How to Study God's Word
Why should we study the Bible? How should we study the Bible? When should we study the Bible? This series will teach kids about the importance of studying God's Word and encourage them to create simple study habits they can use for the rest of their life.
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Dive In 6-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum Overview:
Memory Verse:
“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.” Psalm 119:105 (NIRV)
Lessons:
Why Learn To Swim?
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Scripture Equips Us For Every Good Work
Why would anyone snorkel or scuba dive? It’s so much easier to just wade in the ankle deep water near the shore and then go back to your comfy beach chair. People choose to put in the effort to dive beneath the surface because of all the beautiful sights they can see there! Why should we study the Bible? As Paul says in his letter to Timothy, the Scripture is valuable and has many uses. The primary reason to study God's word is to know Jesus better. We can learn a little from sitting in our chair at church and listening to someone talk about Jesus, but we learn so much more when we dive in ourselves!
Objective: Kids will learn that the Bible has answers for any question they face in life.
Don’t Swim Alone
Scripture: Acts 8:26-39, Philip and the Ethiopian
When learning to snorkel or scuba dive, you usually don’t know how to begin. It helps to ask an instructor to teach you how. The same can be said of studying the Bible. The Ethiopian man read the Scripture but did not understand what he was reading, so he asked Philip to help explain it to him. When we read God's word we should not be afraid to ask questions. We can ask God and we can ask wise people to help us understand God's word better.
Objective: Kids will learn that it’s good to ask or write down questions to ask when reading the Bible. Kids will also identify someone they can ask to read the Bible with them daily to discuss what they’ve read.
Bring Your Life Jacket
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11, The Temptation of Jesus
When snorkeling in deep water, it’s good to wear a life jacket for your protection. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he was able to use the word of God to help protect him. This was possible because Jesus had memorized the Scripture. When we read God's word, we should strive to learn it, memorize it and keep it in our hearts.
Objective: Kids will learn that we need to regularly memorize more and more Scripture so that it is always in our minds and hearts when we need it.
Dive In!
Scripture: Acts 2:42-47, The Fellowship of the Believers
It’s good to plan and prepare, but at some point you just have to jump in the water and start swimming. The early church didn’t waste much time before they started making prayer and Bible study a regular part of their life. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to prayer, and they met in the temple courtyard every day. Studying the Word of God coupled with prayer should become a habit that we practice every day, starting right now.
Objective: Kids will make a commitment to read the Bible every day for the next 14 days.
Tell Others What You Found
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Hear O Israel
God gave his Word – The Law – to the Israelite people. He wanted them to follow his instructions and carry it with them wherever they were. The Bible should not just be a book we talk about on Sunday. We should read it, talk about it, and think about it throughout our day, each day. Just like snorkeling or scuba diving, you’d want to tell your friends about your amazing discoveries, we can do the same thing with what we learn in God’s Word.
Objective: Kids will identify something they learned reading the Bible this week and someone they want to share that with.
Keep Swimming
Scripture: Acts 6:1-7, The Choosing of the Seven
Snorkeling can be hard. It’s easier to sit on the beach, or even just sit at home. But if you do that, you’ll never see the beautiful things God has created beneath the surface. The Twelve apostles had many responsibilities in the early church. Those responsibilities threatened to distract them from their main task: to pray and to study and share God's word. So they selected seven good men to help them, so they could stay focused. The world is full of distractions; like the apostles, we must make studying God's word a daily habit for the rest of our lives.
Objective: Kids will make a calendar for the next year, and plan out what they plan to read and memorize in the Bible each month so that they continue their habit of daily Bible reading.
