The Non-Avengers 8-Week Children’s Ministry Curriculum

Bible Heroes Who Forgave  

When we are wronged, our first instinct is to fight back, to get revenge. But the Bible is filled with examples of men and women who did it God's way – choosing compassion and forgiveness over getting even.

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The Non-Avengers Children's Ministry Curriculum Lesson Overview:

Memory Verse:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Lessons:

The Prodigal Son’s Dad

Scripture: Luke 15:11-24 The Prodigal Son

Jesus told a story about a man who had two sons.  One son was very rude and disrespectful of his father.  His father however, showed us how much God loves us and is willing to forgive us because when the disrespectful son returned, his father welcomed him with hug rather than punishing him.

Objective: Kids will learn that they can forgive others because God loves and forgives them.

Esau

Scripture: Genesis 32:6-21,33:1-4, Jacob Meets Esau

Many times, Jacob had treated his brother Esau cruelly. He was a thorn in his brother's side. When the time came for them to reunite, Jacob was afraid. But Esau embraced his brother, choosing to forgive the wrongs of the past. 

Objective: Kids will discuss a time they forgave someone and how it felt.

Joseph

Scripture: Genesis 45:1-15, Joseph Makes Himself Known

Joseph's brothers had treated him cruelly, selling him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt, where God was able to use him greatly. When Joseph was reunited with his brothers, he chose forgiveness rather than revenge. 

Objective: Kids will discuss a time they were tempted to try to get even with someone and how they would handle the same situation in light of Joseph’s example.

David

Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:1-19, David Spares Saul's Life

God chose David  to be the new king himself. This made the current king, Saul, very angry. Saul tried to kill David. When David had the chance to get the jump on Saul, he chose compassion rather than anger. 

Objective: Kids will be challenged to think of someone who is difficult to love and be encouraged to look for a way to be kind to them this week.

Abigail

Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:4-33, David, Nabal and Abigail

Nabal had treated David and his men badly. David went out to get his revenge and kill Nabal. But Nabal's wife, Abigail, pleaded with David to have compassion; reminding him that vengeance belongs to God, not men. 

Objective: Kids will be challenged to set an example for their friends this week by not talking bad about others or joining in making fun of others.

The Woman Jesus Forgave

Scripture: John 8:1-11, Woman Caught in Adultery

The religious leaders wanted Jesus to give them permission to punish a woman who had disobeyed God’s laws. They thought they were doing right to punish this woman. However, Jesus reminded them that they were sinful people too.  Because we are all sinful, we all need of God's forgiveness. 

Objective: Kids will remember that rather than judging other’s for their mistakes, we should remember that we have made mistakes too.

Jesus

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43, The Crucifixion

We received the perfect example of what forgiveness looks like when God sent his son Jesus to earth. The ultimate forgiveness – the forgiveness of sins – comes from the Father through Jesus. He took the punishment our sins deserved and died for you and for me. But, he rose again so that we could have eternal life and live with him forever.  Because God has forgiven us so much, he wants us to forgive others who wrong us.

Objective: Kids will know that forgiveness of sins comes from God through Jesus.

Stephen

Scripture: Acts 7:54-60, The Stoning of Stephen

Jesus told his disciples that those who follow Him would have to suffer for it. When Stephen preached to the people about Jesus, they dragged him away and killed him by stoning. Even as he was dying, Stephen did not hold anger against his killers but kept his eyes firmly on Jesus. 

Objective: Kids will be encouraged to pray for someone by name who they find it hard to love.

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Each Lesson Includes:

• Make It Stick! Parent Sheet - so you can let mom and dad know what kids are learning each week and look like a rockstar teacher who's thought of everything.
• Memory Verse - so that you can make sure kids are getting Scripture in their minds and hearts every single week and you can feel like each lesson was a success even when it seems like 90% of your lesson time is spent saying things like "calm down", "let's be quiet", "hands to yourself!"
• Skit or Puppet Show - so you have a way to easily connect the lesson with your hands-on and visual learners. No drama team? No problem! Just hand the script to the kids. They'll have a blast and think you're the coolest.
• Craft Activity - so you can give kids a physical reminder of the Bible lesson (and give yourself an activity to keep them busy until mom and dad come back!)
• Game - so kids don't leave and say church was BORING! Games are so important to help keep kids engaged. Our large group games always include a "What's The Point" section to help you connect the game to the lesson.
• Large Group Lesson - so you can present the Bible story in a clear and fun way, which means now you can enjoy Saturday nights instead of stressing over putting a lesson together!
• Small-Group Discussion - so you can find out who was paying attention and who was talking to their neighbor.  Just kidding, this is a great way for you to build deeper relationships with your kiddos after each lesson, which means you're going to care about them so much you'll cry like a baby when they graduate and go to middle school :(
• More! - Yes, there is even more than all of that so that you can easily put together the perfect lesson for your ministry each weekend, which means no more agonizing over how to adjust complicated lesson plans. 

About This Curriculum:

• Perfect for kids ages 6-12
• 8-weeks
• Includes large group and small group resources
• This curriculum is an instant download
• Download a free sample here

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Guaranteed to Be Awesome!