Into Gods World

Written by Christians, for Christians Churches of Christ

Bible Class Curriculum

The Kingdom and Its Enemies

Grade 5, Quarter 3, Student Book

Betty Burton Choate

 Copyright 2014

Into Gods World

Bible class curricula written by Christians for Christians Churches of Christ

All Quotes from the New King James Version of Scripture

World Evangelism Publications P.O. Box 72 Winona, MS 38967 Phone: 662-283-1192 Email: Choate@WorldEvangelism.org Web sites: WorldEvangelism.org Into Gods World.

Table of Contents
Lesson Page
1. Who Is Satan? ......................................................................................... 1 2. Satans Kind of World ............................................................................. 7 3. What Did Jesus Do for Us? .................................................................. 13 4. The Gospel The Good News ............................................................ 18 5. Gods Circle of Salvation ...................................................................... 24 6. The Beginning of Gods Family The Church .................................. 31 7. The Family .............................................................................................. 38 8. Our Fathers Care for His Family .......................................................... 46 9. Gods Providence at Work Today ......................................................... 53 10. Satan Invades! ...................................................................................... 59 11. Other gods and Other Religions ..................................................... 65 12. Satans Tricks ....................................................................................... 73 . 13. Lets Look Back .................................................................................... 79

A Word of Explanation:
This student class book is designed also as a tool for family Bible studies. The format is in narrative form: a Daddy, Mother, son and daughter, studying and discussing the lessons together. Daddy leads the discussions and does most of the talking. His statements are not enclosed with quotation marks, avoiding the repetitious Daddy said..., Daddy answered..., Daddy asked... So when you are reading text without quotation marks, keep in mind that Daddy is talking....

For Teachers and Parents:

We hope that you will find these materials useful, in full agreement with Gods word, and interesting to study. We ask that in the classroom you teach with astuteness and compassion, aware that this ideal family shown in the lessons will not be the home situation of some of your students. As teachers, get to know the children and their specific needs. In this way you will be better able to instill in their minds what God wants the family and home to be, without alienating them with the painful contrast to their own lives. When divorce and broken homes are as prevalent in the church as in the world, we as a body will either concede defeat and let ruination continue, or we will bravely rise to the painful task of teaching the clear message of Gods word so that things can be turned around. Only true knowledge and humble obedience can save us from destruction. For decades, many of the Bible class materials provided for the Lords church were adapted from literature written for interdenominational use. For that reason, no definitive doctrine was taught. We cannot remain strong as Gods Family without knowledge of all that He says in His message to mankind. Partial truths are not enough to save us and secure our faithfulness to Him. We understand that the market in the church is not large enough for literature to be developed as a business, hiring people to do all the writing, artwork, graphic design, editing, and printing, and still to be offered at an affordable price. This explains the logic behind companies buying the rights to reproduce and edit materials designed initially for use in the denominational world. They were providing what they could afford to do. But this lack of definitive teaching has opened the door to a major apostasy that is already well underway. The only course for preventing the loss of maybe 85% of the American church, following the death of the older generations, is through literature. This is a vital work the church needs to do for the church. We have asked volunteers to write and prepare the materials, so that the finished products will be biblically sound, appealing to the eye, offering the needed component parts, and yet remaining within reason in cost. To complete such an enormous job four quarters for every year from the cradle through adult ages will take time. We pray that you will keep in touch with us, to be aware of new materials as they are completed, to use them, to offer your suggestions for improvement, and to volunteer your talents in the work yet to be done. Most of all, pray for Gods people.

Our World..... Lesson 1

Laura was helping her mother with the dishes after lunch. Youre quiet today! Mother exclaimed. Whats on your mind? Oh, I dont know, Laura answered hesitantly. Something that was said in our Bible class this morning, I guess. What was that? Mother asked. Well, Tommy asked if Satan is a little man in a red suit, with horns and a pitchfork, or is he just the bad things around us, or the influence of our friends trying to get us to do wrong or is he a real spirit person who is working in the world? What do you think? Mother turned the question around. Maybe we havent studied enough about him for you to really know what the Bible teaches. Does it say much about Satan? Oh, yes! And by paying attention to what God says about him, we can be warned so that well know how to protect ourselves! Can he just take over our minds you know, like they say some people are possessed by the devil? Thats a good question, Mother smiled. And did you know theres only one place where we can find the true answers about God and about Satan? in Gods word! 1. Can we see Satan with our eyes? 2. Did God create an evil spirit that He called Satan? [God created all beings, and all that He created was good. He did not cause Satan to choose to do wrong. Satan made that choice himself, and because he rebelled against God, he was thrown out of heaven Revelation 12:7-12.] 1

A Little Man with Horns?

Into Gods World.....

Who Is Satan?
Memory Verse: Revelation 12:9: So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Have you ever wondered who Satan is and what he looks like? We often hear people speak about Satan or the devil. Is he just a bad influence or is he a real being? Where did he come from? Has he always existed, or did someone make him? Is he a bad god, equal with the true God, or is he less than God? In Ezekiel 28:12-17, God speaks to someone, whom He calls a cherub an angel and He says, You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; ... you were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you... 2

 In Isaiah 14:12-15, we read of God speaking to Satan again: How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! ... For you said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. ... I will be like the MostHigh. These are small glimpses of Satan or Lucifer, before he chose to try to make himself greater than God. He was a spirit being, called a cherub, and he was described as being the anointed cherub so he must have been an angel with great authority. God described him as perfect, as being on the holy mountain of God, and in the Garden of Eden. But pride filled his heart, and he decided to make his throne higher than the stars, even to be like God! What happened when Satan rebelled? We see other glimpses in other verses: And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, He [God] has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day ... (Jude 6). Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels ... (Matthew 25:41). Evidently, when Satan rebelled, he had influence over other angels, and he led many to follow him in rebellion against God. These verses show us that angels have the choice to obey or disobey God, but when they disobeyed, God prepared a place for them. All of us should keep in mind that hell was originally planned for Satan and his fallen angels, not for humans. God cannot allow sin in heaven, though, and so the angels were cast out of the presence of God. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, But they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 3

Vocabulary Spirit being: an immortal life form which cannot be seen with the human eye. Being invisible to us does not mean that it is not real; in fact the spirit world is more real in the sense of being a permanent world than ours is because those beings do not die as we do. Angels: spirit beings who were created by God before He made the world and everything in it. They are above man, and are doing the bidding of God. Part of their work is to serve those who are heirs of salvation. (Hebrews 1:14) Michael: the archangel; the only angel in the scriptures to be designated as archangel. Michael seems to serve now as the commander of Gods host of angels. See Jude 9. The Devil: also called Satan; an evil spirit being who wants to lead us to be evil. Jesus said. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18) Demons: spirit beings who are enemies of God; they are servants of Satan. Song: Get Behind Me, Satan! When temptations trouble you, say, Get behind me, Satan! When the wrong road faces you, say, Get behind me, Satan! Christ will lead you all the way, He will guide you day by day, When temptations trouble you, say, Get behind me, Satan!

 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down (Revelation 12:7-10). These verses show that there was a war in heaven. Satan and his angels were overpowered by Michael and his angels, and the disobedient spirits were cast out of heaven. Satan now roams the earth, going about, looking for ways to deceive all who will listen to his temptations to do wrong. In Ephesians 2:1-3 we learn that Satan is the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. So God teaches us in His word that Satan is an evil spirit being, which means that he does not have a physical body that we can see with our human eyes. But this verse also tells us that Satan is leading people to be disobedient to God. It is his goal to turn each of us away from God! We can always know that Satan is the one who has been at work whenever people disobey God. Satan is powerful but he does not have the same powers as God. He doesnt know everything, as God does, and he isnt all-powerful, as God is. He can do only what God and humans allow him to do. This means that he cant move into our bodies and force us to do anything. He can only tempt us to listen to him. God says in James 4:7 that we are to resist the devil, and he will leave us. Our power to resist the devil comes from God and from a knowledge of the Bible. Picture used with permission: All of us know the story of Satans (c)2006 www.TheGloryStory.com first battle with humans, and of his victory. Eve was in the beautiful Garden of Eden, the perfect home that God had made for Adam and his wife. There, among the fruit trees, Satan, in the form of a snake, asked Eve, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of the fruit of every tree of the garden? Eve knew what God had said. He had warned Adam that if they ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. Eve understood Gods words, but she foolishly listened to Satan. He convinced her that they wouldnt die that the fruit would actually make them as wise as God! And, besides, it would taste so good! 4

 So Eve ate the fruit (and, no, the Bible doesnt say it was an apple!) and she gave some to Adam who was with her! Now, why wasnt Adam telling Eve, No, Honey, we cant do this! We cant disobey God!? He just took what she gave him and he ate it the first failure of a man as the spiritual leader in the family! Be smart, boys, and grow up to be the leaders God wants you to be, so that you can protect your wife and children from Satans lies. You know the rest of the story. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden, and God placed cherubim as guards so that they could never return to that perfect home. There are many examples in the Bible of Satans attacks on men and women. When he appeared to Eve, he added only a few words to Gods instructions, but through that first lie he was able to deceive her and to persuade her to disobey God. Deceit is one of his greatest tools, and he uses it every day, even now. Satan tried to deceive Job into denying God, through bringing all kinds of problems into his life. Job had strong faith, though, and he did not turn away from God as Satan wanted him to do (Job 1, 2). Problems are still some of the devils best tools for discouraging people and getting them to doubt and disobey God. We read of Judas and of Ananias who did not resist Satans temptations to do wrong. Satan led Judas to betray Gods own Son! (John 13:2). Later Satan tempted one of the first Christians to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). Lying is a tool that Satan uses every day, knowing that God has said that every liar will 5

have his own place in hell. Of course, what Satan wants is to take as many with him as he can so he convinces people that a little white lie wont hurt! But hes lying! Satan even tempted Jesus in the wilderness, but Jesus answered each temptation with a scripture. (Luke 4:1-13). If we follow Jesus example we will learn Gods word so well that it will become our answer whenever Satan trails thoughts of temptations through our minds. We are warned that Satan will transform himself into an angel of light. This means that he will make wrong things appear to be right (Read 2 Corinthians 11:1315). We must study Gods word so that we will know the real truths. This is the only way we will be able to tell when Satan is pretending to be good and trying to lead us away from God through his lies. In the New Testament, Christians are warned that Satan will try to destroy us. In 1 Peter 5:8 we read, ...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. For our own protection, we must study Gods word every day, so that we will be prepared with the right answers when Satan slips into our hearts with temptations. Gods word is our shield and protection.

Additional Scriptures:
Matthew 4:1-11 Matthew 12:24-30 Matthew 25:41 Job 2:7 2 Corinthians 11:3 2 Corinthians 12:7 Ephesians 6:1 Psalm 119:11

Can you answer these questions from the lesson? 1. Who is Satan? 2. Is he as powerful as God? 3. Why were Satan and his angels cast out of heaven? 4. The terrible place called hell was made for ________ and _____________. 5. What lie did Satan tell Eve? 6. How did Jesus answer Satans temptations? 7. How can Satan seem to be an angel of light?

In your mind, do you picture the devil and angels something like this? Cartoon drawings like this one are at work in two ways: they take away some of our fear of Satan, because they make him seem to be a joke. And they lessen our respect and awe of spiritual angelic beings. Angels are special workers for God, helping and caring for those who will be saved (Hebrews 1:14). Begin a collection of newspaper and magazine articles reporting Satan worship, cases of witchcraft, cult activities, crime, and religious conflict and division. This will help the entire family to be more aware of Satans work in the everyday world around us. 6

To Do at Home

Our World..... Lesson 2

Anthony and Laura were watching TV when suddenly they heard sirens! A police car was racing down their street! Whats that? Anthony asked, jumping up to go to the door. The police car pulled into the driveway just next door. Ooh, Laura whispered. Whats wrong at Bobbys house? Just then, Daddy and Mother ran into the living room and out the front door, concerned about what was happening at their neighbors house. Stay inside! Mother shouted to Anthony and Laura. Well see whats going on! More sirens screamed down the street, and an ambulance stopped at the Browns house. It seemed like a long time before Daddy and Mother finally came home. They sat down on the couch, tears in their eyes. Laura ... Anthony, come here, Daddy said. What happened at Bobbys house? Laura asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Something terrible, Laura, Daddy answered. Bobbys Dad was drunk and he got mad at Bobbys mother and hit her. The ambulance took her to the hospital. Bobby and Brenda have gone to their grandparents house, and their Dad is in jail. Laura began crying softly. Why would their Daddy do that? she asked. Honey, Mother spoke up. Do you remember asking about Satan, and if he is real or is just a little cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork? Yes. You said hes real and he wants people to do bad things. Thats right, Laura, Daddy answered. Lets talk about the kind of world Satan wants. 7

A World of Hurt

Into Gods World.....

