Sunday School Lesson 4

The F Language
10-12 yrs old
6 weeks long

Method : Basic interaction- group discussion; Q&A session; problem solving.

Relationship building : Teacher-to-students; Students-to-students

Purpose : To prepare them for the journey through life with the Lord.

Emphasis :

1. Group discussion : Critical analysis and response filled arguments
• support the least supported one - if they are wrong, try not to hurt his/her feelings. Instead, compliment his/her courage to speak up in front of the whole class and show your admiration towards his/her critical thinking skills.
  
• look out for the quiet ones by asking them for their opinion- bear in mind that everyone has an opinion, whether or not they are on the fence.
• discourage discouragement from other students, especially those that hurt, e.g 'stupid', 'lousy', 'bad', etc. by regulations.
• By regulations, disallow students to get personal in the arguments, e.g 'that's why your parents don't love you' or 'that's because you stink'.
  
2. Q&A : Answers to unanswered questions
• if you don't know the answer, just say, "I don't know, but we can find out together." Do not assume you know an answer. And if you don't, assure yourself that it is not due to your incompetence that you don't have an answer to all of life's questions. Neither is it your responsibility to answer them all. And most of the time, the simplest questions are the hardest to answer.
• it will help if you prepare students beforehand that you may not know all the answers to the questions they throw at you, but you will try your best to guide them.
• keep to your words; if you say that you will find out together with them, do it. If necessary, ask someone spiritually senior.
• if in any way you get shaken up by their questions and the fact that you can't answer them, always pray. The devil may be using this to test you. Thus the reason why many teachers avoid Q&A sessions. God honors you for choosing to take up such an important challenge for the sake of the young ones. If they can think it, God can answer it. If God can answer it, the devil can't. But if you don't answer it, answers will come to them from somewhere else.
  
3. Problem solving : Practical Solutions to real life problems
• one of the most important sessions during their childhood life. This is where true relationship building takes place between teachers and students and sometimes, students among themselves. The most important thing is to Love them. And if you love them, encourage them. Respect them. Go through it with them, pray with them. And follow up the matter.
• if necessary, have private counseling sessions for those who are going through extremely personal problems. Discernment is important. Ask God to show you who are the ones that need personal time with you. Sometimes the happiest ones have the biggest issues. And sometimes the ones with the best behavior are going through the most. It's hard to tell.
• Follow up is very important. Most of this takes place during the week. Make sure you chat with them, e-mail them or pray with them during the week.
• Remember : Even if you fail in every other aspect of being a teacher, but is close to them, you have succeeded beautifully. It is through your relationship with them, not your lessons, that they are shaped.

Topics:

• Family
• Friends

• Future
• Focus

• Fortune
• Fame

• Failure
• Feelings

• Fun
• Freedom

• Fear
• Faith

Week 1 : Family and Friends


Week 2 : Future and Focus


Week 3 : Fortune and Fame


Week 4 : Failure and Feelings


Week 5 : Fun and Freedom


Week 6 : Fear and Faith

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit?
Gen 1:2
Matt 3:16
John 4:24
Psalms 143:10
1 Cor 2:4,9-13
1 Cor 3:16-17
1 Cor 6:11
1 Cor 7:40
1 Cor 12:3-13
2 Cor 3:3, 6, 7-8 16-18
2 Cor 5:1-8
2 Cor 6:6-8
2 Cor 13:14
Eph 1:13
John 14:15-18, 25-27
John 15:26
John 16:7-15

Let me ask you a question- In the beginning, before God created the earth, God was there, right? Right.
Then, He created men. He created men, in His own image, right? Right.
But then, God realized that it was not good for man to be alone. May I ask,- why? Why wasn't it good for men to be alone? Because man was created in His image, and He was not alone.

Gen 1:2

2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Gen 1:26

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So, God wasn't alone. The Holy Spirit was there since the beginning of time. Then, God created the woman. How did God come up with that? Are woman created in the image of God? Yes. Then how is it that men and women are different?- very different, in fact? And why did God say "Our" and not "My" image?

Gen 1:26-28

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God created the female as a 'helper'. And the Greek word for it is Ezer, which is the same meaning as Holy Spirit.

Gen 1:18

18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone;
I will make him a ezer comparable to him.”

So does that answer your question? God created them in His likeness and the likeness of His Spirit. He created them male and female. God the Spirit is very much female. Now, before you start throwing stones at me, let's explore further..

Gen 2:21-24

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept;
and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman,
and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.

Now, where did God get that idea from? I know that most of the animals, not all, had this; but men and women were created in His image, right?

1 Cor 2:9-12
9 But as it is written:

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Gen 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.