Teaching tips from Maurice Sweetsur

Teaching tips - Contents.

Teaching tips from Maurice Sweetsur ( mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz ).

To view all my teaching resources, go to www.mauricesweetsur.blogspot.com To access Object lessons, go to www.objectlessons.blogspot.com
To access Stories, skits and puppet plays go to www.christianstoriesandplays.blogspot.com

To access all my material on major teaching themes, check out the 'Special Blog' sites below :-

1. Creation. www.ms-creation.blogspot.com 2. Christmas. www.ms-christmas.blogspot.com 3. Easter. www.ms-easter.blogspot.com 4. The Bible. www.ms-bible.blogspot.com
5. Prayer. www.ms-prayer.blogspot.com 6. Hearing from God. www.ms-hearing.blogspot.com 7. The Ten Commandments. www.ms-tencommandments.blogspot.com 8. John 3.16. www.ms-john316.blogspot.com 9. Teaching Memory verses. www.ms-memoryverses.blogspot.com 10. Gospel Illusions. www.ms-gospelillusions.blogspot.com 11. Object Lessons (using natural laws). www.ms-objectlessons.blogspot.com 12. Lessons involving balloons. www.ms-balloons.blogspot.com 13. Lessons involving fire. www.ms-firelessons.blogspot.com

To access my site for children go to www.funatkidzone.blogspot.com
To request my monthly free Newsletters as they are published, send me an email.
Maurice Sweetsur
mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz


Contents.
Title.

53. Discipleship.
52. Getting to know your children.
51. The road of life.
50. The Church.
49. What children need to understand about God.
48. The twelve days of Christmas.
47. Big bang or big mess?
46. The day of rest.
45. Dead to the world.
44. Using Christian songs to teach Biblical truths (Part 2).
44. Using Christian songs to teach Biblical truths.
43. Our amazing earth.
42. Commitment to Christ - Two analogies.
41. Symbols of Christmas.
40. Made in the image of God.
39. Why Christians praise God.
38. The progressive revelation of God.
37. Children are special.
36. Steps to forgiving others.
35. Presenting puppet skits and plays.
34. Religion or Christianity.
33. Our lives are on loan from God.
32. Peer pressure.
31. Teaching children to P.R.A.Y.
30.Teaching Bible stories as real history.
29. Memory verses on cardboard discs.
28. Assurance of salvation.
27. New Life in Christ.
26. Head belief or heart belief?
25. The Ten Commandments.
24. Knowing Jesus or knowing about Jesus?
23. The Good Samaritan.Teaching John 3.16.Overcoming discipline problems - by making your lessons fun and exciting.1. Getting children to pray in public.2. How we should pray (A lesson from blind Bartimaeus).3. Ideas for teaching the David and Goliath story.4. Ideas on teaching about Creation.5. Developing good habits.A. Teaching children how to make right choices.B. Teaching children to be generous givers.6. Use of Balloon modelling in Children's ministry.7. Use of Ventriloquism to teach class rules.8. Leading children to Christ.9. Noah's ark and the flood.10. Use of storytelling.11. What is love?12. The Lord's prayer.13, Teaching Memory verses.14. What's in a name?15. Telling the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. story.16. How God speaks to us.What do children believe?17. Ideas for teaching about Zacchaeus.18. Jesus Understands (Easter).19. Teaching Bible stories in context.Creation or Evolution. Does it really matter what we believe?20. Creation and Evolution.21. The lost sheep.22. The lost son.

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 2:01 AM

Teaching tip 53 - Discipleship.

T.T. 53 - Discipleship.

Jesus' final command to us was to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28.19), and this obviously includes children. Although there is much teaching available on how to lead children to Christ, I haven't come across much on how to disciple them. The following are some ideas that you could use in discipling young Christians. I am not suggesting that you share all the teaching ideas given here. You will have to be selective, but remember that the three important points that children need to understand are Certainty, Confession and Continuance.

What is a Christian?

Many children have false ideas of what a Christian really is. They will often talk about someone "Being good", or "Going to church", etc. They need to understand that a Christian is someone who has repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ.

I use the following illustration :- I write on the board

Christ - in - person = Christian,

explaining as I do so that that is what a Christian is - a person in whom Jesus Christ is living, because He has been invited to do so.

I then teach on the three main aspects of discipleship - Certainty, Confession and Continuance.


Certainty.

I show and explain John 1.12 "To all who received him, He gave the right to become children of God.", stressing the need to receive God's gift of Jesus if we are to become part of His family. I emphasize that, if they have received Him, they are now part of God's family, not because of how they may feel, but because God says so " To all who receive Him - - - - - ."

I encourage the children to make a note of the date (their second birthday) that they became part of God's family, Then (or the next time I see the child) I will do something dramatic that the child will remember so as to help assure them of their salvation. I say "Watch carefully what I do next." I then stand up, walk around, return to my chair and kick it over. I say "I kicked over that chair. That is a fact. On the (date) at (place) I (Mr Sweetsur) kicked over a chair, and nothing can ever change that fact. In years to come, I might forget that I did it. But if I did forget, does that mean that it never happened? No, of course not. It happened. Or someone may come to me and say "Oh Mr Sweetsur, you're not the sort of person that goes around kicking over chairs." And I might agree with them and deny that it happened. But if I did, does that mean it didn't happen? No, of course not. Even if I denied it, it still happened. That is a fact that can never change.

