Scripture and ...

No Longer Slaves I recently heard this song and was greatly encouraged by it.  The song is a reflection of God delivering Moses and the Israelites from slavery by the Egyptians.  When the Egyptians pursued them after their departure and the Israelites were trapped between an army and the Red Sea, they were frightened.  Then, Moses told them not to be afraid.  That God would fight for them and all they needed to do is stand and watch Him work. Then came the moment that was sung about for generations. God showed His people that He loved them enough to save them from the Egyptians whom they feared would enslave them again.  After they were delivered, Moses and the people broke out in song. However, the writers are obviously not singing about their miraculous deliverance from Egypt. They are singing about our deliverance from the bondage of fear.  How Christ delivers us. Check out Jonathan and Melissa Helser talking about their song in this...

Kids Bible Lessons on the Five Senses This collection of lessons is great for any age children.  It has a lot of interaction, especially using their five senses.  Each lesson is based on one of the five senses and uses a Bible story that emphasizes that sense. Below are descriptions of each lesson with a link. Lesson 1 - Taste - Esau's birthright Bible story: Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew Theme:  Hunger for God Passage: Genesis 25:19-28 Key Verse: Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Activities: Paint and decorate Jacob and Esau Taste test - taste things when blindfolded and guess what they are Lesson 2 - Touch - Woman touches Jesus' garment Bible story: A sick woman touches Jesus' garment and is healed Passage: Mark 5:24-34 Theme: Turn to Jesus with our problems Key Verse: Luke 8:48 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you ...

We Believe by Travis Ryan, Richie Fike, and Matt Hooper VERSE: In this time of desperation When all we know is doubt and fear There is only one foundation We believe, we believe 1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. In this broken generation When all is dark, You help us see Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. There is only one salvation We believe, we believe Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else ; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” CHORUS: We believe in God the Father We believe in Jesus Christ 2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father , in truth and love. We believe in the Holy Spirit And He's given us new life Titus 3:5 He save...

My Sunday School class was studying the disciples using the book Twelve Ordinary Men .  We were learning a lot about the disciples and how God picked common people to do His work.  Each week, we listed all of the disciples by memory.  We got pretty good at that by the end of the book.  As we got further into the book, we also tried to include important details about each disciple as well. So by the end of the study, I created this game for a fun way to review all of the disciples.  Did I mention that this was an adult Sunday School class?  Why should the kids have all the fun?  This game could easily be used by adults or children.  It is best used as a review for what you have already learned about the disciples. How To Play 1.  Print and cut out the game pieces.  For a sturdier game, use card stock. 2. Print and cut out pictures of the disciples.  Click on one of the pictures below to find some places to print out pictur...

My nine-year-old son just went through a Bible Memory Challenge to earn a scholarship toward a local summer church camp.  It was a well-developed program where he had 14 weeks to memorize 12 passages of 7 verses each.  That's right, he memorized 84 verses in 14 weeks!  His older cousin had to memorize 108!  They did an awesome job and I'm so glad that he has 84 new verses in him. The Importance of Bible Memorization 1. We are commanded to memorize Scripture. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Deuteronomy 11:18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead." 2. God's Word keeps us from sinning. Psalms 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, that...

In life, there are many situations where we feel like we are defeated.  However, we must remember that God's not done yet.  No matter how hopeless life is, God is with us and we will ultimately overcome.  Now that doesn't mean there won't be hard times.  It doesn't mean that we won't struggle and believers won't die terrible deaths.  On the contrary, God knows we will go through hard times. He guarantees it.  In John 16:33, Jesus said  "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation , but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Take a look at Romans 8:35-39: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who l...