Unit 3: Moving Toward Maturity Lesson 10 Hearing God Small Group Lesson Power Point Ages 6-7 Scripture Memory Verse I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. John 10:14 Bible Lesson Samuel prays to God continually as God s prophet. 1 Samuel 7:2-17; 8:4-21 Overview Samuel was a great prophet of God. He prayed for Israel, asking God to help them against the Philistines. God told Samuel to tell the Israelites they were unfaithful and to get rid of their idols and worship God only. But the Israelites still didn t fully follow God. They came to Samuel demanding a king. So Samuel again prayed to God about their request. God again told Samuel what to tell the people. Samuel did as God said, even though the message was a warning against having a king. Discussion Questions 1. Can we call God on the phone or e-mail him on the computer? (No.) Why not? (Because He is a Spirit.) 2. How can we talk to Him? (By praying) 3. Does God want to talk to us? (Yes.) How does He talk if it s not on the phone or the computer? (In our hearts.) 4. If we are the sheep then who is our Shepherd? (Jesus.) Can He ever be mean to us? (No.) Why or why not? (Because He is the Good Shepherd and He loves us.) 5. What kind of sheep do you want to be? One that listens to the Shepherd s voice or one who does not? Why? God Encounter Materials: 2 sheets of paper, marker. Preparation: Use marker to draw two street signs. Write One Way on the first sign and draw an arrow pointing to the left. Write Two Way on the second sign and draw one arrow pointing up and one arrow pointing down (see sketch). Have you ever heard your mom or dad say something like this when he or she is driving: Oh no, I can t turn here this is a oneway street. That is because your mom or dad saw a sign with an arrow pointing one way on the sign. That means that all the traffic driving on that street can only go one way. (Show the first sign.) That s what some of us think about our relationship with God. That it can only go one way, us praying and talking to God. Don t get me wrong. God does want us to talk to Him about everything in our lives. (Show the second sign.) But our relationship with God goes two ways. Sometimes He wants us to listen while He talks back to us. He wants us to be quiet so that we can hear what He has to say. You can learn to recognize God s voice, but only if you take the time to listen. God can help you become a better listener, and you can start letting Him help you this morning. (Allow the kids to quietly pray, asking God to help them hear Him when He speaks to them.) Let s end by saying the Power Point together: LESSON 10 - PAGE 67
The Jesus Factor One of the prophets wrote, God will teach all of them. And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me. John 6:45 Materials: Sheep picture from Take-Home Challenges CD-ROM. (Show Sheep picture.) When we see sheep, we know that there is usually someone nearby who cares for them. Sheep need a shepherd. One way that sheep stay safe is by learning to recognize their shepherd s voice. When their shepherd leads them, they quickly move to wherever he is. That way they don t get hurt. We are like sheep because we need someone to help lead us, too. Jesus wants to be our Shepherd and lead us and guide us every day. When we listen to the Father and learn from Him, the Bible says we will get to come to Jesus. (Show Sheep picture again.) See all these sheep? Jesus calls people sheep because sheep need a shepherd to guide them. Sheep aren t the smartest of animals. Without a shepherd, they could wander away and get lost or hurt or attacked by other animals. In the same way, if we don t talk to God and listen to His voice, we can wander away from Jesus, make bad choices, and not live the right way. Did you know that God wants you to learn to recognize His voice. He wants you to talk to Him and listen when He speaks to you. The best way to do that is to be a praying person: someone who talks to God every day and listens when He speaks. Let s ask God to help us spend time with Him every day, the same way Samuel did, and then do what He says. (Lead children in short prayer, asking God to help them spend time praying every day so that they will learn to recognize His voice and do what He says.) Small Group Activity Praying Sheep Materials: For each child, 2-inch white pom-poms, 3/4-inch white pom-poms, 1/2-inch black pom-poms, 2 small wiggle eyes, black felt scraps, black chenille wire, ribbon, bell, scissors, craft or tacky glue. Preparation: Cut two 2-inch sections of chenille wire for each child. Cut two ears from black felt for each child. Make a sample sheep. Place materials on tables. Our memory verse says, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. We want to pray every day so that we will know what God is telling us and do it. Let s make some sheep to take home. These can remind us that we want to pray and listen to God so that we will know Him the same way sheep know their shepherd. (Show sample. Kids glue 3/4-inch pom-pom to the 2-inch pom-pom to form sheep s head and body. They bend chenille wires to make U-shaped legs and glue onto body. Kids glue 1/2-inch black pompom onto head to make nose. They glue on ears and wiggle eyes. With teacher s help, kids put bell on ribbon and tie around sheep s neck.) Take-Home Challenge Materials: Lesson 10 Ages 6-7 Take-Home Challenge from Take-Home Challenges CD-ROM. Hand out this week s Take-Home Challenge and encourage kids to complete the activities with their families. Remind them that you ll ask for responses during next week s K.I.D.S. Church service. PAGE 68 - LESSON 10
