Children of Faith: Sowing Seeds for Eternity

By Sandra L. Haner and Stacey W. Smith

If you are looking for a quality childrens Bible study with a proven track
record, then Stacey Smiths Children of Faith is just what you need.
For many years, we incorporated Children of Faith into our churchs
curriculum with tremendous success. The simple structure and solid,
biblically-based lessons were easy to use and gave the children a Christian
foundation for life. Stacey is a wonderful teacher, mother, and homeschooler,
and a superb writer you can count on. Dr. Randy Colver,
author, pastor and teacher at Coweta Community Church
I home-schooled my four children for twelve years while using Staceys
Children of Faith as my Bible curriculum. The Scriptures became very
practical and well understood as we studied, prayed, and used the crafts.
My children used the prayer guide for years. I believe there are many
more children and adults who would genuinely grow in their love and
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.Sharlott Williams

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450072151

Sandra L. Haner

Stacey Smith has a BA in Christian Education. She is a special needs middle school teacher and home-schooled her own children while acting as a home school support group leader. This gave her insight and skills to use a multi-sensory approach to teaching. Stacey’s primary love is her husband and fi ve lovely daughters. Sandi Haner has home-schooled her own four beautiful children for twenty years. Along with teaching and writing, she works to implement curriculum for church and home use. Sandi’s passion is to raise God’s standard of truth for our present generation.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Stacey W. Smith and Sandra L. Haner.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2010904417

ISBN:                     Hardcover                    978-1-4500-7214-4

                               Softcover                      978-1-4500-7213-7

                               E-book                          978-1-4500-7215-1

All Rights Reserved. The owner of this book may print the crafts and quick reviews for their

own use. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Or to order copies of the Quick Review and Craft Packet

contact us at this email address

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77289

Contents

PREFACE

UNIT 1 Who Is God?

Lesson 1 God’s Names Tells Us Who He Is

Lesson 2 God is the Creator

Lesson 3 God Knows Everything

Lesson 4 God Is All Powerful

Lesson 5 God Is Love

Lesson 6 God Is Everywhere

Lesson 7 God Lives Forever

Lesson 8 God Is Spirit

Lesson 9 God Is Holy

Lesson 10 God Is Light

Lesson 11 God Is Three Persons

Lesson 12 Faith in God

Lesson 13 God Is Our Father

UNIT 2 God Is My Friend

Lesson 1 We Can Seek the Lord

Lesson 2 Sing to the Lord

Lesson 3 Enter God’s Presence

Lesson 4 Examine God’s Word

Lesson 5 Know the Lord

Lesson 6 Listening to God

UNIT 3 Spiritual Kingdoms

Lesson 1 What Is Heaven?

Lesson 2 What Are Angels?

Lesson 3 Who Is Satan?

Lesson 4 What Is Hell?

Lesson 5 Can I Go to Heaven?

Spiritual Kingdoms Craft Instructions

UNIT 4 Who Am I?

Lesson 1 A Child Created in God’s Image

Lesson 2 A Child Created to Love God

Lesson 3 A Child Created to Make Choices

Lesson 4 A Child Who Sins against God

Lesson 5 A Child Who Wants God’s Friendship

Lesson 6 A Child Loved by God

Choice Chart

UNIT 5 God’s Plan

Lesson 1 The Perfect Substitute

Lesson 2 The Saddest Day

Lesson 3 You Must Be Born Again!

Lesson 4 A New Life!

Lesson 5 Power from On High

Lesson 6 Our God Is Awesome

UNIT 6 PRAYER

Lesson 1 What Is Prayer?

Lesson 2 Praise Our Father

Lesson 3 Remember Other People

Lesson 4 Ask for My Needs

Lesson 5 Yield to Forgiveness

Lesson 6 Enlist Protection

Lesson 7 Remain in Praise

UNIT 7 King’s Kids

Lesson 1 KING of Kings

Lesson 2 God’s Family

Lesson 3 Children of Royalty

Lesson 4 Children of Wisdom

Lesson 5 Children of Peace

Lesson 6 Children of Love

Lesson 7 Children Sharing God’s Love

Crown

Communion

Children of Royalty

The Divine Nature

According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-11) KJV

PREFACE

Sowing Seeds for Eternity is a family Bible curriculum for parents and guardians to use with children ages six years through twelve years old. The Bible topics apply to all ages, so older children can participate too.

Sowing Seeds for Eternity is scripture based and is developed from the principles in 2 Peter—Participating in the Divine Nature.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:4-7, KJV)

This book Children of Faith is the first volume of Sowing Seeds for Eternity and contains basic Bible doctrine. The order of the lessons is designed like a salvation tract. It begins by introducing children to God, and then leads them into a relationship with God by seeking Him and accepting Jesus as Lord. If the child is already saved, it will develop a much deeper understanding of the salvation experience. This will give children the assurance that they will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. Finally, Children of Faith teaches children how to pray Jesus’ way through the Lord’s Prayer and how to walk a victorious Christian walk because they are now the King’s kids. The Christian walk only begins with salvation. God has much more here on earth for those who believe.

