A biblical discipleship journey equipping parents to engage their children in biblical truth.
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
People at church love me.
Teach
Provide some examples to your child(ren) of buildings and/or shelters for people and animals. The immediate connection your child will most likely be able to make is their own room and home. (Other examples: grocery store or restaurant). Take advantage of any time you and your family are outside of the home to point out buildings. You can also show pictures of animals or use animal toys and talk about their homes. Imaginative and interactive play can be engaging for younger preschoolers. Acting out the roles of chef, grocer, store clerk, or animals can help your child make the connection to people, buildings, and work roles.
Next, either show a picture of the church you attend or visit the church in person. Talk about your child’s teacher, friends, church family, and staff members. Make this connection: just like a waiter or waitress serves at a restaurant, Christians serve at church. God created the Church for us to serve with and love other Christians.
Discussion Question
Play
Continue to use imaginative role play with your child involving places in which they might be familiar. Encourage your child to act out how they can serve in these places (the park: play with other kids, at home: help clean up toys, etc.)
Sing
Live it Out
Each time you and your child visit church, remind them that God made the Church, and the people at the church love him or her. At home, take time before bedtime to pray for the people your child may know from church.
Closing Prayer
God, thank You for making the Church and for the people there that love us! Amen.
Theme Verse
“Use your talents to serve others” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
Church helpers teach about God and Jesus.
Teach
Who is a church helper? How do they share Jesus at church and other places? One church helper, named Paul, and his friend, Silas, traveled to many cities to tell the people about Jesus. One of the cities was Philippi. It was an important city.
One day, Paul and Silas walked outside the city near the river. They knew sometimes people met there to pray. When they arrived, some ladies were gathered there. One of the ladies was Lydia. She sold purple cloth. She loved God but did not know about His Son, Jesus. Paul began to share the story of Jesus with the ladies. Lydia listened to all Paul had to say, just like you are listening to me right now.
Lydia knew she wanted to trust Jesus as her Savior. Lydia’s family also believed in Jesus and they were all baptized. Them, she invited Paul and Silas to her house. As a result of Paul sharing Jesus with Lydia and her friends, many people believed in Jesus! The church at Philippi became the first church in Europe.
Our verse this week is “Use your talents to serve others” (1 Peter 4:10). Paul told others about Jesus, and Lydia wanted her family and friends to know about Jesus. Who can you tell about Jesus?
Pass a small tray with a non-breakable item on it. As each person receives the tray, they should say the next word of the verse. Do this several times now passing the tray a little faster. Pass the tray faster and faster as you keep saying the verse faster and faster. Remind the children that Paul, Silas, and Lydia used their talents to share Jesus with others.
Discussion Questions
Play
Match the Fabric
Materials Needed:
Two sets of five different squares of fabric (Examples: felt, flannel, burlap, silk, cotton, wool, etc.)
Big Bag
Directions:
Place one set of the five different squares of fabric in the bag. Place the other five fabric squares on the table. Have someone pull out a fabric square from the bag. Have them match this square to the one on the table. Continue until all fabric squares have been matched.
Divide the fabric into the two different sets again. Blindfold someone. Let them feel a piece of fabric. Now, reach into the bag and pull out the fabric that feels like the matching fabric. If the fabric squares match, allow the next person to try. If the squares do not match, let them try again to pull out the correct one. Before you finish, ask the children, “Why did we play a game with fabrics?” (Remind them that Lydia was a seller of purple cloth/fabric.)
Sing
Live it Out
This week, we learned how Paul and Silas taught Lydia about Jesus. How can we use our talents to tell the people we know about Jesus, as well?
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me and sending Jesus. Help us to tell our friends and others we meet about Jesus. Help us to use our talents to Share Jesus with others. In Your precious name we pray, Amen!
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
Church leaders are chosen to teach about God and Jesus.
Teach
When we look at creation, we can see there are so many different and unique things God created. One of the neatest things God created was snow. Just a few months ago, we had so much snow! Did you know there are no two snowflakes alike? Each snowflake that fell on the ground and you got to play in looks different. Just like the snowflakes we saw in our yards, on the street, or falling out of the sky are unique, each person is unique and created with different talents and skills. What is a talent or skill you have that is different from others?