In the same way if you have received Jesus into your life, that is a fact. It happened and, even if you forgot it or denied it (which of course I hope you don't), nothing can ever change that. You are a child of God - because God says so! - God promised that if you received Jesus , you would become His child. As God cannot break His promise, and you received Jesus, you are now His child."

Some children who have received Christ may wonder if they are still Christians if they have subsequently done something wrong. A good verse to teach them is 1 John 1.9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." No matter what we may do, God is always willing to forgive us, and clean us up - if we are genuinely sorry.

Illustration 1.

I have a son and, because he is my son, he will always be part of my family. He is just as much my son when he has been bad as when he has been good. I don't like it when he is bad, but he is still my son and I still love him. It is just the same with God's sons and daughters. If you have received Jesus into your life, you are part of His family, no matter whether you have been good or bad. Of course God doesn't like it when we do wrong things, and we may have to ask Him to forgive us and help us do better in the future. But we are still family!


Illustration 2 - "The true picture of your life".

A Christian once had a dream in which he died and went to heaven. There to greet him was St. Peter, who gave him a quick tour of his beautiful new home. Then St. Peter said "Do you like videos?" Rather puzzled, the man replied that he did. "Good" said St. Peter "I am now going to show you a video of your whole life." St. Peter led the man into a sumptuous room, made sure he was comfortable, and left him to watch the video.

The video really was of the man's life, beginning from soon after he had been born. At first the man enjoyed watching it because it showed him interacting with all his old friends, most of whom he hadn't seen for many years. The video showed all the acts of kindness the man had shown, beginning from when he was only a young boy - sharing his toys, including others in his games, helping out at home and at school, comforting people when they were sad, giving money towards good causes, spending quality time with his children etc. etc. As the video progressed, however, the man began to feel rather uneasy.

The video concluded, and St. Peter returned. "Did you enjoy the video of your life?" he asked. The man replied "But that wasn't a true picture of my life. It showed all the good things I did, but it omitted all the bad ones. It's an edited video. It isn't a complete picture of my life." "Oh yes it is", replied St. Peter "When you did do bad things, the moment you said 'sorry' to God, they ceased to exist. And you can't make a video of something that doesn't exist!" What you just saw really is the true picture of your life.


Confession.

Jesus said "If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers. But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don't belong to me." Matthew 10. 32,33. (See also Romans 10.9). Confessing our faith in Christ to others is so important. By doing so it seals in our hearts the commitment we have made to Christ.

I instruct children to tell at least one other person that they have received Jesus into their lives. I encourage them to choose as the first person they tell another Christian, or at least someone who is likely to by sympathetic to the decision they have made. This is because I have known children who have confessed their new found faith, and got a cold or even hostile response - which seriously undermined their new fledgling relationship with Christ.


Continuance.

Children need to be taught that their new relationship with Christ is for eternity. The following object lesson is ideal for teaching that newly-born 'baby' Christians need to grow.

Object Lesson - Growing to be like Christ (Fruit in bottle).

This takes a long time to prepare, but is well worth the effort.
While a fruit ( a lemon or orange is ideal ) is still very small and attached to its tree, place a narrow-necked bottle over it and tie to branch. Leave in place until the fruit has fully grown inside the bottle. Remove bottle containing the fruit and show to your class.
Ask "How did I get this fruit inside the bottle?" A few children may work it out, but most won't. Explain how you did it, stating that the tiny fruit had all the potential to grow into a large fruit, but that it needed food to grow. This food (sap) was all provided by the tree. Use this as an analogy for the newly born-again (or baby) Christian who has all that is needed to become the person God wants them to be, but needs to grow. Our food is God's Word (plus prayer and fellowship etc.).
Ask "What would have happened to the baby fruit if I had cut the twig attaching it to the branch while it was still small?" Answer. It would not have grown. In fact it would have withered away and died. Again use the analogy of the baby Christian who does not feed on God's Word.
The way to grow.
1. Prayer.
Teaching tip - Teaching children to P.R.A.Y.

Here is a simple prayer pattern that you can teach children so as to help encourage them to get into regular prayer habits.

Preparation. Get a piece of cardboard, and write out the four words as shown below, ensuring that the first letter of each word is larger than the others.

Praise
Regrets
Ask
Yourself

Cut and fold the cardboard in such a way that you can show the word 'PRAY' on its own, and then in turn unfold the remainder of each word as you talk about it.

Teaching. Prayer is talking to God, and I can't think of anything that God likes better than when we do this. We can talk to God anywhere, anytime, and about anything. The most important thing about prayer, however, is that it should be regular. Set aside a few minutes every day to talk to God. Most people find that the best time of the day to do this is either first thing in the morning, or last thing at night, before they go to bed. These are times which you can easily remember, and you are less likely to be interrupted.

