NKJV, Children's Ministry Resource Bible: Helping Children Grow in the Light of God's Word

Children’s Ministry Resource Bible

The New King James Version

with Bible Lesson Outlines

Topical Presentations for Use with Children

Subject Index to the Bible

Teaching Books of the Bible to Children

Teacher Development Articles

Visual Survey of the Bible

Special Study Aids, Maps, and Charts

Concordance

Children’s Ministry Resource Bible

Copyright © 1993 by Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

The New King James Bible, New Testament

Copyright © 1979 by Thomas Nelson

The New King James Bible, New Testament and Psalms

Copyright © 1980 by Thomas Nelson

Special Study Helps

Copyright © 1991 and 1990 by Thomas Nelson

ePub Edition September 2019: 978-0-785-22734-2

For information on CEF ministries, literature, or service opportunities, contact your local CEF office listed in your telephone directory, or write:

CEF, P.O. Box 348, Warrenton, MO 63383–0348.

Telephone: 314-456-4321

In Canada write P.O. Box 165, Winnipeg,

Manitoba, Canada R3C 2G9.

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

Foreword

Why publish another special edition of the Bible when so many special editions are already available? For three reasons.

First, the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible focuses on the most important segment of the population and the church—the children. The church is always but one generation short of extinction. If we fail to win children to Christ or train believing children in the Christian faith, the future of the church and of civilization is at stake. Jesus had a special love for the children and so must we, and we show that love by sharing Christ and His Word with them.

Second, the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible helps everybody, because everybody needs to know better how to teach spiritual truths to the younger generation. Parents and grandparents, Sunday school teachers and church club leaders, pastors and missionaries, even older brothers and sisters, will all benefit from the material in this Bible. And remember, these tools have been tested and proved in the marketplace and on the battlefield by thousands of Child Evangelism Fellowship workers around the world.

Third, the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible shows you how to do it! As you use this book, you’ll be amazed and delighted to see how much useful resource material it contains. It’s like having in one easy-to-use volume a Bible survey course, a Christian education course, a Bible commentary, an evangelism course, and a book of teaching ideas, all combined to help you win children to Christ and guide them into maturity in the Christian faith.

The Children’s Ministry Resource Bible is the best tool I know of for concerned Christians who want to make a difference in this world by reaching and teaching the boys and girls and integrating them into local churches. We adults have the responsibility of sharing God’s Word with the next generation, and this book can help us do it. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD (Psalm 34:11).

As you use this unique Bible, you will have an enriching time—yes, an exciting time—discovering God’s wonderful truth and learning how to share it effectively with precious boys and girls. Let’s pray together that God will use this wonderful tool to bring glory to His name as we seek to bring children to the Savior.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Author, Conference Speaker

Dedication

Dedicated to

those who quietly labor in the largest, most forsaken mission field on earth.

May you have a powerful impact on future generations around the corner and around the world.

Contents

of the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible

How to Use This eBible

History of the Wordless Book and How to Use It

Introductory Section

Foreword

Dedication

Books of the Old and New Testaments with Their Abbreviations

Quote by J. Irvin Overholtzer

Welcome to the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible

Features of This Bible: Bible Lesson Outlines

Features of This Bible: Teaching Articles, Charts, and Maps

New King James Preface

Special Abbreviations

Index to Bible Lesson Outlines

Index to Teaching Aids

Contributors

Text and Resource Bible Teaching Aids

Old Testament Table of Contents

Visual Survey of the Bible

Teacher Development Section

New Testament Table of Contents

Children’s Characteristics

Teaching Doctrines to Children

False Philosophies

The Origin of Life on Earth

Teachings and Illustrations of Christ

The Parables of Jesus Christ

The Miracles of Jesus Christ

Monies, Weights, and Measures

Harmony of the Gospels

Pronunciation Guide

Subject Index

Concordance

Full Color Maps

OLD TESTAMENT

Genesis

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50

Exodus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40

Leviticus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27

Numbers

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

Deuteronomy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34

Joshua

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

Judges

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

Ruth

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

1 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

2 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

1 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

2 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

1 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29

2 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

Ezra

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Nehemiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Esther