Unit 3: Moving Toward Maturity Lesson 10 Hearing God Small Group Lesson Power Point Ages 8-10 Scripture Memory Verse I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. John 10:14 Bible Lesson Samuel prays to God continually as God s prophet. 1 Samuel 7:2-17; 8:4-21 Overview Samuel was a great prophet of God. He prayed for Israel, asking God to help them against the Philistines. God told Samuel to tell the Israelites they were unfaithful and to get rid of their idols and worship God only. But the Israelites still didn t fully follow God. They came to Samuel demanding a king. So Samuel again prayed to God about their request. God again told Samuel what to tell the people. Samuel did as God said, even though the message was a warning against having a king. Discussion Questions 1. How can we talk to God? (By praying.) 2. What is prayer? (Simply talking to God and letting Him know how we feel.) Can God talk to us in our prayer time? (Yes.) How? (In our hearts.) 3. Can you hear great music if your radio is turned off? (No.) What do we have to do to hear great words from God? (Put ourselves in the right position of prayer and openness to Him.) 4. What is static on a radio and how do we get rid of it? (Just scratchy noise. We tune it by searching until we hear the clear sounds of the station we want. In the same way we tune ourselves into hearing God s voice.) God Encounter Materials: 2 sheets of poster board, different colored markers. Preparation: Use marker to write the following statements and questions on the first sheet of poster board: Please clean your room. Why don t you try this cigarette? Kick your sister really hard! Say please and thank-you. It s ok to tell a little white lie. I love you. You can do anything you set your mind to. I believe in you. No one will see you cheating. Be sure to brush your teeth. Go ahead talk back to your teacher. Wanna steal a candy bar? On the second sheet of poster board and with a different colored marker write, W.W.G.S (make letters large enough to fill the entire page). Each of you lives with at least one adult, right? It could be a mom or dad, or both. Maybe it s a grandparent. Every day they help you and tell you things you should or shouldn t do. I m going to read a list of sentences. When you hear each sentence, I want you to shake your head yes or no depending on whether you think they would ask you to do what the sentence is saying. (Show first sheet of poster board. Read the list of sentences, allowing kids LESSON 10 - PAGE 69
to respond to each.) Who has heard the phrase W.W.J.D? What does it mean? (Allow responses.) That s right! It means What Would Jesus Do? (Show second sheet of poster board.) These letters are changed a bit. I ve put a G and an S at the end instead of a J and a D. What do you think the G and S stand for? Yes, the G is for God and the S is for Say. Let s read the list again. This time, tell me what you think God would say to each sentence. (Read list again. Allow kids to respond to each sentence, telling what God would say.) Samuel knew what God was telling him to do because he prayed and asked Him what to do. We can do the same thing. Our Power Point is I will be a praying person. Let s ask God to help us spend time with Him in prayer every day, so that we can do as Samuel did hear God and do what He says. (Lead children in prayer. Allow volunteers to ask God to help them spend time praying to Him every day and then do what He says.) The Jesus Factor One of the prophets wrote, God will teach all of them. And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me. John 6:45 Materials: Bible for each child, textbook, cell phone, sticky notes. Preparation: Use a sticky note to mark John 6:45 in each Bible. (Give each child a Bible.) What is a way that you listen to your parents? (You do what they tell you. You answer when they call.) What is a way that you listen to your teacher? (Show textbook. You study and do well on a test.) What is a way that you listen to your friends? (Show cell phone. You call each other and talk. You do things together.) You know what all of these people are telling you because you listened. How can you listen to God? (Show Bible.) The Bible tells us that we need to pray and talk to God every day. Let s read the Scripture together. (Kids find John 6:45 in their Bibles. Read aloud with kids.) One way that we show we are listening to God is by doing what He says when He speaks to us. That way, as our Scripture says, He will teach us. And when we listen and learn from God, our Scripture says we can go to Jesus. Our Power Point today says, I will be a praying person. Let s spend time talking to God every day so that we won t miss what He wants to tell us. Small Group Activity Prayer Banners Materials: Small alphabet stencils, pens, 8-inch felt squares, craft foam sheets, scissors, glue, large sequins, glitter. Preparation: Place materials on tables. Samuel had a close relationship with God. He prayed and asked God what he should do about everything. And God told him. Did you know that God wants you to ask Him what you should do, too? No situation in your life is too big or too small that God doesn t want to talk to you about it. How can you know what God wants you to do about something if you don t ask Him? Our Power Point today says, I will be a praying person. God wants us to spend time with Him and talk to Him every day. Let s make a banner that will help remind us of that. (Give each child a felt square. They use pens and stencil letters to trace and cut out I will be a praying person from craft foam sheets. They glue letters to felt squares. Kids glue sequins and make designs from glitter to decorate banners.) Let s spend time reading God s Word and talking to Him every day. That way we will know what He is telling us to do and we can do it, just like Samuel did. Take-Home Challenge Materials: Lesson 10 Ages 8-10 Take-Home Challenge from Take-Home Challenges CD-ROM. Hand out this week s Take-Home Challenge and encourage kids to complete the activities with their families. Remind them that you ll ask for responses during next week s K.I.D.S. Church service. PAGE 70 - LESSON 10