There are basically four different types of prayer, and if you remember the word 'P.R.A.Y.' it will remind you of them. You can use this as your prayer pattern as you talk to God.

P stands for 'Praise'. (Unfold the card to reveal the first word). Praise is talking (or singing) to God about God. You could pray something like "God you're good, loving, wonderful, awesome etc." Praise also includes thanksgiving. I am sure you can all think of a lot to thank God for - Your lives, His gift of Jesus, your families, friends, school, etc.

R stands for 'Regrets'. Think back to the last time you prayed, and ask yourself if there is anything you regret - anything that you have done, said, or even thought that you are sorry about. If there is, ask God to forgive you, and He well. Then ask Him to help you do better next time.

A stands for 'Ask'. We can ask God to help others. We can pray for our family, friends, anybody at all and ask God to be with them and meet their needs. The Bible particularly says that we should pray for those in authority over us, e.g. parents, teachers, those in government. If you don't know their particular needs, you could ask God to help them make good choices.

Y stands for 'Yourself'. God encourages us to come to Him and ask for our needs. In fact, Jesus promised that He would give us all our needs. What are some of the things we need? That's right, food, water, clothes, homes, families to look after us, peace (if we are troubled), joy (if we are sad), love (if someone is annoying us), patience (if we are waiting for something). However, God did not promise to give us everything we want - our wants are different from our needs. God likes to bless us, and there is nothing wrong in asking Him for whatever you want. But He knows what is best for you, and will never give you something that would be bad for you. Therefore, His answer to your request might be Yes, wait, or no. (You could do the well known traffic light illustration here).

Conclusion. Let's all say aloud together the four different types of prayer.

P stands for - - - - - Praise.
R stands for - - - - - Regrets.
A stands for - - - - - Ask.
Y stands for - - - - - Yourself.

Application. Following on from this teaching, I often get the children to write out a prayer along the lines I have described. I emphasise that if they do not wish to write a particular type of prayer (e.g. Regrets) that is alright. Finally, I encourage them to conclude by actually praying their prayer.


2. Bible reading.

Encourage the children to become regular Bible readers, explaining that it is God's love letter to us. For new converts, I encourage them to start their reading with the Gospels.

The Bible is important to us for four main reasons:-

1. It is a book about God.

The Bible is a book that God has written about Himself. So if you want to know what God is really like - Go to the Bible, because nobody knows God better than God knows God!

2. It is a book about ourselves.

The Bible is a book that God has written about us. It is often likened to a mirror. If you want to know what you are like on the outside, you look in a mirror. But if you want to know what you are really like on the inside (what the Bible calls your heart or spirit) - Go to the Bible, because God created you and knows you better than anyone else.

3. It is an instruction book for life.

God knows what's good for you, and He knows what is bad. If you keep going to the Bible, and doing what it says, you won't go far wrong in life. But if you never look at the Bible, or ignore what is says, you are bound to make mistakes and go off in wrong directions through life.

4. It tells you how to become God's friend.

God created us to be His friends - so that He can enjoy us, and we can enjoy Him, both now and forever. And the Bible tells us how through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can all become God's friends.


3. Church attendance.

Encourage the children to go regularly to a Bible-believing, Christ-centred church, if at all possible.


Why go to church?

1. God tells us to (See Hebrews10.25).

It is a question of obedience. If Jesus is Lord of your life, that means that you are obedient to him. You can hardly say "Jesus, you are my Lord, but I am not going to do what you tell me!" Of course not. You would be contradicting yourself. If that was your attitude, then Jesus wouldn't really be Lord of your life.

"I enjoy going to church regularly, but even if I didn't, I would still go - because Jesus is my Lord, and I have to be obedient to him. Most of you children probably come to church or Sunday school because your parents bring you, or send you along. But when you are older, you will have to decide for yourselves. But if you are serious about living for Jesus, then regular church attendance should be a priority."

2. To meet together as a family / team.

Everyone who has put their trust in Jesus is now part of God's special family. And families meet together, and do things together. It would be a very strange family indeed if the members hardly ever saw each other, or never did things together, like sharing a meal!

Another way of looking at this is to realise that now we are all part of God's team to help bring about His Kingdom on earth.

"Suppose I were to tell you that I was a soccer player. You might reply, "You are, which team do you play for? Manchester United? Real Madrid?" If I replied "I don't actually play for a team", you would say "Oh, come on teacher, you can't be a soccer player and not play for a team." And you would be quite right. In the same way, you can't really be a true Christian and not be part of a local team, or church."

Imagine many coals burning brightly together. Suddenly one of the individual coals falls away from the fire. What will happen to it? Answer. It will burn less and less brightly until eventually it goes out and becomes cold. That is a typical 'picture' of the individual Christian who comes away from the Church and tries to live for Jesus on his own. He will grow cold, and probably give up his faith altogether. We all need the help, support and encouragement of other church members. In the Bible, there is no such thing as an "Individual Christian".

3. To help find God's plan for your life.

God has a special plan for each one of you which is far more wonderful than any plans you may have for yourselves. By going to church, you will meet people who will help you discover what God wants you to do with your life.