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Job

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42

Psalms

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150

Proverbs

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

Ecclesiastes

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Song of Solomon

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Isaiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66

Jeremiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52

Lamentations

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ezekiel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48

Daniel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Hosea

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Joel

1 | 2 | 3

Amos

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Obadiah

1

Jonah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Micah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Nahum

1 | 2 | 3

Habakkuk

1 | 2 | 3

Zephaniah

1 | 2 | 3

Haggai

1 | 2

Zechariah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Malachi

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

Mark

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Luke

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

Acts

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

Romans

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

1 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

2 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Galatians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Ephesians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Philippians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Colossians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

1 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3

1 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

2 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Titus

1 | 2 | 3

Philemon

1

Hebrews

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

James

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1 Peter

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 Peter

1 | 2 | 3

1 John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 John

1

3 John

1

Jude

1

Revelation

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

How to Use This eBible

What is the difference between an eBook and a print book?

eBook versions of Bibles contain all the content and supplementary materials found in the original print versions and are optimized for navigation in the various apps and devices used for display. eReaders recognize text as one fluid string and are formatted in a single column, which differs from the multi-column layout seen in many print version Bibles. Therefore, some content may not match the exact appearance of the original print version, but instead uses hyperlinks to navigate between related content.

How do I use the eBook Table of Contents?

* Important Note: Be sure to consult your device manufacturer’s User’s Guide for device-specific navigation instructions. *

The Table of Contents is generally formatted in the same order as the original print version and hyperlinked as follows:

• Front matter—Introductory articles

• Bible books and chapters

• Back matter—Supplementary materials

To navigate to specific Bible books, chapters, or verses, please note the following:

• Book links (Ex. Genesis) go directly to the Introduction of each book, or the beginning of that Bible book if there is no introductory text.

• Chapter links go directly to the beginning of the chapter associated with a book.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the verses in each chapter.

• Every Bible book and chapter hyperlink in the Bible text returns or goes back to the Table of Contents. Or, use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

How do I navigate supplementary materials?

Articles and Features related to Bible content are accessible through the pointer links that are interspersed throughout the Bible text.

• Select the hyperlinked content title at the end of a paragraph where referenced Bible verse(s) appear to go to its location in the Annotations section at the end of each Bible book.

• Select the hyperlinked title entry to go back to the Bible verse location, or use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Study Notes (commentary) are hyperlinked to verse numbers where study notes are available in the main Bible text to go to its location at the end of each Bible book.

• Click a hyperlinked verse number to the corresponding study note (commentary).

• Click a hyperlinked verse number to the left of the study note (commentary) and you are returned to the main Bible text.

Cross References are marked with a small, hyperlinked letter a, to point out verses that will explain the referenced word or phrase.

• Click the hyperlinked letter in the main Bible text to the corresponding cross reference(s).

• Click the hyperlinked letter to the left of the cross reference(s) and you are returned to the main Bible text.

Translators’ Notes are marked with a hyperlinked number 1, to indicate important textual information.

• Click the hyperlinked number to the left of the word or phrase in the main Bible text to the corresponding note.

• Click the hyperlinked number to the left of the note and you are returned to the main Bible text.

Indexes are features that supplement the Bible text and are hyperlinked directly to the content-specific location following the main Bible text.

• Select the hyperlinked entry in the Table of Contents to the specific article, list, or index.

• Select the Bible reference or article hyperlink to the corresponding main Bible text or article.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Concordance includes an alphabetic list of important words.

• Select the hyperlinked letter of the alphabet to navigate to the corresponding list of entries from the Table of Contents.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the entries.

• Select the Bible reference hyperlink to the corresponding main Bible text or use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Color Maps are included as images and optimized for eReader device display.

• Select the hyperlinked entry in the Table of Contents to a specific map.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Books of the Old and New Testaments

The Old Testament

The New Testament

Quote by J. Irvin Overholtzer

"Teach to evangelize . . .

Evangelize to teach."

J. Irvin Overholtzer

Founder Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.

Welcome to . . .