Satans Kind of World

Memory Verse: John 8:44: You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the beautiful world He had made, everything was perfect. Have you seen pictures on the TV of a town that has been blown away by a tornado? Have you seen pictures of people on the roofs of their houses because of terrible rains and flooding? Have you seen cars all piled up and wrecked because of an ice and snow storm? When God made the world, none of these bad things happened. The flowers bloomed, the trees had luscious fruit, the skies were clear, and every night a gentle dew watered the ground. There were no storms and no dangers. There was nothing to be afraid of, not even lions and bears and dinosaurs! We dont know how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, in that perfect world where nothing died and there was no fear in any heart. But one day Satan came along and tempted Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge. God had said, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16,17). 8

 But Satan said, You wont die, but God knows that when you eat it you will be wise like He is! Eve listened to Satan and she even gave Adam some of the fruit, and he ate it too. Have you ever been in the middle of taking a shower, and the bathroom door suddenly opened? Did you QUicK grab a towel to cover up? It was that same shock that Adam and Eve had when they ate the fruit. Suddenly they realized that they were naked, and they were ashamed and ran to hide themselves. No one told them that they needed to cover their bodies, but they took leaves and stitched them together to make the first clothes. Do you think they might have looked something like this? Do people and especially girls today wear clothes that dont cover enough of their bodies? Do you know what the word modest means? It means clothes that are not so tight they look like they are molded to your skin. It means covering your body so that your top is not low or your skirt is not short and your clothes are not see through. Do you know what? God wants us Vocabulary to wear clothes. He knows that many sins are caused by Modest: dressing so that our showing too much of our bodies, so from the very beginning bodies are fully covered, in clothes that are not skin-tight. He taught a lesson about His standards of modesty. When Lust: the bad thoughts He came into the garden He did a surprising thing. He boys often have when girls caused the very first death! He killed animals and then dress immodestly or behave took their skins and made clothes for Adam and Eve! immodestly. That means that God is not satisfied with just some skimpy Conscience: the voice in our minds that tells us when little thing on our bodies, but He wants us to be modest. we are right or wrong. Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that we all know a lot about what is right and what is wrong? Is it right to love your little brother? Is it wrong to hit him? Is it right to tell Mother the truth? Is it wrong to disobey? How do you feel when you do something thats good? You feel really happy inside, dont you? How do you feel when you do something thats bad? You may feel ashamed or mad, but deep inside you know you are wrong, dont you? When God made Adam in His own image, part of that gift was the knowledge of what is right and good. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit, they gained new knowledge of wrong and bad thinking. They were learning to think like Satan, and they now felt shame and fear. Satan is still working every day to make people in his image, so they will do bad, hurtful things. In Bobbys family, his dad got drunk and then he was so angry with Bobbys mother that he hit her. 9

 We were all afraid when we heard the sirens. We knew something was really wrong in our neighborhood. Thats the kind of mess Satan wants everywhere in the world! He wants kids to be bullies in school and to cheat on tests. He wants them to learn curse words and to be disrespectful to their parents and teachers. He knows if he can get them to do these things when they are your age, theyll keep on listening to him when they get to be high school age and when they go off to college. Then it will be easy to tempt them to get drunk and to take drugs, so that they wont even know what bad things they are doing. They will lie and steal and hate each other, and they may get into fights and hurt people or even take a gun and kill someone. When people are not studying the Bible and learning how God wants us to live, they dont have protection from Satans lies. He will make so much anger in families that mothers and daddys will divorce, and their children will never have the kind of love they need. Right now, Laura and Anthony, its so important for you to be thinking, Ill be a strong Christian, because thats the best way to live in this world, and Ill marry a strong Christian. Together, well raise our children to love God and to live so that all of us can be in Heaven together. Laura, maybe youre thinking, Im just in the fifth grade, Daddy! I dont even have a boyfriend, so you dont have to talk to me about getting married! But right now is the time when we need to talk about who you will date and then who you will marry. If you make the promise NOW that youll either date only good Christian boys, or that youll teach and convert to Jesus anyone you might date whos not a Christian, and that you will never once even think of marrying anybody who doesnt love God more than he loves you, then you will be protecting yourself from one of the biggest mistakes Christians make. What is that? Marrying someone who cant help you get to heaven. Let me ask you a question. Suppose that soldiers were fighting in a field, shooting back and forth in a war, and eight out of ten people who tried to sneak across that field were shot. Would you want to try it? I think youre smarter than that. But when a Christian marries outside the Lords church, eight out of ten lose their 10

faith. Thats why your Mother and I want to teach you now to listen to what God says in 2 Corinthians 6:14: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? In that verse we can see again the clash between Gods kind of world and Satans kind of world. God wants us to be His children, to think like He thinks and to live like He teaches in the Bible. Satan wants us not to believe in God and then he can lead us into all kinds of trouble. The words God uses to show the difference between the two kinds of lives is righteousness contrasted with lawlessness, and light contrasted with darkness. Christians are looking forward to the time When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him... (Matthew 25:31).

Would you want to be alive in this world when He comes back, Anthony? I used to think that would be just wonderful! But then one day I paid attention to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:37-39: But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. But what was it like in the days of Noah? Genesis 6:5 says, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. What does that verse tell us about the world Noah lived in? That Satan had turned it into his kind of world! Everything was wrong, and even though Noah is called a preacher of righteousness, in all his years of preaching nobody listened to him except his family! 11

 We want you to learn something from Noah: Your Mother and I want to teach you what God says in the Bible about the kind of person He wants you to be. Then, even if you live to see the whole world lying and stealing and hating and divorcing and fighting and killing and doing every other bad thing you can think of, you wont live like that! Youll be protected by the light of Jesus words: L You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) L You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39) L And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:31) L But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) L L ... if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24) Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

Can you answer these questions? 1. When Adam and Eve sinned, was even nature affected, so that natural disasters began to occur? 2. Were animals dangerous before the fall? 3. Because we were created in Gods image, we recognize right and wrong. True or false 4. When we let our minds be shaped by Satan, does wrong seem to be right? 5. When we follow God, will we be loving, forgiving, and hard working? 6. When we follow Satan, how will we act toward others? 7. How should Christians dress? 8. Christians should marry ___________. Why? 9. What does God want in our lives? What does Satan want? 10. What was the world like in the days of Noah? 11. What will the world be like when Jesus returns? 12. What did Jesus teach us to do, to protect ourselves from Satan? 1. Love _____. 2. Love our neighbor ___ _________. 3. Do unto others as _____________________________. 4. Seek first the _________ of God and His _____________. 5. Believe in _________. 6. Be __________.

Watch the news an hour a day for a week. Make a list of the reports that are made about crimes committed and the bad things people did each day. Is the world a good place? a safe place? 12

To Do at Home

Our World..... Lesson 3

A Messed-up World
When Mother picked up Laura and Anthony from school, Laura was bursting with eagerness to tell what had happened during recess. Mother, Bobby got into bad trouble today! He had to go to the Principals office and they expelled him for a week! Thats terrible, Laura! What was he doing? He came onto campus with an older boy and both of them were smoking something. The older boy ran away when one of the teachers saw them, but they caught Bobby. He was fighting and crying when they took him inside. Promise me, Laura, that you wont be making friends with trouble-makers. Yes, there are some kids that stay in trouble a lot, Laura answered. Yesterday four of the boys got into a fight in the computer lab and knocked one of the computers off the desk and broke it. Why do they do things like that, Mother? Do you remember our Bible study last week when we talked about the kind of world Satan wants to make, Laura? Yes, but what I dont understand is why anybody would want to be like that! Whats the fun in fighting and smoking and talking in ugly language? It just gets people in trouble, and thats no fun, Laura answered, puzzled. Youre right, Hon. Just like we said, Satan tells whopper lies about fun things because he wants people to have all kinds of trouble. But, Mother, you said God is stronger than Satan. Does He have some way to protect us, so we wont fall into Satans traps? Im glad you asked that question, Laura. Youre getting old enough to be learning what God does to help us live safely in this dangerous world. Tonight in our Bible study well see just what God has done to make a wall of protection around us. 13

Into Gods World.....

What Did Jesus Do for Us?

Memory Verse: Matthew 1:21: And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Laura, maybe you and Anthony feel afraid sometimes of dangerous things in this world, because you are children yet, and children cant do much to defend themselves. But even grown-ups live in danger. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned and Gods perfect world was broken, humans have faced danger from storms and earthquakes and other disasters in nature. We hear every day of terrible wrecks, and we know that people are hurt in all kinds of accidents. These are physical dangers that all of us face, but the greater danger is the kind that Satan brings. He wants to cause problems in this world, but even worse he wants to take us to that terrible place called hell that God made especially for Satan and his angels. Weve been reading from the Bible to learn how God wants us to live, that He wants us to be loving and helpful and honest, and to be His lights in a dark world. Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). But children dont come into the world knowing how to read the Bible and knowing the right things to do. 14

Laura, what did God do so that you and Anthony would learn about Him? Well.... I guess it was that He gave us a Daddy and a Mother. Youre right, Honey. God made families, and daddys and mothers have important work to do, taking care of their children when theyre babies, and protecting them in every way they can. Then as they grow older, there are so many things to teach them: how to brush your teeth, how to button your shirt, that its a good thing to take a bath! And then theres cleaning your room and helping with the dishes. When you get a little older, youll even get to learn how to run the lawn mower! But we teach you other things that are even more important. When you fell the other day, Anthony, and scraped your knee, what did Mother do? She washed off the dirt and put medicine on it, and a bandaid. And didnt she wipe your tears away and give you a hug? Yes sir. She said that would make me feel better, and it did! Thats part of the family thing, Anthony. You know that your Mother and I are always there to do whatever you need us to do. Thats called security knowing that youre not alone in this world: that you always have family around you to love you and take care of you. God knew how important our families are, so He made a bigger and very special family for us. In that family, God is our Father, and Jesus is our older Brother but, besides Him, we have lots and lots of brothers and sisters! Do you know what Gods family is called, Laura? Sure, Daddy! Youve been telling us how important it is for us to worship God every Sunday with our spiritual family! See! I was listening! Good, Honey! Yes, the church is Gods family, and in Ephesians 3:14,15, we read these words, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. So the church wears Jesus name, and it is in His name that we come together to worship and to pray. So we do everything in the name of our Brother we are called Christians and the church is called the church of Christ or even the body of Christ because He is the head, telling us what to do, and we are the hands and feet to go around in the world and to do His work. 1. God made husbands and wives, daddys and mothers. What does your Daddy do to help you? What does your Mother do to help you? 2. Do you have friends whose parents are divorced? 3. How does having a mother and a daddy help you to feel secure? 15

But not everybody is in Gods special family. Most of the people are outside, out there in Satans dangerous world of sin. Satans world is scary, with lots of hurting and crying. We dont want to live like that. Tonight I want to teach you what God says about how we become a part of His family. First, Anthony, how does God talk to us? In the Bible? Youre right. We dont hear a little voice telling us what to do. God has given us all of the directions in the Bible, and so thats why we study it. How often do we turn to the Bible to read what it says, Laura? Just on Sundays? or when we have a problem? We have Bible study every night, Daddy. And the reason we do that is to hear Gods words for us. I would be really hurt if you let me talk to you only once or twice a week. Im your Daddy, and there are lots of things I want to say to you. God is our heavenly Father, and He has lots of things to say to us too, to help us every day. So the first thing we have to do to learn how to become a part of Gods special family is to hear His word, His good news of the Gospel about Jesus. What have you learned about Jesus, Anthony? Lots of things, Daddy. I know He was born in Bethlehem, and when He grew up He was teaching people about God. Thats right, Anthony. We read about His sermon on the mountain where thousands of people came to listen. The sad thing was that the leaders of the Jews became jealous of Jesus. They didnt want people to follow Him instead of themselves, so they planned how they would get rid of Jesus. What finally happened, Laura? 16

He was arrested. Yes. The Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and had a trial, and then they took Him to Pilate, the Roman governor. They accused Jesus of claiming to be the King of the Jews, and they knew that the punishment for that kind of treason was crucifixion. They were really mean to Him, werent they, Daddy? Yes, He was beaten so badly that in Psalm 22:14-18 the Bible says, I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But, Laura and Anthony, Mother spoke Learn New Words: up, even though David the shepherd boy/king PROPHET: A person who, by wrote many of the Psalms, the way this one is inspiration, told beforehand of worded shows that the One of the Godhead things that would happen. Also, who was born many centuries later as Jesus the word was used for preachers the Son of God and the Son of Mary was the men who brought the message One who was speaking those words. Already, of God to the church. He could look down through time and could PROPHESY: To speak of things see what humans would one day do to Him. that would happen in the future. Then why did He let those mean things PROPHECY: The statement of happen? asked Laura. what would happen in the future. Thats a good question, and the answer is what we need to hear from Gods word. In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Can you answer these questions? 1. What are some of the wrong things that happen that you know about? 2. How does God teach us the right things to do? 3. Can we know what God wants unless we study the Bible? 4. Give some reasons why God made Daddys and Mothers. 5. How does family make us strong and help us to feel secure? 6. What is Gods spiritual family called? 7. Who was talking in Psalm 22? Who was He talking about? How did He know so many hundreds of years before what was going to happen to Him? 8. Jesus died to save _____ __________ _______ _________ _______. 17

Our World..... Lesson 4

The Great Gift

God and Satan are in a war. God wants everyone to love Him, to listen to His word, and to obey Him so He can take them home to heaven when they die. Satan is not God. He is a spirit being who wanted to be greater than God, so he led some of the angels in a rebellion against God. Revelation 12:7-9 says that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven, and that the horrible place called hell has been prepared for them. But Satan lies to people and deceives them because he wants everyone to go to hell with him. That is why there are so many bad things in this world. Satan is getting people to fight and lie and steal and kill. And when Jesus was crucified, Satan thought he was winning the war against God! But was he.....? 18

Into Gods World.....

The Gospel The Good News

Memory Verse: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Tonight, Daddy said as he and Mother settled down in the den for their Bible study with Laura and Anthony, we want to learn more about the special family God made for the ones who love Him. We talked last night about the terrible things that were done to Jesus. The soldiers crucified Him, and that was a horrible way to die. Satan must have thought he was winning the war when he saw the only Son of God being nailed to a cross. He thought he had the whole world in his hands, but he was wrong! God was using that very thing the death of His Son as the weapon to defeat Satan! Now, before we learn more about our part in this, I want to ask you, Laura, why did Jesus die for us? Do you know? Ive heard the preacher say that He died for our sins... Thats right. When people get old enough to understand what is right and what is wrong, we all sometimes choose to do the wrong things and that makes us sinners. Romans 3:23 says, ... for all have sinned and fall short of the 19

glory of God. That means that everybody who has lived since Adam and Eve has sinned, and no one who practices sin can go to heaven. Thats really bad, because God loves us and wants us to live with Him eternally. But sin shuts the door, and we cant open it. Romans 6:23 says, For the wages of sin is death.... Then how can anybody go to heaven, Daddy? The Bible tells us the answer: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). You see, we were under the sentence of death, and we didnt own anything precious enough that we could give it to God so that our sins would be taken away. Its sort of like when you go to a store and see something you really want, if you have enough money to pay for it, you can buy it. Well, what all of us want is to go to heaven, but our sins closed the door, and we didnt have anything to pay so that we could go there. But Jesus was born as the Son of God and as the Son of Mary, so He became a human, our brother. And He never sinned. When He died on the cross, He ... bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). The question, now, is How do we die to sins, so that we can live in Christ as His brother or sister? Who can tell us what to do? I know, Daddy! God tells us in the Bible! Youre right, Honey. We have to hear what God teaches us in the Bible, and we have to believe it in our hearts. Romans 10:10 says, For with the heart one believes unto righteousness... So the first real step we can take toward being righteous is to believe what God says in His word. We were saying that Jesus died on the cross, to pay the price for our sins. All that He did for us is called the Gospel, which means the good news. It really is good news that we can have our sins forgiven, so we need to know what Jesus did. But, after His death, what is the rest of the story? He was buried, wasnt He? Yes, near to the place where He was crucified was a tomb that belonged to a man named Joseph, and Jesus was buried there with guards to be sure that no one took His body away. You see, Jesus had said that after three days He would come alive again, and the Jewish leaders were afraid that His disciples would sneak in and take Him out of the tomb and then claim that He really had been resurrected. So the tomb was sealed and a Roman guard was posted. One day passed, and nothing happened, another day passed, and nothing happened 20

