29 December 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Grace

Asst 1 : Adeline

Asst 2 : Junita

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Iwan & Shevica

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Savitri (Miguel)

Christmas: Magi come to worship Jesus

1. Lesson

• We’ve been looking at various Biblical prophecies about Jesus’ birth: 
• A Messiah from the line of David will come 
• A virgin will be of child
• The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem

• Today we look at another essential part of the Christmas story — the Magi/ Wisemen / Kings that visited Jesus (Matt 2:1-16)
• Usually in Christmas cards and nativity plays, we see a picture of 3 Wisemen who visited baby Jesus in a stable, together with the shepherds.

• But in reality:
• We don’t know how many there were; at least 2 or more (Matthew uses the plural “we”). There were 3 gifts mentioned — gold, frankincense and myrrh — hence the idea of 3 kings. 
• The wisemen visited Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11), not the stable. So it was not at the same time as the shepherds.
• Jesus was probably aged between 40 days to 2 years old at the time of the visit.

• The wisemen from the east travelled to visit Jesus because they saw a sign — a supernaturally bright star. They entered Jerusalem and asked around, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 
• The star led them ahead and stopped over the place where Jesus was staying. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

• This fulfilled the prophecies by Isaiah and Solomon — Kings will worship the King of Kings

• Isaiah 60:3, 6 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn … Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord

• Psalm 72:10-11 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him.May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

·         <optional> 

• The gifts that the wisemen gave Jesus were also prophetic in nature: 
• Gold: symbol of Kingship — Jesus is KING and GOD 
• Frankincense: used in temple worship — Jesus lived a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS life
• Myrrh: used to embalm the dead — Jesus was born to DIE for us so that you and I can live!

• Conclusion: 
• The wisemen brought gifts for Jesus. We all love to receive gifts at Christmas, don’t we?
• That first Christmas day, we had the biggest and greatest gift in the world! His name was Jesus. 
• This Christmas season, with all the beautiful and wonderful presents we’ve received, let’s take some time to remember that it’s all about Jesus — the best present of all!
• Video: Best present of all
• As this is the last lesson of the year, take time to break into small groups and get them to share what it means to have Jesus in their hearts. If there are any who do not yet Jesus, lead them to accept Jesus, the best present of all.

22 December 2013

Christmas Celebration

  PIC : Coach Lusiana, Coach Junita & Coach Javelyn

Christmas: Shepherds heard the Good News!

1. Lesson

• Last week, we talked about a special visitor for Mary and Joseph and how a government ruling made them travel all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This was done so God’s prophecy would be fulfilled — the Saviour will be born in Bethlehem.
• Let’s find out what happened the night Jesus was born, according to Luke 2:8-20.

• The lowly shepherds heard the good news first
• The first people to find out about Jesus’ birth were not important dignitaries or VVIPs. They were lowly shepherds who had to spend the night in the fields to keep watch over their flocks and ensure their safety. 
• We don’t know why God decided to announce the birth to the shepherds first. Perhaps He wanted them to know that the Good Shepherd of the world has come! Do you remember Psalm 23? The Lord is my Shepherd …

• The angels announced the good news with joy 

• Angels were not cute little cherubs with pretty white dresses. Real angels were large and glorious and can look a bit intimidating.
• In the dark of the night, an angel appearing can be a frightening sight, and the shepherds were terrified. 
• But the first thing the angel said was, “Don’t be afraid.”
• The angel brought “good news” of “great joy”.
• Then the angel was joined by a vast host of others, like a whole choir in the sky, shining brightly. They all praised God saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 
• The birth of Jesus IS good news for all of us, and it brings great joy and peace to all of us!

• The baby was wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. 

• The King of Kings, the Saviour of the world, did not have a bed of His own when He was born. He was wrapped in cloths and laid in the feeding trough of animals. 
• The manger is not a nice, comfortable baby cot. It’s cold, dark and dirty. It’d be full of mud, animal dung, must and mold. 
• The manger is a picture of our hearts and lives. 
• Our hearts are cold because we do not know God’s love
• Our hearts are dark because we do not have His light of salvation 
• Our hearts are dirty because of sin

•  But the miracle of Christmas is that Jesus is willing to be born into hearts like that! No matter how cold your heart is, Jesus is willing to be born there. No matter how dark your heart is, Jesus is willing to be born there. No matter dirty your heart is, or how sinful your life has been, Jesus is willing to come in, enter and clean your heart. 
• Jesus meets us at a place where we are utterly lost, hopeless and helpless. And when we invite him into the manger of our hearts and lives, He transforms it into something beautiful.

