guard was posted. One day

passed, and nothing happened, another day passed, and nothing happened

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but at daybreak on Sunday morning there was an

earthquake. An angel rolled the stone from the

entrance to the tomb, and Jesus came out alive!

Oh, that was a blow to Satan! When Jesus

was on the cross and in the grave, Satan thought

he had won the war, but when Jesus came alive

again, old Satan was beaten. Do you know why?

Why?

Because when Jesus was resurrected, He was showing that all of Gods

children will one day be resurrected too! Behold, I tell you a mystery: We

shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twin-kling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the

dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians

15:51,52).

So this is the good news we

talked about awhile ago. Isnt it good

news that we can have our sins forgiv-

en and that we can live for God and

look forward to going to heaven when

we die?

I want to go to heaven.

Yes, Laura, we do want to spend

eternity with God. So the question is, If

Jesus died for your sins and for mine,

how do we get our sins erased? 1

Corinthians 15:1-4 answers that ques-

tion: Moreover, brethren, I declare

to you the gospel which I preachedto you, which also you received and

in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word

which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to

you rst of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sinsaccord-

ing to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,and that He rose againthe third

day according to the Scriptures.

This Scriptures tell us that the Gospel the good news is that Jesus

21

RESURRECED: to be made alive from death. God promises that when Jesus

comes back at the end of the world, everyone will be resurrected from their graves. After

the judgment, some will go to heaven and some will go to hell.


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died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the grave. Romans

6:17 says, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you

obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

So we have to obey a form of the Gospel, picturing what Jesus did for us.

In the first verses of Romans 6, the inspired writer Paul explains clearly

what God wants us to do: Do you not know that as many of us as were bap-

tized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were

buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised

from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in

newness of life.

But wait! Jesus died, so we have to picture His death in our

own lives! How do we do that? In Acts 2, when people were ask-

ing how to be saved, they were told, Repent, and let every one of

you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of

sins... To repent means to turn around and go the other way. So when werepent it means that we are dying to sinso that we can live a new life in Jesus.

But theres another thing that we must do before we can be

baptized to wash away our sins. Jesus said, Whoever confess-

esMe before men, him I will also confess before My Father

who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Would you be ready to do that, Laura?

Sure, Daddy! I believe in Jesus...

But would you be ready to say that if the police were arresting everyone who

became a Christian? In those early days of Christianity and even now in somecountries people are arrested and killed when they become Christians. Jesus

warned us that we have to count the cost when we want to be His brother or sister.

That would be hard. And Id be afraid... but Iwant

to love Him that much!

So those who love Him that much can be bap-

tized buried in water like Jesus was buried in the

grave and then they are raised up to be a new per-

son in Christ. Romans 6:11 explains, ... reckon your-

selves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God inChrist Jesus our Lord.

22

The Gospel:

1. Jesus died

2. He was buried

3. He was resurrected

The Form of the Gospel:

1. The sinner dies to sin (Repents)

2. He confesses his faith in Jesus

3. He is buried in the grave of baptism

4. He is resurrected to life in Jesus


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Baptism is the dividing line for every person.

OKAY! Lets go over the Gospel commands together:

We HEAR the good news that Jesus died for us!

We BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God!

We REPENT of our sins and make up our minds to live for God!We CONFESS that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

We are BAPTIZED [immersed] into Christ, washing away our sins in

His blood!

Before baptism, we are sinners, and the huge wall of sin separates us

from God. Through our obedience to the Gospel, we are baptized into Christ.

God becomes our Father, and Jesus becomes our Brother. Then the gift of

God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord according to Romans 6:23.

23

The Gospel of Christ

Match the Picture with the Verse

Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you

may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God.Acts 8:37

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized

into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? There-

fore we were buried with Him through baptism intodeath, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by

the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in

newness of life.Romans 6:3,4

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears

are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their

ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and

turn, So that I should heal them. Matthew 13:15

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise

perish. Luke 13:3

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not

believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom

they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a

preacher? Romans 10:4


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Our World..... Lesson 5Am I Lost?