RESURRECTED: to be made alive from death. God promises that when Jesus comes back at the end of the world, everyone will be resurrected from their graves. After the judgment, some will go to heaven and some will go to hell. but at daybreak on Sunday morning there was an earthquake. An angel rolled the stone from the entrance to the tomb, and Jesus came out alive! Oh, that was a blow to Satan! When Jesus was on the cross and in the grave, Satan thought he had won the war, but when Jesus came alive again, old Satan was beaten. Do you know why? Why? Because when Jesus was resurrected, He was showing that all of Gods children will one day be resurrected too! Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51,52). So this is the good news we talked about awhile ago. Isnt it good news that we can have our sins forgiven and that we can live for God and look forward to going to heaven when we die? I want to go to heaven. Yes, Laura, we do want to spend eternity with God. So the question is, If Jesus died for your sins and for mine, how do we get our sins erased? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 answers that question: Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. This Scriptures tell us that the Gospel the good news is that Jesus 21

died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the grave. Romans 6:17 says, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. So we have to obey a form of the Gospel, picturing what Jesus did for us. In the first verses of Romans 6, the inspired writer Paul explains clearly what God wants us to do: Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. But wait! Jesus died, so we have to picture His death in our own lives! How do we do that? In Acts 2, when people were asking how to be saved, they were told, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins... To repent means to turn around and go the other way. So when we repent it means that we are dying to sin so that we can live a new life in Jesus. But theres another thing that we must do before we can be baptized to wash away our sins. Jesus said, Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Would you be ready to do that, Laura? Sure, Daddy! I believe in Jesus... But would you be ready to say that if the police were arresting everyone who became a Christian? In those early days of Christianity and even now in some countries people are arrested and killed when they become Christians. Jesus warned us that we have to count the cost when we want to be His brother or sister. That would be hard. And Id be afraid... but I want to love Him that much! So those who love Him that much can be baptized buried in water like Jesus was buried in the grave and then they are raised up to be a new person in Christ. Romans 6:11 explains, ... reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Gospel: 1. Jesus died 2. He was buried 3. He was resurrected The Form of the Gospel: 1. The sinner dies to sin (Repents) 2. He confesses his faith in Jesus 3. He is buried in the grave of baptism 4. He is resurrected to life in Jesus 22

Baptism is the dividing line for every person.

OKAY! Lets go over the Gospel commands together: We HEAR the good news that Jesus died for us! We BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God! We REPENT of our sins and make up our minds to live for God! We CONFESS that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God! We are BAPTIZED [immersed] into Christ, washing away our sins in His blood!
Before baptism, we are sinners, and the huge wall of sin separates us from God. Through our obedience to the Gospel, we are baptized into Christ. God becomes our Father, and Jesus becomes our Brother. Then the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord according to Romans 6:23.

Match the Picture with the Verse

Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you The Gospel of Christ may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts 8:37 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3,4 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them. Matthew 13:15 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:4

23

Our World..... Lesson 5

Mother had come for a goodnight kiss, but she could tell that Laura was troubled about something. Whats wrong, Honey? Mother, I do want to go to Heaven. Am I a sinner, like we studied tonight? I know sometimes I fuss at Anthony, and sometimes I dont obey you. Yesterday when you told me to stop playing my game and to help you with the dishes instead, I was ugly and talked back to you. Im sorry about that. But I dont want you to be mad at me. Am I a sinner? Do I need to be baptized so I can go to heaven? Laura, Im glad youre thinking about our study tonight. Mother sat down on the bed and took Lauras hand. Sometimes when people are young like you, they are really concerned about being saved, but they dont feel that they are quite ready to be that good, and so they wait. Maybe in High School they get involved in things their friends are doing that they know are wrong, but their friendships are really important, and so they wait some more. Then maybe they marry somebody whos not a Christian, and they get busy making money, and they dont have time for God so they wait some more. And sometimes those people who actually knew about the Gospel and what they had to do to become one of Gods children sometimes those people die without ever deciding, Now is the time! But sometimes children are baptized when theyre too young to really understand what theyre doing, and thats not good either. I think this will help you to decide when youre ready: Right now, when youve done something wrong, do you think first about Daddy and me being upset with you, or do you think first that you have hurt God? If your first concern is about God and that you have disobeyed Him, then its time to be baptized. But as long as you are looking first to Daddy and me, I dont believe that God would be counting your growing up failures as sins written on His record. 24

Am I Lost?

Into Gods World.....

Gods Circle of Salvation

Memory Verse: Acts 2:38: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Daddy began the family Bible time: Were studying some really important things, kiddos! Ive made a picture of what weve learned. Lets start at the bottom of the page with HEARING THE GOSPEL: Well have a little quiz. Mother, what is the Gospel? Its the death, burial, and resurrection of Gods Son, to pay the price for our sins. And when we HEAR THE GOSPEL, what happens then, Anthony? We believe what the Bible says. Youre right! Then, because we want to obey God, what do we do, Laura? Oh, I remember from your picture We have to walK away from sinning [Repent] and do the right things. Now look at the picture again and tell me what we do next.

We say that we believe [confess] that Jesus is Gods Son. Great! Now were ready for that BIG step that takes away our sins! What is that one? Were buried in water [baptized] like Jesus was buried in the grave, and then we come out of the water. But, Daddy, what real difference does that make? Were still living in this world where Satans doing so much thats wrong! 25

Aw, Honey! Everything is changed! A person who has been baptized is now a part of Gods special people that have turned away from the sins in this world and are living in Christ! You wear the name of Christ Christian just as the Family wears His name the church of Christ Youre a new baby in that Family. Now therere THREE things you need to remember from the start: (1) Satan is really mad because youve Definitions: gotten away from him, so hell be trying to tempt Tempt; temptations: you in all kinds of ways to leave God or to do wrong Thoughts that cause things. you to want to do wrong (2) Now you belong to God. Jesus promised, things. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to Providence: Gods help you (John 14:18). Whatever we need, He will for us through people be there to help us through His providence, if we and things around us, not depend on Him. through miracles [illus(3) God knows that you are now just a new trate miracles as over-rulbaby in His Family, so He surrounds you with your ing the laws of nature, own Daddy and Mother and with the Christians in where providence works the church, so that they can help you to grow. within those laws.] I think that tonight we need to talk about some of the things we do as a family, to help you to learn how to live when you become a Christian. What can you think of, Anthony? We pray and thank God for our food. And we study like this. And we pray before we go to bed. Thats right, and it is important for us to talk to God. But do you know what? We dont even have to talk out loud for God to hear the words in our hearts! All along through the day, you can be thinking, Father, please help me to do the right things, even when some of my friends are acting ugly. Or Thank you, Father, for helping me to study hard and to remember what Ive learned for the math test! Or Im so sorry, Father, that I lost my temper.... Mother spoke up: And do you remember that we said that Satan is not great like God? God knows our thoughts, but Satan doesnt! In tempting us to sin, Satan can trail thoughts through our minds, but he cant READ our minds. 1. 2. 3. 4. What are the five things we do to be born into Gods Family? When we become Christians, what does Jesus promise? Does God know our thoughts? Does Satan know our thoughts? What does temptation mean? 26

So we can follow the example of Jesus, when He said, Get behind Me, Satan! (Luke 4:8). Sometimes when Im having an exasperating problem, I just stop and shake my finger and talk to Satan! I say, You may lose things I need and waste my time in lots of ways, but you wont win! So just go on and leave me alone! Thats funny, Mother! Laura laughed. Does he go away? Well, I dont SEE him leaving, but I believe he does because then I depend on God to help me be strong against every temptation and aggravation. And there is peace in my heart. So, since Satan knows that you are just a baby in Christ when you are newly baptized, and he knows you are not very strong yet, hell try to trip you up in every way. Maybe somebody at school will say something bad about you thats not true, or maybe somebody will try to pick a fight. What do you do? Dont lose my temper? Try to be friends? Thats a good answer, son. Christians are not cowards, but Jesus wants us to be peacemakers not looking for something to be mad about. Do you remember what He said about turning the other cheek and going the second mile? (Matthew 5:41,42) But what does that mean, Daddy? During those days when Jesus was in the world, the Romans controlled the people of Israel. It was a law that if a Roman soldier demanded that someone carry his gear for a mile, they had to do it. But Jesus told His followers a secret. Now listen.... Daddy whispered: Jesus knew that if you do something because somebody MAKES you do it, youll be boiling mad inside, and thats bad for your health and bad for getting along with others. But if, in addition to what you HAVE to do, you volunteer out of your good heart to do even more, then youll have a good feeling inside. Two things will happen: being happy inside is good for your health, and that person who was being mean to you will be so surprised at your attitude that you might even turn an enemy into a friend! Try it! Youll see how smart Jesus was! 27

So when Im supposed to help with the dishes, does that mean I ought to sweep the floor too? asked Laura. That would be the idea of going the second mile of doing more than you were asked. There are lots of ways you can be helpful to your teacher at school, or here at home, that will show people you are trying to be like Jesus. Thats what He meant when He said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). When we try to live and think and talk like Jesus would do if He were here, people see Him shining through us. Often, thats how they begin to study our lives and then they may want to study the Bible to learn how they should live. Jesus helped people who were sick or in trouble, too, Mother added. And you know that when someone in the church or in our neighborhood is sick or has some kind of problem, we take food and see what else we can do to help. Weve been taking Jamie and his mother with us for Bible classes too, so they can learn about Jesus, Anthony added. And he wants to come to Vacation Bible School. Thats the most important thing, son to help the people around us have better lives and to learn how to obey God and to go to heaven. Besides the things we teach you at home about God and how to talk and think and live like He wants, what else do we do, Laura? We always go to Bible classes and to worship. Yes, Hon. When a person is baptized and is born into Gods spiritual family, hes beginning a new kind of relationship. In our physical families, we have parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins lots of people who can help us if we stay close to them. That means we have to see them often and share our thinking with them. Its the same in Gods spiritual family. If were going to be a REAL family, we have to see each other often and to know whats going on in each others lives. Thats one reason why the early church came together for worship every Sunday. They needed each other. Many of the Christians were poor, and some were being persecuted, imprisoned, and killed because of their faith. So they 28

helped each other. Paul said about the churches in Macedonia, ... according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:3-5). And then he explained why they were willing to give so much to help the Christians in need: ... they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. Its the same in Gods Family today. When we really have given ourselves first to God, then well do all we can to help each other get through the good times and the bad times in this world, so that we can all be in heaven together with God. Lets read some verses in Revelation that show us a little picture of what heaven will be like: ... I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne (Revelation 4:2). Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands... After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God... (Revelation 5:11; 7:9-11) Laura and Anthony, as a part of Gods spiritual family, were strengthened and encouraged when we come together on Sundays, but the REAL reason for our meeting is so that we can join the multitudes of angels and that great host of heaven in the worship of God and of His Son: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! 29

Our World..... Lesson 6

Gods Plan for the Church

Gods Perfect World as He Wanted It to Be

Perfect weather Perfection in everything Rich soil for bountiful crops No danger from anything Perfect parents, perfect families Love, helpfulness, co-workers Perfect populations, working together in peace and harmony No sickness Immortality Talking, walking face-to-face with God 30

Our Broken World as Satan Has Wrecked It

Hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis Earthquakes, volcanoes Danger on every side Corruption, lying, cheating, stealing Immorality, broken homes Sickness, disease, Deformities from genetic errors Murder, death Wars and continual conflict among families, people, nations No visual relationship with God

Into Gods World.....

The Beginning of Gods Family, the Church

Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.

We cant begin to imagine what the world looked like when God finished His creation at the end of day six, but it was perfect. Nothing felt fear or danger, there was no death, no decay. The earth, the universe, were designed for beauty and for life. God knew, even before the creation, that Adam and Eve would listen to Satan. He planned, even then, a way for those who would love Him to come back to Him. What was His plan? That Jesus would be born as His Son, and that He would save all those who would obey Him. Do you know what Jesus taught to His followers? He taught them that He would call people out from the rest of the world, and that they would become His brothers and sisters. They would be His spiritual family, and the way they would live would be so different from others that the world would see His light shining through the Christ-like people. Now, how does He do that? 31

 Lets go over, again, how we are born into that special family, as new spiritual babies, and then well learn how that family is so different from the world:

Gods Circle of Salvation

Well look at the picture of what weve learned, and I want you to tell me what each picture means. Lets start at the bottom of the page with HEARING THE GOSPEL: What is the Gospel? Its the death, burial, and resurrection of Gods Son, to pay the price for our sins. And when we HEAR THE GOSPEL, what happens then? We believe what the Bible says. Youre right! Then, because we want to obey God, what do we do? We have to walK away from sinning [Repent] and do the right things. Now look at the picture again and tell me what we do next.

We say that we believe [confess] that Jesus is Gods Son. Great! Now were ready for that BIG step that takes away our sins! What is that one? Were buried in water [baptized] like Jesus was buried in the grave, and then we come out of the water. But what real difference does that make? Were still living in this world where Satans doing so much thats wrong!