Why do you think God made everyone good at different things? Our gifts should not be used to only do things for ourselves. Instead, we should try to find ways we can use our gifts to help others. The Bible tells us we have each received a gift to serve others with. There is no one person that can do all the jobs in a church by themselves. At church, everyone we meet has a special gift they can use to serve others. When we work together at church, we are able to do so many incredible things because of the talents and gifts God has given everyone. If we are using our gifts to serve others, we can know we are pleasing Jesus. Our goal should always be to please Jesus, and He loves it when we use our gifts to help others.
Discussion Questions
Play
(Point to your hands, feet, and mouth.) How can we use each of these parts of our body to help others? We can use our hands and feet to do physical tasks to help someone, while we can use our mouth to teach others or be encouraging.
Sing
Live it Out
Younger kids might have a hard time finding ways to help adults. Even if your child helps every night, ask your child to help serve your family by clearing the table, helping with dishes, or wiping down the counters after dinner. It means so much to others when we serve them in this way. Let your child take the lead on how to clean up from dinner.
Closing Prayer
God, thank You for giving me talents and gifts to serve You and others. Help me know what gifts You have given me and how I can use these to serve the Church. Amen.
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
Churches set apart people to do certain tasks.
Teach
Everyone has certain talents. You might think that is not the case with you, but everyone has something special about them. Maybe you can make music, sing, or draw. Some people are good at working with their hands, building, and fixing things. Other people use their whole body in their skill to play sports or dance. What talents or skills are your favorite? Spend some time prompting your child to think about the skills and tasks they enjoy.
Just as God has given us talents and gifts to enjoy ourselves and serve others, Christians have talents that the Bible calls spiritual gifts. Our Scripture in 1 Peter 4:10 explains that we use these gifts to serve other people. As a follower of Jesus and a member of the church, we all do our part to serve God. The church is made up of the believers in Jesus all using their talents and gifts to serve each other and God. When believers are using their gifts, other people have the chance to learn more about God. More importantly, you can use your abilities and gifts to serve people anywhere and anytime. We always please Jesus when we are serving other people.
Discussion Questions
Play
Third graders might have a hard time finding ways they can help adults. Draw a line on a piece of paper to separate it into two columns. On one side, help your child list their talents and skills. In the second column, align these skills with ways they can use these gifts to serve others.
Sing
Live it Out
As a child, it seems you are always told you are too young, or you need to wait until you are older for certain things. Serving others and the church is not one of those things! You can serve now! What are some ways you can use your talents and gifts to serve others right now? (Examples: Chores around the house, helping with younger siblings, helping your small group leader clean up after class, greeting with your parent before the Worship Service, etc.)
Closing Prayer
God, thank You for giving me talents and gifts to serve You and others. Help me know what gifts You have given me and how I can use these to serve the Church.
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
God calls church leaders to train believers to do God’s work.
Teach
Each of us has gifts and talents we can use to serve the church. Some of us are compassionate encouragers, while others are strong leaders. Some are gifted to show great hospitality, while others are skilled at teaching. Talents such as music, art, and playing sports can all be used to support the work of the church and to share God’s love with others. While each of us is called to use our gifts to contribute to the Mission of the church, some people that have a special calling from God to lead the ministry of the church and to equip believers to live as godly examples to others.
The pastor and other church leaders are specifically trained to teach and interpret the Bible, to encourage and counsel others, and to lead the church as an organization. As church members, we can trust the leaders of the church are always seeking God’s will through prayer, as they make decisions about the church. We can trust that they are studying the Bible daily, so they can teach and lead us according to God’s Word. We can go to them any time we have a question about the Bible or need advice about a personal situation. We should thank God for calling men and women to serve in these special roles of leadership within the church, and we should pray for them as they follow God’s instructions. We are able to reach more people with the Gospel because of their faithful service to the Lord through the church.
Discussion Questions
Play
Talk about your favorite sport and the different positions on the team. Discuss why the team needs different players with different skills. Compare this to how the church needs all its members, with their various gifts and talents, in order to make a difference in our community and world.
Sing
Live it Out
Think of a church leader who has positively impacted your life. What specific gifts and skills does he or she have that have encouraged you? Take a few minutes to thank God for placing this servant of His in your life. Maybe even consider writing him or her a thank you letter!
