Consideraciones generales

1. What is the only way to escape the punishment of the lake of fire?

2. John 5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my _______ and believes him who sent me has ________ _________ and will not be _______, but has crossed over from __________ to ___________.

Answers 1. Jesus Christ

₉₀

Bible Stories – Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-8)

Genesis 7:5

Materials: A tin or plastic jar, a basin or large bowl of water.

Preparation: Look for a tin or plastic jar with a lid. Using a hammer and nail, or other sharp object, punch holes in the bottom of the tin or jar (see figure 1). Make just one hole in the lid (see figure 1). When you start teaching, put a basin full of water on the table, and remove the lid of the tin or jar, and immerse the tin or jar in the water. Once it is full of water, put the lid on and leave it in the water. When you start talking about how the rain started falling, lift up the tin from the basin. The water will fall through the holes in the bottom of the tin or jar, like rain (see figure 2). If you cover the top hole with your finger, the water will stop. When you remove your finger, the water will flow again. Use this to explain how the rain continued even though everyone wanted it to stop. (If you have not succeeded in getting a special tin or jar like we suggested above, use any tin and punch holes in the bottom. Fill it up with water and lift it to give a resemblance of rain. You will not be able to stop the water, but you can fill it up and lift it as many times as you need, in order to show the forty days of rain.)

Lesson: How many know the story of Noah and his ark? It is a Bible story which is very well known. Today I want to tell you the story again, so that we can learn from Noah, how to obey our God.

There was a time many years ago when all the people in the world were so wicked that God was sorry for creating human beings. As He looked at the world He saw evil and wickedness. There was only one person and his family who were righteous. This man was Noah. One day God told Noah that He was planning to bring a flood upon the earth and destroy all human beings, plus the earth. But He told Noah to build a very big ark in order to save his family and two animals of every kind.

Noah obeyed God and built an ark. It took him many, many years, and it was hard work. Other people joked about it, thinking that he was crazy. “Why are you building such a big boat? Where will this big thing float? There is no sea or lake here.” People despised and looked down on him and did not believe that there was a flood coming. But still Noah continued to be faithful in obeying God.

1

91

One day he finished building the ark. Noah and his three sons gathered food for themselves and for the animals and put it in the ark. God sent animals two by two, and birds two by two from all species, a male and a female. (You can talk about the various animals as they entered the ark, depending on your time.) All entered into the ark. God told Noah to enter into the ark with his wife and his three sons – Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. They entered the ark and God shut the door.

It began to rain. (Lift up your tin and let the water trickle a little, then stop the water by sealing off the hole at the top with your finger.) People were amazed to see so much rain, and wished it would stop, but it continued. (Take your finger off the hole in the lid and allow the water to run for a while. Stop the water again by using your finger.) Noah and his family were safe in the ark, and the rain continued to fall. (Allow the water to flow again, then stop it again.) This continued for forty days, day and night without stopping. (Let the water run until it runs out.) After forty days, the rains stopped. The earth was full of water. All the mountains were covered with water. All the human beings on earth died with all the animals, and birds too. The ark floated above the water and all in the ark were safe. But it took some time for the water to recede. The water remained on the earth for 150 days, and Noah and his family stayed in the ark for over one year. Eventually they left the ark with all the animals and birds.

God promised that He would never destroy the earth again by way of a flood. He sent the rainbow to be a reminder of His promise.

Life Application: Noah was saved because he obeyed God. Even though the task given to him was difficult and took a long time, Noah did not give up. Even when he was despised by other people, he did not abandon his work. He was faithful to the end, and God saved him. We too need to obey our God. He has not told us to build an ark, but He has given us commandments and laws and many principles to follow. We need to be faithful in obeying our God. Let’s ask God to help us to be obedient and faithful like Noah.

“And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

Genesis 7:5

₉₂

Bible Stories – Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22)

Matthew 22:37 Materials: A knife and bundle of wood.

Preparation: Come with the items to class and show them when you come to the place in the story where they are relevant.

Lesson: Some people claim that they love God more than anything else, but when it comes to the point of having to chose between God and something else, such as wealth or friends, they choose that thing instead of choosing God. Today we will learn about one person who loved God more than everything, including very valuable things, even more than his one and only son.