32

The difference now, though, is that we have no more sins on our record. God is our Father, and even though we cant see Him, we have His Book. What is that, Laura? The Bible! Yes, and the more we read the Bible, the more we know about God His love His power His promises. Do you remember the story of Job, the man Satan said would curse God if God just took away the hedge of protection around him? Well, after Job still held onto his faith in spite of the terrible things Satan did to him, in Job 38:1 we read: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind... Can you imagine that??? It was like a mighty storm blowing up, and then Job heard the very voice of God! And what was God saying? He was talking about all the things in the world things He had created and He was asking Job, What do you know about all that I have done? Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors... When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; When I said, This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop! Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth... Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.... (Job 1:4-18). The more we understand about God, the more sure we feel that He loves us and will take care of us. Today, He doesnt talk to us like He did to Job, but we have another advantage: Job didnt have the Bible! Did you know that? The Bible was written over a period of about 1600 years, by about 40 different men! Most of those writers never met any of the 33

others, but they wrote what God was telling them to write, so the Bible is true. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God... There are many statements in the Bible that prove it was from God because humans didnt understand those things at that time. God challenged Job, Who knows the size of the earth? Who set the boundaries of the sea? No one knew those things. He said in Job 26:7, He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.... But in Jobs day, some thought the earth was resting on the back of an elephant, and some thought it was on a turtle! And did you know that there is an area of the sky in the north where there are no stars? So it is empty space! It was centuries after Psalm 8 was written that an oceanographer by the name of Murray read the verse that talks about the fish that pass through the paths of the seas. Mr. Murray believed that if the Bible said there were paths in the sea, it must be right, and he would find them. He did, and today the great oceanliners sail those paths because the currents help them move along. All through the Bible there are statements that were beyond the knowledge of the age in which they were written. Only God could have told the writers those things, so we can believe without any doubt that whatever that book says is the truth! When we read the Bible, we can learn not only a lot about the history of the world since the creation, but we learn how God has worked with people. We learn about Cain and Abel, and how God punishes the ones who are evil. We read about Noah and the great flood that completely re-made the surface of the earth. We learn about Abraham and Moses and all the prophets and the kings of Israel. Its a long story 4,000 years long! And all of it is true! Because of the revelations in the Bible that prove God was the one who told the men what to write, we can be sure that every promise made will be kept. 34

Weve studied a lot about Jesus. Where was He born? In Bethlehem! And where did He grow up? In Nazareth! After John baptized Him in the Jordan River, Jesus began to gather followers we call them His apostles and to teach them all about how He wanted them to live. He said, Dont be like the hypocrites or the other worldly people! Be separate! Be salt that keeps things from ruining! Be light that shows the way out of a dark world! If you love Me, keep my commandments! Be at peace... In all of Jesus lessons, He was teaching us to be different from the world around us. He said, Love your enemies and do good to them! If someone is mean to you, dont fight back! Be forgiving to those who wrong you! Trust God to take care of you, just like He takes care of unimportant things like the sparrows. Dont worry and dont be afraid! These are the lessons Jesus taught and the promises He made. So, Laura and Anthony, when we are baptized, we are born as new babies into Jesus special family the church those people who dont live like Satans world. Before Jesus death, burial, and resurrection He had told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the special day arrived. On that day a Jewish feast day called Pentecost when Jews from all over the world were gathered 35

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3). I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18). Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27). Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17). If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15). Ye are the salt of the earth... Ye are the light of the world.... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16). And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Promises Jesus Made

in Jerusalem, ... suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4). What a great day! This was the day God had been working for from before the creation! This was the day when the good news would begin to be taught everywhere in the world, when people would learn that Jesus had died for their sins. They would learn how to be forgiven, and how to be born new as spiritual babies in Gods new family, the church! A huge crowd gathered because of all the noise, and Peter and the other apostles began to explain what was happening: Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it (Acts 2:22-24). The sermon convinced the people that Jesus really was Gods Son, and that they had done a terrible sin by wanting Him to be crucified. So they cried out, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37). Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). A wonderful thing happened then. About three thousand people in that crowd decided to become Christians! 36

and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47). So, reading those words, it sounds like the early Christians moved into one place together and that they shared everything. Some people today say we should do that, but we have to remember that this was an unusual time. People had come from many different countries, expecting to stay only a short time in Jerusalem. Now, their lives have been changed! They have become baby Christians, and they know they have a lot more to learn. So they stayed on in Jerusalem, and the Christians who lived there shared whatever they had with their new brothers and sisters. For those first weeks, or months, the Christians were so focused on God and being saved that they met every day in the temple the place of worship for the Jews and they were praising and thanking God that they knew about Jesus and that they were now a part of His church. How did they learn and grow? What did the verse say? That they were in fellowship with each other, and I feel sure that they were talking all the time about this new religion, they were listening to the apostles as they taught the many things Jesus had taught. The verse also says that they were praying, and that they were breaking bread. In chapter 20, when Paul came to Troas, he met with the Christians on the first day of the week Sunday to break bread. They were doing then just what we do today, as the church they were taking the Lords Supper! 37

Those people were baptized just as we are today being buried in water, like Christ was buried in the tomb, to have their sins washed away. The story in Acts 2 goes on to explain what happened then: And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders

Our World..... Lesson 7

Separate from the World

Among any crowd of people would be problems that satan has brought into the world: broken homes, orphans, deserted children, lying, stealing, drug abuse, alcoholism, brutality, pagan religions, divisions among those who claim to follow Christ, persecution, and many other terrible wrongs. Read this letter from a young girl:

Dear Sir/Madam, I am a girl of about fifteen years of age. Please sir, I am an orphan girl, and right now my grandmother that I am staying with had died also. And so my parents properties has been taken away from me by my fathers relatives. They have locked me from the house that rightfully belongs to me and now I am homeless. Everywhere I would lay my head has become a problem for me. Sometimes I get little to eat because I cannot do any work. And so, normally, I eat leftovers of people food at canteens and other places where I could get something to eat. Please, I would kindly request some favours from you. I would need some clothes to enable me to go to church, and also some Holy Bible which I can take it to the church. And some little amount of money which can enable me to go back to school and learn....
38

Into Gods World.....

The Family

Memory Verse: Colossians 1:18: And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Can you imagine what a puzzling thing it was for those new Christians to know just what they were supposed to do? They had learned that Jesus was the sacrifice for their sins, so they didnt have to make the animal sacrifices they had made under the law of Moses. They worshiped God now on the first day of the week the day when Christ was resurrected instead of on the seventh day under Judaism. Instead of the priests eating the shewbread, every Christian was now to eat the bread in remembrance of Jesus body, and drink the grape juice in memory of the blood He had shed for them. Everything was so different, and they had a lot to learn before packing up their things and going back to their homes. It wasnt long, though, before the same Jewish leaders who had turned Jesus over to the Romans began to persecute the Christians, Steven was the first one to die, and then everyone except the apostles moved out, but by the time they left Jerusalem they knew enough that, ... those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4). We even read of the church existing in Rome, the capitol of the world, though no apostle had gone there to preach! When the Christians were all in Jerusalem, we might think, OK, Jesus had said Christians are to come out of the world and be separate, so they were like a separate little community. They could all live together and do the good things that the Bible teaches without getting all tangled up with the world. But then they were scattered, a few here, others there, maybe someone all alone in another place. How were they to be that special family then? Can you tell me, Laura? What about you, Anthony? I dont know. We live in this town, and I go to school with the other kids so were not separated, really. Of course, On Sundays and Wednesday nights, and some other times, the church gets together for worship and Bible study. So, our being separate from the world is not that we live separately; its that we are different in the way we live! Do you ever hear the other kids use curse words? Yes, but we dont talk like that. And sometimes do the girls need to wear clothes that do a better job of covering their bodies? Sometimes Im embarrassed, Daddy with how short the skirts are. 39

So girls need to be careful with how they dress, but boys need to be careful too. Anthony, you may look around at what the other boys in school are wearing and think, Thats cool! Id like to have a shirt like that! And maybe its the kind of clothes gangs are wearing, so by the clothes themselves the boys are saying, Look at me! Im tough and youd better watch out! Sometimes I see boys wearing such baggy pants that theyre about to fall off. Why would they do that? Its an upside-down kind of thinking, son. Yes, theyre attracting attention to themselves, but their clothes say that theyre rebellious kids who want to shock everyone who sees them, out of fear that theyre going to walk right out of their pants. I heard about a boy like that who was being chased by the police, and they caught him because he got all tripped up when his baggy pants really did fall down! Sometimes you kids may think that your Mother and I are too picky about your clothes and your hair. Others in school may be having tatoos and ear piercings and nose piercings and lip piercings all of these things make negative impressions on anyone who sees you. We want you to shine only the light of Christ not the rebellion of kids gone wild in a culture thats gone wild too. Do you hear about parties, especially among the older kids, where drinking and drugs and other bad things go on? Yes so all of these things are how were to be separate! Youre right, Laura! And, in contrast, when were with Christians were worshiping or studying Gods word, or enjoying the fellowship, or going to a Bible camp together, or maybe door-knocking to sign up people for Bible courses, or doing a community project, or maybe even going with a group on a mission trip. All of these things keep our focus on God and the life He wants us to live. Thats very different from the world, and people watching us can see the difference. Do you remember that in the early church, some of the Christians sold their things to help the ones in need? Thats another way were different. God teaches us to Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Another command was, If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows (1 Timothy 5:16). 40

So Christians really care about people who are having problems. Do you remember when the terrible typhoon hit the Philippines and so many were killed and many others lost their homes and everything they had? We didnt know any of those people, but the church took up money to send to Christians over there so they could go out with food and clothes to help the victims. Lets talk about some of the ways the church is a special spiritual family. Every family has a head. Who is the head of the church? Some man weve elected? N-o-o-o... Wouldnt Jesus be the head of His church? Colossians 1:18 says, And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. In the religions that men create, they usually have a powerful leader, but in the Lords church we are all under the leadership of Jesus. And under His leadership, following His directions in the Bible, who looks after the members of a local congregation? We have a preacher! Yes, but even the preacher is under the authority of men like brother Watkins and brother Samuels and brother Lewis. They are called elders or shepherds, because they are supposed to look after the church like a shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep. Through Paul, special requirements were given for anyone who would be an elder. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop [elder] then must be: l blameless, [not doing wrong things to others] l the husband of one wife, [not divorced and remarried] l temperate, [a stable, reasonable person] l sober-minded, [serious and concerned about spiritual things] l of good behavior, [always being a good example] l hospitable, [showing care and concern to others; serving others] l able to teach; [a good knowledge of Scripture and desire to teach] l not given to wine, [not a drunkard] l not violent, [not easy to lose his temper] l not greedy for money, [realizing that earthly wealth is not important] l but gentle, [considerate, compassionate] l not quarrelsome, [a peacemaker, but not a compromiser] l not covetous; [not looking at others with envy for what they have] l one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 41

l not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. [mature as a Christian, in knowledge and life] l Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. [must have a good reputation among his neighbors and fellow-workers] (1 Timothy 3:1-7). That may sound like a lot of rules, but Jesus knew that the leadership in local congregations was really important. Men can lead us to follow the Bible, or they can lead us away. And leading the church away from the truth means a lot of people would be lost eternally. Jesus was guarding against that. So, following Jesus rules in the Bible, we have elders, and then under the elders are men called deacons. There are also rules in 1 Timothy about these men, and in order to safeguard the church we have to be careful to follow what God says. Can women be elders and deacons, Daddy? Im glad you asked that, Anthony, because women are doing lots of things in leadership in the world these days. Lets look back to 1 Timothy 2:11-13 and see what God says through Paul: Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence, for Adam was formed first, then Eve. Going all the way back to the beginning, we see that the order of creation still holds true. God created men to be the leaders in the home and in the church and women are to be the helpers. Nowdays, because of whats called the feminist movement women are taking over leadership in lots of things. Some churches even have women elders and preachers, but this is going against Gods law. If we want Gods approval in the day of judgment, we have to obey Him in everything. Now, I want you to pretend that we are a part of the church that special family that belongs to God but pretend that theres nothing in the Bible about coming together every Sunday for worship or doing anything together. Do you think wed just lose track of each other, and finally there would be no church? Tommy goes to a different school, so I never would see him if we didnt have Bible classes together. And suppose there was no special day of worship. Suppose we just went through the weeks and months without ever coming to the church building for worship we probably wouldnt even have a church building! So God knew what He was doing when he divided time! A day is 24 hours time to work and eat and rest! We need all of those things! And a week gives us time to work and go to school and have a day for other things we need to do, and then have one day to worship God with the church! Then the cycle starts over and we have new strength to start a new week! Lets think now about worship. What does that mean, Laura? 42

Well... were all together and we sing and pray to God. Do you know who else is there with us? Lets read Hebrews 12:22-24 where Paul is showing the whole picture when we come into Gods presence in worship: ... You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, l the heavenly Jerusalem, l to an innumerable company of angels, l to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, l to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, l l to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, l and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. So, even though we are sitting in a church building, in spirit we are actually worshiping at the very throne of God, with Jesus at His side, and the whole host of angels and all the other Christians all over the world who are there with us! Just think about that! Wow! I didnt know that! And, Anthony, thats why we have to be so careful in worship. Thats why we dont want to be talking with our friends or passing notes or checking a game on our phone. We wouldnt do any of those things if we were in a serious meeting with the President of the United States; how much worse it is to show such disrespect for the very God of heaven! There are other ways that people disrespect God. Did you know that if we change up what He wants in worship, that is wrong? I know weve studied about Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10, two priests in the Old Testament. As priests, they were to use fire from the Lords altar for burning incense in worship, but they took fire from another place, disobeying what might have seemed like an unimportant rule. But God had made the rule, and it was important to Him! So important that, what happened to Nadab and Abihu? Didnt God send down fire and they died? Thats right, Honey. And Moses told their father, Aaron, what God had said about anyone who came into His presence to worship: By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified. (Leviticus 10:3) No, God doesnt send down fire today on people who change up His worship, but that doesnt mean Hell say, Thats OK. You dont have to be so careful to obey Me now! No, when we disobey, we will have to answer in the judgment. 43

Do you know what we do in worship, and why? We always sing songs. You know, Honey, the amazing thing is that God must love singing! Why? Because it seems like every living thing has a song! The birds warble, the crickets chirp, the whales even sing! And one part of earthly worship that will be in heaven is singing! We see several songs in Revelation (chapters 4 and 5; 15:3), all praising God! Why do you think God wants us to sing, but in the New Testament nothing is said about Christians worshiping with harps or other instruments? I dont know. Would it be wrong to have a piano, Daddy? Or drums? Or clapping? Eight times singing is mentioned in the New Testament, but there is no record of musical instruments being included in the worship. Do you think it was because they hadnt been invented then? Maybe... Actually, Cains great-grandson, Jubal, invented the first flute and harp! How about that??? Music has been a part of humans from the beginning, just as every living thing even yet seems to have music built into his make-up! So it wasnt that there were no instruments in the first century. But if we add them to the pattern of worship, that is adding to what God has authorized, and thats wrong. Do you remember the verse (Revelation 22:18) that says ... If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book...? There are several reasons why we are not commanded to use instruments in worship. All of us are supposed to do all the things, arent we? Yes. Laura, can you play a piano or a flute? No. Then, if that was required, you wouldnt be able to worship like God asks, would you? And suppose we were being persecuted for being Christians, and we had to hide even when we were worshiping. No matter where we might go, we could still sing but if we had to play an organ we couldnt take one of those into hiding with us, could we? So God planned things that allow us to worship Him anywhere, any time, no matter what happens. Even in prison, Paul and Silas were singing praises to God! Now, lets talk about another problem with the piano, and the clapping. God wants our singing to be a way of teaching. Ephesians 5:19 explains, ... speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. So He says that the melody is to be in our hearts, not on a piano, and that we are to teach others through the words we sing. Thats telling us two things: 44

(1) God wants only His creation [our voices, from our hearts] to worship Him. (2) If clapping (making a drum of your hands) is going on, people wont be able to hear and understand the words, so the purpose is defeated. So, we reverently come into Gods presence with singing. What else do we do in worship, Anthony? We pray. Yes, but we have to remember that we cant approach God on our own. Jesus said in John 16:23, ... whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. So it is only through our Brother that we have the right to speak to God and to ask His help in anything. We eat the Lords Supper, too, Daddy but only after weve been baptized! And thats a very important part of worship. God doesnt want us to forget how much He loves us so much that Jesus died so that we can be a part of that special family of His! And you know that we also study the Bible not just in worship but every day, so that we can know how our Father wants us to live. And we give our money too. Why do we do that? Because theres work the church needs to do, and that takes money! So every week God asks us to plan to give a part of what we earn, so that the Gospel can be preached, and so that well be able to help those who are in need. See? Not only are we a special family, worshiping God and helping each other, but we have a lot of work to do! God has made us His ambassadors all over the world! 1. Christians in the early church went everywhere doing what? 2. Name some ways Christians are to be different from the people around them? Do we wear special clothes, like priests in the Catholic church and some preachers wear? 3. Girls must be careful to dress how? 4. Boys must be careful not to dress like members of _______. 5. What do Christians do when neighbors or friends or other Christians have needs? 6. Can you name the five acts of worship? 7. Can you tell me why we dont use a piano in worship? 8. Why must we be very respectful when we worship God? no talking or playing! 45

Our World..... Lesson 8

Have you ever wondered why Christians are left in this dangerous world? If Jesus just took us home to Heaven when we are coming up out of the water from baptism, no one would be tempted to sin anymore, no one would leave the Family and go back out into a worldly life, no one would be lost! What a perfect solution to a soul-threatening problem! But... You are learning about God and His Family because a Christian is teaching you! So if God had just taken to Heaven all the people who were baptized on that first day when the church was begun, there would have been nobody to ever teach anyone else! Of course God knew that this world is a dangerous place for His children, so He left us here, even risking our souls, so that we could spend our lives as Jesus said, Go [ing] into all the world and preach [ing] the gospel to every creature(Mark 16:15). So, we are here, facing many dangers and problems, not just to eat and sleep and watch TV, but we are here to be sure that everyone gets to hear that Jesus died for them, so they can also be born into Gods Family!