24

Mother had come for a good-

night kiss, but she could tell that Lau-

ra was troubled about something.

Whats wrong, Honey?

Mother, I do want to go to

Heaven. Am I a sinner, like we stud-

ied tonight? I know sometimes I fuss

at Anthony, and sometimes I dont

obey you. Yesterday when you told

me to stop playing my game and to

help you with the dishes instead, Iwas ugly and talked back to you. Im

sorry about that. But I dont want you

to be mad at me. Am I a sinner? Do

I need to be baptized so I can go to

heaven?

Laura, Im glad youre thinking

about our study tonight. Mother sat

down on the bed and took Lauras hand. Sometimes when people are young

like you, they are really concerned about being saved, but they dont feel thatthey are quite ready to be that good, and so they wait. Maybe in High School

they get involved in things their friends are doing that they know are wrong, but

their friendships are really important, and so they wait some more. Then maybe

they marry somebody whos not a Christian, and they get busy making money,

and they dont have time for God so they wait some more. And sometimes

those people who actually knew about the Gospel and what they had to do to

become one of Gods children sometimes those people die without ever decid-

ing, Nowis the time!

But sometimes children are baptized when theyre too young to really un-

derstand what theyre doing, and thats not good either. I think this will help you

to decide when youre ready: Right now, when youve done something wrong,

do you think first about Daddy and me being upset with you, or do you think first

that you have hurt God? If yourfrst concern is about God and that you have

disobeyed Him, then its time to be baptized. But as long as you are looking first

to Daddy and me, I dont believe that God would be counting your growing up

failures as sins written on His record.


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25

Into Gods World.....Gods Circle of Salvation

Daddy began the family Bible time: Were studying some really important

things, kiddos! Ive made a picture of what weve learned. Lets start at the bottom

of the page with HEARING THE GOSPEL:

Well have a little quiz.

Mother, what is the Gospel?

Its the death, burial, and

resurrection of Gods Son, topay the price for our sins.

And when we HEAR THE

GOSPEL, what happens then,

Anthony?

We BELIEVEwhat the Bible says.

Youre right! Then, because we

want to obey God, what do we do, Laura?

Oh, I remember from yourpicture We have to WALK AWAY

FROM SINNING [REPENT] and do

the right things.

Now look at the picture

again and tell me

what we do next.

We SAY THAT WE BELIEVE[CONFESS] that

Jesus is Gods Son.

Great! Now were ready for that BIG step that takes

away our sins! What is that one?

Were buried in water [BAPTIZED] like Jesus was buried in the grave, and

then we come out of the water. But, Daddy, what real difference does that make?

Were still living in this world where Satans doing so much thats wrong!

Memory Verse:Acts 2:38: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of

Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


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26

Aw, Honey! Everythingis changed! A person who has been baptized is

now a part of Gods special people that have turned away from the sins in this

world and are living in Christ! You wear the name of Christ Christian just as

the Family wears His name the church of Christ Youre a new baby in that

Family.

Now therere THREE things you need to remember from the start:

(1) Satan is really madbecause youve

gotten away from him, so hell be trying to tempt

you in all kinds of ways to leave God or to do wrong

things.

(2) Now you belong to God. Jesus promised,

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to

you (John 14:18). Whatever we need, He will

be there to help us through His providence, if we

depend on Him.(3) God knows that you are now just a new

baby in His Family, so He surrounds you with your

own Daddy and Mother and with the Christians in

the church, so that they can help you to grow.

I think that tonight we need to talk about

some of the things we do as a family, to help you to learn how to live when you

become a Christian. What can you think of, Anthony?

We pray and thank God for our food. And we study like this. And we praybefore we go to bed.