4. To help you on your way to heaven.

God wants us all to live with him in heaven. However, our journey to heaven can be a long and dangerous one. We have enemies who don't want us to get to heaven, but by going regularly to church, we can find out how to beat them.


What does the church do?

1. Worship God.

The word 'Worship' is derived from the word 'Worth'. God is indeed worthy of all we can give him. Without God, we would have nothing. In fact we wouldn't even be alive. Everything we have comes from Him. Christians realise this and meet together to give back to God a little of what He has already given us. This might include thanks, praise, love, money, etc.

2. To continue the work of Jesus.

A. Telling others about Jesus.

Jesus wants EVERYONE to know about Him, and what He did for us all on the cross. And He has chosen His church (every believer) to spread this GOOD NEWS throughout the whole earth. It is exciting to be part of this because Jesus promised that when every group of people have heard this GOOD NEWS, then He will return to earth and set up His Kingdom.

B. Demonstrating God's love.

It is no good telling people that God loves them if, at the same time, we don't demonstrate His love by helping others in whatever ways we can.

Jesus loves everyone, but when He was here on earth, He was particularly concerned for the poor, the sick, the weak, the oppressed and the elderly. As part of His church, we should likewise be especially concerned for these groups.

Although the church is not perfect, and has made mistakes, generally, over the last 2,000 years, it has been effective in demonstrating God's love to the world. Much of what is good in society today has been started by the church. Examples include many early schools, universities, hospitals, and organizations such as the scouts, guides, boys and girls' brigades.

It has also been the church that were first to speak out against evils in society such as slavery, child labour and racism.

The church is not only concerned with what is happening in it's own neighbourhood or even country. It also has a good record of sending resources (including people and money) to help the needy in "poor" countries. You may have heard of agencies such as World Vision and Tear Fund which are involved in this.

As someone once said "The church is the only organization which exists for the benefit of it's non members."

Note. You may wish to conclude by giving a few examples of what your church is doing to reach others for Jesus and help meet their needs.


4. Copy Jesus.

God wants us to make right choices. Here is a simple way of remembering how we can do this:- Write out the word S.T.O.P.

S. Stands for "Stop" before you decide.
T. Stands for "Think." What would Jesus do, if he was me? Jesus is our supreme example of how to live our lives. I still find the once-popular W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus do?) bracelets useful in teaching children to follow (copy) Christ. Usually the answer to W.W.J.D. is obvious!
O. Stands for "Obey" the Bible. If what you are thinking of doing is contrary to what the Bible teaches, it is always a wrong choice.
P. Stands for "Pray" and ask Jesus for help. If you have gone through the first three steps (S.T.O.) and are still unsure as to the right choice, ask Jesus to guide you. After praying, if you feel at peace about a certain direction, go ahead and take it. On the other hand, if you feel anxious or worried, then this is probably the wrong direction.


Conclusion.

I would want young converts to Christ to really understand the following five truths:-

1. God is always there. Wherever we go, God is always right there with us.

2. God always answers prayers. His answer may be "Yes", "No", or "Wait", but He will always answer us.

3. God always understands. No matter what is happening in our lives, no matter how we feel, God always understands about us.

4. God always forgives. No matter what we may have done, God will always forgive us if we are really sorry.

5. God always loves. We can never stop God loving us, because "He is love."

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 2:00 AM

Teaching tip 52.

T.T. 52 - Getting to know your children.

I always count it a great privilege to be able to share the Christian faith with precious children. I am mindful, however, that a long time after they have forgotten most of what I have said, they will remember me. They will remember what I was like. Did I care for them? Was our time together a 'fun' time? Was I interested in their lives? Did I really get to know them? Was I their friend, confidant and advisor? Or, was I "just another teacher"?

I am sure that we all agree that it is important to try and form relationships with the children that we teach. If you teach Sunday school or Kids church, it may be possible to spend time with your children after or before your lessons, and thus get to know them better. It may even be possible to meet with some of your children outside of a 'church' setting.

In New Zealand and Australia some primary schools are still open for Christian teachers to go in once a week to teach Biblical truths. This is very rewarding, as the majority of the children we teach children would not otherwise have any opportunity to hear about the Christian faith. In some of these schools it is possible to spend a short time with the children before or after the half-hour lesson. In most cases it is not. Thus, we are confined to getting to know the children during our allocated teaching slot. This is not always easy but it is worth the effort because, if you know "where the children are at", you will be able to adapt your lessons to be more in line with their needs and Biblical understanding.

I will share some ways that I have used in these settings to at least get to know what the children believe, and what their concerns, hopes and interests are.

1. Get the children to ask questions.

We spend a lot of time teaching children what we think they should know. But do we spend any time teaching them what they really want to know? The only way to find this out is to encourage them to ask questions. I find, however, that many children are reluctant to ask questions in front of their classmates. Therefore, on occasion, I will give all the class a blank sheet of paper each and ask them to write down any questions they have, explaining that I will answer them all the following week. This gives me time to consider my answers and, if necessary, check them out with the Bible. It is very rare for a child not to ask a question, and very often they ask multiple questions.