A Dangerous World

46

Into Gods World.....

Memory Verse: Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Our Fathers Care for His Family

Sometimes people think that if they become Christians, God will build an invisible wall around them so that nothing will go wrong in their lives. But He never promised that. There are natural disasters, like a fire or a bad storm, that can burn our house down or blow it away. Sometimes our problems are caused by somebody who doesnt like us and may lie about us or do something else bad. And sometimes we cause our own problems by making foolish decisions. If its snowing and you decide to go to school without your coat, you may get pneumonia and end up in the hospital! A little word of warning: we need to think carefully and prayerfully about the decisions were making because God isnt going to force us to decide the wise things, and He wont prevent the natural result of what we have decided to do. So, our part is to learn lessons from our poor decisions and to ask God to help us to think more wisely. God does help us in many ways, and if we understand what Hes promised and how He works, we can look for what Hes doing in our lives. The first promise is in Romans 8:28: ... all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Thats a powerful promise! It says that no matter what the weather or some natural calamity does to you, or no matter what someone who doesnt like you does to you, or no matter what trouble you have because of a foolish decision you made, if you His child hold onto your love for Him, He will turn those problems around so that they will have a good benefit in your life. When we had a fire in our house, the insurance paid for making it better than new! When that kid who was mad at you told a lie about you, everybody had more confidence in you when he was proved wrong. And, Laura, do you remember that time you decided to play all evening instead of studying for your English test? You learned from your bad decision and your bad grade that youd better study next time! So youve been making straight As ever since! All of these things worked together so that the end result was good, just like God promised. But, Laura and Anthony, lets look at some things that we read about in the Bible and see if we can understand the ways God works in the world. 47

First, Ill remind you that the Bible is not just a history book about people who lived two- or three- or five-thousand years ago. Hebrews 1:1,2 tells us, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. So God is the real author of the Bible, and He has given it to us for a very important reason. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 explains: Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they [the Israelites] also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Thats why, kids, when were thinking about our lives and choices, your Mother and I always teach you to look into the Bible for examples and instructions on how were supposed to live today. Its true that there are differences in Gods responses now, but there are no differences in His expectation of obedience from His children! Sometimes in the past He immediately punished disobedience, because those people didnt have the Bible and they didnt know much about what God would do. Sometimes the lessons He had to teach were really hard. Definitions In those days, God spoke diMiracles: Gods overruling of rectly to the fathers of households, like nature to make an immediate Abraham, and He often used miracles change. Example: the parting of to help people understand His power. the Red Sea in the Exodus; giving You remember that He spoke to Moses, sight to blind people; raising the sending him to Egypt to free the Israeldead. ites. Because Pharaoh wouldnt listen to Moses, God sent awful punishment to Providence: Gods work through the whole country in the form of the ten natural means, or in unseen ways, plagues. to accomplish His will; often these The Egyptian people learned events are labeled as coincidencenough from those lessons that they es, as something that just hapgave money and other things to the pened. Israelites when they left the country. But Pharaoh hardened his heart, determined 48

to continue fighting God, and so he and his army were drowned in the Red Sea when the waters miraculously closed up. Today when people harden their hearts to God and the Bible, its like they are shaking their fists in His face and shouting, Theres no God! But God doesnt send a bolt from Heaven to burn them to cinders! Hes not doing miraculous punishments anymore. Instead, in the Bible He warns EVERYBODY that the same Jesus who died to save us from our sins will come back one day TO BE OUR JUDGE. Jesus Himself said that the righteous obedient ones will go away to everlasting life, but He will say to the disobedient, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). We can see a strong dividing line in Gods dealings with humans. From the creation until the Bible was completed after Jesus death, burial and resurrection, God spoke directly to some people, and His mes-

From Creation Miraculous Age

Age of Providential Care

sengers and prophets did many miracles to prove that they were speaking Gods words. But after the Bible was completed, God has worked through what is called providence. To help you understand, lets go to the Bible and see some examples! Do you remember the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer in the fight they had with the Philistines? We can see providence in Gods help there: Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. So his armorbearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart. Then Jonathan said, Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if they say thus, Come up to us, then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us. So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden. Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you something. 49

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there (1 Samuel 14:6-16). Now, some questions: Did God tell Jonathan to go and fight the enemies of Israel? The Bible doesnt say He did. OK. Did God tell Jonathan what he should use as a sign that God would help them win the battle? Well, it doesnt say that either, Daddy. Now the sign Jonathan had spoken was that the Philistines would tell them to come up the side of the steep hill. Being on their hands and knees would make it easy for the Philistines to kill them as they were climbing, so it took a lot of faith on Jonathans part to start that climb, but he did. And they had a great victory! The Bible doesnt say that any angels were seen killing the bad soldiers, but there was a scary earthquake! Now, do earthquakes happen, just naturally? Sure they do! So we would say that God used nature to providentially help Jonathan and his armorbearer defeat the enemies of Israel. Another time that God fought for Israel, behind the scenes so that nobody saw an angel or knew that God was doing it, was when King Sennacherib of Assyria was camped around Jerusalem, planning to totally destroy the city. After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem ... to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth the work of mens hands. Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. Then the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there (2 Chronicles 32:9,10,19-21). 50

Picture used with permission: (c)2006 www.TheGloryStory.com

In the Bible, God tells us that He sent an angel, but historical records say that the whole army died of some terrible disease that struck them that night! Nobody actually saw an angel! According to the Bible, angels are Gods workers who are sent out by Him to serve His people. One time the king of Syria was making war against Elisha the prophet. This is the record in the Bible of what happened: Therefore he [the king] sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do? So he answered, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:14-16). 51

So the whole place was filled with angels, there to protect Elisha, even though nobody could see them! Thats Gods providence at work! Do you remember when the apostle Paul was imprisoned and a band of Jews had vowed to not eat or drink a thing until they had killed him, how did God take care of him? His nephew heard about their plot and was able to talk to the centurion who took him to the commander in charge of Paul. Then the commander called two centurions and they got up two hundred soldiers in the middle of the night, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearsmen to slip Paul away to Caesarea for his trial! How many providential tools did God use to take care of that son of His??? Four hundred and seventy-five! But only Paul knew God was doing all of those things! Later, when he was being taken as a prisoner on a ship to Rome, a bad storm came up. After many days, Paul urged the sailors to take food, assuring them that everyone would be saved. And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. And the soldiers plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should Picture used with permission: jump overboard first and (c)2006 www.TheGloryStory.com get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land (Acts 27). So in this case, God used a Roman ship, sailors, and soldiers to take Paul to testify of Himself in Rome! Even things that belong to governments really belong to God! So Rome got to pay for Pauls trip! Do you see again that, without the use of miracles, God providentially did what needed to be done so that Paul could safely reach Rome and make the appeal to Caesar? Of course, while he was there he was allowed to have his own rented place and to teach anyone who came to him! 52

Our World..... Lesson 9

Providential Care

Its a big world out there 24,000 miles around it, nearly 200 countries, and more than seven billion people! Jesus has gone back to Heaven, where He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. That means He has authority over everyone and everything in this world, to use whatever He needs to aid His soldiers on the ground. Who are His soldiers? You and me! He has left Christians here to complete the work God has been doing since before the creation: saving the souls of the obedient. Jesus says to each one of us, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature... If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.... I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 53

Into Gods World.....

Memory Verse: Hebrews 1:14: Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Now lets finish up the study on providence. We looked at amazing things God did in the Scriptures to help His children in their struggles in this world that Satan rules, but there are amazing things happening now! Hebrews 1:14 says, Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? That means that God, even today, sends out His angels to help take care of us. We wont see them, but theyre here, wherever theyre needed. Hebrews 13:2 explains more: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Now, thats saying that even now it may be that someone comes to us, seeming like an ordinary human, like the time that angels came to Abraham and to Lot in Genesis 18:2; 19:1, and to Joshua (5:13) but that may be an angel! Or it may be that angels are with us but not visible, as in 2 Kings 6:17. We wont know for sure; well never see angel wings or anything else that looks angelic, but God says He does take care of us, and He has lots of tools to enable Him to do that. In the Bible we saw examples of Gods use of nature, governments, people, angels, and all kinds of other things to do what His people needed Him to do. Now I want to share some things that have happened in our world in our time that seem to be explained only within Gods providential care. Missionaries were about to move to a new country. For years they had been trying to go to India, but now a family of American Christians working in the little country of Sri Lanka was asking someone to come there and help them start the Lords church. What to do? What to do? The missionaries were praying for God to open the right doors and to close the wrong doors. Their part was to apply for visas [permission to live in the country]. The husband had an Indian visa, which meant that there should be no problem getting a visa for the family. So they said, If the family gets a visa, well conclude that God wants us to go to India. If we cant, well believe He wants us in Sri Lanka. The visa was denied, so they moved to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka and began to teach the Gospel to anyone who 54

Gods Providence at Work Today

would listen. The missionary advertised a two-week school for those who might be interested in studying the Bible. A certain well-educated man, who had just gotten out of a business with his father-in-law, and currently had no job, saw the ad. He said to himself, Im not working. This is an opportunity to go to a Bible school. Before the end of the two weeks, he was baptized and became a great helper in having home Bible studies. In a few months the missionary family moved to India. As they were studying with people, and able to begin the church in New Delhi, they looked into the possibility of having programs over the radio stations operated by the Indian government, but they were told that Christian religious broadcasting wasnt allowed in that Hindu nation. Then they heard some exciting news: the radio station in Sri Lanka, called The Giant of Asia was allowing Christians to use their towers for broadcasting! The coverage was most of the Eastern side of the globe! What a great blessing of God! The missionary knew preachers in India who spoke several of the major languages, so he was sure everything could be managed but what about a reliable person to manage the contracts with the radio station? Oh yes! God had been looking ahead, and a zealous, trustworthy Christian was already in place in Colombo! What happened? Through the years of the team working together, millions of people in India have been able to know that Jesus died for them, and many have obeyed Him in baptism! God does work all things together for good! Ill tell you another story that shows His providential care. You know that Jesus has told Christians to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, and our work really is to go and to teach so that people will want to learn more about God and to obey Him. But God knows that there are those who are already looking for Him, even though nobody has come to teach them. Those are the people He takes care of through providentially pulling many things together! A man in Burma worked at the airport in Rangoon as an air controller. One day he met a man from India who was also an air controller. They got to talking, and the Indian man said that he was studying a Bible course from an American missionary in Thailand. He gave the address to the Burmese man who wrote for the course. Then he and he and his family very carefully studied each lesson. They became convinced they needed to be baptized, so the missionary from Thailand flew over and studied further with them 55

and baptized them into the body of Christ! That was the beginning of the church of Christ in Burma! Now there are many Christians in that country, and even Bible training schools! But look at Gods reach in this: from India to Burma to America to Thailand and back to Burma, and working over several years of time! Gods hand is not shortened that He cannot do whatever is needed, and He looks ahead in His preparations, and He never forgets the work Hes weaving together! Another amazing thing happened to a missionary in Pakistan. One day a man came to the gate and was looking at the sign that said The Church of Christ Meets Here. He came inside to find out more about the church, actually checking to see if he could worship with them in good conscience. Through several hours of discussion, the missionary learned that the man, a doctor, was from the mountainous area of Iran, bordering Russia. He said he was a part of a group of Christians there, and that the church with which he worshiped numbered about 5,000! Their history? He said that some of the men who had seen the star of Jesus were of his tribe, and they had followed the star to Bethlehem. After they returned home, they waited until the baby would be grown up and would be able to do the work He had been born to do. They returned to Israel and were there in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, among the crowd that heard Peter and the other apostles preaching that at last the kingdom of God had come! They were baptized and waited there for some time, learning from the apostles and writing down what they called The Sayings of Christ. When they came home again, they taught their families and their tribal people what they had learned, so that they became Christians too. The doctor had a very correct understanding of the Gospel and of how to become a Christian and to worship God. He said that his people had been persecuted to the point that they had isolated themselves in the mountainous regions. Later, when the missionary was in Iran again, he went to the area the doctor had told him about, at the edge of the mountains. The only way he could go further would have been by horseback and with an interpreter, so the journey had to stop there. People in the area did tell him, though, that lots of Christians used to live there but they had moved into the mountains. So you see how God can bring people together, to supply what is needed for someone who is already looking for the Truth! Now, let me ask you this. When youre getting ready for a test, what do you do? Study all that weve covered in the book and in the class. And if youre in a competition say, a Tai Kwan Do competition how would you prepare? Practice... So, if God has put His treasure of the message of the Gospel in our hands, 56

asking us to take it to all the world, how do we prepare? Well, first of all, are we willing to do what He asks? But Im just a kid, Daddy. I cant go to some other country! Thats right, son, and some of us wont ever go to some other country, but for you today that place is neighborhood friends or friends in school. They need to see Jesus in the way you talk and behave, and youll want to make opportunities to talk to them about God and to ask them to come with you to Bible class. Weve done that with Jamie and his mother, and when they are ready we want to have personal Bible studies with them so they can learn how to obey God. But youre growing up, and you need to be praying now about how you will use your life. Some people think, I need a job to make lots of money! Its wonderful when people become good doctors or lawyers or do some other work that will help people and may also pay well. But our main focus, as Christians, is different on God, first, and then how we can use our homes and talents and money in His work of spreading the Truth. Yes, we want to be able to feed our families and to buy clothes for our kids, but our most important preparation needs to be for Gods work: to be able to teach classes, to serve as elders and preachers and song leaders and evangelists even in our own country, and to support families who do go into foreign countries with the Gospel. Do you know why I put in forty hours a week at the office to earn a living, and then preach and work with that small church that cant afford to pay me any salary? Its so we can help them grow to be a stronger church. Maybe the time will come when all of us can even live in a foreign country, to start the church there, but if we cant do that, what we give to support someone in a mission field may be the only way those people can hear the Gospel. Now, if were going to teach people in this country, how do we need to prepare? We can learn how to door knock and sign people up for Bible studies. Thats right. And if were going to do well in those Bible studies, we need to know something about what the people around us believe in religion. Most of our neighbors are members of denominational churches, so we need to know what those churches teach. If we know, well be better able to show them the Truth. Then, if were preparing for maybe going to some other country as missionaries, we need to learn how people live in those places, and what they believe. Did you know that most of the people in the world are not Christians? Can you tell me the names of some of those other religions, and the gods they worship? Ive heard of Muslims a lot lately in the news. And we need to know about them and their god and their book. We need to know about Hindus too, because most of the people in India believe in those gods and India is the second largest population in the world! China is the largest country. What do most of the Chinese believe? We have a lot to learn! 57