Thats right, and it is important for us to talk to God. But do you know

what? We dont even have to talk out loud for God to hear the words in our

hearts! All along through the day, you can be thinking, Father, please help me

to do the right things, even when some of my friends are acting ugly. Or Thank

you, Father, for helping me to study hard and to remember what Ive learned for

the math test! Or Im so sorry, Father, that I lost my temper....

Mother spoke up: And do you remember that we said that Satan is not

great like God? God knows our thoughts, but Satan doesnt! In tempting us to

sin, Satan can trail thoughts through our minds, but he cant READ our minds.

Denitions:Tempt; temptations:

Thoughts that cause

you to want to do wrong

things.

Providence: Gods help

for us through people

and things around us, notthrough miracles [illus-

trate miracles as over-rul-

ingthe laws of nature,

where providence works

withinthose laws.]

1. What are the five things we do to be born into Gods Family?

2. When we become Christians, what does Jesus promise?

3. Does God know our thoughts? Does Satan know our thoughts?

4. What does temptation mean?


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So we can follow the example of Jesus, when He said, Get behind Me, Satan!

(Luke 4:8). Sometimes when Im having an exasperating problem, I just stop and

shake my finger and talk to Satan! I say, You may lose things I need and waste

my time in lots of ways, but you wont win! So just go on and leave me alone!

Thats funny, Mother! Laura laughed. Does he go away?

Well, I dont SEE him leaving, but I believe he does because then I dependon God to help me be strong against every temptation and aggravation. And

there is peace in my heart.

So, since Satan knows that you are just a baby in Christ when you are

newly baptized, and he knows you are not very strong yet, hell try to trip you

up in every way. Maybe somebody at school will say something bad about you

thats not true, or maybe somebody will try to pick a fight. What do you do?

Dont lose my temper? Try to be friends?

Thats a good answer, son. Christians are not cowards, but Jesus

wants us to be peacemakers not looking for something to be mad

about. Do you remember what He said about turning the other cheek

and going the second mile?(Matthew 5:41,42)

But what does that mean, Daddy?

During those days when Jesus was in

the world, the Romans controlled the people of

Israel. It was a law that if a Roman soldier

demanded that someone carry his gear for

a mile, they had to do it. But Jesus toldHis followers a secret.

Now listen.... Daddy whispered:

Jesus knew that if you do something

because somebody MAKES you do it,

youll be boiling mad inside, and thats

bad for your health and bad for getting

along with others. But if, in addition to

what you HAVE to do, you volunteerout of

your good heart to do even more, then

youll have a good feeling inside. Two

things will happen: being happy inside

is good for your health, and that person

who was being mean to you will be so

surprised at your attitude that you might

even turn an enemy into a friend! Try

it! Youll see how smart Jesus was!

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So when Im supposed to help with the dishes, does that mean I ought to

sweep the floor too? asked Laura.

That would be the idea of going the second mile of doing more than

you were asked. There are lots of ways you can be helpful to your teacher at

school, or here at home, that will show people you are trying to be like Jesus.

Thats what He meant when He said, Let your light so shine before men, that

they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew

5:16). When we try to live and think and talk like Jesus would do if He were here,

people see Him shining through us. Often, thats how they begin to study our

lives and then they may want to study the Bible to learn how they should live.

Jesus helped people who

were sick or in trouble, too, Mother

added. And you know that when

someone in the church or in our

neighborhood is sick or has somekind of problem, we take food and

see what else we can do to help.

Weve been taking Jamie

and his mother with us for Bible

classes too, so they can learn

about Jesus, Anthony added.

And he wants to come to Vacation

Bible School.

Thats the most important

thing, son to help the people around us have better lives and to learn how to

obey God and to go to heaven.

Besides the things we teach you at home about God and how to talk and

think and live like He wants, what else do we do, Laura?

We always go to Bible classes and to worship.

Yes, Hon. When a person is baptized and is born into Gods spiritual

family, hes beginning a new kind of relationship. In our physical families, we

have parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins lots ofpeople who can help us if we stay close to them. That means we have to see

them often and share our thinking with them. Its the same in Gods spiritual

family. If were going to be a REAL family, we have to see each other often and

to know whats going on in each others lives.

