26 April 2015

Kelas Balita

Coach Jemimah

Asst 1 : Awan

Asst 2 : Ci Dewi

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Shianty & Andy

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Tjipto & Jeremy

Nehemiah the Cupbearer (Neh 2)

Tags: CC: Book of Nehemiah

Source By : TNCC Chidren's Church

1. HOOK

• Play a fun, simple wall-building icebreaker, e.g. Prepare blocks/Uno stacko. Kids take turns to run forward and place a brick, then run back, and next person goes. Key is to build highest wall.

2. STORY

• Two weeks ago, we started learning about an interesting character of the Bible. What was his name? Nehemiah
• What was his job? Cupbearer to the King.
• What’s a cupbearer?
• After Nehemiah heard the news about the broken walls and burnt gates of Jerusalem, he prayed and asked God for favour from the king.

• One day, Nehemiah was doing his job as cupbearer with the king and queen. He took the wine and passed it to King Artaxerxes (can get kids to repeat name).
• Normally, whenever you are in front of a king, no matter how you feel, you have to look happy. You cannot be long-faced, or the king might get angry with you.
• But that day, Nehemiah was so troubled by the broken walls in Jerusalem that he could not hide it from his expression.
• King Artaxerxes noticed and asked him, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?”
• Nehemiah was afraid but told the king the reason. “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
• Then the king said to him, “What do you request?”
• Wow! What favour. Not only was the king not angry with Nehemiah, but he asked him what he wanted.
• Before he answered, Nehemiah quickly prayed to God. It’s good to pray and ask God for guidance and wisdom in all things, so that we don’t answer rashly or do things without thinking.
• Then Nehemiah asked the king to send him back to Judah so that he can rebuild the walls.
• The king asked, “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?”
• Nehemiah had asked God for favour, and he had also done his homework in preparation for the trip. He was able to give the king a time frame.
• And he went on to ask the king for:
  • Letters for the governors of the surrounding region so that they will give him safe passage through
  • Letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he can get all the wood he needs to make beams for the city gates
  • Because the “good hand” (favour) of God was on him, the king granted all his requests. The king also sent army captains and horsemen to accompany Nehemiah back to Jerusalem!

3.  LESSON

• Jesus is our favour
  • Nehemiah could not have done the huge task that’s ahead of him without the blessings and favour of the king. The one thing he asked God for was for favour with the king, and the king not only granted him what he asked, but over and above.  
    
  • Jesus made us righteous, so God’s favour is upon us all the time!
  • Psalm 5:12 “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

• Jesus left all He had for us
  • Nehemiah left his high-ranking position in the king’s courts to serve his people by overseeing the rebuilding of the wall.
  • Jesus gave up His position in heaven to come to earth as a man and die for us and to rebuild our broken lives.
  • Phil 2:5-7 “… Christ Jesus … Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”

3. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Craft: Brick-related craft/activity: “I am Highly Favoured” or “I am God’s Favoured Child”

• Worksheet

 

19 April 2015

Kelas Balita

Coach Ochie

Asst 1 : Adeline

Asst 2 : Kasey

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Iwan & Shevica

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Savitri & Miguel

Easter: Why did Jesus have to die?

Tags: CC: Easter

Source By : TNCC Children's Church

1. HOOK:

• Easter Bingo Icebreaker
  (Bingo Cards)Calling Cards

• Video: Chronicles of Narnia: Aslan’s Death & Resurrection
  • Use the main plot line of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to bring out the gospel message of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross in our place. Some kids may know the story, so get their input. Use screenshots from the movie if necessary.
  • For background info: Wikipedia; Beliefnet
  • As we teach our children about the cross, let us also remember those wonderful words from Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

2. LESSON SUMMARY

• Why did Jesus have to die? (invite responses)
  Because we could not save ourselves from our sin and its consequences (death), and only Jesus (the perfect Man) could take our place in punishment.
• Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead?
  Jesus’s resurrection from the grave is at the heart of our faith. Paul wrote, “If the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:16-19)
• Christ rose from the grave because he was the perfect Son of God. He was the only One who could pay the penalty of our sin — and He not just “paid” for it, He “overpaid” for it. Once the debt was settled, the grave could not hold him anymore! Jesus conquered sin and death!
• When Jesus died, our sins were forgiven and we didn’t have to die anymore. When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave us His new life — Jesus’ life is in us today and forevermore!

3. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Song: “I can tell/You can tell” (sung to the tune of “This Old Man”)

 

12 April 2015

Kelas Balita

Coach Carrie

Asst 1 : Laila

Asst 2 : Felicia

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Lily Bun & Santi

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Lusiana & Theresia

Nehemiah the Cupbearer (Neh 1)

Tags: CC: Book of Nehemiah

Source By : TNCC Children's Church

1. HOOK

• Play a fun, simple cup-themed icebreaker, e.g.
  Cup Relay: Kids have to run to and fro 2 buckets, carrying a cup of water from one to another. First team to finish wins.
  Cup Stack

2. STORY

• We’ve just finished a series on Jesus’ encounters, parables and miracles in the Book of Luke.
• This week onwards, we’re looking at an Old Testament book of the Bible, named after a very short man … he’s only “knee-high” (Ne-hi-miah) J

 

• (for older kids)
  Briefly go through timeline of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to show where Nehemiah fits in.
  • Last year we learned about the kings of Israel — starting from King Saul, to David and Solomon. Then because Solomon worshipped all the other false gods, when his son Rehoboam took over, the kingdom was split into 2 — Israel (Northern; 10 tribes) and Judah (Southern; 2 tribes)
  • Israel had many bad kings and kept sinning against God. In the end, the 10 tribes were attacked and scattered by the Assyrians.
  • Judah had some good kings, but also many bad kings. In the end, they were attacked by the Babylonians and taken into exile (prisoners in a foreign land).
  • In the years that passed, God raised up godly leaders to bring his people back to Jerusalem and to rebuild it. E.g. Zerubabbel led the first group of exiles to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.
  • Another of those leaders was Nehemiah.
  • Nehemiah was a Jew in a foreign land. But he was given a very important position — he was the Persian king’s cupbearer!
    • What’s a cupbearer? (can illustrate with a cup of Ribena)
      A high-ranking officer in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king’s cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the wine before serving it. His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence.

• Many of Nehemiah’s friends had gone back to Jerusalem with Zerubabbel. One day, some of them, including Nehemiah’s brother Hanani, came to visit.
• Nehemiah was very keen to know how everyone was back in Jerusalem. But the report he received was not very good:
  • Those who returned were in great trouble and disgrace
  • The wall of Jerusalem was broken down
  • The gates had been burned with fire
  • Imagine you are studying or staying overseas, and you hear this sort of report from home — that your family is in trouble, their house is broken and their gates have been burnt. How would you feel?
  • A city without walls! In those days, walls were a city’s main protection against its enemies. Remember the wall around Jericho that Joshua and the Israelites had to march around? Have you seen the Great Wall of China? They help to keep enemies out and the city’s people safe. A city without walls would be vulnerable to attacks and easily taken over. So it was a big deal that the grand city of Jerusalem did not have proper walls.
  • Nehemiah was very sad. He sat down and cried. He mourned and fasted and prayed.
  • In his prayer, he remembered who God was:
    • A great and awesome God
    • A God of Covenant of Love
    • A God who hears His people’s prayers
    • Nehemiah knew that God was a Promise-keeping God who keeps His covenant of love (Neh 1:5). Under the Old Covenant, God’s covenant was conditional, e.g. “with those who love him and keep his commandments.”Under the New Covenant, we receive His unconditional blessings because of Jesus, and, in response, we love Him and keep His commandments.
    • He ended his prayer by asking God: “Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
      • Who’s “this man”? The king of Persia
      • Nehemiah knew that if he wanted to do anything about the situation, he’d need the favour and blessings of the king.
      • Nehemiah also knew that God had placed him in an influential position as cupbearer.

