Studying the Bible: How

Opening Activity

     Follow this link to download your own copy of Old Testament and New Testament Matching Game. 

Studying the Bible Discussion and Exercise 

     What are some of the best ways to read the bible?

For example – new believers don’t start reading the book of Genesis and read forward. Start at the New Testament.

     What has worked for you?

The Basics of Bible Study 

     There are several ways to study the Bible, but could we agree on five basics we should always do?

(Give tables a few minutes to discuss and come up with five at their table – make a list up front)

     Ask the right questions

     Write down your observations

     Don’t just interpret it, apply it

     Study it systematically (have a plan)

     Read it more than once

*Joshua 1:8 ( who can find first, read it…”meditate” means rumination…that’s what a cow does when it chews its cud. Chewing it over and over to digest it. Scripture meditation is reading a passage over and over again, then thinking about it and concentrating on it in different ways until you have digested its meaning)

Trying it out 

      Have each table then work through James Worksheet at their table.  After some time go over the sheet as large group.

Take it Home: Scripture books

Let children assemble their own SOAP Scripture Books to take home to help them take time each day to read the Bible with their parents.

Faith Books Week 3: Path of Life

Opening Activity:
     Encourage everyone to make their best parachute for their bendy person as they come into the class.  After parachutes are made, have everyone stand on their chairs to see whose parachute works the best.  Ask one volunteer to stand on their chair again with their parachute while another volunteer stands on their chair with a bendy person with no parachute.  Discuss what happens when they drop their person at the same time.
     Have a volunteer to read Psalm 1:6 "For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction."
     The Lord watches over us like our parachutes hovered over our bendy people.  The Lord helps us from falling when our path becomes troubled.  What are some ways the Lord is a parachute for us?

Scripture Tie-In:
    Pass out cards with four different scriptures to read and discuss as a group:  Luke 2:21-24, Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 4:1-11, and Philipines 2:5-11

Scrapbook Page Intro:
    Our scrapbook pages today will help us illustrate our Path of Life in Christ.  We start with a pine cone on our path.  Jesus' parents took him to the temple to be dedicated.  In this square we will describe what our parents did to help up on our path of faith.
     Our second and third squares are a watering can and a sun for us to fill in with things that helped us grow or things that showed how we were stepping out in faith.  We saw Jesus be baptized by John as a symbol of the start of His ministry.
     Our fourth square has a hoe beside it because sometimes God allows our path to be hoed up as we are tempted by Satan.  Jesus was an example how to deal with temptation as He continually responded to Satan with Words from Scripture.
     Our fifth square has a full grown tree to show us that as we grow into mature Christians we not only flourish but also can help create new pine cones for God's family.

Studying the Bible: Caution!

Opening Discussion (5 mins)

                 Stunt Man video

What are some problems we face when we go to read the Bible?

When we read the Bible, we need to read it for all it’s worth. Some people think that reading a verse or two is enough. It may be better than nothing, but it’s not the best way to study. Let’s test that theory.

Open your Bibles to Matthew 18:20. Whoever gets there first, wins a pair of our special Bible Explorer glasses!.

                What does that verse mean?

                How do you know it means that?

Most people quote that text as meaning that if Christians are together, then God is there with them. While that’s true, that’s not what the verse is talking about.

Instead, this text is talking about confronting people who sin. The essence of what Jesus is saying is, if a few of you gather to confront someone, and you are doing it in the way He's told you. You are doing it with His authority too. He says essentially: I’m there with you.

So…you see, taking one verse and picking it out of the ones around it can distort the meaning of the text. This is called taking a verse out of context. Another way of putting that is by saying we need to be able to understand where the author is coming from to get the full meaning of each verse. 

Let's do a visual example. I want one artist at each table to draw HALF a leaf. Now let's have all the artists come up front and see if anyone else's leaf will match up to yours? What are some of the problems we have? What are some of the different portrayals of leaves up here?

Break out (30 mins)

Tables with adults only can go through “How to Avoid Falling for Lies” sheet.

Tables with kids will work on two steps.

First the children at the table will each receive a Half a Monster sheet. They are to finish the drawing of the monster while the adults talk.

While the children draw, the adults will do the top section on the above "How to Avoid Falling for Lies" sheet.  Once they are done with that, they should invite the children to join them. First the children can share their monsters and talk about why they drew what they did. Discuss how they each drew something different because they all have different things/colors they like and want in a monster. Some are scary! while others are friendly.

Select an adult to lead the children through looking at Phil 4:13 by itself – I can do all thing through Him who strengthens me. Discuss what they think this means? How can they use it in their lives?  Then ask the children to open up their Bibles and read the section this verse was taken from. Ask: Who is speaking?  What is he speaking about? What does the verse really mean?

