Kids of the King, Arise!

• Beforehand make a large paper cut out of the body, OR have one of the kids volunteer to lie down on a piece of butcher paper and trace the outline of his/her body.

• Markers

We have looked at the different gifts that God has given out. Isn’t it neat that EACH of us has something special we can do for God? When we all work together we can make a difference. Lets look at it from a different angle

What is the church? Read Romans 12: 4-8
O.K. So think about it, if we are to be like Jesus what should our body be doing?

Take out the paper cut out of the body and take turns writing different ideas of how that part could be used to serve God and each other, on the different parts of the body

ASK: what are hands used for and how can they be used
eg…giving what? (Tithes, offerings, meals, )

Continue with the other parts of the Body.
-feet? Going where?
-brain? (thinking up ways to help people in our neigbourhood, memorizing God’s word)
-back? Helping people lifting
-mouth? encouraging

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might Ecc.9:10

ACTIVITY:
This week take one of the ideas you came up with and show God’s love to someone that you hang out with.

A few weeks ago we spoke about “Living Stones” and also how God has given each of us gifts. Here is a “Spiritual gifts survey” that Jo-anne Hollander sent in. It will help you see in what area God has gifted you. Go ahead and unwrap the gift

1 Peter 2:5
You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

God Has a Special Gift for Me!

Name: _____________________

Let’s find out what it is!

Circle the best answer.

I am one of a kind! Let’s see
what my gifts are!!!!

Add up the scores for each section & enter below:

A. Evangelist (Philip- Acts 21:8, Acts 8:27-40)

- Like to tell people about Jesus & follow Him

B. Prophet (John the Baptist)

- Teaches what is wrong and how to change it

C. Teacher (Aquila & Priscilla Acts 18:24-26)

- Plans & researches to teach great lessons

D. Exhorter (Barnabas Acts 11:22-24)

- Encourages people to obey & live for God

E. Shepherd (Timothy)

- Looks after the spiritual needs of others

F. Mercy Shower (The Good Samaritan Luke 10:30-37)

- Understands & comforts others

G. Giver (The Widow Mark 12:41-44)

-Generously shares his or her money & things

H. Server (Dorcas Acts 9:36)

- Helps other & does small tasks

I. Leader (Moses)

-Leads other to accomplish their goals

Your highest score will be your strongest gift.

The next highest score will be your secondary gift.

As you grow in Jesus & mature your gifts will develop.

Jesus is our perfect example of ALL the gifts:

Jesus was an EVANGELIST when He told the woman at the well of His living water.

He was a PROPHET when He taught the Scriptures to people in the temple and on the hillside.

He was an EXHORTER when He used parables to clearly explain His message.

He was a MERCY SHOWER when He healed the sick and raised the dead.

He was a SERVER when He washed Peter’s feet.

He was a GIVER when He gave His life by dying on the cross for our sins.

He will show that he is the greatest LEADER of all times when He returns as a King of Kings & Lord of Lords.

I have re-posted part of this entry as it fleshes out the “Living Stones” theme

Prayer Focus: The Church

Materials:
• Lego Blocks.
• White board
• printed out scriptures as indicated in lesson
• Picture of a cornerstone
• Pictures of different churches,
• Basket with names of city churches.
• Kids to each bring a picture of their church.
• A pastor of a church
• Construction paper “bricks” or
• Photocopies of individual bricks
• Large sheet of paper
• Glue and markers

When Kids arrive have Lego blocks available.
Divide the kids into 2 groups and instruct them each to build a church out of Lego blocks.

Start with the Lord’s Prayer. When finished call out “Your Kingdom come!”

Go back to the “Lego churches”
• Have the kids point out the differences. Remark that both were church buildings.
• Show pictures of different churches. Have the group articulate the differences in appearance both inside and outside the building.

Once I read about a lady named Hannah. She and a few others went to a conference in Switzerland. The meeting was held in one place and everyone was billeted in homes around the mountain. When they came together they were all sharing how beautiful the area was and how the view where they were staying was the best. One said, “The mountain peak is just SO majestic, it is the loveliest view I have ever seen!” Another said, “Oh no the valley is the most gorgeous, as it has wild flowers that looks like a rich carpet”. Another said, “But my view really is the best. It has this rushing stream pouring over rocks and the sun shines on it just so that it often has a rainbow.”
The speaker got up and said, “I agree these are all beautiful views but they are all a part of the same mountain.”

The same way with church, there are different ways we worship, but they are all love Jesus.