The Children’s Ministry Resource Bible

Hundreds of years ago Jesus rebuked His disciples, admonishing them to Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14). Yet, down through the ages, many believers have rejected the efforts of children to come to the Savior.

Charles Spurgeon, a famous English preacher, wrote, What a mercy it will be if our children are thoroughly grounded in the doctrine of redemption by Christ! If they are warned against the false gospels of this evil age, and if they are taught to rest on the eternal rock of Christ’s finished work, we may hope to have a generation following us which will maintain the faith and will be better than their fathers.

In an effort to answer this challenge and need to provide the materials necessary to evangelize children, Thomas Nelson Publishers and Child Evangelism Fellowship™ have joined hands to produce the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible. Thomas Nelson has been printing God’s Word for nearly two hundred years; evangelists and Christian educators in Child Evangelism Fellowship have been progressive for over fifty years in producing visualized Bible lesson materials, songs, memory verses, an innovative magazine, and many other tools used by teachers and parents to lead children to Christ and edify them spiritually.

Child Evangelism Fellowship was founded by Rev. J. Irvin Overholtzer, a pastor deeply burdened by God for children in need of a Savior. He began Bible classes for children in 1923, desiring to give boys and girls the opportunity to be set free from the guilt of their sin. Since then Child Evangelism Fellowship has grown into a worldwide ministry dedicated to evangelizing boys and girls with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establishing (discipling) them in the Word of God and in a local, Bible-believing church for Christian living.

Organized CEF ministries now exist in every state in the United States, every province in Canada, and over 120 countries around the world. In the U.S. and Canada there are over 900 full-time workers. Overseas, CEF has 180 missionaries and more than 1,000 nationals. Over two and one-half million children are reached each year with the gospel of Christ through CEF ministries, which include Good News Clubs™, 5-Day Clubs™, released-time classes, fairs, and camps.

CEF is well known for its quality training program. The Children’s Ministries Institute™ (CMI™) provides practical instruction for ministering directly to children, training adults to teach children and administering a children’s work. This unique twelve-week curriculum is structured in one- and two-week modules. Teaching Children Effectively™ courses, designed to equip local church members to evangelize and disciple children, are taught in the USA and around the world. Young people are trained to reach children for Christ through summer programs, such as Christian-Youth-In-Action®, Summer Urban Missions™, and Overseas Summer Missions™. Thousands of people are being trained to meet the challenge of reaching lost children for Christ.

We are deeply indebted and grateful to all the individuals who have collaborated with us to develop the unique resource you are now holding in your hands. Written by professionals in the field of child evangelism and Christian education, the helps in the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible are designed to provide a variety of practical resources to equip you for effective ministry in the largest, most neglected mission field in the world:

• One hundred and four Bible passages have been fully outlined with teaching objectives and practical applications to meet the needs of today’s child as he interacts with his world. These easy-to-use outlines can help you teach your children in a classroom setting or at home.

• The study aids and how to’s of teaching will enhance your communication skills with children.

• Among the other features you’ll find in this Bible are over 60,000 references and notes; thousands of information-filled footnotes; maps and charts; an extensive concordance; and The Visual Survey of the Bible, which presents an overview of the whole of Scripture.

The Children’s Ministry Resource Bible will make studying and learning easier. It will give you deeper understanding of the Scriptures, enabling you to teach Christian principles that can be used by the Holy Spirit to change lives. You’ll feel much more confident and capable sharing God’s Word on a child’s level.

Our greatest desire and longing is that God will burden the hearts of His people as never before for the children of our world. Missiologists inform us that by the turn of the century 50 percent of the world’s population will be made up of school-age children. If we are ever going to evangelize our world, we must evangelize the children. As Jeremiah did, we must cry out in the night . . . for the life of [our] young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street (Lamentations 2:19). Our hope is that this Bible will revolutionize Christendom by being another voice crying out in the night for the sake of the children who live around the corner and around the world.

May God help us to realize that higher than every painter, higher than every sculptor and than all artists . . . [is he] who is skilled in the art of forming the soul-life of children. We pray that He will bless and use the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible for His glory and for the salvation of multitudes of children worldwide.