• The shepherds responded to the good news

• When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. 
• Every one of us should have a chance to hear the good news about Jesus — the One who came to give His life for us so that we can live.
• Like the shepherds, we should also respond to the good news and accept Jesus’ gift of His life and love for us.
• And just like them, once we get to know Jesus, we will be able to glorify and praise God for all that He has done for us on the cross!

•  Conclusion 
• Invite the children to accept the good news of Jesus this Christmas just as the shepherds did.

15 December 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Junita

Asst 1 : Yuni

Asst 2 : Jemimah

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches : Agus Rianto (Asst. Dedy)

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches : Savitri (Miguel)

 

Prophecy: Jesus will be born of a virgin

1. HOOK: Matching game: Animal & their young

• Prepare separate pix of animals and their young for kids to match them.
• E.g. What do dogs give birth to? Puppies.
  What do cats give birth to? Kittens.
  How about snakes? They lay eggs that hatch into baby snakes.

• Just like we get puppies from dogs, what do we get from sinners? Yup, more sinners. 
• Last week we heard about how when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Because Adam sinned, his children, grandchildren, great, great, great, great children and everyone in this world are born as sinners. We know the result of sin is death. 
• But God promised that a descendant of the Eve will defeat the serpent. God wanted to change our family line so that we will not continue to be sinners but become righteous. Today we know He was talking about Eve’s great, great, great, great …. Great, grandson, Jesus.
• One thing we cannot choose in life is who our parents are. But long before Jesus was born — a few hundred years before, in fact — God’s prophet, Isaiah, had already told the people what sort of person Jesus’ mother would be.

2.  Lesson: We are part of a great family, thanks to Jesus!

•  Prophecy #2: Jesus will be born of a virgin 
• Isaiah the prophet said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”(Isa 7:14)
• The mother of the Saviour of the world would be a virgin. (A virgin is someone who had never had any sexual relationship with another person.) This was special because virgins don’t get pregnant. You need both a father and a mother to become pregnant. But in Jesus’ case, there will only be a mother. God Himself will be the father, not a man. 
• Hundreds of years after Isaiah, there was a young teenage girl lady called Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. 

 

• Based on Luke 1:36-38:
• One day, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. The angel greeted her as “favoured one”.  Mary was troubled and wondered what he meant. Mary remembered that there were times in the past, God sent His angel to punish people for their sins. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God. He will rule forever over his people and His kingdom will never end.” 
• “How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.” Remember, virgins can’t get pregnant, so Mary was very surprised.
• But the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you and the power of God will cover you. The one is born will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God.” 
• Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her. 

• True enough, Mary later became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus. The prophecy from Isaiah hundreds of years ago had been fulfilled!

• Why did Jesus have to born of a virgin? <for older classes> 
• If Joseph had been Jesus’ biological father, Jesus would have been a normal sinful person.
• But God’s Holy Spirit made Mary pregnant so that God could become a man and live with us and die for us.
• The great God of heaven and earth came down as a helpless little baby to live together with man. He became Immanuel: God with us!
• Jesus was 100% God, yet 100% man. Jesus was also 100% holy and sinless. So when we believe in Jesus, we become “born again” into God’s family. We now no longer have Adam’s DNA. We have Jesus’ DNA.
• Just like what we discussed earlier: Dogs give birth to puppies; sinners give birth to sinners. But if God is our Father, we are now God’s children. If Jesus is holy, then we are holy!

• Mary was troubled and thought the angel had come to punish her. But the angel called her “favoured one.” 
• Jesus came and took all the punishment for our sins on the cross so that today, we can be God’s favoured and beloved children!  Thank you Jesus!

• Memory Verse: Isaiah 7:14“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” 
• for younger kids: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

8 December 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Susan

Asst 1 : Tasya

Asst 2 : Awan

 

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

 

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

Prophecy: Jesus will be born of a virgin

1. HOOK: Matching game: Animal & their young

• Prepare separate pix of animals and their young for kids to match them.
• E.g. What do dogs give birth to? Puppies.
  What do cats give birth to? Kittens.
  How about snakes? They lay eggs that hatch into baby snakes.

• Just like we get puppies from dogs, what do we get from sinners? Yup, more sinners. 
• Last week we heard about how when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Because Adam sinned, his children, grandchildren, great, great, great, great children and everyone in this world are born as sinners. We know the result of sin is death. 
• But God promised that a descendant of the Eve will defeat the serpent. God wanted to change our family line so that we will not continue to be sinners but become righteous. Today we know He was talking about Eve’s great, great, great, great …. Great, grandson, Jesus.
• One thing we cannot choose in life is who our parents are. But long before Jesus was born — a few hundred years before, in fact — God’s prophet, Isaiah, had already told the people what sort of person Jesus’ mother would be.