But wait a minute, are ALL churches everywhere Christian?
What makes a church a CHRISTIAN church?
A Christian church has to believe certain things. A long time ago a group of people met, looked at the Scriptures, talked about this question and this is what they came up with.

It is called the Apostles Creed and is said in many churches even today.

Listen carefully as someone reads this out.
ASK: What do we believe as Christians? Write down the responses on a white board.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Hand out a copy of the following two verses and have someone read them out loud.

Ephesians 2:20 LB
What a foundations you stand on now: the apostles and the prophets; and the cornerstone of the building is Jesus Christ Himself. We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful constantly growing temple for God. And you are joined with him and with each other by the Spirit, and are part of this dwelling place of God.

1Peter 2: 5-6
And you have become living building stones for God’s use in building His house.
As the scriptures express it: “See I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious cornerstone of my church, and I will never disappoint those who trust in Him.”

Ask:
What is Jesus called in these Bible verses?
What is a Cornerstone? Show Pictures of cornerstones and explain the function of a Cornerstone.

Now let’s read the verses again.

Ask:
What are we called? Living stones

We are the living stones that make up the Church. Not a building. But a Church with feet that moves because it is alive, big feet and little feet. As these living stones grow to be more like Jesus the cornerstone, we bring Jesus into our schools, the shopping center etc.

Now God gives these stones (us) many special abilities, or ways He works in our lives to do this.

Hand out these verses.
In small groups see how many different gifts the Holy Spirit gives to help us serve God. Come back together in 10 minutes and share the results.

1 Corinthians 12: 8-11LB
To one person the Holy Spirit give the ability to give wise advice; someone else may be especially good at studying and teaching…he gives special faith to another and to someone else the power to heal the sick. He gives power for doing miracles to some and to others power to prophesy and preach, He gives someone else the power to know when an evil spirit is at work. Still another person is able to speak in languages he never learned; and others who do not know the language the power to understand what he is saying.

Eph 4: 11LB Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he had given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their savior; and still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them the ways of God

Romans 12: 7LB ..if your gift is that of serving others serve them well…If God has given you money be generous in helping others with it…if God has given you administrative ability and put you in charge of the work of others, take that responsibility seriously.

ASK: Are all these gifts important?
Is one more important than the other?
No they are all important and all play a part in building up the church. But it is VERY important that they all work together.

ASK: Why does God give out these gifts?

READ Ephesians 4:12LB
Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the church, the body of Christ.

So WHO is head of the church? Who? Shout out JESUS

WORSHIP:

I will build My Church
By Graham Kendrick, 1988
Make Way Music

I will build my church.
I will build my church (echo)
I will build my church
And the gates of hell
Will not prevail
Against it.

Chorus:
So the powers in the heavens above, bow down
And the powers in the earth below bow down
And acknowledge, acknowledge, acknowledge
That Jesus, Jesus is Lord; is Lord.
(Taken from Mathew 16: 18)

If you don’t have a CD with the song, you can listen to it on line if you or your church has a CCLI membership.
http://www.ccli.com/SongSelect/ Song Number 30299

ACTIVITY: Chose one or two.

1) Have a pastor come and share some prayer requests. Then gather around and pray for him/her. Ask God for a word of encouragement, and share it.
2) This month go the pastor of your church and pray for him. If God gives you Bible verse to encourage him write it out on a nice card and give it to him.
3) The same way ask God to bring one of the workers at your church to mind. It may be a Sunday school teacher, or a worship leader or the custodian. Pray for that person, and then let them know on Sunday that you have been praying for them and appreciate them and that they are and important part of the body of Christ.
4)Have a basket with the names of all the churches in you city in it. At supper time this month take one out each day and pray for that church that they would be good witnesses of Jesus’ love.
5) If you have a large group, take a large piece of paper and draw an outline of a church. Hand out construction paper bricks or small photocopied pictures of bricks. Have each person write down their name on a brick. Place the cornerstone brick with the name of Jesus first. Fill in the “church” with the other bricks. As each person glues in his/her brick have him/her pray that God would equip him/her to be a living stone to be a witness for Jesus. Have leaders pray over the kids as God leads. Affirm the gifts you see in the children.
6) Pray for each other as living stones, that together we would all be built as living stones into a beautiful “house” where God’s presence would be seen. Pray that these LIVING stones would be a witness from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. Pray that we would appreciate each other’s gifts and affirm the importance that each one plays in the body of Christ.