Kids of the King, Arise!

1)Putting on the “Rainbow Coat”

Do you remember the prayer picture that Cole recieved that we shared a short while ago? (March 2nd post)

Now he was not the only one that had prayer pictures about “Joseph” and his rainbow coat that evening. God was really highlighting something. He was pointing out the importance of “the church”, (not the building really, but the people that make up the church) to reach out.

Jesus didn’t send the Helper so that we can get our prayer needs met, or to help us get rid of our bad habits, although He does help us with those, but His TOP priority was that we witness to the world out there,(that is still held captive in the Kingdom of darkness) in LOVING SERVICE. He asks us to draw close to him in prayer, so we know what is on is heart…after all he sees the whole world… and then obey His promtings to reach out.

As we thought about it we decided to explore the meanings behind the colors, and use them as a springboard to ‘carry’ God’s glory out into the streets. So we designed a simple booklet and linked the various colors to a key of the Kingdom. From there we wrote a simple prayer and a scripture fleshing out the principle.

We went over the booklet with the kids and suggested that for the next month they choose one of the colors each day as a reminder to bring that ‘key of the kingdom’ into their world with God’s help.

The kids were instructed to make a necklace out of the rainbow colored beads, or place a single bead on a fine wire, that they could tie onto a necklace or bracelet they were wearing already. Another option was to encourage them to wear an item of clothing reflecting the color that they were going to choose for the day.

So this D.P.G. lesson is to help us walk that out.

Goal
To help kids intentionally carry kingdom principles into the world.
Setting
Room large enough to do crafts and a parachute game
Materials:
-Colorful Beads
-Elastic, wire or fishing line to string beads on.
-Color booklet printed out, one per child (use material below)
-Pencil crayons
Optional
-Rainbow parachute
- Cookies with colored Smarties for snack

Red

Key of the Kingdom: Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Lord, help me to know how much you love me. Help me to show your love to someone today, in simple acts of kindness. Open my eyes to see the need in the people you bring across my path today. Give me Your love for them and the strategy that would touch their hearts.

Orange
Key of the Kingdom: Courage
(The fire of the Holy Spirit)
Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NAS

Lord, I need courage today. You know how I face temptations to do wrong every day. Help me to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stood up for You, and didn’t follow the crowd, even when it was very hard. Help me to resist temptation. Thank you that You promise to be with me everywhere I go. (Daniel3:28)

Yellow / Gold
Key of the Kingdom: Truth
(Jesus; the light of the world!)
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light Exodus 13:20-22 (NIV)

Show me that you are with me today. Be my guide, and help me know your truth in the circumstances I face during the day. Help me to be a child of Light and bring Your light into my world.

Green
Keys of the Kingdom: Life, hope, healing, and new beginnings
…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 (Amplified)

Lord, open my eyes to someone who needs a word of life or hope today. Give me Your words or acts to bring healing into his/her life.

Light Blue
Key of the Kingdom: Peace
(The water of the Holy Spirit)
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness (GOD’ S PEACE), everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. Philippians 4:5-7 (The Message)

Today when I am worried, help me to remember that You are in control. When I run into situations today where there is there is conflict or hurting. Help me to bring your peace into the problem.

Indigo / Dark Blue
Key of the Kingdom: Obedience
(Hearing God’s Voice)
… mark each corner tassel (of your prayer shawl) with a blue thread. When you look at these tassels you’ll remember and keep all the commandments of God, and not get distracted by everything you feel or see… Numbers 15:38-41 (The Message)

When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:1-3 NIV

Lord, help me listen to your still small voice and obey. Help me to obey your still small voice, even when it doesn’t make sense. Use me today to do your will on Earth as it is in Heaven. Use my hand, my mouth and my feet, to bring your compassion, kindness and truth into my world.

Violet / Purple
Key of the Kingdom: Authority
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28:18-20 (NIV)

Thank You that You have authority over the kingdom of darkness and that You have given that authority to me. Jesus, use my voice to speak out the words of truth and blessing that You would want to say. Use me to draw someone to You today.

Pink
Key of the Kingdom: Good relationships, Unity
I (Jesus) pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21(NIV)

The goal is for all of us to become one heart and mind!!

Jesus, help me today to be like You. Show me how to get along with________ so that others will know that You are in me and believe in You.

White
Key of the Kingdom: Purity
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

…become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)

If I am in a situation where I am tempted today, help me to choose to think about the things that will bring joy to Your heart. Help me to walk as a child of Light. Help me to think about things that bring joy tom your heart.