It may sound "impossible" to be able to answer all the questions in 30 minutes the following week. But I have found that many of the questions are the same or very similar (e.g. Who made God?). And for children, a short, uncomplicated, answer usually satisfies. I have shared some of the questions that I have been asked in Newsletters 9, 76 and 77.

Sometimes children want to know about you, and ask questions like "Why do you believe in God?", "Why are you our Bible teacher?" and "How long have you known the Lord?" These give you an ideal opportunity to share your testimony if you consider it appropriate to do so.

2. Use of a Christian survey.


If you wish to know what your children believe regarding God, Jesus, the Bible, etc., the best way is to ask them! And a simple (anonymous) survey is ideal for this.

About 15 years ago I started to teach "Bible" to children in state primary schools, with the vast majority of them coming from non-Christian homes. I wondered what influence we "Bible in school" teachers were having on the children. Were their beliefs falling in line with the Bible, or were the children still being largely influenced by their parents and guardians ?

Between 1998 and 2000, I chose six classes from four different schools in South Auckland for my survey. Thus a total of about 180 children participated. They were all in the age range 10 to 13, and all had previously attended weekly Bible classes for at least two years.

Results of my survey are shown below. I consider it to be a fair indication of children's beliefs in this area of Auckland, although there is always the possibility that some of the answers were made to "please teacher" rather than expressing what they really believed. For comparison, results of a survey - asking exactly the same questions - conducted among about 400 adults in the same area as two of the schools, and therefore probably including some of the children's parents, are shown. For further comparison, results of a similar survey of over 2,000 adults made between 1985 and 1990 in Ayrshire, Scotland are also included.

Results.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmChildren --Adults N.Z. -Adults Scotland

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm(%) ............(%) ................(%)


1. What would encourage more
people to go to church?

Closer friendships ...........................................................26 ..............14 ...................3
Livelier services /
More relevant preaching ..............23 ..............15 .................30
More participation ..........................................................19 ................5 ...................7
More social activity .........................................................12 ..............18 ................10
Other Ans. ........................................................................12 ..............13 ...................1
Don't know .........................................................................8 ...............35 ................49

2. Do you believe in God ?

Yes .....................................................................................79 ..............82 .................82
Not sure ............................................................................21 ...............11 .................11
No ........................................................................................0 ................7 ....................7

3. Who is Jesus, according to
your belief ?

Son of God ........................................................................70 ...............58 .................58
A good man ........................................................................9 ................22 .................20
Other Ans. ..........................................................................8 .................7 ....................7
Don't know ........................................................................13 ...............13 .................15

4. Why did Jesus come to earth ?

To die for our sins ----------------------------------74 ---------42 ----------42
To teach us ------------------------------------------9 ---------15 ----------15
To save the world -----------------------------------9----------13 ----------13
Other Ans. ------------------------------------------8 ---------30 ----------30

5. In your opinion, how does a person
become a Christian?
Believe in Christ as personal Saviour ----------------40 --------43 -----------19
Believe in God --------------------------------------36 --------20 -----------23
Lead a good life --------------------------------------2 ---------12 -----------24
Other Ans. ------------------------------------------22 --------25 -----------34

6. What do you believe will happen
to you when you die?
Heaven ---------------------------------------------70 --------49 -----------40
Reincarnation ---------------------------------------11 ---------6 -------------5
Afterlife (unspecified) --------------------------------8 --------13 ------------18
Cease to exist ----------------------------------------2 ---------5 ------------14
Other Ans. -------------------------------------------1 ---------0 -------------2
Don't know -------------------------------------------8 --------27 ------------21

7. What qualifies you for heaven ?

Faith in Jesus ---------------------------------------53 --------14 ------------14
Living a good life ------------------------------------16 --------67 ------------67
Church membership ---------------------------------9 ---------0 --------------1
Other Ans. -------------------------------------------6 ---------6 --------------5
Don't know ------------------------------------------16 --------13 ------------13

8. If you could know God personally,

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 2:22 AM

Teaching tip 51.

Teaching tip 51 - The road of life.

Preparation.

Take a piece of cardboard and draw the "road of life" on it (Unfortunately I was not able to upload this image from my computer. Email me if you would like a copy - mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz ). Show it to your class.

Presentation.

"I call this my "Road of life". Everyone is on a journey through life and, as you can see, this road has three lanes.

The left hand lane (marked Good) is travelled by the good people. Those who try hard to be good and kind to others. They try to avoid doing anything wrong and would never deliberately hurt anyone. They probably believe in God, and may well go to church every week.

The centre lane (marked Middle) is travelled by most people. They do a few good deeds, but usually only towards their family and friends. They don't do anything really bad, but will sometimes act selfishly, tell a few lies and cheat others if they think it will benefit themselves.

The right hand lane (marked Bad) is travelled by criminals, those who set out to hurt or rob others.