Child Evangelism Fellowship and Thomas Nelson Publishers

Features of This Bible

Bible Lesson Outlines

The core of the teaching aids in the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible are 104 fully developed Bible lesson outlines from which you can readily teach children. Every Bible lesson has been carefully and prayerfully developed for you and focused on one central truth taught throughout the lesson. Each lesson is designed to produce behavioral change as the Holy Spirit works in the lives of the children. Two major types of lessons are interspersed throughout the Old and New Testaments:

1. Evangelistic lessons clearly present the message of salvation on a child’s level. Each of the three applications in the lesson confronts the child with one basic teaching, each identified by a unique symbol in the margin:

God’s Person and His love

The child’s condition before God as a sinner

God’s solution for the forgiveness of sin—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God

Every evangelistic lesson includes:

An invitation to give children the chance to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior from sin.

2. Spiritual growth lessons are designed to instill in saved children principles from God’s Word that will help them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) as the Holy Spirit works in their lives.

Each includes two practical applications that amplify and explain the central truth or focus of the Bible lesson. You may want to modify examples given in applications to meet the needs of the children in your class or group. To promote active learning, allow the children to discuss issues presented in the lesson.

The Bible lesson outlines provide several benefits that can increase the impact of your teaching on the lives of the children.

Teacher’s Objective

The teacher’s objective gives you the overall purpose and direction of the lesson. It is the declaration of the behavioral change you as the teacher or parent desire to take place in the lives of your children. Since God exhorts us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22), the objectives are stated in terms of what the child will do this week as a result of the teaching of God’s Word. Although it is often difficult to measure the achievement of objectives dealing with an individual’s spiritual life, you can assign certain activities to help you evaluate progress. In addition, you may discern changes in the children’s thinking or feelings by observing them, talking with them, and questioning them. When teaching in a classroom setting, carefully plan all other learning activities to reinforce the objective of the Bible lesson.

Child-Related Truth

The child-related truth is the central truth of the Bible lesson stated simply on a child’s level. It is based on the teacher’s objective.

Introductions

Introductions for each lesson allow you to creatively capture the attention of your listeners and to focus their thoughts on the Bible lesson to follow. Each introduction ends with a transition sentence leading you smoothly into the Bible passage itself.

Teacher’s Background Notes

For your convenience, historical, cultural, and other notes providing greater insight into the Bible passage have been included in brackets [ ]. At times you may desire to share the information in the teacher’s notes with the children.

Progression of Events

The Bible lesson outlines provide a chronological progression of the major events of the passage. You may include other story facts at your discretion.

Applications

Children need to understand how Scripture relates to their everyday lives. Practical applications provide answers on a child’s level to such vital questions as:

What is the meaning of the truth being taught?

What does God say about this issue or problem?

How and where can I apply this truth in everyday life?

Message of Salvation

Since salvation is the foundation for spiritual growth, it is essential that we simply and clearly present the gospel to children.

In evangelistic lessons the message of salvation is woven through the lesson outline in three interrelated applications:

God’s person and His love for all humanity

The sinful condition of every human being [the need]

The person of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross [the way]

In spiritual growth lessons, the complete gospel message is briefly presented at one place:

In the Progression of Events or in the Invitation section of the Ending

Be sure to reinforce the teaching of the message of salvation during other parts of the class hour.

Climax

Each lesson outline moves toward the climax, the point at which the problem in the story is resolved. If you note the climax carefully, it will help you keep on track with the objective of the lesson.

Ending

Immediately after the climax, the ending brings the story to a conclusion and gives the child an opportunity to respond to the truths taught. The ending includes the conclusion, an invitation for the unsaved child, and, when appropriate, a challenge and carry-over activity for the Christian child.

Conclusion

The conclusion finishes the action of the story. It is brief because the attention of the child declines rapidly after the climax.

Challenge and Carry-Over Activity

Invitation to Receive Christ as Savior

NOTE: An index to the lesson outlines begins here.