3. LESSON

• God is faithful and gracious
  • God had punished the Jews by exile to Babylon due to their repeated sins … yet by His grace, He brought them back to Jerusalem again.
  • God never forgot His people, despite their disobedience. He used pagan kings and various leaders, such as Nehemiah, to effect His plans and purposes — to bring back the people, to rebuild the temple and walls, and to re-impart the Word to them.
  • He raised Nehemiah, a captive, up to a position of importance and influence — the 3rd most important man in Persia, with direct access to the king — for this very purpose.
• Nehemiah was a shadow of Jesus
  • Nehemiah was willing to take poison on behalf of the king.
• Jesus is our Cupbearer: Jesus took the Cup of Punishment and Suffering on behalf of us (Matt 26:39)

4. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Worksheet

5 April 2015

Kelas Balita

Coach Susan

Asst 1 : Tasya

Asst 2 : Felianti

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Susi Tjio (Asst. Fenny)

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Kent & Swanky

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-13)

Tags: CC: Book of Luke, CC: Jesus' Parables

Source by : TNCC Children's Church

1. STORY

• Jesus told a story about 2 people — a Pharisee and a Tax Collector
• Who was a Pharisee? He is part of a religious/political group that prides themselves in keeping the law. The word “Pharisee” means set apart — they wanted to keep themselves holy and were careful not to mix with anyone who did anything wrong.
• Who was a Tax Collector? Tax collectors were Jews who helped the Roman government to collect taxes from their own people. Jews hated the Romans. So they also hated the tax collectors who worked for the Roman government. The tax collectors also often collected extra money for themselves. So if they were supposed to collect 100 dollars, they would collect 150 dollars instead and keep 50 dollars for themselves.
• Both these men went to pray in the temple.
• The Pharisee stood apart by himself — he didn’t want to be with the “common” folks in case they contaminated him. He prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.”
• The Pharisee took pride in the things that he could do that made him better than everyone else, especially the tax collecter — he was not greedy, not dishonest, not an adulterer, fasts 2 days a week, gives one-tenth of his income.
• He thought that by doing all these things, he will be able to earn God’s favour. God will be happy with him, and he will be right before God (“righteous”). But actually he was only self-righteous because he thought he could be good enough on his own — he didn’t need God.
• On the other hand, there was the tax collector. He hid his face down, ashamed. He knew all the wrong things he had done. He knew he could not be right with God on his own. He was a hopeless case. He knew only God could save him. So he beat his breast and said, “God, have pity on me, a sinner.”
• Jesus told his disciples that it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who went home righteous that day.

2. LESSON

• Why?
  • The Pharisee was self-righteous. He believed, by what he does, that he was good enough and didn’t need God. But the Bible tells us that none of us can meet God’s standards on our own (“There is none righteous, not one.” Rom 3:10). But because the Pharisee didn’t see himself as needing a Saviour, he didn’t accept God’s forgiveness.
  • The tax collector was unrighteous.  And he knew it. He didn’t pretend to be better than he was. He didn’t try to hide it. He just called out for help. And God heard him and answered him. That’s why Jesus loved spending time with “sinners” — because they knew their own condition, they didn’t have false pretenses and they could see Jesus’ love for them.
• When we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we told Him that we couldn’t do it on our own and we needed His help. God heard us, and answered us, and Jesus lives in us forever.
• Today, because of Jesus, you and I don’t have to beat ourselves up like the tax collector any more.  We can stand before God boldly, not boasting in our works like the Pharisee, but boasting in Jesus’ works — Jesus is our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness and our redemption (1 Cor 1:31).
• We can say, “I thank you, God, that because Jesus was not greedy, not dishonest, and not an adulterer. Because Jesus was completely sinless and completely righteous, we are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!” Praise the Lord!
• Memory verse: 1 Cor 1:31 “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”

3. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Any related craft with the memory verse or the words “I will boast in Jesus”
• Close in prayer