The Bible Trains Us

This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading.

Host

Welcome to the Lab! Let’s play a game that involves some intense listening.

Co-host

It’s like “Simon Says,” but to make it a little more difficult, we may slip in some variations on the name. If you do any actions that don’t exactly follow “Simon,” then you are out.

Host

Good job to our winner(s). It was a bit tricky when all those names that sounded like Simon were thrown in.

Co-host

You really had to listen closely so you could follow the right actions.

Host

The same is true of the Bible. We should listen closely to everything the Bible says so we don’t miss God’s truth and choose the wrong things instead of the right ones.

Co-host

Listening to God’s Word, the Bible makes a big difference. Let’s check up on our friends at the lab, but before we do, give someone nearby a high-five.

Host

Do you agree with Rusty’s training style?

Co-host

Do you think that he could win the Ninja Warrior competition by eating ice cream and practicing once in two months?

Host

I don’t think so, either. The same is true for us. It’s hard for us to follow Jesus if we never pick up our Bibles. Let’s choose a lab assistant to help us reveal today’s Big Point.

Co-host

You lead as we count down from three and then read the Big Point.

Host

Let’s all say it together, The Bible Trains Us! The Bible was written to train us to be better followers of Jesus. It teaches us how to think and act in a way that copies Jesus.

Co-host

Just like with anything you want to get better at doing, the Bible is something you should read often.

Host

Let’s think of it by using something many of us have experienced. How many of you have tried using a musical instrument at home or school?

Co-host

Let’s have some friends join us on stage to play some music right now with a very simple instrument, a kazoo.

Host

Kazoos are not the most difficult instrument to play, but they do require practice. The key to making music with a kazoo is to hum rather than blow air through it. Do you guys want to try playing a song?

Co-host

Not too bad, but do you think you could do better if you practiced playing the kazoo every day with a music teacher? Of course! You’d do way better because you took the time to train.

Host

The Bible trains us. It’s like our teacher or coach in how to follow Jesus. If we listen to and obey what it says, we will become wiser and better followers of Jesus. It’s something you don’t pick up once and forget; it’s a book you go back to many times and practice.

Host

I hope Rusty actually trains with Mr. Marbles this time.

Co-host

Watching Mr. Marbles run through the monkey bars did nothing for Rusty.

Host

If you think about it, hanging around people who read the Bible is great, but to benefit from the Bible, you need to read it yourself AND put it into action. Remember our Big Point,

Host

The Bible Trains Us! Let’s choose an assistant to reveal the Big Verse from the Bible.

Co-host

Shout it out as we count down from three, and then you and I will read the verse.

Co-host

The Big Verse comes from 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIrV), “God has breathed life into all of Scripture…It is useful for training us to do what is right.”

Host

James 1:23-24 (NIrV) says, “Suppose someone listens to the word but doesn’t do what it says. Then they are like a person who looks at their face in a mirror. After looking at themselves, they leave. And right away, they forget what they look like.”

Co-host

Let’s have everyone stand up and find a partner. I’m going to give you 30 seconds to see if you can each be a mirror copy of one another. Do your best to make the exact same motions and faces.

Host

A mirror can be valuable, but only if you do something about what you see. Imagine you had a giant booger hanging out of your nose, and you saw it in the mirror but decided to let it stay.

Co-host

What do you think other people might say or think? Would that be a wise choice? No, if you see something like that, you should probably take care of it.

Host

That same is true of the Bible. If you read something in the Bible that shows you that you are making the wrong choice or believing something untrue, then you should change based on what the Bible says. That’s how it trains you. You have to read what it says and change how you think or act. We’ll hear a story in just a moment about a king who did that.

Josiah decided to let the Bible train him on how to honor and follow God. You can make that same wise decision today. You can become a follower of Jesus. If you have never said, “Yes, I want Jesus to forgive me, be my best friend, and I will follow Him for the rest of my life,” then today is your day! I’d like everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads, so no one is distracted. If you have already said “Yes” to Jesus, you believe that He is alive, and you are His friend and follower, give me a thumbs up. That’s awesome. You can put your hands down. If you’ve never said, “Yes” to Jesus before, and you want to say, “Yes” to Him right now, ask Him to forgive you, and tell Him you want to live your life differently, raise your hand. We’re going to pray all together. Those of you who are already friends and followers of Jesus can join in, too. Repeat after me, and let’s pray... 

Dear God, I know everyone needs a Savior, and I know I can’t save myself. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and God raised You from the dead.

Right now, I say You are my Lord, my Savior, and the One who forgives me. Thank You, Jesus, that You are my best friend and leader of my life, because I’ve said “Yes” to You. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the very first time today, then I want you to share that good news with someone. When we break into Small Groups, you can join a special Small Group for kids who said “Yes” for the first time. Look for the special sign as we break later.

Co-host

Let’s say the Big Point again,

Co-host

The Bible Trains Us!

 Host

Can you imagine not knowing the good things that God wanted to do for you or what kinds of things would please Him? That would be terrible. Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder because we have access to the Bible every single day.

Co-host

You can share the story of King Josiah with your family when you do this week’s Big Do.

Host

Find something you can train to do, like ride a bike, play an instrument, bake a cake, etc. Then, talk about how the Bible trains us.

Co-host

So far, we’ve learned that the Bible is made up of 66 books and that it was originally written in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. There were around 40 different authors who wrote across 1,500 years. We also learned that when we read the Bible, it’s helpful to think about who wrote it and why they wrote it so we can learn from what they wrote.

Host

Since we’ve had the chance to learn so much about the Bible, I thought it might be fun to play a game using our Bibles. We’ve chosen several teams of kids and adult volunteers to play a Bible drill game. In this game, I’ll give you a book of the Bible, chapter, and verse, and we’ll see which team can find it the fastest.

Co-host

Let’s connect in our Small Groups and talk more about the Bible.

• Why do you think reading our Bibles (Show the Bible) is important daily? We can’t learn everything in one reading. It allows us to train constantly and keeps us sharp, like a musician practicing music daily.
• Why was Rusty’s training method unhelpful? He wasn’t practicing often, and his methods weren’t helpful for running and jumping. He also had his coach run the course instead of learning from the coach.
• Why was Josiah surprised when he heard the Bible read to him? The Bible had been lost, and many didn’t know what was written inside. Thus, the people had been making many bad choices. What was Josiah’s response? He obeyed and did what the Bible said to do.
• What is the Big Do? Find something you can train to do, like ride a bike, play an instrument, bake a cake, etc. Then, talk about how the Bible trains us.