Black
Key of the Kingdom: Humility
(Death to self & sin)
The lifestyle of the wicked is like total darkness, and they will never know what makes them stumble. Proverbs 4:19 (CEV)
… If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you’ll find both yourself and Me. Matthew 10:38 -39 (The Message)

Help me to see others through Your eyes, Jesus. Help me to remember that Your ways are better than my ways, and not insist on having my way. When I feel like being selfish, help me to remember that You gave Yourself for us.

2) Parachute game:
Purpose. -Visualize a canopy, like Gods’ glory over a person or a nation.
Pray for a person or nation, using the color principles.

1. Review of basic guidelines re: using a parachute. See websites listed below.
2. Place a map of your nation on the floor, or chose one of the participants to sit in the middle of the floor.
3. Cover the map, or person with the parachute, and instruct the rest of the kids to hold the edges of the parachute by the handles

a. Play Cathedral/Canopy
• Canopy Players lower the parachute and then on the count of three raise their arms high once the parachute is quite high. Everyone then quickly takes 3-4 giant steps toward the center and pulls the parachute behind them and sit down with their bottoms on the edge of the parachute.
• Being in the Canopy brings a sense of peace, calm and wonder. Discuss: being in the ‘canopy’ is like being in a safe peaceful “God Place” together.
• Encourage prayer for the nation or person under the canopy, using the thoughts that were learned from the colors booklet.
• E.g., Help ___________to show God’s love today. Give the leaders in our nation of __________ to have the courage to speak the truth… and so on.

b. Putting on the rainbow coat.

-Have one of the children sit in the middle of the parachute and the rest hold the handles.
-All together pray that “Johnny’ will be a carrier of God’s glory this week.
-Slowly walk in the same direction, “wrapping” the parachute around the child. (make sure it dosn’t go as far as their neck)
-When they are ‘wrapped’ in the coat, have the kids holding the handles on a count of three, pull and take a large step back wards.
-The child in the center will spin…

For information re: parachute activities:
http://www.funandgames.org/parachute_games.html

There are a number of words that talk about how the Holy Spirit guides us in this psalm. Can you underline them? However only if we are willing to obey will He be able to help us and lead us. That only makes sense, right? You may have heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”

Look up and fill in the blanks.
John 14:15-17 & 23
“If you love me, you _________what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit_______.
“If anyone loves me_________________ My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those_______________.”

A friend of mine shared how when he was a baby Christian he wondered how he would be able to hear God‘s voice and obey. Shortly afterwards he took at trip to the Middle East, and found himself in the countryside. As he lay there under a tree, in the late afternoon, heard the tinkle tinkle tinkle of bells. Getting up he clambered up the hill, and on the other side, he saw a huge herd of sheep, and a number of what he assumed to be shepherds. He watched the sight for quite awhile and then saw one of the shepherds, put something to his lips. Out came a tune on what sounded to be a wooden flute. Immediately the herd stopped milling around and from amongst the sheep, he noticed certain ones making their way to the shepherd. Then another shepherd did the same, only this time it was another tune, Then a third and then a forth and fifth. Each with a unique melody. In a matter of five minutes, each shepherd had a small herd of sheep gathered around him, and off they went each in a different direction. The sheep knew the ‘voice’ of their shepherd and when he called they obeyed and followed.

Now a good shepherd takes care of his sheep, I would assume, and wouldn’t lead them off a cliff or to some poisonous weeds. But they need to obey and follow. In the same way the Holy Spirit would NEVER lead us to something that would cause us to sin or harm us.

You may ask, Even though I mean to obey Jesus, how do I know that I ‘ll be able to? How can I promise to obey, when so often I am tempted to do my own thing? Did you know that God counts your willingness, and will more and more give you the ability to obey? Isn’t that neat? That is one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us.

Memorize the following verse
Philippians 2:13 (New Living Translation)
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Practise: Is there something you need to make a descision about, or an area where you don’t know what to do? Ask God to lead you by the helper, Holy Spirit. He may do this by leading you to a scripture verse that gives you direction. Or he may lead someone in your life confirm what you should do and give you good advise. He may whisper a thought to your mind. God wants to help you know His ways and His will for you and won’t play hide and seek and make it hard for you to obey.

A Baby’s Hug ~

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, ‘Hi.’ He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. ‘Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,’ the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks, ‘What do we do?’

Erik continued to laugh and answer, ‘Hi.’

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, ‘Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.’

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. ‘Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,’ I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby’s ‘pick-me-up’ position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder. The man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck.. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, ‘You take care of this baby.’