1. What is a miracle?

Questions

2. Is providence the same as a miracle? 3. Did Gods prophets and messengers in the Old Testament do miracles? 4. Did John the Baptist perform miracles? 5. Did Jesus perform miracles? 6. Did the Apostles perform miracles? 7. Has the age of miracles ended? 8. How is this age of providential care and the Bible better than miracles? Jesus could heal the sick, raise the dead, and do unlimited kinds of miracles. The reason was to prove that He was Who He claimed to be: the Son of God (Matthew 12:25-32). When He began His church, He gave the apostles the power to do all kinds of miracles too, and also to preach and to write the Bible by the direction of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament completed Gods perfect book of directions for Christians. The last book is Revelation, and there we are forbidden to add anything to what God has said. But during those years while the New Testament was being written, Christians scattered over the world needed help. Various ones in the congregations were given special miraculous gifts. Some could heal people, to convince on-lookers that God was working through them. Some could speak the truths that would be written in the New Testament. Some were given special knowledge, so they could help to guide the church. We read about this last part of the miraculous age in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10: Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. The Bible is the perfect law of liberty [James 1:25: But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.] Today, there are people who claim to do miracles by Gods power, but they teach doctrines that contradict the New Testament. If we didnt have the Bible, there would be no way to prove if a teacher was from God or from satan. 1 John 4:1 warns, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 58

Our World..... Lesson 10

Division Confusion

Parents, Teachers, study this lesson with care, and teach it with love. It is not intended to alienate or to offend anyone, but to help everyone to see that division and doctrines created by men are tools of satan to ensure that well-meaning people dont find the truth. There may be as many as 41,000 denominations in the world! In the US the estimate is 1500 different religious groups, teaching many different doctrines. Almost 8 out of 10 Americans would say they are Christians: Baptist Christians, Methodist Christians.... JESUS PRAYED THAT WE MIGHT ALL BE ONE! 59

Into Gods World.....

Memory Verse: Ephesians 5:15,16: See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. What did Jesus promise in Matthew 16:18? I will build My church. It was a very simple plan. He wanted everyone who believed in Him to be united in His one Family. God is our Father; Jesus is our elder Brother (Matthew 12:50) whom we love and respect as our Lord by wearing His name. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch, the first congregation that was made up of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:26). Romans 16:16 says, The churches of Christ greet you. This was not really the name of the church, because the word for church just meant those who were called out called out of a worldly life to follow Jesus. The church was also called the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) because He is the Head and the members are like His mouth, eyes, hands, and feet, taking His Gospel to all the world. The church is described as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33), because Christians are to belong only to Him, and to love and obey Him like a wife does for her husband. In return, Christian husbands were taught to love their wives like Christ loved the church that means they should be willing to die for them! The church in Scripture is often called the kingdom, over which Christ is the King one kingdom, one King! In fact, usually in the New Testament, the church was just called the church because there was only one and everybody knew what that one was! Well, you know weve talked about old Satan! Hes always been around, telling lies and getting people to mess up what God is doing. Back there in the Garden of Eden, he lied to Eve, and he told her that if she would just eat that fruit that looked so good, she would be like God! Do you remember when we first talked about Satan, we read a passage of Scripture that described him as being the anointed cherub. But he wanted more! He said, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High. Thats still his goal, and hes still telling people they can be gods or like god. He did his work in the Garden, and now all humans are sinners. When Jesus was born, Satan tried through King Herod to get rid of that Baby that was a threat to the devils success, but that didnt work. Then when Judas betrayed Jesus and He was crucified, Satan thought he had finally won. But Jesus came out of that grave, conquering death and Satan was beaten again. At last, the church began on the day of Pentecost, and people could wash away their sins in baptism they could be saved! 60

Satan Invades!

Do you think Satan just threw up his hands in defeat and quit? No, he developed a plan, a scheming, devilish plan. He knew that Jesus had died so that the sins of everyone who was baptized into His Family could be forgiven, and they could live and grow as children of His Father, looking forward in hope to their own eternal life with Him. The work had been done, and Satan couldnt stop any of that. Now, whoever learned about Jesus and His church could do like the people did on the day of Pentecost: they could repent of their sins and be baptized, and God would add them to the church. But.... if Satan could get Christians to change up some of the teaching, it would be like a train going off the track they wouldnt be on the road to heaven any more! And if he could get them to start some other churches, all claiming to belong to Christ, then people would be confused about just what was right, and he would be able to get them on his own broad way, even though all the time they would be thinking they were right! So error began to creep into congregations. Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:13 that men would begin to teach error and to lead people away from the Truth. In Acts 20:29-32, he told the elders of the church in Ephesus: For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. But the problem is that people start thinking for themselves instead of listening to the Bible, and their thinking can bring about differences. We can understand that problem, a little, in the early church because the New Testament was not completed. Most Christians would not have had even Inspired: one copy of one of the books. The church in Rome Certain men were given would have had the letter Paul wrote to them, but they the gift of prophecy wouldnt have had copies of all the other letters. Thats that is, through the why there were special gifts of teaching in the early miraculous power of the church, so that Christians could learn from apostles or Holy Spirit,they were other inspired teachers. given the message As time passed, divisions took place because of what to teach and some were teaching that sprinkling water could be preach, so that there counted as baptism, which is actually a burial in wawould be no error (2 ter, like Christ was buried in the grave. Others taught Peter 1:21). that dedicated preachers of the Gospel couldnt have wives and families. Some believed that certain foods should not be eaten on certain days. With the differences in beliefs, division took place and the different groups called themselves different names: Gnostics, Montanists, Monarchians. 61

Finally, one group appointed a leader over all of their churches. They called him the Pope, and that church came to be known as the Catholic (universal) church. Of course, not all the Christians left the Truth. Jesus had promised that when He started His church, nothing would destroy it, so there have been Christians and congregations of the Lords church in the world ever since the day of Pentecost, though many did go astray. The Catholic church grew and became even more powerful than many of the governments. They had priests and monasteries and huge church buildings. They told the kings what to do. Then came a time when some in the Catholic church began to speak up about the wrong teachings and the problems in the priesthood. Do you know what happened? Those who wanted changes were persecuted. Many were killed! It was a terrible time, but out of that developed what is called the Reformation Movement: those people were trying to re-form what they thought was Christianity, and so different churches were started. A man called John Smyth decided that the baptism in the New Testament was a burial in water not sprinkling, so he started what came to be called the Baptist church. The Miraculous Age v The Apostles were baptized with The Methodist church grew out of the the Holy Spirit on the day of Pendissatisfaction of another man named John tecost, enabling them to speak by Wesley with the Episcopalian church of which inspiration, to perform miracles, to he was a member. His churches followed cer- speak in languages they had not studied (Acts 1:8; 2:4-47) tain methods! v The apostles could give miracuThere are many today who call themlous power to select people, through selves Pentecostals, claiming to be like the the laying on of their hands (Acts first church, as it was started on Pentecost. 6:6,8), but they could not give that power to others (Acts 8:5,14,15). Church of God, Assemblies of God, HoliWith the completion of the New Tesness, Pentecostal and many other names tament, and the death of the Apostles are used by their groups. They believe that and those to whom they had given miracles can still be performed and that people special gifts, the miraculous age can talk in tongues. Because these things ended. v 1 Corinthians 12:31; 13:8-13 are mentioned in the Scriptures, it is easy for explains the more excellent way. them to convince listeners that they are right. Even magicians can do things that The problem is that even the New Testament the average peson cant explain. In teaches that the age of miracles would come the name of religion people today to an end when the perfect book of God the CLAIM to do miracles by Gods power even though they are teaching Bible was completed. doctrines that are not in the Bible. There was a story in the news about a v We have Gods Word now to guide snake handling church Pentecostal that us. By it, we can check every docmade hunting and catching poisonous snakes trine, to accept the Truth and to reject a part of their religion. They believe that when error. 62

Jesus promised the apostles that even a snake bite wouldnt hurt them (Mark 16:18 was fulfilled when a snake bit Paul in Acts 28:3-5, and he didnt get sick), that promise still holds true today. But that was only for the miraculous age and God never intended for anybody to deliberately take up poisonous snakes like these Pentecostal people were doing as a religious thing to prove that God would protect them. But do you know what happened? The man who started that church just died from a rattlesnake bite! The Seventh Day Adventist churches were started by a man named William Miller who prophesied that Jesus would come back in 1843. I guess he hadnt read where Jesus Himself said in 24:36 that only the Father knows when He will return! Lots of people believed Mr. Miller, though, and when Jesus didnt come, he set another date. When He didnt come that time, either, his followers divided. Ellen G. White became a prophetess, teaching that the Ten Commandments are still to be followed, and that the day of worship is the Sabbath. The Jehovahs Witnesses church was started by Charles Russell, after he was disillusioned with Millers failed prophecies in the Seventh Day Adventist church. Russell wrote six books that he claimed were inspired by God like the Bible, but Revelation 22:18,19 the completion of Gods message to the world says no one is allowed to add anything to Gods word! Mr. Russell also taught that the Holy Spirit is not Deity but only the force of God, that Jesus was not divine while in the flesh but only human, and that God has hidden Jesus body somewhere that there was no resurrection. Joseph Smith started the Mormon church. He claimed to have visions and revelations, and these were written in the Book of Mormon to guide his followers. He taught that no one can be saved if they reject that book. Anthony and Laura, do you see a problem with these denominations? They dont sound like the church Jesus started. Youre right, son. There are lots of churches, and all of them teach many things that are not in the Bible. They were started by men, and they believe and practice what those men taught. But who started Christs church? Jesus And which book is supposed to be our guide? The Bible. Yes, the Bible and particularly the New Testament, because we are Christians living under the law of Christ, not under the law that was given to the Jews through Moses. Besides these and many, many other denominational groups that teach doctrines that are different from the New Testament, you see lots of huge church 63

buildings these days where community churches meet. In those groups youll find Baptists and Methodists and lots of people from different churches. Not much real doctrine is preached in those pulpits because they dont want to upset anybody. So, mostly, their preachers talk about being good people and being blessed by God and those churches are sort of like spiritual clubs. Built into humans is the need to remember God, and also the need for mixing and mingling with other people. Community churches take care of both of those things, without upsetting anyone by teaching some doctrine they dont believe. Your Mother and I are teaching you about these things, kids, because you need to know the difference between the church Jesus owns and the division Satan has caused that developed denominations. You need to know the difference between the doctrines that were written in the New Testament to guide the church and the doctrines that these men who started these churches were teaching their followers. Satan wants the world to be confused. He wants division among those who believe in Jesus. He wins the victory when we get all messed up and go down his broad path to destruction. I want you to memorize Ephesians 4:4-6, so that those words will always be in your mind and heart. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all... There are seven ones in these verses. Three of them identify the Godhead: God, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God must be first in your life in all you do. The other four ones are about us and our relationship with God: We have faith in God and His word, and then we are baptized into the one body of Christ, so that we have hope for eternity! Isnt that a powerful summary of Christianity? If you stay faithful to these words, youll never be led off the narrow path by Satan and he will be beaten! 1. What did satan, as the anointed cherub, want to do? 2. What did he tell Eve, if she ate the fruit? 3. How did satan try to get rid of Baby Jesus? 4. When Jesus was crucified, had satan won the war with God? 5. Could satan keep God from starting His Family, the church of Christ? 6. What has satan done to confuse people so that they dont find the true church? 7. Can you name some of the denominations that are in your town? 8. What are the seven ONES listed in Ephesians 4:4-6? 64

Our World..... Lesson 11

Many Kinds of gods

... He has put eternity in their hearts... (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Embedded in humans is the need to worship. Almost since the beginning, though, they have created their own gods, making images of things they could see since it is not possible for sinful people to see the true God with their eyes. Some of these created gods have faded with time; some are worshiped even today! 65

Into Gods World.....