Thats one reason why the early church came together for worship every

Sunday. They needed each other. Many of the Christians were poor, and some

were being persecuted, imprisoned, and killed because of their faith. So they

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helped each other. Paul said about the churches in Macedonia,... according

to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, implor-

ing us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship

of the ministering to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:3-5).And then he explained

why they were willing to give so much to help the Christians in need: ... they

rst gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

Its the same in Gods Family today. When we really have given ourselves

rst to God,then well do all we can to help each other get through the good times

and the bad times in this world, so that we can all be in heaven together with God.

Lets read some verses in Revelation that show us a little picture of what

heaven will be like: ... I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven,

and One sat on the throne (Revelation 4:2). Then I looked, and I heard

the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the

elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and

thousands of thousands...After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which

no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, stand-

ing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with

palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying,

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living

creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God...

(Revelation 5:11; 7:9-11)

Laura and Anthony, as a part of Gods

spiritual family, were strengthened and encour-

aged when we come together on Sundays, but

the REAL reason for our meeting is so that we

can join the multitudes of angels and that great

host of heaven in the worship of God and of His

Son:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and powerand might,

Be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and

blessing!

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30

Our World..... Lesson 6Gods Plan for the Church

Gods Perfect World

as He Wanted It to Be

Perfect weather

Perfection in everything

Rich soil for bountiful crops

No danger from anythingPerfect parents, perfect families

Love, helpfulness, co-workers

Perfect populations, working together

in peace and harmony

No sickness

Immortality

Talking, walking face-to-face with God

Our Broken World

as Satan Has Wrecked It

Hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis

Earthquakes, volcanoes

Danger on every side

Corruption, lying, cheating, stealingImmorality, broken homes

Sickness, disease,

Deformities from genetic errors

Murder, death

Wars and continual conflict among

families, people, nations

No visual relationship with God


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The Beginning of Gods Family, the Church

We cant begin to imagine what the world looked like when God finished

His creation at the end of day six, but it was perfect. Nothing felt fear or danger,

there was no death, no decay. The earth, the universe, were designed for beauty

and for life.

God knew, even before the creation, that Adam and Eve would listen toSatan. He planned, even then, a way for those who would love Him to come back

to Him. What was His plan? That Jesus would be born as His Son, and that He

would save all those who would obey Him.

Do you know what Jesus taught to His followers? He taught them that He

would call people out from the rest of the world, and that they would become His

brothers and sisters. They would be His spiritual family, and the way they would

live would be so different from others that the world would see His light shining

through the Christ-like people. Now, how does He do that?

Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore Come out from among

them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you.


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Lets go over, again, how we are born into that special family, as new spiritu-

al babies, and then well learn how that family is so different from the world:

32

Gods Circle of Salvation

Well look at the picture of what weve learned, and I want you to tellme what each picture means. Lets start at the bottom of the page with

HEARING THE GOSPEL:

What is the Gospel?

Its the death, burial, and

resurrection of Gods Son, to

pay the price for our sins.

And when we HEAR THEGOSPEL, what happens then?

We BELIEVEwhat the Bible says.

Youre right! Then, because we

want to obey God, what do we do?

We have to WALK AWAY

FROM SINNING [REPENT] and do

the right things.

Now look at the pictureagain and tell me what we do next.

We SAY THAT WE BELIEVE[CONFESS] that

Jesus is Gods Son.

Great! Now were ready for that BIG step that takes

away our sins! What is that one?

Were buried in water [BAPTIZED] like Jesus was buried in the grave, and

then we come out of the water. But what real difference does that make? Were

still living in this world where Satans doing so much thats wrong!


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The difference now, though, is that we have no more sins on our record.

God is our Father, and even though we cant see Him, we have His Book. What

is that, Laura?