Teaching Articles, Charts, and Maps

The wide array of articles, charts, and maps included throughout the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible will help you teach Bible truths more effectively to children. The articles are of three types, each distinguished by an easy-to-remember symbol:

Teacher Development

Study Aids

Child Training

Teacher Development Section

Located in the center of the Bible, the Teacher Development Section offers valuable helps for increasing foundational skills vital to evangelizing and discipling children. You will find this section a useful resource as you seek to better minister to those God has entrusted to your care.

NOTE: An index to articles, charts, maps, and the Teacher Development Section begins here.

Subject Index

The Subject Index provides a comprehensive listing of basic doctrinal concepts and character traits that children need to learn in order to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and grow strong in Him. All terms have been defined in simple language appropriate for use with children. This index will make it easy for you to locate a desired topic and discover Bible lesson outlines, full-page articles, or charts that shed light on the concept you are studying.

Annotations

In the annotations is a wealth of historical, cultural, and geographic background information, as well as life-changing biblical truths, to enhance your study of Scripture. Each annotation is clearly identified by chapter and verse numbers. Key words from the verse being annotated appear in boldface type, providing easy identification of key ideas.

Concordance

The extensive concordance at the back of this Bible directs you to scripture verses for key topics, persons, or places of the Bible.

Maps

In addition to a number of maps that enhance the Bible text and its helps, following the concordance are nine full-color maps.

Wordless Book

The Wordless Book, a proven evangelistic tool used to lead thousands of children to Christ, equips you to immediately begin sharing the gospel message with boys and girls. [See the Wordless Book and introduction, chart, and how-to-use information.]

Preface to the New King James Version®

Purpose

In the preface to the 1611 edition, the translators of the Authorized Version, known popularly as the King James Bible, state that it was not their purpose to make a new translation . . . but to make a good one better. Indebted to the earlier work of William Tyndale and others, they saw their best contribution to consist in revising and enhancing the excellence of the English versions which had sprung from the Reformation of the sixteenth century. In harmony with the purpose of the King James scholars, the translators and editors of the present work have not pursued a goal of innovation. They have perceived the Holy Bible, New King James Version, as a continuation of the labors of the earlier translators, thus unlocking for today’s readers the spiritual treasures found especially in the Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures.

A Living Legacy

For more than four hundred years, and throughout several revisions of its English form, the King James Bible has been deeply revered among the English-speaking peoples of the world. The precision of translation for which it is historically renowned, and its majesty of style, have enabled that monumental version of the Word of God to become the mainspring of the religion, language, and legal foundations of our civilization.

Although the Elizabethan period and our own era share in zeal for technical advance, the former period was more aggressively devoted to classical learning. Along with this awakened concern for the classics came a flourishing companion interest in the Scriptures, an interest that was enlivened by the conviction that the manuscripts were providentially handed down and were a trustworthy record of the inspired Word of God. The King James translators were committed to producing an English Bible that would be a precise translation, and by no means a paraphrase or a broadly approximate rendering. On the one hand, the scholars were almost as familiar with the original languages of the Bible as with their native English. On the other hand, their reverence for the divine Author and His Word assured a translation of the Scriptures in which only a principle of utmost accuracy could be accepted.

In 1786 Catholic scholar Alexander Geddes said of the King James Bible, If accuracy and strictest attention to the letter of the text be supposed to constitute an excellent version, this is of all versions the most excellent. George Bernard Shaw became a literary legend in the twentieth century because of his severe and often humorous criticisms of our most cherished values. Surprisingly, however, Shaw pays the following tribute to the scholars commissioned by King James: The translation was extraordinarily well done because to the translators what they were translating was not merely a curious collection of ancient books written by different authors in different stages of culture, but the Word of God divinely revealed through His chosen and expressly inspired scribes. In this conviction they carried out their work with boundless reverence and care and achieved a beautifully artistic result. History agrees with these estimates. Therefore, while seeking to unveil the excellent form of the traditional English Bible, special care has also been taken in the present edition to preserve the work of precision which is the legacy of the 1611 translators.