Memory Verse: 1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. Daddy opened the Bible, saying to Mother, Laura, and Anthony, Ecclesiastes 3:11 Is an important verse of Scripture. Lets read it to begin this study: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. What do you think He was describing when He said He made everything beautiful? The Garden of Eden? Yes, and everything else in creation! It was perfect! And the next part of the verse tells us something about the way He made us. What do you think He meant when He said He put eternity in their hearts? All people all over the world have buried their dead, often with clothes, jewels, tools, and other things because they believed they would live again! Mother answered. Thats right, and all people everywhere have worshiped God or a god! These two things show us that the Bible account has to be true when it tells about the one great God and His creation of humans with souls! Have you ever seen a fairy, Anthony? No but Ive read about them in my story books. Do you believe fairies are real? Not really, because theyre just story books. And nobodys ever seen one. Has anybody seen God? No... Has anybody seen a soul that has come out of the grave? The disciples saw Jesus. 66

Other gods and Other Religions

Yes, and thats another proof that what the Bible says is true, because in these almost 2000 years since Jesus was resurrected, no one has been able to offer convincing proof or arguments that He is still in the grave! But during all those thousands of years even before Jesus came, people who had never seen God and had never seen a resurrection still believed both of those things! That knowledge is a part of our being made in the image of God. Even though weve never seen our souls the real me living in this body and even though weve never seen God, the consciousness of His existence is in our make-up. The sad thing is that so much of what Adam and Eve knew from the beginning got all mixed up as their children had children and those children had children, and they began to populate the world. We know that their first son killed their second son. The Scriptures say that Cain and his wife went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod. That doesnt mean that they moved far enough away from Eden to be out of Gods sight, because God sees everything. It means that they werent living the way God wanted people to live. In fact, Genesis 4:25,26 says, And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. Back then, people lived a long, long time. Adam lived to be 930 years old! He was 130 years old when Seth was born, so that means he had another 800 years to teach Seth all he knew about God and he would have known a lot because for some time he had even walked and talked with God! Enoch was Seths great-great-great grandson, the sixth generation from Adam. We know that he was so devoted to God that he didnt die; God just took him to heaven! So some of the people even then 687 years after the creation were still obeying and loving God. Methuselah was Enochs son. He lived in the same world with Adam for 243 years, so Adam would have been able to teach him a lot about God too. Methuselahs son, Lamech, was the father of Noah. During Noahs life most of the people in the world had not only forgotten God, they were very evil. Genesis 6:11-13 says, The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Seth Adams son was still living for 355 years after Methuselah was born, and even for 34 years after Noah was born! So Noah could have learned a lot about God from these men who were righteous. We know that he loved God because the Bible in Genesis 6:9 says that he was perfect in his generations. 67

We see a lot thats bad in the world today, but it had gotten so awful in Noahs time that God just couldnt stand it any longer. What did He do, Laura? He told Noah to build the ark, and the flood came. So the evil people were washed away, and Noahs family started over. But by the time Nimrod came along and became a powerful ruler, building the mighty tower of Babel that he planned to reach on up into heaven, they were disobeying God again. It was then that God made different languages, so the people were scattered because they couldnt understand each other. We dont know just when they got mixed up about God to the point that they started worshiping the stars and rivers and figures they had carved, but there are all kinds of gods and goddesses in the ancient histories throughout the world. God described their stupidity in Isaiah 44:9-17: Those who make an image, all of them are useless... He [a man] plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god! Can you imagine such a silly thing using part of a tree for a fire, part of it to cook with, and then carving part of it into a god? Some of the gods that were worshiped back then were Baal, Marduk, and Ashteroth. Animals and even people were sacrificed to them. But that kind of thinking is still a part of some pagan religions. Have you ever heard of Hinduism? A boy in my class is from India and he says he is Hindu, Daddy. Do you know anything about that religion? Not really... 68

In the earliest forms, Hindus made animal sacrifices to their god, the beliefs were very simple, and there were no priests it sounds a lot like the early days in Genesis, during the Patriarchal Age when the fathers of the families were the ones God dealth with. As time passed, those fathers forgot more about the true God, so they made idols of all kinds. Shiva, the god of destruction is one of their gods. Hindus say anything can be worshiped, even people! In Hinduism there is no savior, like Jesus. They believe that there are five levels of people; they call them castes, and you cant change your caste. The lowest class has to do the dirty work like sweeping and cleaning toilets; if their shadow falls on a high-caste person, he believes it makes him unclean. These untouchables cant even go into the temples to worship! The highest caste are the wealthy people and the priests. Hindus believe that their goodness or evil in past lives determines which caste they are in. They believe that when someone dies, he will be reborn [reincarnated] but maybe not even as a human. If he was lazy in this life, he might come back as a turtle or a sloth! If he was bad he might be a dog in his next life!

Patriarchal: The father of the household [the patriarch] offered sacrifices, and God spoke directly to the faithful patriarchs, as Noah, Abraham, Jacob, etc. Mosaic: The law of Moses was given for the people of Israel. The priests offered sacrifices. Christian: The law of Christ came into force with His death, ending animal sacrifices and a priestly system.

Biblical Ages

Hinduism

Buddhism
A Hindu by the name of Buddha, several centuries before Jesus was born, got tired of the priests lording it over the people like they were kings, so he started another religion. He taught his followers the reason everybody suffers is because of desire. So, the goal was to give up all desire so that there is no greed or hatred or passion about anything. The best Hindus and Buddhists are supposed to become holy men and leave their families and just live in the jungle and meditate. They are supposed to stop loving anything or feeling any attachment even to their families! 69

Thats just the opposite of what Jesus teaches us. He wants us to love God and each other! Some Hindu beliefs that Buddha brought into his teachings were karma [and we hear that word even here in America!] which means that the good things and bad things that happen to a person are because of his past life, and nirvana [when you hear that word, you know Hinduism is creeping into our language!]. Hindus believe that when a person gets so good that he finally knows he is god, hes not reborn again. His soul just mixes into god and he is not a separate being anymore. What that really means is that they are working toward the time when they will no longer exist! The Buddhist goal is to reach the point at which they are totally detached from greed, hatred, and cares. Buddha was so turned against all the idolatry in Hinduism that he never taught that there is a god! But even Buddhists needed something to worship, so they made Buddha their god, and they bow down to the floor to worship him!

Islam
We hear a lot about the religion of Islam in the news. In order to understand it better, we need to look at its history. A man by the name of Mohammad claimed that the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him he was to start a new religion. This was about 600 years after Jesus lived and started His Family. In his hometown of Mecca, Mohammed preached a mixture of his own thinking and some of the Old Testament laws and even a little of the New Testament, but he wasnt making many followers. So he decided that the sword was the best way to build the new religion. From the time he started killing in the name of allah, he grew in power. He took over towns and then countries, killing everyone who didnt convert to Islam. In the news these days, the claim is often made that Islam is a peaceful religion, but its book the Koran says very clearly not only that infidels [those who dont become Muslims] are to be killed, but also those who would leave Islam. In 70

Muslim countries, when a person becomes a Christian, his life is in great danger. The flag that represents Islam even today often shows crossed swords, so it is not a religion of peace! The holy place for Muslims is the Kaaba [a black stone building] in Mecca, where it is required that pilgrimages be made each year. Tradition teaches at least three different stories of its background: (1) it fell from heaven and is like the House in Heaven; (2) Adam built it; (3) Abraham and Ishmael [Arabs descended from Ishmael] built it. History says that it was a place of pagan worship until Mohammad conquered the city of Mecca and claimed it for allah. Islam is not simply a religion; it is the government, the courts, the law for family, business, education it is the total life for its followers. The law of the Koran is called Sharia, and the belief of Muslim leadership is that Islam must take over the entire world, and that Sharia must become the law everywhere. Sadly, even children are taught in the schools that to die as a suicide bomber in the name of allah is the best thing anyone can do. The Koran teaches that those who are disobedient should be beaten, and often people die from the beatings. It also says that it is good to lie if that will help to spread Islam. In countries where the religion is in strict control, women have to wear clothes that cover their whole bodies, faces and all. Usually girls are not allowed to go to school, and if they get into any trouble they can be beaten or stoned to death. The middle East and many countries of Africa are under the power of Muslims. Their goal is to take over Europe and America, and to make everybody become Muslims and to live under their Sharia law. We must pray that our government leaders wont be blind to what they are doing. Its so important, Laura and Anthony, that we study Gods word so carefully, and that we believe in God and Jesus so deeply that if someone said, Either you give up Jesus and be a Muslim, or we will kill you, that we would count the cost and be willing to die for God. We pray that such a terrible thing will never happen, but we have to grow strong now, to fight off Satans temptations, and to live and even die for God. And we must be working as Christians to spread Jesus Gospel so that even Muslims will learn that God is love. 71

 Anthony, if someone gave you a statue of one of the Hindu gods, would you fix a special place for it and take special care of it? I dont want one of their idols, Daddy! And I wouldnt either, Laura piped up. How can they worship something and pray to something for help that cant even do anything to help itself? The main reason, Honey, is that is what theyve been taught all their lives! Thats why its so important that your mother and I be very sure that what were teaching you kids is exactly what God says in His Book, because youll probably stay with whatever we teach you, if we do a good enough job of it. But, theres one more kind of god that we need to talk about before we leave this subject of idols and false religions. Im sure youd never worship an idol, but did you know that we can make our own gods and idols out of anything? Without even realizing it, people do that! Have you ever heard anyone say, So-and-so just worships money!? Some people spend all of their time and energy and thought on money they never have enough, and some would do even very wrong and evil things, just to get their hands on more money. in 1 Timothy 6:10, the apostle Paul warned the young man, Timothy, ... the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Things are gods to lots of people. Maybe its an X-Box or some other kind of machine a boy has r-e-a-l-l-y wanted, so he saved up his money and spent a lot of his time just dreaming of the day when he would have his very own well, he might still call it an X-Box but in his heart it may be more important than God. If he thinks about it more and spends more money on it and would rather be playing games on it than anything else, then he may already have an X-Box idol in his heart! Had you thought about that??? Or, when you get a little older and have to have a car, watch out that you dont make a god out of it! So, whats the rule, kids? Be always on guard so that nothing in this world is as important to you as God is! Jesus even said that if you love Mother and me more than you love God, you are not worthy of having Gods love (Matthew 10:37). 71 72

Our World..... Lesson 12

Do We Sometimes Make Idols?

73

Into Gods World.....

Memory Verse: Philippians 4:8,9: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Daddy was laughing as he sat down with Mother and Laura and Anthony for their evening Bible study. Whats funny? Something I saw today. You know weve talked about the idols that people make and worship. Well, in Hinduism, many people have a little place of special worship in their homes. They have a shelf thats sort of an altar of worship, and they put their idol on it. Then they may offer flowers or something else to the idol. Well, I saw one Ganesh, the elephant god of prosperity that they pray to for money and success in a shop and picked it up to look a little closer. Do you know what was printed on the bottom of that god? Made in China!!! Can you imagine worshiping a god that was made in a factory in China? But, really, its not funny its sad that sincere people can be that deceived by Satan. I wouldnt do that, Daddy, Laura said. No, but Satan has lots of ways to trick us when we may not be watching closely what hes doing. Weve taught you about the true God, and so you know that Hes the only one we can worship. But tonight we want to talk about some other tricky ways Satan tries to get us off-track. What are some of the things weve said people in our world do that satan likes? Bullying kids, Anthony suggested. Laura added, Cheating and lying. The really bad people murder and steal, Mother suggested. Youre right. All of those things are common in our world, because lots of the people are following Satans lead. But you wouldnt do those things, would you, Anthony? 74

Satans Tricks

No, sir, I wouldnt. So for people like you who want to be good, Satan has a very different bag of tricks. Do you know what some of those tricks might be? To argue with you and Mother, and to disobey? Laura asked. Yes, he uses those things. Thats why were always teaching you to have respect for authority for God, for government, for teachers, for us as your parents. But therere other ways Satan tricks all of us sometimes: he uses temptations to take up our time and thought and money on things that arent wrong, in themselves. But they become wrong the way he uses them. Let me show you: Anthony, do you have a video game? Yes, sir. Does Mother limit the time you can play each week? Yes, sir. Why do you think she does that? Theres nothing wrong with the game; youre not hurting anybody when you play it. Why cant you just play any time you want to, and for as long as you would do it? Um-m-m... Maybe Id just play all day... because Im always sad when the times up and I have to stop. But why would Mother not want you to play a game all day? and then you might get up tomorrow and start all over again, and the next day! Whats wrong with that, if youre having fun? Well, you said I have work Im supposed to do, so I cant play all the time. Thats right, son; were not in this world just to use all our time playing games and having fun. All of us have to learn to carry our share of the work load. Do you remember that after God had created Adam and Eve and had put them in the Garden of Eden even before they had sinned by listening to Satan the Bible says, Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15). So they had work to do responsibilities! What does that word mean, Laura? Things we are supposed to do. So, what do you do now, Anthony, instead of playing games all day? I keep my things picked up in my room, and when I bring something to the den or somewhere else, Im not supposed to leave a trail of stuff. After dinner, were supposed to take our dishes to the kitchen and rinse them. When you work in the yard, you tell me to come too so I can learn how to cut grass and pull weeds. And, theres school and homework! 75

Laura, what jobs do you have? To keep my room clean too, and help Mother with the dusting and vacuuming. I like to help make cookies so I can learn to cook. I help set the table for dinner, and unload the dishwasher. And sometimes I help fold clothes from the dryer. OK, now lets think of some fun things to do and decide whether or not theyre good for us. Ill start with the first one: Play ball. Tell me some good things that come from playing ball. Well... its good to learn how to follow rules, and to get to be a winner at running and playing. And the exercise is good for our bodies. So its good to learn rules and to be a skillful player and to get exercise. How would Satan use playing ball as one of his tricks? Sometimes people get mad when they dont win. And if all I did was play ball, I couldnt do my work, Laura added. Well, how about reading? Can Satan use that as one of his tricks? Um-m-m! Daddy you hit on my temptation! Laura laughed. I could read all the time! Isnt that good? Yes, therere some useful things about reading. We learn from what others have learned and have written, so reading can be a very valuable use of time. You have to read a lot to do your school work, dont you? And even when the kids were babies, I started reading to them, Mother spoke up. Some of our best family times have been when we read special books together. I treasure those times. And, just like tonight our family Bible study is reading time, so thats really important. But would it be good for anybody to just sit and read all day? No.... Theres more to life than just books. Thats what we have to remember: that we need to fill our days with many good things, and not let Satan pull any of his tricks on us. Lots of people now spend so much of their time watching TV or playing computer games or texting their friends or reading or playing sports or checking out Facebook or Youtube or a dozen and one other things things that are not wrong, themselves but satan makes them wrong for us when he gradually gets us in the habit of spending hours and hours on those things. Were humans. We live in bodies. We need to rest, dont we? So God made day and night, so that it would just be natural to curl up and go to sleep 76

when it gets dark. You know if you dont get enough rest, youre grumpy! But doctors say getting enough rest is important for the health of our bodies and even our minds. I read the other day that in Alaska and places where it never gets really dark in the summer months, people have more problems with depression and there are even more people who kill themselves because of depression! So God knew what He was doing when He gave us time to rest. We need time to relax and have some fun too. Thats good for our health. Proverbs 17:22 explains, A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. When you think about some of the really strange looking animals God made, you just have to laugh! God must have a sense of humor, and He wants us to laugh and have fun, because even thats good for us. We need exercise, if we want to stay healthy. Too many kids now just want to sit around and read or watch TV or play computer games, and eat! And so they get fat because theyre not running and exercising. Some of those kids will develop diabetes and joint damage because of the way theyre treating their bodies. Thats why work is good for us, because it gets us up out of our chairs and away from the refrigerator, and makes us use our muscles! Now, in ages past, people walked to wherever they needed to go, they had to dig the ground to grow food, they had to carry heavy things on their backs from one place to another so there was hard work involved in just living. Things have changed so much now. We think of all the advantages we have, and what a wealth of tools and helpful marvels we have! And we do have a lot to be thankful for but satan can turn those good things into problems for us if we let him. A good rule to remember is Moderation in all things. Laura, do you know what moderation means? Not really.... Mother? It means moderate sort of middle of the road in everything. Not to play all the time, or eat all the time, or be funny all the time! Or even to work all the time! It just means to make some time for everything and to have a balanced life. Thats a good explanation. Does that make sense to you kids? Yes,sir, it does. So God wants us to work some and play some and study some and rest some and most of all He wants us to make time for Him every day. In fact, God wants to be in our minds all through the day. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray without ceasing. 77