But do you notice? All three groups of travellers are heading in the same direction - towards Death and Destruction! Because of the selfish nature we are all born with, we are all heading for an eternity without God. But God doesn't want us to go that way. He wants us all to spend eternity with Him in heaven. And, as you can see, He has provided a way for us to get there through His Son, Jesus. Jesus says "I am the way." You will also note that God has provided signs along the way to help us find our way to Jesus, and then to heaven. Some of God's signs may include His wonderful creative acts that are all around us, an unexpected act of kindness by someone towards us, or a word of direction or encouragement from a Christian parent or friend.

Do you notice something interesting about this road of life? The exit to heaven is on the right. Next to the "Bad " lane! Many people think that those travelling on the "Good" lane are the most likely to get to heaven. That is not true. It is just as easy for a "Bad lane" traveller to come to Jesus as it is for a "Good lane" traveller. In fact, some times it is easier for those on the "Bad" lane. This is because those on the "Good" lane are sometimes too proud to come to Jesus. They think that God will accept them because of their good deeds. But they are mistaken. Nobody can be good enough. Conversely, those on the "Bad" lane are often aware of their sins and realise that they nees Jesus to forgive them.

So, no matter which lane you are travelling along, remember that the only way to heaven is through Jesus."

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:24 AM

Teaching tip 50.

Teaching tip 50 - The Church.

It never ceases to surprise me that, even among children that regularly attend church, there is a general lack of knowledge as to what the church actually is. Many have little idea of why they go to church (other than their parents take them), how the church started, or what it's function in society is. But don't take my word for it! If you teach Sunday school, ask your children 1. Why they come to church? and 2. What does the church do? I think you may be surprised by their answers (or lack of them!).

When teaching on the function of the church, I always begin with it's origin and early development as described in "Acts". I then ensure that the children realise that the church is not a building. Rather it is made up of PEOPLE - who have all put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I then ask the two questions mentioned above. Here is how I answer them.

Why go to church?

1. God tells us to (See Hebrews10.25).

It is a question of obedience. If Jesus is Lord of your life, that means that you are obedient to him. You can hardly say "Jesus, you are my Lord, but I am not going to do what you tell me!" Of course not. You would be contradicting yourself. If that was your attitude, then Jesus wouldn't really be Lord of your life.

"I enjoy going to church regularly, but even if I didn't, I would still go - because Jesus is my Lord, and I have to be obedient to him. Most of you children probably come to church or Sunday school because your parents bring you, or send you along. But when you are older, you will have to decide for yourselves. But if you are serious about living for Jesus, then regular church attendance should be a priority."

2. To meet together as a family / team.

Everyone who has put their trust in Jesus is now part of God's special family. And families meet together, and do things together. It would be a very strange family indeed if the members hardly ever saw each other, or never did things together, like sharing a meal!

Another way of looking at this is to realise that now we are all part of God's team to help bring about His Kingdom on earth.

"Suppose I were to tell you that I was a soccer player. You might reply, "You are, which team do you play for? Manchester United? Real Madrid?" If I replied "I don't actually play for a team", you would say "Oh, come on teacher, you can't be a soccer player and not play for a team." And you would be quite right. In the same way, you can't really be a true Christian and not be part of a local team, or church."

Imagine many coals burning brightly together. Suddenly one of the individual coals falls away from the fire. What will happen to it? Answer. It will burn less and less brightly until eventually it goes out and becomes cold. That is a typical 'picture' of the individual Christian who comes away from the Church and tries to live for Jesus on his own. He will grow cold, and probably give up his faith altogether. We all need the help, support and encouragement of other church members. In the Bible, there is no such thing as an "Individual Christian".

3. To help find God's plan for your life.

God has a special plan for each one of you which is far more wonderful than any plans you may have for yourselves. By going to church, you will meet people who will help you discover what God wants you to do with your life.

4. To help you on your way to heaven.

God wants us all to live with him in heaven. However, our journey to heaven can be a long and dangerous one. We have enemies who don't want us to get to heaven, but by going regularly to church, we can find out how to beat them.


What does the church do?

1. Worship God.

The word 'Worship' is derived from the word 'Worth'. God is indeed worthy of all we can give him. Without God, we would have nothing. In fact we wouldn't even be alive. Everything we have comes from Him. Christians realise this and meet together to give back to God a little of what He has already given us. This might include thanks, praise, love, money, etc.

2. To continue the work of Jesus.

A. Telling others about Jesus.

Jesus wants EVERYONE to know about Him, and what He did for us all on the cross. And He has chosen His church (every believer) to spread this GOOD NEWS throughout the whole earth. It is exciting to be part of this because Jesus promised that when every group of people have heard this GOOD NEWS, then He will return to earth and set up His Kingdom.

B. Demonstrating God's love.

It is no good telling people that God loves them if, at the same time, we don't demonstrate His love by helping others in whatever ways we can.

Jesus loves everyone, but when He was here on earth, He was particularly concerned for the poor, the sick, the weak, the oppressed and the elderly. As part of His church, we should likewise be especially concerned for these groups.

Although the church is not perfect, and has made mistakes, generally, over the last 2,000 years, it has been effective in demonstrating God's love to the world. Much of what is good in society today has been started by the church. Examples include many early schools, universities, hospitals, and organizations such as the scouts, guides, boys and girls' brigades.