Complete Equivalence in Translation

Where new translation has been necessary in the New King James Version, the most complete representation of the original has been rendered by considering the history of usage and etymology of words in their contexts. This principle of complete equivalence seeks to preserve all of the information in the text, while presenting it in good literary form. Dynamic equivalence, a recent procedure in Bible translation, commonly results in paraphrasing where a more literal rendering is needed to reflect a specific and vital sense. For example, complete equivalence truly renders the original text in expressions such as lifted her voice and wept (Gen. 21:16); I gave you cleanness of teeth (Amos 4:6); Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’  (Matt. 28:9); and Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? (John 2:4). Complete equivalence translates fully, in order to provide an English text that is both accurate and readable.

In keeping with the principle of complete equivalence, it is the policy to translate interjections which are commonly omitted in modern language renderings of the Bible. As an example, the interjection behold, in the older King James editions, continues to have a place in English usage, especially in dramatically calling attention to a spectacular scene or an event of profound importance such as the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Consequently, behold is retained for these occasions in the present edition. However, the Hebrew and Greek originals for this word can be translated variously, depending on the circumstances in the passage. Therefore, in addition to behold, words such as indeed, look, see, and surely are also rendered to convey the appropriate sense suggested by the context in each case.

In faithfulness to God and to our readers, it was deemed appropriate that all participating scholars sign a statement affirming their belief in the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture, and in the inerrancy of the original autographs.

Devotional Quality

The King James scholars readily appreciated the intrinsic beauty of divine revelation. They accordingly disciplined their talents to render well-chosen English words of their time, as well as a graceful, often musical arrangement of language, which has stirred the hearts of Bible readers through the years. The translators, the committees, and the editors of the present edition, while sensitive to the late-twentieth-century English idiom, and while adhering faithfully to the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, have sought to maintain those lyrical and devotional qualities that are so highly regarded in the Authorized Version. This devotional quality is especially apparent in the poetic and prophetic books, although even the relatively plain style of the Gospels and Epistles cannot strictly be likened, as sometimes suggested, to modern newspaper style. The Koine Greek of the New Testament is influenced by the Hebrew background of the writers, for whom even the gospel narratives were not merely flat utterance, but often song in various degrees of rhythm.

The Style

Students of the Bible applaud the timeless devotional character of our historic Bible. Yet it is also universally understood that our language, like all living languages, has undergone profound change since 1611. Subsequent revisions of the King James Bible have sought to keep abreast of changes in English speech. The present work is a further step toward this objective. Where obsolescence and other reading difficulties exist, present-day vocabulary, punctuation, and grammar have been carefully integrated. Words representing ancient objects, such as chariot and phylactery, have no modern substitutes and are therefore retained.

A special feature of the New King James Version is its conformity to the thought flow of the 1611 Bible. The reader discovers that the sequence and selection of words, phrases, and clauses of the new edition, while much clearer, are so close to the traditional that there is remarkable ease in listening to the reading of either edition while following with the other.

In the discipline of translating biblical and other ancient languages, a standard method of transliteration, that is, the English spelling of untranslated words, such as names of persons and places, has never been commonly adopted. In keeping with the design of the present work, the King James spelling of untranslated words is retained, although made uniform throughout. For example, instead of the spellings Isaiah and Elijah in the Old Testament, and Esaias and Elias in the New Testament, Isaiah and Elijah now appear in both Testaments.

King James doctrinal and theological terms, for example, propitiation, justification, and sanctification, are generally familiar to English-speaking peoples. Such terms have been retained except where the original language indicates need for a more precise translation.

Readers of the Authorized Version will immediately be struck by the absence of several pronouns: thee, thou, and ye are replaced by the simple you, while your and yours are substituted for thy and thine as applicable. Thee, thou, thy, and thine were once forms of address to express a special relationship to human as well as divine persons. These pronouns are no longer part of our language. However, reverence for God in the present work is preserved by capitalizing pronouns, including You, Your, and Yours, which refer to Him. Additionally, capitalization of these pronouns benefits the reader by clearly distinguishing divine and human persons referred to in a passage. Without such capitalization the distinction is often obscure, because the antecedent of a pronoun is not always clear in the English translation.

