How well do children know the Old Testament? Would it be beneficial to include parts of it in VBS lessons, or would it distract from the Gospel?
If there s one thing those who work with children s outreaches will tell you, it s that children today know less and less about the Bible. If they are going to know why Jesus had to die (and not someone else), they re going to need to have a basic understanding of the Old Testament and the purpose of sacrifices. The following method has been used in many Vacation Bible Schools and backyard Bible clubs, and has helped children have a clear understanding of the Gospel.
• The Bible, God, and Creation
The Bible is God s Word and He wants people to know who He is and what He s like; He knows everything, sees everything, is kind and loving, and has a wonderful home. God created everything from the angels and the big, blue sky to people, and the tiniest particle of dust in only 6 days, without any tools, and it was all perfect in every way.
• Bad things came into the world
Some of the angels God created turned against Him and brought sin into the world. People came to have sin in them because they listened to a bad angel and turned away from obeying God. That sin resulted in death death of the body, death of a relationship with God, and eternal death. This death was passed down to every person
• Trust, Penalty, the Plan and Commands
God promised that He would provide Someone to take the place of people for the punishment of sin, but people had to trust that He spoke truth. God said the penalty for sin would be death, and everyone must pay for sin by death, yet He said He would provide a way so people didn t have to pay. God s plan for people was to show them that He would send Someone for them, but until that time, they were to show their trust by killing a lamb it would die to cover the sins of the people. Some people didn t believe that God s way would work, so they tried to be good enough, but God gave specific Commands to show them that there was no way they d be good enough on their own to get away from death.
• Jesus Who He was and what He did
Jesus was born as a human baby, yet was God s perfect Son. He grew up and lived among people, doing things that showed that He was God s Son. He was crucified the perfect Lamb (looking back to the Old Testament sacrifices) the One God had promised to provide, who could die in the place of people and take their sins away forever.
• Jesus resurrection its power and purpose
After Jesus death and burial, He came back to life. Nothing could keep Him dead. He came back to life so that one day, those who believe that He is the Lamb that was provided for sin, will be able to come back to life but not to live life on this earth again. Instead those who believe will come back to life and live in heaven God s home with Him.
Author Resource:
Aleena Denison has a heart for seeing the message of the Bible presented in a clear way,and is dedicated to sharing Jesus with the lost and helping believers see their responsibilities in evangelism,discipleship,and Bible study. For more information and free downloads, see http://www.goodseed.com
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