The Bible!

Yes, and the more we read the Bible, the more we know about God His

love His power His promises. Do you remember the story of Job, the man Sa-tan said would curse God if God just took away the hedge of protection around him?

Well, after Job still held onto his faith in spite of the terrible things Satan did to him, in

Job 38:1 we read: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind...

Can you imagine that??? It was like a mighty storm blowing up, and then

Job heard the very voice of God! And what was God saying? He was talking

about all the things in the world things He had created and He was asking

Job, What do you know about all that I have done?

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements?

Surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

To what were its foundations fastened?

Or who laid its cornerstone,

When the morning stars sang together,

And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors...

When I xed My limit for it,

And set bars and doors;

When I said,

This far you may come, but no farther,

And here your proud waves must stop!

Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

And caused the dawn to know its place,

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth...

Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?

Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?

Tell Me, if you know all this.... (Job 1:4-18).

The more we understand about God, the more sure we feel that He loves

us and will take care of us. Today, He doesnt talk to us like He did to Job, but we

have another advantage: Job didnt have the Bible!

Did you know that? The Bible was written over a period of about1600

years, by about 40 different men! Most of those writers never met any of the

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others, but they wrote what God was telling them to write, so the Bible is true. 2

Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God...

There are many statements in the Bible that prove it was from God be-

cause humans didnt understand those things at that time. God challenged

Job, Who knows the size of the earth? Who set the boundaries of the sea?

No one knew those things. He said in Job 26:7,He stretches out the north

over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.... But in Jobs day, some

thought the earth was resting on the back of an elephant, and some thought it

was on a turtle! And did you know that there is an area of the sky in the north

where there are no stars? So it isempty space!

It was centuries after Psalm 8 was written that an oceanographer by the

name of Murray read the verse that talks about the fish that pass through the

paths of the seas. Mr. Murray believed that if the Bible said there were paths

in the sea, it must be right, and he would find them. He did, and today the great

oceanliners sail those paths because the currents help them move along.All through the Bible there are statements that were beyond the knowledge

of the age in which they were written. Only God could have told the writers those

things, so we can believe with-

out any doubt that whatever that

book says is the truth!

When we read the Bible,

we can learn not only a lot about

the history of the world since

the creation, but we learn howGod has worked with people.

We learn about Cain and Abel,

and how God punishes the ones

who are evil. We read about

Noah and the great flood that

completely re-made the surface

of the earth. We learn about

Abraham and Moses and all the

prophets and the kings of Israel.

Its a long story 4,000 years

long! And all of it is true!

Because of the revelations

in the Bible that prove God was

the one who told the men what to

write, we can be sure that every

promise made will be kept.

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35

Promises Jesus MadeCome to Me, all you who labor

and are heavy laden, and I will

give you rest(Matthew 11:28).

Let not your heart be trou-

bled;you believe in God, believealso in Me. In My Fathers house

are many mansions; if it were not

so, I would have told you. I go to

prepare a place for you. And if I

go and prepare a place for you, I

will come again and receive you to

Myself;that where I am, there you

may be also (John 14:1-3).

I will not leave you orphans;I

will come to you (John 14:18).

Peace I leave with you,My

peace I give to you; not as the

world gives do I give to you. Let

not your heart be troubled, neither

let it be afraid (John 14:27).

Wherefore come out from

among them, and be ye separate,saith the Lord, and touch not the

unclean thing; and I will receive

you (2 Corinthians 6:17).

If you love Me, keep My com-

mandments(John 14:15).

Ye are thesalt of the earth...

Ye are the light of the world....

Let your light so shine beforemen, that they may see your good

works,and glorify your Fatherwhich

is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).

And we know thatall things

work together for good to those

who love God,to those who are

the called according to His pur-

pose (Romans 8:28).

Weve studied a lot about Jesus.

Where was He born?

In Bethlehem!

And where did He grow up?

In Nazareth!