It has also been the church that were first to speak out against evils in society such as slavery, child labour and racism.

The church is not only concerned with what is happening in it's own neighbourhood or even country. It also has a good record of sending resources (including people and money) to help the needy in "poor" countries. You may have heard of agencies such as World Vision and Tear Fund which are involved in this.

As someone once said "The church is the only organization which exists for the benefit of it's non members."

Note. You may wish to conclude by giving a few examples of what your church is doing to reach others for Jesus and help meet their needs.

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:22 AM

T.T. 49 - What children need to understand about God.

T.T. 49 - What children need to understand about God.

Before starting to teach a new class of children, it is a good idea to ask yourself "At the end of the year, what do I want these children to really understand about God?"

If we each wrote down a list of what we thought was really important for our children to understand about God, it would obviously depend upon the age of the children, their backgrounds and their previous 'Bible' teaching. However, our list of what we wanted them to learn would probably include such things as teaching them to recite John 3.16, the Lord's prayer, the Ten Commandments, and even the Books of the Bible. We would probably also want our children to be thoroughly familiar with some of the best known Bible stories, such as Easter, Christmas, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's den, etc. And this is all good - as long as it is not an end in itself!

Unfortunately 'Knowing' something is not the same as understanding it. I have known children who, for example, could recite the Lord's prayer perfectly, but still having little understanding of what the prayer actually means! Rather, our aim should be to ensure that each child comes to an understanding of what God is really like. And this means explaining to the children what a particular Scripture or Bible story really teaches us about God. The Bible verses and stories are really tools which we can use to bring our children to a deeper understanding of the nature of God.

Here is a list of what I believe children really need to understand about God. You may wish to add to it, but keep it in mind during your teaching sessions.

1. God is always there. Wherever we go, God is always right there with us.

2. God always answers prayers. His answer may be "Yes", "No", or "Wait", but He will always answer us.

3. God always understands. No matter what is happening in our lives, no matter how we feel, God always understands about us.

4. God always forgives. No matter what we may have done, God will always forgive us if we are really sorry.

5. God always loves. We can never stop God loving us, because "He is love."

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 12:13 AM

Teaching tip 48 - The twelve days of Christmas.

The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

Note. The "Twelve days" refer to the days between Christmas day and Epiphany (Three Kings day) on January 6th.

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
A Partridge in a Pear Tree.
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Two Turtle Doves.
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Three French Hens.
The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Four Calling Birds.
The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Five Gold Rings.
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Six Geese A-laying.
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Seven Swans A-swimming.
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eight Maids A-milking.
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Nine Ladies Dancing/
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Ten Lords A-leaping/
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eleven Pipers Piping/
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Twelve Drummers Drumming/
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 10:30 PM

Teaching tip 47 - Big bang or big mess?

Teaching tip 47 - Big bang or big mess?

People who deny the existence of God have therefore to believe that the Universe created itself out of nothing. (To believe that actually requires a lot more faith than I have got!). So how then do atheists explain how the Universe formed? Most use the idea of a 'big bang', even though none of them were there to see what actually happened.

They say that first of all there was absolutely nothing. But then, they claim, all the energy and matter contained in the billions of stars in the universe was somehow there, separated into a single point, which suddenly 'exploded'. This somehow formed lots of hydrogen gas, which spread out and filled the universe. Then the clouds of hydrogen gas started to pull themselves together by gravity. These clouds got hotter and hotter until they each formed a star. Then these stars exploded and formed all the other elements like carbon and oxygen, that made up all the stuff in the universe, including you and me.

But where did the first energy come from? How could it all have been contained in a single point? What made this point explode? And who ever heard of an explosion making order and design? What happens when fireworks explode? You certainly get a bang, but all you have left is a big mess!

There are lots of sound scientific reasons why the big bang idea is wrong, could not work, and simply did not happen.

It is far easier, in fact, to believe that Almighty God made the sun, the moon, the stars and everything in the universe the way He says He did in the Bible.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psalm 19.1).

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:19 AM

Teaching tip 46. The day of rest.

Teaching Tip 46 - The day of rest.

God created the Universe in six days, and rested on the seventh. This does not mean that God was tired after all His work, and so took a rest, because He does not slumber or sleep (Psalm121.4). The Hebrew word that is usually translated as 'rest' also means 'cease'. So God ceased or rested from His creative work after six days.

God certainly did not need six days to make everything. He could have done it all in an instant on the very first day. So why did He take six days?

The answer is given in Exodus 20. 10 - 11, and is the basis of the Fourth Commandment. God did it this way to show us how we should organise our lives - work for six days, and have a rest or break on the seventh. That is why a week is seven days long, not six or eight. Jesus reminded us that this does not mean that we must never do any work on the seventh day (Sabbath). For example no matter what day of the week it is, it is always a good day to do good to others. Rather, it means that we should make this our general routine, and in so doing we are more likely to stay healthy in both mind and body.

People have sometimes tried other week lengths. For example, in 1793 France decreed three 10-day 'weeks' each month. This didn't work and was abolished by Napoleon in 1806. The former Soviet Union introduced a five-day week in 1929, and then changed it to a six-day week in 1931. Neither of these worked, so the normal seven-day week was restored in 1940.