Unit 3: Moving Toward Maturity Lesson 10 Hearing God Small Group Lesson Power Point Ages 11-12 Scripture Memory Verse Scripture Memory Verse: I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. John 10:14 Bible Lesson Samuel prays to God continually as God s prophet. 1 Samuel 7:2-17; 8:4-21 Overview Samuel was a great prophet of God. He prayed for Israel, asking God to help them against the Philistines. God told Samuel to tell the Israelites they were unfaithful and to get rid of their idols and worship God only. But the Israelites still didn t fully follow God. They came to Samuel demanding a king. So Samuel again prayed to God about their request. God again told Samuel what to tell the people. Samuel did as God said, even though the message was a warning against having a king. Discussion Questions 1. How can we talk to Him then? (By praying.) What is prayer? (Prayer is simply talking to God and telling Him how we feel.) 2. Will He ever be so busy that He can t talk to us right that second, or be gone on vacation and be unreachable? (No.) Why not? (Because the Bible says that He never slumbers nor sleeps and that He always hears us when we call to Him). 3. Can God talk to us? (Yes.) How? (In our prayer time He speaks to our hearts.) Are there other ways? (Yes, through reading His Word, through hearing teaching and preaching; through other people.) 4. How can we know the difference between when it is God s voice and when it is not? (The devil puts evil, ugly thoughts in our minds and brings accusation and condemnation and says things that will hurt us. God speaks words of life, encouragement and peace, and says things that will help us.) God Encounter Materials: DVD player; Chronicles of Narnia DVD Preparation: Cue DVD to scene of Peter at the waterfall. Who has seen the Chronicles of Narnia? (Allow responses.) Today I m going to show you a scene from the movie. (Show scene of Peter at the waterfall.) Peter is surrounded by several different voices. One is from the wolf his enemy. One is from the beaver his friend. The one that surprises us though is from his very own sister. She is scared and tries to convince him to lay his sword down. All day long we hear different people talking to us. Sometimes the voices we hear help and guide us. Sometimes the voices we hear aren t helpful at all. They may even come from people who love you and mean well like a friend at school who tells you to go ahead and keep the money you found on the bathroom floor. You could use it to buy a snack at the basketball game. We must be like Peter and decide who we are going to listen to. Our Power Point today says, One way to know whose voice is helping and whose is not, is by asking God. If we don t talk to God we can t hear what He is saying back to us. Let s pray and ask God to help us know which voices to listen to. Let s ask God to help us spend time praying every day so that we will know what He wants LESSON 10 - PAGE 71
us to do in every situation we face. (Lead kids in prayer. Allow volunteers to pray aloud asking for God s help to spend time each day talking to Him. Volunteers may also pray for specific situations in which they need guidance.) The Jesus Factor One of the prophets wrote, God will teach all of them. And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me. John 6:45 Materials: Bible, battery-operated radio. Preparation: Set the radio to receive static. (Ask a volunteer to read John 6:45 aloud.) We need to pray. When Jesus says, And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me, He is saying that we must listen and learn from God. We can t do that if we are not talking to God. (Show radio and set it on a nearby table. Then just sit and look at it.) Hmmm, I wonder why the radio isn t playing music? (Someone will probably very quickly say something about having to turn it on.) Turn it on? Oh! Yeah! I was beginning to think that the radio might be broken. Thanks; I ll be sure to always remember to turn it on first. (Turn on the radio so kids hear static.) Oh, man! What horrible music! Or maybe the radio is broken. I m just gonna turn this thing off. (Kids will tell you that you have to tune the dial to the right place to find the station you want. Tune the radio to music and turn down low.) This is kind of like hearing God s voice. This radio has everything it needs to help you hear music. And if you are a Christian, God has given everything you need to hear His voice. He wants to speak to you and through but you have to talk to Him every day to be able to hear when He talks back. That s sort of like being turned on (praying) and tuned in (listening). Let s remember what our Power Point says, Small Group Activity Quiet Relay Materials: Bibles. Preparation: Open Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord s Prayer) and place one Bible opposite of each relay team. Samuel had a close relationship with God. He prayed and asked God what he should do about everything. And God told him. Did you know that God wants you to ask Him what you should do, too? No situation in your life is too big or too small that God doesn t want to talk to you about it. How can you know what God wants you to do about something if you don t ask Him? Our Power Point today says, God wants us to spend time with Him and talk to Him every day. But we are so busy it s easy to crowd out time with God. We re going to play a game that helps remind you to take time for God. (Have kids form two relay teams and line up opposite the two open Bibles. Explain that kids are to run down to the Bibles, sit down, and read the Lord s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, say a brief prayer, then get up and run back and tag the next player.) There were no losers in this game because to win all you needed to do was to read the Lord s Prayer and say a prayer. This game can remind us to spend time reading God s Word and talking to Him every day. That way we will know what He is telling us to do and we can do it, just like Samuel did. Take-Home Challenge Materials: Lesson 10 Ages 11-12 Take-Home Challenge from Take-Home Challenges CD-ROM. Hand out this week s Take-Home Challenge and encourage kids to complete the activities with their families. Remind them that you ll ask for responses during next week s K.I.D.S. Church service. PAGE 72 - LESSON 10