After John baptized Him in theJordan River, Jesus began to gather

followers we call them His apostles

and to teach them all about how He

wanted them to live. He said, Dont be

like the hypocrites or the other world-

ly people! Be separate! Be salt that

keeps things from ruining! Be light that

shows the way out of a dark world! If

you love Me, keep my commandments!Be at peace...

In all of Jesus lessons, He

was teaching us to be different from

the world around us. He said, Love

your enemies and do good to them! If

someone is mean to you, dont fight

back! Be forgiving to those who wrong

you! Trust God to take care of you,

just like He takes care of unimportant

things like the sparrows. Dont worry

and dont be afraid!

These are the lessons Jesus

taught and the promises He made. So,

Laura and Anthony, when we are bap-

tized, we are born as new babies into

Jesus special family the church

those people who dont live like Satansworld.

Before Jesus death, burial, and

resurrection He had told His disciples to

wait in Jerusalem until the special day

arrived. On that day a Jewish feast

day called Pentecost when Jews

from all over the world were gathered


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in Jerusalem, ... suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing

mighty wind, and it lled all the house where they were sitting. And there

appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of re, and it sat upon each of

them. And they were all lled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with

other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4).

What a great day! This was the day God had been working for from before

the creation! This was the day when the good news would begin to be taught

everywhere in the world, when people would learn that Jesus had died for their

sins. They would learn how to be forgiven, and how to be born new as spiritual

babies in Gods new family, the church!

A huge crowd gath-

ered because of all the

noise, and Peter and the

other apostles began to

explain what was happening:Men of Israel, hear these

words: Jesus of Nazareth,

a Man attested by God to

you by miracles, wonders,

and signs which God did

through Him in your midst,

as you yourselves also

know Him, being deliv-

ered by the determinedpurpose and foreknowl-

edge of God, you have tak-

en by lawless hands, have

crucied, and put to death;

whom God raised up,

having loosed the pains of

death, because it was not

possible that He should be held by it (Acts 2:22-24).

The sermon convinced the people that Jesus really was Gods Son, andthat they had done a terrible sin by wanting Him to be crucified. So they cried

out, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37).

Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be bap-

tized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

A wonderful thing happened then. About three thousand peoplein that

crowd decided to become Christians!

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Those people were

baptized just as we are today

being buried in water, like Christ

was buried in the tomb, to have

their sins washed away.

The story in Acts 2 goes on

to explain what happened then:

And they continued

steadfastly in the apostles

doctrine and fellowship, in

the breaking of bread, and in

prayers. Then fear came upon

every soul, and many wonders

and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as

anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and

breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and

simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the

Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47).

So, reading those words, it sounds like the early Christians moved into one

place together and that they shared everything. Some people today say we should

do that, but we have to remember that this was an unusual time. People had come

from many different countries, expecting to stay only a short time in Jerusalem. Now,their lives have been changed! They have become baby Christians, and they know

they have a lot more to learn. So they stayed on in Jerusalem, and the Christians

who lived there shared whatever they had with their new brothers and sisters.

For those first weeks, or months, the Christians were so focused on God

and being saved that they met every day in the temple the place of worship

for the Jews and they were praising and thanking God that they knew about

Jesus and that they were now a part of His church.

How did they learn and grow? What did the verse say? That they werein fellowshipwith each other, and I feel sure that they were talking all the time

about this new religion, they were listening to the apostles as they taught the

many things Jesus had taught.

The verse also says that they were praying,and that they were breaking

bread. In chapter 20, when Paul came to Troas, he met with the Christians on

the first day of the week Sunday to break bread. They were doing then

just what we do today, as the church they were taking the Lords Supper!

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38

Our World..... Lesson 7Separate from the World

Among any crowd of people would be problems that satan has

brought into the world: broken homes, orphans, deserted children, lying,

stealing, drug abuse, alcoholism, brutality, pagan religions, divisions amongthose who claim to follow Christ, persecution, and many other terrible

wrongs. Read this letter from a young girl:

Dear Sir/Madam,I am a girl o about fifeen years o age. Please sir, I am an orphan girl,

and right now my grandmother that I am staying with had died also. And somy parents properties has been taken away rom me by my athers relatives.