This is another example of how 'God knows best'. If we follow our Maker's instructions, we won't go far wrong in life.

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:35 PM

Teavhing tip 45. Dead to the world.

Teaching Tip 45 - Dead to the world.

A young Christian was once puzzled by the expression "dead to the world", so he asked his pastor what the expression actually meant. In response the pastor told the young man to go to the local cemetery, find a gravestone, and heap praise on the person buried there. He was then to find a second gravestone and heap verbal abuse on that buried person.

The young Christian was obviously surprised at his pastor's instructions, but nevertheless he carried them out. On reporting back the pastor asked "Did you do what I told you?" "Yes" replied the young man. "And what was the response you got to all that praise and verbal abuse?" asked the pastor. "Absolutely nothing at all" replied the young man, still looking very puzzled. "Exactly." said the pastor. "The dead do not respond. Now you know what it is like to be dead to this world!" The young man had learned his lesson.

None of us are completely immune to praise, criticism or abuse, but as Christians that should be our goal. Anyone who is truly "dead to the world" will not be affected by these things, but rather be only concerned with the advancement of God's kingdom.

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:33 PM

Teaching tip 44a. Using Christian songs to teach Biblical truths (Part 2).

Teaching tip 44a - Using Christian songs to teach Biblical truths (Part 2).

Last month I shared on how the hymn "There is a green hill far away" could be used to teach fundamental Christian truths. This month, I am sharing on how I use the popular children's chorus "Jesus loves the little children." to teach about God's love for them.

I do this through ventriloquism, and with the aid of my puppet friend George. Children love ventriloquism, and I have discovered that it is much easier than it appears. You don't need to be a professional. Children don't mind if they see your mouth moving a little - they are far more concerned with what your dummy or puppet is actually saying. Thus, if you have good material, you only need to be able to speak in one 'different' voice to be a big hit.

The dialogue I use is expanded from a skit in the booklet "Ventriloquism for little children" by William Andersen.

V. (Ventriloquist). I hope that you are going to behave today, George.

G. (George). I always behave.

V. I am not so sure about that. But I know that you can be good. In fact, I heard that last week you went to Sunday school. Is that true?

G. Yes.

V. Good. Did you enjoy Sunday school?

G. Yes, I did.

V. What did you like best about Sunday school?

G. The songs they sang.

V. What sort of songs did you sing in Sunday school?

G. Sunday school songs, silly!

V. I shouldn't have asked. What was your favourite Sunday school song?

G. Jesus loves the little kids.

V. You mean Jesus loves the little children?

G. That's what I said.

V. Well, that's a good song. Can you sing it?

G. O.K. - - - - - -

V. Well?

G. Well what?

V. Can you sing it for us then?

G. O.K. - - - - - -

V. Well?

G. Well what?

V. Can you sing it for us now?

G. Oh, alright. Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, brown, yellow , black and green, they're the dumbest kids I've seen.

V. George!. These children aren't dumb.

G. Sure they are. And they're ugly too.

V. These children aren't ugly, they're beautiful.

G. They're ugly.

V. They're beautiful.

G. They're ugly. Just look at them.

V. I am looking at them.

G. Yes, aren't they ugly!

V. No, they're beautiful. Let me explain something to you. God made all these beautiful children.

G. He did!

V. Yes, He did.

G. There is something I don't understand.

V. What don't you understand?

G. If God made all these beautiful children

V. Yes, He did.

G. Who made the ugly ones?

V. Look George, there are no ugly children. Well, not in this class anyway. In fact, when I look at these children - it is like looking at a beautiful garden of flowers.

G. Yes, look at all the weeds!

V. George, you got the song wrong anyway.

G. I did?

V. Yes. It goes "Red, brown, yellow, black and white." Not "Red, brown, yellow, black and green."

G. Can I sing it again?

V. Alright, have another go.

G. Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, brown, yellow , black and white. Put them together, and watch them fight!"

V. George, these children don't fight!

G. Sure they do.

V. Look, you still got the song wrong. It goes "They are precious in His sight."

G. What does that mean?

V. Precious means that they are all very special to God. It doesn't matter to God what colour their skin is, whether they are red, brown, yellow, black or white, He loves them all the same.

G. What about the green ones?

V. I don't think there are any green children. But if there were, God would love them just as much.

G. How much does He love them?

V. Well, that's what I come along here each week to teach you. The Bible puts it this way. "God so loved the world"

G. That's everyone.

V. That's right. "That He gave His only Son"

G. Who's that?

V. Can someone please tell George who God's only Son is? - - - - - That's right, it's Jesus, George.

G. Oh, now I remember.

V. "That whoever believes in him"

G. That's so simple.

V. So it is. "Shall not die, but have eternal life."

G. Wow. God loves them heaps.

V. He certainly does. You know George, I think you're getting the picture.

G. Can I sing it again?

V. Alright, but please get it right this time.

G. Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, brown, yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

V. Well done. Say goodbye to the children, George.

G. Goodbye to the children George!

posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 3:31 PM