Somehow I managed, ‘I will,’ from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, ‘God bless you, ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift.’

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, ‘My God, my God, forgive me.’

I had just witnessed Christ’s love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, ‘Are you willing to share your son for a moment?’ when He shared His for all eternity.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, ‘To enter the Kingdom of God , we must become as little children.’

How will you respond to God’s most extravagent gift today? His sacrifice paved the way for you to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, when you achnowledge and accept that He died for your sin.

Today get alone by yourself and Let God know How much you love Him and thank Jesus for opening the door for you to leave the kingdom of darkness, and enter the Kingdom of Light.

Christina
Age 9
Winnipeg
Manitoba

My Daniel Prayer Group went to Siloam Mission to put a pair of socks, a chocolate kiss, a home made card of encouragement and to pray for each bed. I liked that because I like helping the poor so I like learning about them. Siloam Mission is a building that is home to many poor men and women. One day Hannah was walking down a poor part of Winnipeg with her mother. As they turned a corner, Hannah spotted a man in rags digging in a garbage can. Hannah asked her mother, “Mommy, why is that person not dressed nice and why is he in a garbage can?” Her mother answered,”That person is looking for food. He is not dressed well because he has no other clothes.” At that moment, Hannah knew that something had to be done,and she was the one to make a difference and she did. Hannah was only six at the time. She made money some how and used every cent to make a building for poor people to sleep in at night. In Siloam Mission, there is a booth called “Hannah’s Place.” In that booth is towels and soup. Every night, hundreds of poor people enter Siloam Mission for a supper, but not even half of the people get to sleep there. Siloam Mission needs more beds. Do you care about the poor?

How can you show God’s love to the poor in your city? Have a look at what the Bible says.

Luke 3:11 (The Message)
“If you have two coats, give one away,” Jesus said. “Do the same with your food.”

Isaiah 58:6-7 (The Message)
What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,and being available to your own families

Materials
Devotional book (optional)
Journals for students
Pen/paper

Catching On:
1. Say: We’re going to start with a video clip today, and I want you pay attention to who these people are and what they are doing.

2. Ask: Who are these people? (Fire fighters and a ____________ How do you like that!) What are they all doing? (training – climbing etc) Why are they doing this? (to prepare for a possilbe fire) How often do you think they does this? (probably every day, or at least a few times a week).

Digging In:
3. Say: Training for a game or a carreer takes daily practice and discipline, but the rewards are worth it. In the same way, we grow stronger if we seek God’s heart daily. Today, we’re going to do the same thing that we did yesterday but we’re going to read a different part of the Bible, God’s letter to us.
5. Prepare: Be sure every student has paper and a pen/pencil. Tell them to draw, write about, ask questions, or jot notes about what they hear today.

1. Say: Before we read the Bible, let’s prepare ourselves to listen. We need to become “quiet” so we can hear God. Take a deep breath to calm your body. Calm your mind by thinking of Jesus – try to imagine him on his throne in heaven or in your favorite story about him. Then, prepare your heart by asking God to speak to you and telling Him that you are ready to listen.
2. Give students a few moments to “quiet” themselves.
3. Read a passage of Scripture and (if you wish) a section from a devotional book.

(any passage is appropriate, but I used the following passage and devotional with my sixth grade class)
Colossians 1:3-14 (New International Version) (NIV)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[a] behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption,[c] the forgiveness of sins.

Devotional:
The following devotional is taken from Our Daily Bread, vol 52, numbers 9, 10 & 11. USA: RBC Ministries, 2007.

“Kingdom Living” by Joe Stowell (Jan 23)
I have a lot of friends who work in bad neighborhoods. One of these friends moved his family to the inner city. One day as he was walking down the hallway in his apartment building, he noticed two guys smoking crack cocaine. Not wanting his kids to see what they were doing, he asked the two to stop. The next thing he knew, one of their fists had found its way to his jaw. With a bleeding nose and mouth, he responded, “If Jesus shed His blood for me, I can shed my blood for you.”
Shocked by the man’s response, the two men fled. A few days later one of them returned and knocked on my friend’s door, and said, “I have not forgotten your words. If your God is that real to you, then I want to know Him.” That day, he was “delivered…from the power of darkness,” and brought into “the kingdom of the son of His love” (Col. 1:13).
Those of us who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness can bring a little bit of heaven to earth when we are willing to demonstrate the power of God’s unique approach to life. Even in our moments of weakness and vulnerability, we are given opportunities to demonstrate the power and strength of God’s forgiveness by showing His love for our enemies.