Tey have locked me rom the house that rightully belongs to me andnow I am homeless. Everywhere I would lay my head has become a problem orme. Sometimes I get little to eat because I cannot do any work. And so, nor-mally, I eat lefovers o people ood at canteens and other places where I couldget something to eat.

Please, I would kindly request some avours rom you. I would needsome clothes to enable me to go to church, and also some Holy Bible which Ican take it to the church. And some little amount o money which can enableme to go back to school and learn....


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39


The FamilyCan you imagine what a puzzling thing it was for those new Christians to

know just what they were supposed to do? They had learned that Jesus was the

sacrifice for their sins, so they didnt have to make the animal sacrifices they had

made under the law of Moses. They worshiped God now on the first day of the

week the day when Christ was resurrected instead of on the seventh day

under Judaism. Instead of the priests eating the shewbread, every Christian

was now to eat the bread in remembrance of Jesus body, and drink the grape

juice in memory of the blood He had shed for them.Everything was so different, and they had a lot to learn before packing up

their things and going back to their homes. It wasnt long, though, before the

same Jewish leaders who had turned Jesus over to the Romans began to per-

secute the Christians, Steven was the first one to die, and then everyone except

the apostles moved out, but by the time they left Jerusalem they knew enough

that, ... those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word

(Acts 8:4). We even read of the church existing in Rome, the capitol of the world,

though no apostle had gone there to preach!

When the Christians were all in Jerusalem, we might think, OK, Jesus had

said Christians are to come out of the world and be separate, so they were like a

separate little community. They could all live together and do the good things that

the Bible teaches without getting all tangled up with the world. But then they

were scattered, a few here, others there, maybe someone all alone in another

place. How were they to be that special family then?

Can you tell me, Laura? What about you, Anthony?

I dont know. We live in this town, and I go to school with the other kids

so were not separated, really. Of course, On Sundays and Wednesday nights,and some other times, the church gets together for worship and Bible study.

So, our being separate from the world is not that we liveseparately; its that we

are different in the way we live! Do you ever hear the other kids use curse words?

Yes, but we dont talk like that.

And sometimes do the girls need to wear clothes that do a better job of

covering their bodies?

Sometimes Im embarrassed, Daddy with how short the skirts are.

Memory Verse: Colossians 1:18: And He is the head of the body, the

church, who is the beginning, the rstborn from the dead, that in all

things He may have the preeminence.


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So girls need to be careful with how they dress, but boys need to be

careful too. Anthony, you may look around at what the other boys in school are

wearing and think, Thats cool! Id like to have a shirt like that! And maybe its

the kind of clothes gangs are wearing, so by the clothes themselves the boys are

saying, Look at me! Im tough and youd better watch out!

Sometimes I see boys wearing such baggy pants that theyre about to fall

off. Why would they do that?

Its an upside-down kind of thinking, son. Yes, theyre attracting attention to

themselves, but their clothes say that theyre rebellious kids who want to shock ev-

eryone who sees them, out of fear that theyre going to walk right out of their pants.

I heard about a boy like that who was being chased by the police, and they caught

him because he got all tripped up when his baggy pants really did fall down!

Sometimes you kids may think that your Mother and I are too picky about

your clothes and your hair. Others in school may be having tatoos and ear pierc-

ings and nose piercings and lip piercings all of these things make negativeimpressions on anyone who sees you. We want you to shine only the light of

Christ not the rebellion of kids gone wild in a culture thats gone wild too.

Do you hear about parties, especially among the older kids, where drinking

and drugs and other bad things go on?

Yes so all of these things are how were to be separate!

Youre right, Laura! And, in contrast, when were with Christians were

worshiping or st

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Quarter Three Student Book