 If there is time, parents can lead their children thru the Exodus 14:10-18 exercise  on "How to Avoid Falling for Lies" on a level their children understand, or they can do this at home also.

Take Home: -  Summer Scripture Color By Number

Hall of Faith Lessons #7: Joshua

Lesson for Life: Following God or Men?  Joshua 24:15b – But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Faith Lesson:  Faith is following God into the impossible.  Hebrews 11:30 – By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.”

Intro Activity – Gravity Goo

How would you define a miracle?  What are some miracles you have read about in the bible?

Are we capable of defying the laws of nature on our own? Gravity Goo experiment (purchase via Amazon or Ebay)

Do experiment – does liquid normally do this? No because of gravity. When we see something like this that defies gravity, we are amazed because gravity is one of those things that we are powerless over. I’d love to fly like Superman – think I can?! No! Gravity keeps my feet on the ground. I’d like to keep this water from spilling (tip over a cup) but I can’t because I am not in charge of gravity. But someone in can and that’s God. He gave the creators of this Gravity Goo the recipe to defy gravity, and in our bible story today we will learn how he gave Joshua a surprising recipe to defy gravity today too.

Whole Group Activity: 

Flashback to before Joshua was a leader: the Israelites decide to follow men rather than God

Numbers 13:25-14:11

What were the miracles the people had seen so far as Moses helped them escape Egypt…? Remember last week

The result of the people’s lack of trusting God was God punishing all those present and said that only Joshua and Caleb would see the Promised Land

Fast forward 40 years later when Joshua is now leading the Israelites:  Who are the Israelites going to follow now?

God had just led this new group of Israelites through a flooded river so that they could experience an earth-defying miracle like their grandparents who passed through the Red Sea.

            Joshua 5:13-6:5

            Well what do you think? Are they going to listen to Joshua THIS time? Let’s break into groups and finish the story…

Following God’s Plan for our lives – Table Game Time

Each table has game materials and Instruction Sheet

Game cards will be copied on colored sheets:

Blue - Young Children Front and Young Children Back

Yellow - Adult and Older Front and Adult and Older Front

Green - All Ages Front

(for game board there are tons of free gameboards available online. Here is one.

The families with children are welcome to take a game home.

Bulletin Insert

Hall of Faith Lesson #6: Moses

Lesson for Life:  Building a foundation of faith.  Matthew 7:24-25  “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

Faith Verse:  Hebrews 11:23 “It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.”

Moses Brainstorm:

Each table will have a Moses sheet of some kind.  As a group they are to fill the shape with as many thoughts about Moses as they can.  Discuss how many different stories we have learned about Moses.

Baby Moses Picture

Moses Splitting Water Picture

Moses with Commandments

Intro by sharing Life and Faith verse: Today we are going to see how important it is to be rooted in Christ is

Results of Building a Foundation of Faith : Breakout Time

 Do the  Tree of Faith Activity as a table. Here is a picture of a tree to use or they can draw their own.

End as a Whole Group

Share the different fruits the tables drew in step #5. Hang up the trees and close in prayer.

Bulletin Insert

Hall of Faith Lesson #5: Jacob

Lesson for Life:  Shake off your sins and change your ways to the rest of your life for God.  2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Faith Verse:  Hebrews 11:21 “It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.”

Lesson Activity Instructions:  (15 mins)

Today we are going to study Jacob. Anyone know what his name means?  Deceiver

What does that mean?

Well it took Jacob a LONG time to stop his destructive path of deception.

There is a lot of scripture to cover today and most of it is familiar, so we are going to have some fun and portray them for each other in skits.  You will notice there are 3 (or 4 depending on number of people present) doors labeled with a scene and the number of people needed for that scene.  In the room you will find costumes and copies of skits.  You have 10 minutes to practice and get ready to share your scripture in play-form.

Skit Part 1

Skit Part 2

Skit Part 3

Skit Part 4

(all rights for skits belong to Tanis Harms – refer to www.church-skits.com)

Whole Group Visual Activity: (20 minutes)

Groups will come out and watch/perform skits in order.  After each skit make a list of Deceptions and Who did them on a poster board as a whole group.

Game:  Shaking Off Sin Game  (10mins)

            Ask for 12 people who are willing to get their nose dirty to win for their team.  Divide into two groups. At one end of the room are two tables with a bowl of Vaseline and a pile of 12 cotton balls.  At another spot in the room is an empty table with a sign – Faith in God.  One person from each team will hold their hands behind their back, stick their nose in the Vaseline, stick their nose into the cotton balls and run to the other table, SHAKE OFF the cotton ball and kneel down behind the table/sign.  At that point the next person may go. The first team to get all their cotton balls to the Faith table wins.

Bulletin Insert