“A world in darkness needs the light of the gospel.”

Wrapping Up:
1. Allow time for students to finish writing/drawing their thoughts.
2. Close with prayer.

Options:
● Repeat pattern for a couple of days, so students see the “habit” of reading God’s Word. Include video clips about a “touchdown” or reaching the peak of a mountain, to connect to victory/reward moments when we connect with God or hear from Him.
● Play Bible passages from a Bible movie (preferable one that quotes the Bible directly)
● Play audio from the Bible Experience CD, which is a dramatized version of the Bible read by professional actors and complete with a soundtrack in the background. You can buy portions of it for about $5 on iTunes.

AJ Interviews Jennifer Millar

AJ: Could you tell us about some of the miracles you are experiencing ministering to the children.

Jennifer:Recently we took eight suit cases full of designer clothing to donate to orphans in Rwanda and Kenya. To our amazement, we were able to clothe hundreds and hundreds of children. The clothing supernaturally multiplied. The more we kept giving away, the more we kept pulling out.

By the end we were taking bags and bags of clothing to different orphanages in town, but we still didn’t run out! Each child received multiple outfits and they were so blessed by the kindness of God. In fact, one little three-month-old baby girl who had just been found in a garbage can, got 23 dresses!

‘This interview was used with permission from AJ Butel’s website - www.ajbutel.com.’
To read more about Jennifer’s work check out‘Global Children’s Movement’: www.gcmovement.org

Submitted by Doris’ group…K.I.D.S. (Kids in Daring Situations)

K.I.D.S. is a group for ages 8 to 12. It has one group a week for 3 weeks and on the last week we split up into groups and pray for people on the street of downtown Victoria. Then the groups meet at McDonalds and share what happened.

So on the first week we get to know each other and there is teaching. The second week there is also teaching and we pray for guidance in finding the right place to go. God showed my brother a picture of a blue bridge. So on the third week that’s where we went.

But we were having trouble to find parking so we prayed for a spot close to the bridge and we got one. While we were walking we saw a homeless couple and so we stopped and gave them gloves. They were really happy and thankful and they needed financial help so we asked if they wanted prayer.

They said yes. As I prayed, the man shook and started to cry, he was really touched. Then we went to McDonalds and shared what happened and I was filled with the joy of the Lord.

Braedan
Age 11
Victoria, BC

We have a Life Group that goes to homeless people. Doris prayed and we closed our eyes and I saw a blue bridge. So we went to the blue bridge.

We saw some people and gave them gloves. We prayed and the man started to cry.

Tyrel
Age 7
Victoria, B.C.

Cole
Edmonton, Alberta

A few months ago I (Carolin) was in Edmonton at a Regional Gathering with Watchmen for the Nations. During one of the sessions in the Kid’s track, Cole had a prayer picture when we were waiting on the Lord. He was not the only one among the children that had a picture similar to it. One boy drew a picture of Joseph, another drew a picture of a rainbow coloured banner. One of the leaders thought of the story of Joseph and Cole had this picture below. When we come together and ask God to speak to us and a whole bunch of us hear similar things, we know that God is trying to say something. That is called corporate hearing. Now it doesn’t need to come in prayer pictures but can come when a number of people think of the same Bible verse or have a similar idea, or ideas that all fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.

God really likes it when we come together as one and work together and try to hear His voice together. We are answering His prayer that we can find in John 17:11 “Father Let them be one, even as we are one.”
This is what the Disciples were like in Acts 2:42-46 when the Holy Spirit came in power. Do you remember what Key of the Kingdom that reflects? (*Answer below)

So what do you think that God was trying to highlight? Cole discribed his picture by saying, I saw a church that had stripes on it like Joseph’s coat. Behind the church is a star (like the morning star which is Jesus) and above it is a golden cloud (like the canopy of God’s presence in the wilderness). We asked the whole group to think about these pictures and what they thought God was saying. It can be summed up with this sentance.

When the church reaches out to the poor and the hungry of the nations, God’s presence will rest there.

Because we had been praying and asking God about HOW His presence could stay with us and we had shared about the names of God this made total sence.


Read: Genesis 38-45 or in a bible story book read the story of Joseph
As you read the story over the next few days, in your journal write down as many ways as possible that you could see the church acting like Joseph did.
* UNITY

Kayla, Age 8
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Hebrews !3: 5
I will never leave thee nor fosake thee

Once at Daniel, Prayer Group. I had a prayer picture come to mind of an angel coming through a doorway into the darkness and everything lit up. The angel was smiling and holding its hands up which reminded me that God is always with us.