And Philippians 4:6-9 describes the way we should think: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Now lets see if we can understand what the apostle Paul was telling us God wants us to do: 1. Be anxious for nothing. with prayer and supplication [with earnest hearts] and thanksgiving make requests to God. 2. The result? Gods peace will guard our hearts and minds through Jesus. 3. We are to meditate [think deeply about] on these things: true things no deceit or lies in our thinking noble things high ideals just things fair things and right things pure things no evil or sin in our thinking lovely things happy, positive things of good report reputation for rightness things of virtue high standards things that are praiseworthy examples we can follow 4. If we build our thinking and our lives on these things, Gods peace will be with us. 1. Satan wants people to worship __________ instead of God. 2. He wants people to do ________ things like stealing and killing. 3. If people want to be good, he fools them with his bag of ________. 4. How does Satan make good things into something that is wrong? 5. Is it wrong to spend hours and hours and hours every day on games? 6. What does in moderation mean? 7. How is playing sports good for us? 8. How are we healthier when we exercise and are happy? 9. What does it mean to have responsibilities? 10. If we are to have a good, balanced life, Who must be a part of every day? 78

Into Gods World.....Lesson 13

Lesson One: Who Is satan?

Lets Look Back...

Some people today think there is no such being as satan: We, as humans, just do some things that are wrong. Satan is a spirit being so we cant see him with our eyes, but Gods word tells us that he is real. Hes described as ... a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He was created when God created all the angel host, but he wanted to be as great as God and so he made war with the Michael and the good angels. Revelation 12:7-9 says that he was thrown out of Heaven, and that he is now at war with Gods people on the earth. In the Bible we read of many battles people have had with Satan: Adam and Eve; Job; Peter; Judas; and even Jesus. Jesus taught us how to defend ourselves against Datans attacks: with Gods Word! Thats why its so important that we study the Bible and know the right way to live. Satan uses many weapons in his war with us: lying, deceit, discouragement from problems. If we refuse to listen to Satan, and listen instead to what God says to us in His Word, He will use all of Satans challenges to make us stronger for the right. He has purpose for our lives in this world.

Lesson Two: How Satan Wrecks the World

Before the flood of Noahs time, the Bible says that Satan had so wrecked the world that everybody did only evil things all the time only Noah and his family still loved God. What were some of the terrible things people did? [Encourage students to give answers.] fighting, killing, lying, stealing, cheating, cursing, immodesty and lust, immorality, idolatry... Humans were created in a likeness of God. We can think and act; we have consciences. [What is a conscience?] Within ourselves, we know that some things are right and we feel good about doing them. We know that some things are wrong, and we feel guilty when we do those things. Our lives must be pure, and we must learn to be passionate about living for Jesus. It is important that Christians be with Christians, so that we can help each other to be strong against Satan. Christians need to marry Christians so that they can have good homes and raise their children to be Christians. That way, we can be ready when Jesus comes back to take His Family to Heaven. 79

Lesson Three: What Has Jesus Done for US?

We know that when God created the world, everything was perfect but now it is a dangerous place because sin destroyed the perfection. There are natural disasters, like storms and earthquakes that happen everywhere. People have been ruined too, because satan has lied and deceived almost everyone. He is always trying to trip us up and to get us to live like the people around us. It makes him happy to see trouble-makers having fights, ruining their lives with drugs, and cheating and lying. But Jesus has done everything to help those who love Him. He made the family fathers and mothers to teach their children in the right way; and He made His spiritual Family, the church, so that Christians can help each other to be strong and to live faithfully all their lives. Jesus loves His church so much that He died on the cross to save us. He taught His disciples to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to everyone. Since we are His disciples now, that should be our purpose every day to live as pure examples of Christianity, and to make opportunities to talk to others about what Jesus has done for us. We who know Christ are not to focus on the latest fashions and fancy foods to eat and smart things to have; our reason for being in the world is to help people see Jesus living in us.

Lesson Four: God and Satan at War!

The church of Christ is Gods Family in the world. The church is carrying on the war with Satan. You might ask: If there is the danger that a Christian will become weak or will let Satan tempt him to leave Christ, why does God leave us in this dangerous world? Why doesnt He just take us to heaven when we are baptized, and then all of us will be saved, and nobody will lose the war?! But think about that: Who is teaching you how to be a Christian? Your parents? Are they Christians? Your Bible class teacher? Is he/she a Christian? How would you learn if there was no one to teach you? And if the first ones who obeyed the Gospel had been taken to Heaven right then who would have been left in the world to have brought the truth and the Bible on down through the centuries to us??? So we HEAR the Gospel, we BELIEVE that Jesus is Gods Son, we REPENT we die to sin as we turn away from Satans temptations, we CONFESS our faith that Jesus is Gods Son, we are BAPTIZED into Christ buried in water and raised up out of the watery grave, resurrected to new spiritual life, becoming new babies in His Family. What we do to be born into the family pictures what Jesus did for us: He DIED for our sins, He was BURIED in the grave, and then He was RESURRECTED. Teaching this is our purpose in life. 80

Lesson Five: Gods Circle of Salvation

Fifth graders often are beginning to wonder if they would go to Heaven if they died; to wonder if it is time for them to obey the Gospel. Most children at that age are not mature enough in their thinking to have been able to read the Bible for themselves and to figure out the rights and wrongs and the remedy for sin. Children are not perfect, but God does not count their errors against them until they are old enough to be counted as responsible. For our children, we kept emphasizing that the best way to judge accountability is the persons own attitude: if the first concern is for what the parents will think, rather than how God will judge some wrong in their behavior, they are not yet ready for the one-to-one relationship with God. They would still be counted as innocent, I believe. But when they do obey the Gospel, they are born into Gods Family, and they have a new life to live. They need to be made aware that Satan will be working really hard to tempt them to leave the faith because hes angry that another soul belongs to God. Satan realizes they are just spiritual babies, and dont know much about defending themselves. They need the help of their physical family and their spiritual family to grow strong. The new life requires growth and changes. We learn about these in the Bible. We learn to be loving and patient, to go the second mile, to turn the other cheek rather than to give in to anger when someone mistreats us. We learn that we are to be lights of Jesus in the world What Would Jesus Do? should be our guide always. Life, now, has great purity and spiritual purpose.

Lesson Six: Gods Perfect Plan satans Work to Wreck It.

Gods book the Bible is not a history book about people who lived centuries ago. Yes, it does tell us true accounts of people and ages past, but it is far more than a history. It is God speaking to us today, as our Heavenly Father, telling us what to do to have the best and safest life possible in this broken world; and telling us what not to do, to protect us from making terrible mistakes. The Bible was written by about 40 men, over a period of more than 1600 years! Most of them never knew any of the other writers, and most of them never got to read what the others wrote! Yet, the message is one: it begins with the creation in the Garden of Eden the original Paradise and ends with the eternal Paradise the new Heaven and Earth that Jesus has gone to make ready for His Family. All through the Bible are prophecies statements about things that would happen many years down the way and all of them came true, which proves that God inspired the men in what they wrote. We can follow Gods perfect plan to be born into His church, to live purposely and in purity every day for Him, and we can look forward to living with all the saved people eternally. 81

Lesson Seven: That Special Family

What is Gods special Family called? [body bride church of Christ] Where did it begin? [Jerusalem] When did it begin? [the Day of Pentecost, approximately AD 33] Who is its Head? [Christ] Christians are called sheep and the men who lead the church are called shepherds. That means they take care of the Christians, teaching them, leading the church in its work. They are helped in that work by men who are called deacons which means servants in the original language. What do servants do? There are also teachers and preachers evangelists in the church. In the New Testament, God has described the kind of men who are to lead the church, both elders and deacons. He has shown how we are to come together on Sunday to worship Him as a body of people. We are to sing hymns of praise to God, to take the Lords Supper in remembrance of Jesus death to save us from our sins, we are to study the Bible, we are to pray, and we are to give of our money to help pay for the work the church is in the world to do. God leaves us in the world but we are to live so differently from the broken world around us that people will be able to see Christ in us. That purity is our purpose.

Lesson Eight: The Fathers Care for the Family

Jesus promised, I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Since creation, there have been three ages in the way God has worked with humans. The first was the Patriarchal Age; the second was the Mosaic Age; the third is the Christian Age. Patriarch means fathers. During that age [about 2500 years] there were no churches or any organization of people. God talked to the fathers of faithful households [such as Noah and Abraham] and gave them guidance. There was no Bible for them to read. Through Moses God gave what we call the Law of Moses to the people called Israelites. They were a chosen nation, because God planned for Jesus to be born to them. Jesus died to begin the last chosen nation, Christians who make up the church. We see God working through miracles [parting the Red Sea, Jesus raising the dead] and also through His providential interweaving of people, powers, things, to bring about what He wanted: Jonathan, Sennacherib, Elisha, Paul. After the Scriptures were completed, the miraculous age ended because now we can prove all things through Gods written word. 82

Lesson Nine: The Wonderful Providence of God

Miracles were powerful proofs that a prophet or a teacher was actually from God. That was their purpose. The Scriptures say that the more excellent way would be through the coming of THAT [not HE] which is perfect (1 Corinthians 13). The only two perfects are Jesus and the Bible. Jesus is He; the Bible is that, a thing, not a person. So when the Bible was completed with the Revelation of Jesus to John, the message from God was finished and there was no more the need for proving that a preacher was from God. Now we can know by comparing his message to Gods word. This is the safest way for our souls. A magician or a fake healer can deceive people, but if his message is tested by Scripture, his error will be clear for all to see. So, today, God works powerfully but not miraculously, through anything and everything He needs to use to bring about His will. Reggie, Vertannes, the doctor in Karachi are examples of Gods providential care for those who are looking for Him. With the same power, He works in the lives of Christians to do for them what they cannot do for themselves. Hebrews 1:14 and 13:2 are His binding promises. Knowing Gods providential work, we turn to Him in fervent prayer always, in all things.

Lesson Ten: Satans Further Attacks

Satan has been the enemy of Gods people from the beginning, but he really tried to destroy Gods plan to save us by destroying the Baby Jesus. When he failed in that, he hoped he could tempt the man Jesus to worship him instead of God. Finally, Satan must have thought he had won the war when Judas betrayed Jesus, the Jewish leaders condemned Him, and Pilate finally allowed His crucifixion. But then Jesus came out of the tomb, alive, and the victor over death. By His resurrection, He promises a resurrection for all of us, so Satan was badly defeated. But then, when Jesus began His church, the devil sneakily planned a new way to fight. He couldnt keep Jesus from calling people to obey Him, to be baptized into His church, and to live by the Bible. But Satan could start counterfeit churches! Do you know what counterfeit means? Tell me about a counterfeit dollar.... It may look like the real thing to people who are not trained to recognize the genuine bill, but a counterfeit thing is worthless. Counterfeit churches look like churches groups of religious people but they wear different names and worship different ways and teach different ways of being saved and all kinds of other doctrines. Jesus began only one family, and He says in Ephesians 5:26,27 that He is coming back for His one bride! We, as part of His bride, have to live pure lives, purposeful lives, passionate about teaching others so they can be saved to and live prayerfully under Gods providential care. What a life! 83

Lesson Eleven: Other gods and Other Religions

Almost from the beginning of Satans war with God, hes been getting people to worship idols and things instead of God. He told Eve that she would be like God if she ate the forbidden fruit. There are many religions in the world today, and one of the lies the devil is still getting people to believe is that humans can become like God. So statues are made of Buddha and of men in the Hindu religion who became gods. People bow down to them, their faces to the ground, and worship them. In the Bible, God ridiculed humans who would cut down a tree, burn part of it to warm themselves, burn part of it to cook their food, and then carve a god from the rest of the tree. He showed how stupid they were to fall down before an image they had carved with their hands an image that could not move or speak or even help itself in any way and to pray to it for their needs. To us, knowing the Bible and what it teaches us about God, we cant imagine that anyone in this day and age would actually worship a lifeless stone. Millions in the world follow these religions Satan has made, to confuse people and to keep them from turning to the true God. But even though we know the truth about God, still we can be fooled by Satan. How? By letting anyone or anything be more important to us than God. We have to be careful in this, because if I ask you, Who do you love most? you would probably quickly say, God! But we show who is most important to us by our actions. If we have hours to devote to video games and no real interest in letting God talk to us through the Bible, who or what is more important to us? If wed choose to go to a ball game instead of to Bible class or to do some work in the church, that tells us what is more important to us. Our passion must be for God, not for entertainment or things in this world.

Lesson Twelve: Satans Tricks

Satan knows that many people dont want to do bad things. You wouldnt kill anybody or rob a bank. So if he cant get us to do really bad things, hes satisfied if he can just keep us from putting God first in our lives. So he zeroes in on every innocent distraction possible. Theres nothing wrong with reading a good book, or playing video games, or competing in sports, or a thousand-and-one other things. But if Satan can fill our days with thinking about all the fun things so that there is no real time left to give to God, he wins again! Satan is a tricky fellow, and we have to be on guard all the time, or hell find a way to trip us up. Our protection from him is to be sure that God is truly the most important in our lives; that we sincerely pray to Him, thankful for all He does every day, talking about Him to others, trusting Him to keep His promises, with peace in our hearts. 84

87

Published by World Evangelism Publications [P.O. Box 72, Winona, MS 38967, USA] for Churches of Christ