In addition to the pronoun usages of the seventeenth century, the -eth and -est verb endings, so familiar in the earlier King James editions, are now obsolete. Unless a speaker is schooled in these verb endings, there is common difficulty in selecting the correct form to be used with a given subject of the verb in vocal prayer. That is, should we use love, loveth, or lovest? do, doeth, doest, or dost? have, hath, or hast? Because these forms are obsolete, contemporary English usage has been substituted for the previous verb endings.

In older editions of the King James Version, the frequency of the connective and far exceeded the limits of present English usage. Also, biblical linguists agree that the Hebrew and Greek original words for this conjunction may commonly be translated otherwise, depending on the immediate context. Therefore, instead of and, alternatives such as also, but, however, now, so, then, and thus are accordingly rendered in the present edition, when the original language permits.

The real character of the Authorized Version does not reside in its archaic pronouns or verbs or other grammatical forms of the seventeenth century, but rather in the care taken by its scholars to impart the letter and spirit of the original text in a majestic and reverent style.

The Format

The format of the New King James Version is designed to enhance the vividness and devotional quality of the Holy Scriptures:

• Subject headings assist the reader to identify topics and transitions in the biblical content.

• Words or phrases in italics indicate expressions in the original language which require clarification by additional English words, as also done throughout the history of the King James Bible.

• Verse numbers in bold type indicate the beginning of a paragraph.

• Poetry is structured as contemporary verse to reflect the poetic form and beauty of the passage in the original language.

• The covenant name of God was usually translated from the Hebrew as LORD or GOD (using capital letters as shown) in the King James Old Testament. This tradition is maintained. In the present edition the name is so capitalized whenever the covenant name is quoted in the New Testament from a passage in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament Text

The Hebrew Bible has come down to us through the scrupulous care of ancient scribes who copied the original text in successive generations. By the sixth century A.D. the scribes were succeeded by a group known as the Masoretes, who continued to preserve the sacred Scriptures for another five hundred years in a form known as the Masoretic Text. Babylonia, Palestine, and Tiberias were the main centers of Masoretic activity; but by the tenth century A.D. the Masoretes of Tiberias, led by the family of ben Asher, gained the ascendancy. Through subsequent editions, the ben Asher text became in the twelfth century the only recognized form of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Daniel Bomberg printed the first Rabbinic Bible in 1516–17; that work was followed in 1524–25 by a second edition prepared by Jacob ben Chayyim and also published by Bomberg. The text of ben Chayyim was adopted in most subsequent Hebrew Bibles, including those used by the King James translators. The ben Chayyim text was also used for the first two editions of Rudolph Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica of 1906 and 1912. In 1937 Paul Kahle published a third edition of Biblia Hebraica. This edition was based on the oldest dated manuscript of the ben Asher text, the Leningrad Manuscript B19a (A.D. 1008), which Kahle regarded as superior to that used by ben Chayyim.

For the New King James Version the text used was the 1967/1977 Stuttgart edition of the Biblia Hebraica, with frequent comparisons being made with the Bomberg edition of 1524–25. The Septuagint (Greek) Version of the Old Testament and the Latin Vulgate also were consulted. In addition to referring to a variety of ancient versions of the Hebrew Scriptures, the New King James Version draws on the resources of relevant manuscripts from the Dead Sea caves. In the few places where the Hebrew was so obscure that the 1611 King James was compelled to follow one of the versions, but where information is now available to resolve the problems, the New King James Version follows the Hebrew text. Significant variations are recorded in the New King James translators’ notes.

The New Testament Text

There is more manuscript support for the New Testament than for any other body of ancient literature. Over five thousand Greek, eight thousand Latin, and many more manuscripts in other languages attest the integrity of the New Testament. There is only one basic New Testament used by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox, by conservatives and liberals. Minor variations in hand copying have appeared through the centuries, before mechanical printing began about A.D. 1450.

Some variations exist in the spelling of Greek words, in word order, and in similar details. These ordinarily do not show up in translation and do not affect the sense of the text in any way.