2.  Lesson: We are part of a great family, thanks to Jesus!

•  Prophecy #2: Jesus will be born of a virgin 
• Isaiah the prophet said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”(Isa 7:14)
• The mother of the Saviour of the world would be a virgin. (A virgin is someone who had never had any sexual relationship with another person.) This was special because virgins don’t get pregnant. You need both a father and a mother to become pregnant. But in Jesus’ case, there will only be a mother. God Himself will be the father, not a man. 
• Hundreds of years after Isaiah, there was a young teenage girl lady called Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. 

 

• Based on Luke 1:36-38:
• One day, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. The angel greeted her as “favoured one”.  Mary was troubled and wondered what he meant. Mary remembered that there were times in the past, God sent His angel to punish people for their sins. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God. He will rule forever over his people and His kingdom will never end.” 
• “How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.” Remember, virgins can’t get pregnant, so Mary was very surprised.
• But the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you and the power of God will cover you. The one is born will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God.” 
• Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her. 

• True enough, Mary later became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus. The prophecy from Isaiah hundreds of years ago had been fulfilled!

• Why did Jesus have to born of a virgin? <for older classes> 
• If Joseph had been Jesus’ biological father, Jesus would have been a normal sinful person.
• But God’s Holy Spirit made Mary pregnant so that God could become a man and live with us and die for us.
• The great God of heaven and earth came down as a helpless little baby to live together with man. He became Immanuel: God with us!
• Jesus was 100% God, yet 100% man. Jesus was also 100% holy and sinless. So when we believe in Jesus, we become “born again” into God’s family. We now no longer have Adam’s DNA. We have Jesus’ DNA.
• Just like what we discussed earlier: Dogs give birth to puppies; sinners give birth to sinners. But if God is our Father, we are now God’s children. If Jesus is holy, then we are holy!

• Mary was troubled and thought the angel had come to punish her. But the angel called her “favoured one.” 
• Jesus came and took all the punishment for our sins on the cross so that today, we can be God’s favoured and beloved children!  Thank you Jesus!

• Memory Verse: Isaiah 7:14“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” 
• for younger kids: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

1 December 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Carrie

Asst 1 : Felicia

Asst 2 : Laila

 

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

 

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

The Big Picture: Prophecies about Jesus

1. HOOK: Guess the picture

• Show a picture bit by bit until it’s fully revealed. Get kids to guess what it is as soon as they can. 
• Can use this Kids Countdown or create your own pictures.

2. LESSON 

• The BIG PICTURE 
• Wasn’t guessing the pictures fun? Sometimes we see only a small part, and we don’t know what it is until all the many parts come together to form a big picture.
• That’s what God did for us. He had a plan from the beginning of time, and through thousands of years, He revealed bits of the puzzle, little by little, through His prophets.
• What was this big picture? That Jesus will come to save the world from sin. 
• There were more than 300 clues/prophecies about Jesus recorded in the Bible. We’ll look at some of them in the next few weeks. One of the earliest prophecies about Jesus was revealed early on, way back in the Garden of Eden.

• The BIG PROBLEM
• You see, back in the Garden of Eden, we were all in trouble. God told the first man Adam and the first woman Eve not to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• But the snake (the devil) tempted them and lied to them, telling Adam and Eve that they can be like God if they ate the fruit.
• So Adam and Eve believed the snake. They disobeyed God and ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they did that, they sinned. And the punishment for sin is death!
• Because of one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and everyone after that (including you and me) were separated from God. That means ALL of us would have to die because of sin — the wrong that we do! 
• “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (Romans 5:12) 
• That’s a BIG problem.

• The BIG SOLUTION 
• Thankfully, God loved us soooo much that He already had a BIG solution to our BIG problem — Jesus would come to earth to die, so that you and I can live in Him.

• Prophecy #1: Jesus will defeat Satan


• Even in the Garden of Eden, God told the snake (devil) that one day, one of Eve’s descendants will destroy Him.
• Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 
• Adam and Eve didn’t understand it then. But one day, Eve’s great, great, great, great …. great grandson would be born as a little, helpless baby. 

• He would grow up and do many wonderful miracles. 
• But when he was 33 years old, he would die. On the cross. Not because he did anything wrong. But he would allow Himself to suffer and die on the cross and take all the punishment for our sin — from Adam until the end of time.
• That little boy, Eve’s great, great, great, great …. great grandson, was Jesus.

• Satan thought he had power over all of us because of sin. But on the cross, Jesus defeated Satan and paid for all our sin, so Satan had no more power over us. Game over!
• Because of Adam, sin entered the world and we had to die. 
• Because of Jesus, we can have His righteousness. We can live in Him, and He in us! 
• “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
• Memory Verse: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

• Today, any of us who believes in Jesus will not die but have eternal life. If you would like to accept Jesus, you can accept Him today. If you have already accepted Jesus, you can thank Him for coming to die for you and give you eternal life!