FAITH CHALLENGE
Genesis 12-50: Abraham to
Joseph
“I will bless you” God
calls Abraham
Lesson A, Week 2
Scripture: Genesis 12-15(CEV)
Memory Verse: Galatians 3: 9: “Everyone who has faith will share in
the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.”
·
God blesses us and
calls us to bless others.
·
God calls us to live
faithful lives.
·
We are faithful when we
trust and obey God.
·
The students will
identify 2-4 facts related to an assigned Bible verse.
·
The students will
identify 1-2 actions that showed commitment to the covenant related to an
assigned Bible verse.
·
The students will
identify 1-2 actions that didn’t show commitment (threats) related to an
assigned Bible verse.
·
The students will
recite the memory verse.
The
Coach leads the opening routine: snack, fellowship, Prayer Wall activity, and
Prayer Chain. Name tags are available.
1. Last week we talked about how God made a covenant
with Abraham and Sarah. This covenant
was a promise between God and Abraham and Sarah that if they acted faithfully,
and trusted and obeyed God, he would promise them with land and descendants,
and that they would be blessed and be a blessing to others.
2. Explain the purpose of this workshop. Today we are going to continue learning about Abraham and Sarah.
3. If students are attending this workshop after the
Joseph lesson, remind them that the Abraham stories came first in history and
were followed by the Joseph stories.
Review the Bible story. Talk about some of the key points from last week. If a chart of promises and responses was made in the previous lesson, this can be used for review now.
· God made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah. What is a covenant?(promise)
· What promises did God make to Abraham? ( God promised land, descendants, to bless Abraham and that he will be a blessing to everyone.)
· Did Abraham and Sarah find the covenant easy to keep? (No) Can anyone recall an example in one of the stories you acted out that showed this?
Remind students of the memory verse: Galatians 3: 9: “Everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.” You may choose to post this on the wall.
1. The activity in this lesson is for the students to develop a game based upon the stories of Abraham and Sarah. They will be identifying three types of cards for the game.
· Question cards: Asking True/False questions using facts from the scripture. Example: Abraham and Sarah had different names at the start of the story (True)
· Forward cards: Recording good things that God, Abraham, or Sarah did that show their commitment to the covenant. These cards allow the person to automatically move forward 1 step. Example: Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to demonstrate to God his faithfulness.
· Backward cards: Recording threats to the covenant, or things that Abraham or Sarah did that made it difficult for them to maintain the covenant. These cards require the person to automatically move backward 1 step. Example: Abraham told Sarah to say she was his sister. She then went to live with the pharaoh. (Note to Guide: this was a threat to descendants)
2. Assign small groups of students the scripture verses listed below:
· 12:1-20
· 15: 1-6
· 16: 1-16
· 18: 1-15
· 21: 1-21
3. Students are to review the scripture and write a minimum of 3 question cards based upon the facts and story. They are also to write a minimum of 1 “forward card” and one “backward card” for their assigned scripture. 3. Give each group 5 index cards and tell them more are available if needed. Instruct students to record their questions, forward statements or backward statements on the back of each playing card. The coach and the guide will be needed by groups to help them get started with their questions and statements.
NOTE: GUIDE SHOULD
INSERT SEVERAL CARDS SAYING “STATE THE MEMORY VERSE” INTO THE STACK OF CARDS.
4. Once the groups have finished, depending upon time, you can choose to play the game or just read the cards.
· To play the game:
o Keep players in their same groups. These will be the teams. On the floor, have placed or marked (with masking tape) ten steps. Ask each team to select something in the room as a game piece and to place in on the first step. Determine the order by which the teams will go.
o Gather and shuffle the cards. Place on a table or chair or hold them in your hand.
o Have a person from team one pick the first card, read it to his/her team, and do what is said. If it is a question card, the team needs to answer the question correctly in order to move forward one step.
o Allow each team member to take turns in drawing cards.
o First team to the last step wins.
· To read the cards:
o Ask each team to read one of their cards at a time. Rotate around teams so each has a chance to read theirs.
o Discuss as needed.
1. Spend a few minutes to tie the stories of Abraham to the students’ lives today with questions such as “Does God bless us as he blessed Abraham?” (Yes—God gives us many good gifts—family, church, school, etc) “What does God expect us to do with these blessing” (Share with others) “How do we respond to God’s blessings?” (Answers will vary, but suggest that sometimes we use God’s blessings as God expects and sometimes not, just like Abraham and Sarah.
· Additional discussion can be: “What does God expect from us?” (To trust God and be faithful) Ask students how they had a chance over the past week to show their faith in God. Discuss. You may want to share your own story. Remind students of the memory verse. Galatians 3: 9: “Everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.”
2. Ask students to tidy up. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
1. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time.
2. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.
1. Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
2. Preparation instructions for this lesson plan
· Prepare sheets for each group stating the scripture verse they should read. The sets of verses are as follows. It might be helpful to print out the story excerpts from lesson to reuse in this week’s lesson.
· 12:1-20
· 15: 1-6
· 16: 1-16
· 18: 1-15
· 21: 1-21
· Prepare game cards by either cutting pieces of paper (3x5) or obtaining a set of index cards. Each group will need a minimum of 5 cards each for a total of 50-75 index cards or pieces of paper
· Prepare 5 or so game cards saying “Recite the memory verse” for inclusion in the game.
· Using masking tape, mark off 10 steps on the classroom floor. These just need to be small pieces of tape, perhaps 6” long, to indicate how to move forward in the game.
· Record memory verse on a piece of paper to be posted on the wall.
· Masking tape, index cards or game pieces, paper with scripture recorded.
· Game board: several colored sheets of paper taped together. Lay on the floor.
· The source of this lesson plan is the information provided to writers of this set of lessons by Susan Mazzara.