Other manuscript differences such as omission or inclusion of a word or a clause, and two paragraphs in the Gospels, should not overshadow the overwhelming degree of agreement which exists among the ancient records. Bible readers may be assured that the most important differences in English New Testaments of today are due, not to manuscript divergence, but to the way in which translators view the task of translation: How literally should the text be rendered? How does the translator view the matter of biblical inspiration? Does the translator adopt a paraphrase when a literal rendering would be quite clear and more to the point? The New King James Version follows the historic precedent of the Authorized Version in maintaining a literal approach to translation, except where the idiom of the original language cannot be translated directly into our tongue.

The King James New Testament was based on the traditional text of the Greek-speaking churches, first published in 1516, and later called the Textus Receptus or Received Text. Although based on the relatively few available manuscripts, these were representative of many more which existed at the time but only became known later. In the late nineteenth century, B. Westcott and F. Hort taught that this text had been officially edited by the fourth-century church, but a total lack of historical evidence for this event has forced a revision of the theory. It is now widely held that the Byzantine Text that largely supports the Textus Receptus has as much right as the Alexandrian or any other tradition to be weighed in determining the text of the New Testament.

Since the 1880s most contemporary translations of the New Testament have relied upon a relatively few manuscripts discovered chiefly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such translations depend primarily on two manuscripts, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, because of their greater age. The Greek text obtained by using these sources and the related papyri (our most ancient manuscripts) is known as the Alexandrian Text. However, some scholars have grounds for doubting the faithfulness of Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, since they often disagree with one another, and Sinaiticus exhibits excessive omission.

A third viewpoint of New Testament scholarship holds that the best text is based on the consensus of the majority of existing Greek manuscripts. This text is called the Majority Text. Most of these manuscripts are in substantial agreement. Even though many are late, and none is earlier than the fifth century, usually their readings are verified by papyri, ancient versions, quotations from the early church fathers, or a combination of these. The Majority Text is similar to the Textus Receptus, but it corrects those readings which have little or no support in the Greek manuscript tradition.

Today scholars agree that the science of New Testament textual criticism is in a state of flux. Very few scholars still favor the Textus Receptus as such, and then often for its historical prestige as the text of Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, and the King James Version. For about a century most have followed a Critical Text (so called because it is edited according to specific principles of textual criticism) which depends heavily upon the Alexandrian type of text. More recently many have abandoned this Critical Text (which is quite similar to the one edited by Westcott and Hort) for one that is more eclectic. Finally, a small but growing number of scholars prefer the Majority Text, which is close to the traditional text except in the Revelation.

In light of these facts, and also because the New King James Version is the fifth revision of a historic document translated from specific Greek texts, the editors decided to retain the traditional text in the body of the New Testament and to indicate major Critical and Majority Text variant readings in the translators’ notes. Although these variations are duly indicated in the translators’ notes of the present edition, it is most important to emphasize that fully eighty-five percent of the New Testament text is the same in the Textus Receptus, the Alexandrian Text, and the Majority Text.

New King James Translators’ Notes

Significant textual explanations, alternate translations, and New Testament citations of Old Testament passages are supplied in the New King James translators’ notes.

Important textual variants in the Old Testament are identified in a standard form.

The textual notes in the present edition of the New Testament make no evaluation of readings, but do clearly indicate the manuscript sources of readings. They objectively present the facts without such tendentious remarks as the best manuscripts omit or the most reliable manuscripts read. Such notes are value judgments that differ according to varying viewpoints on the text. By giving a clearly defined set of variants the New King James Version benefits readers of all textual persuasions.

Where significant variations occur in the New Testament Greek manuscripts, textual notes are classified as follows:

NU-Text

These variations from the traditional text generally represent the Alexandrian or Egyptian type of text described previously in The New Testament Text. They are found in the Critical Text published in the twenty-seventh edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and in the United Bible Societies’ fourth edition (U), hence the acronym, NU-Text.

M-Text

This symbol indicates points of variation in the Majority Text from the traditional text, as also previously discussed in The New Testament Text. It should be noted that M stands for whatever reading is printed in the published Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, whether supported by overwhelming, strong, or only a divided majority textual tradition.

The textual notes reflect the scholarship of the past two centuries and will assist the reader to observe the variations between the different manuscript traditions of the New Testament. Such information is generally not available in English translations of the New Testament.

Special Abbreviations