Teaching Techniques

Children of Faith uses proven teaching techniques. Children love to use their five senses to engage the world around them. Activities are the best way to reach their hearts. The heart is where the spirit of man dwells. God is looking for more than just a mental understanding of who He is; He wants a relationship in the spirit. Teaching about God through the five senses is an effective inroad to the spirit of a child. Now children have an opportunity to really meet their awesome God! This is the foundation of true wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Bible doctrine contains abstract concepts. For example: God is Spirit. A child may find it difficult to understand the idea of spirit. Since spirit is an abstract concept, it should be taught in a concrete way, using Bible stories and activities. Many lessons have a field trip, craft, object lesson, or role-playing. The activities vary in difficulty to meet the diverse ages of the children in a family. Children of Faith is activity oriented for maximum learning. Each lesson is designed with creativity and flexibility in mind but provides enough structure to build confidence for the parent. There is a Children of Faith packet that has the Quick Reviews and Crafts already photo copied on color paper and card stock. This makes the crafts a lot easier to use. The Quick Review and Craft Packet can be purchased at [e-mail]

Children of Faith uses teaching techniques that help children remember the topics. Review and repetition is incorporated into each lesson. Because children have ample time for the concept to be absorbed, the retention level is high. Children will remember these important Bible concepts for the rest of their lives.

God wants children to really understand Him so they will know that He loves them. God does not want children just to remember His Word, He wants their lives changed by the Word so they will love God in return.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:5-6)

Children of Faith goes beyond just learning Bible verses and stories. It incorporates Bible knowledge into the child’s life. One of the main objectives is that each child develops a strong foundation of faith in God that will endure through the teen years and beyond. The result of active Bible teaching will be a life changed forever. Children cannot have an encounter with a loving parent teaching about a loving God without it affecting their lives forever. Parents have a wonderful opportunity to draw their children to the Lord for all eternity.

Children of Faith also directs the parent to select theme music to go with each Unit. The theme music helps everyone get ready for the lesson in a positive way. Music stirs the spirit of each family member so they can receive more from each lesson. It is well worth the effort to find some music to use with the seven units in Children of Faith.

May Jesus richly bless you as you endeavor to teach your children about the greatness of the Lord. He truly loves you and your children and desires to have an intimate and personal relationship with you.

UNIT 1

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Who Is God?

Introduction

Sowing the Seed of Faith in God

The foundation for all learning is faith in God. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word. The Who Is God? unit introduces children to God by teaching some of His names. Children then meet God as the Creator. This lesson becomes the cornerstone for the teachings on God’s attributes and divine nature. Who Is God? ends by drawing the children into their own relationship with God as their own Divine Father.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrew 11:6)

The Who Is God unit was developed using specific guidelines on how children learn about God. The following outline explains this further:

1. Children learn who God is by observing and studying His creation. Creation itself reveals that there is a Creator. Just the vastness, variety, and beauty alone suggest there is a Divine Creator.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

2. Children learn who God is by knowing about Him. They can learn about God by studying His attributes and divine nature. This will instill a love/fear relationship with God. The word fear encompasses the concepts of reverence, awe, and esteem. Faith is the foundation of wisdom and The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One brings understanding (Proverbs 9:10).

The fear of the Lord and the love of the Lord are inseparable. This definition of the love of God explains this beautifully:

The love of God is the first duty of man, and this springs from a just view of his attributes or excellencies of character, which afford the highest delight to the sanctified heart. Esteem and reverence constitute ingredients in this affection, and a fear of offending him is its inseparable effect. (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828)

God’s Word tells us that the greatest commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37). Knowing about God begins this love/fear relationship.

3. Young children think in a concrete manner. This means that what they see is what they believe. Many concepts about God are abstract and somewhat difficult to understand. Even so, this is still the best age to teach children about God. A young child who knows about God can grow into a mature understanding later. This early concrete view of God establishes a deep foundation that is not easily destroyed.

Children can’t see, touch, feel, taste, or smell God. Neither can we, so how do we know He exists? Each lesson uses two avenues to help children understand God—Bible stories and activities. The Bible story will illustrate how God’s attributes and divine nature affect His interaction with His people. The activities—object lesson, project, or field trip—will demonstrate how God can really exist. Quick Review and Craft Packet is available to reduce the need to make copies on colored paper or card stock and gather craft supplies. E-mail [e-mail] for information on ordering the Quick Review and Craft Packet.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

4. Children also learn who God is by the way their parent(s) or guardians demonstrate their love towards God. Children need to see these actions of love toward God to really believe that God exists.

• A parent or guardian who reads the Bible regularly shows the child that learning about God is important.

• A parent or guardian who prays to God in the presence of the child demonstrates to the child that God is someone to talk to. God can be a friend.

• A parent or guardian who actively applies the principles of scripture to daily life demonstrates that God’s ways are best.

• A parent or guardian who has regular fellowship with God’s people has opportunities to demonstrate how to love God’s people. This is one way to put love in action.

• A parent or guardian who tells unbelievers about Jesus will give the child a deep conviction of the value of Jesus’ life. Now we are saved from hell and live eternally with God.

5. Review is essential for a lasting understanding of God. The best way to review is to briefly cover the material every day over several weeks. This will ingrain the teachings of God into the child’s memory for life. A Quick Review Chart is included in each unit which makes this possible. Make a copy of it and mount it on the refrigerator or other high-traffic area at the beginning of the unit. All the quick review copies are available in the Quick Review and Craft Packet. Every morning and/or evening, go over every lesson previously covered. This is one way to apply the principles from Deuteronomy:

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give