Closing Prayer
Dear Father, thank You for creating the Church to serve You and serve others for Your Kingdom. We ask for You to open our eyes to see the gifts You have given each of us and help us use them for Your glory! Amen.
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
The Church is not a place or building but consists of the people who belong to the family of God.
Teach
Let’s take a minute and read 1 Peter 4:10 together: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
Everyone has a skill or talent God wants us to use for His Kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us the Lord has assigned each believer a unique set of spiritual gifts. Whether it’s easy for you to send someone an encouraging note, serve your neighbor with a joyful heart, or explain things in a simple way, we can all use those skills to reflect the light of the Lord.
Although each person has a gift to share the love of God, some people have been specifically gifted by God to work in the church to teach and help others. The pastors and leaders at church have been trained to help others find and know their gifts, so they can best serve inside and outside of the church. They teach God’s Word, so others can fully understand what it means and how to apply it to their daily lives. They help gather others with the gift of service to meet the needs of the people in the community—like at Bellevue Loves Memphis. Some have the gift of hospitality and can intentionally welcome and show love to others in practical ways! Each week, we can see many in our church who use their gifts to help grow and reach our Mission of Loving God, Loving People, Sharing Jesus, and Making Disciples with the Gospel.
Discussion Questions
Play
Grab a few pieces of paper and ask everyone to draw a stickman of their body. Ask them to label a few of the main parts of the body. Ask your student why the body needs different parts with different skills? Compare this to the Body of Christ—the Church. We need different leaders with different gifts to help the many people in the church.
Sing
Live it Out
The Church is really about working together as one body. Ultimately, we gather as a church to first glorify God with our Worship, and then to use our gifts to encourage one another in our walk with God. It’s never too early to start thinking about how to use your God-given talents for Kingdom service. How can you use your gifts to serve your family or friends this week?
Closing Prayer
Dear Father, thank You for creating the Church to serve You and serve others for Your Kingdom. We ask for You to open our eyes to see the gifts You have given each of us and help us use them for Your glory! Amen.
Theme Verse
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Objective
The Church is not a place or building but is made up of the people who belong to the family of God. Under the Old Covenant, God dwelled in the temple or the tabernacle. Today, God dwells in His people and works through them to advance His kingdom.
Teach
Let’s take a minute and read 1 Peter 4:10 together: “Just as each one has received a gift use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
Everyone has a skill or talent God wants us to use for His Kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us the Lord has assigned each believer a unique set of spiritual gifts. Whether it’s easy for you to send someone an encouraging note, serve your neighbor with a joyful heart, or explain things in a simple way, we can all use those skills to reflect the light of the Lord.
Although each person has a gift to share the love of God, some people have been specifically gifted by God to work in the church and teach or help others. The pastors and leaders at church have been trained to help others find and know their gift(s), so they can serve inside and outside of the church. They teach God’s Word, so others can fully understand what it means and how to apply it to their daily lives. They help gather others with the gift of service to meet the needs of the people in the community—like at Bellevue Loves Memphis. Some have the gift of hospitality and can intentionally welcome and show love to others in practical ways! Each week, we can see many in our church who use their gift to help grow and reach our Mission of Loving God, Loving People, Sharing Jesus, and Making Disciples with the Gospel.
Discussion Questions
Play
Option 1:
Talk about your favorite sports team and the different positions on the team. Ask your student why the team needs different players with different skills. Compare this to the church and how we need different leaders with different gifts to help the many people in the church as well.
Option 2:
Grab a few pieces of paper and ask everyone to draw a stickman of their body. Ask them to label a few of the main parts of the body. Ask your student why the body needs different parts with different skills? Compare this to the Body of Christ—the Church. We need different leaders with different gifts to help the many people in the Church.
Sing
Live it Out
The Church is really about working together as one body. Ultimately, we gather as a church to first glorify God with our Worship, and then to use our gifts to encourage one another in our walk with God. It’s never too early to start thinking about how to use our God-given talents for Kingdom service. How can you use your gifts to serve your family or friends this week?
Closing Prayer
Dear God, thank You for creating the Church to serve You and serve others for Your Kingdom. We ask for You to open our eyes to see the gifts You have given each of us and help us use them for Your glory! Amen.