Abraham was a man of God chosen to be the father of God’s nation. God promised him that he would have many, many descendants, and they would be blessed. But there was one problem. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, could not have children. They were married for many, many years without having a child. But God performed a miracle. When Sarah was 90 years old, God enabled her to have a child and the child’s name was Isaac. Abraham loved Isaac so much because he was born to him in his old age and because he was God’s answer to the promise of making Abraham a father of many, many descendants.

One day, God spoke to Abraham about a very difficult thing. He told him to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice. As we have already said, Abraham loved his son very, very much. But, he loved God so much more, and eventually he decided to obey God. He took firewood (show the pupils the wood), a knife (show them the knife) and fire and left with Isaac to go and offer the sacrifice. In those days people would make sacrifices of an animal, like a sheep, in order for their sins to be forgiven. Isaac was used to seeing his father make such sacrifices, so when they continued with their journey, Isaac asked his father, “Father, we have fire and wood (show pupils the wood once again) but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb.” They journeyed to one of the mountains which God showed Abraham. When they got to the top, Abraham built an altar, put the wood on it, then tied up Isaac and put him on the altar. He then lifted up his knife to kill his son, but the voice of the Lord came from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy, do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram stuck by his horns in some bushes. He took the ram and offered it as a sacrifice to the Lord, instead of his son. That day, Abraham showed that he loved God more than anything else.

Life Application: God must be the most important person in our lives, more than anything else. We should love God more than money, friends, and everything else. There are times when we need to decide to follow God rather than riches. There are times when we must decide whether to obey God or follow our friends. We must be people who will choose God above anything else. Let’s take time now to pray to God and tell him how much we love Him.

93

Bible Stories – Samuel is Called by God (1 Samuel 3)

1 Samuel 3:10b Materials: None.

Preparation: You will tell this story by using different sounds. If you have enough students you can divide them into four groups, but if there are only a few, then all can participate in all the parts. One group will be the voice of God. Every time you come to the part where God calls Samuel, the first group says, “Samuel! Samuel!” The second group is the sound of Samuel’s footsteps. When Samuel goes to Eli and returns to his room, the second group will make sounds with their feet of someone running somewhere. The third group is the voice of Samuel. When you come to the parts where Samuel answers Eli, they should say, “Here I am, you called me.” The fourth group will be the voice of Eli. When you come to the place where Eli answers Samuel, they should say, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” Get your groups ready and practice with them so that they understand their parts. When you tell the story, allow each group to do its part at the appropriate time.

Lesson: Samuel was serving the Lord before Eli who was a priest in the house of God. Eli was very old. One day, both of them were asleep. At that time, the Lord called Samuel (the first group should say, “Samuel! Samuel!). He then went to Eli (the second group should now make the running sounds on the floor with their feet), and said, (the third group should say, “Here I am, you called me”). Eli said (the fourth group should say, “I did not call; go back and lie down”). Samuel returned to his room (the second group does their part). After sleeping a bit, the Lord called Samuel the second time (the first group does their part). He woke up and went to Eli (the second group). He said, (the third group does their part). Eli answered, (the fourth group does their part). Samuel returned to his room (the second group). Samuel wasn’t used to the voice of the Lord because he had never heard Him until now. After he went back to sleep again, the Lord called him for the third time (the first group). And he got up and went to Eli (group number two), and said (group number three). But now, Eli realized that it was the Lord calling Samuel. So he told him, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went to his room (group number two) and went back to sleep.

The Lord called him again (group one). And Samuel answered, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” The Lord continued to tell Samuel things that were taking place in Israel.

Samuel grew up and became God’s prophet. The Lord was with him all the days of his life. Since that first time, God continued to speak to Samuel often, and he became a person who listens and hears the voice of the Lord.

Life Application: Samuel was a young boy when God spoke to him for the first time. Eli helped him in one very important area. He told him to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” We too need to listen to the Lord. Many times He will speak to us through His Word and through His Spirit. We must listen to Him and obey Him. Let’s ask God to help us be people who will listen to Him and obey Him.

₉₄

Bible Stories – God’s Protection (Psalms 121)

Psalms 121:7

Materials: Clothing and equipment used by a night guard (bow, arrows, a club, a whistle, etc.).

Preparations: In this story, we will have a “Guest Storyteller”. You can invite a person who works as a guard or for a security company to come and tell the story, or you can dress up as a guard and tell the story yourself. (If neither of the above suggestions work for you, simply relate as much as you can about the difference between human protection or security and the protection of God.)

Lesson: I am a guard. I normally report to work in the evenings and stay all night guarding the premises I am responsible for. Thieves and criminals like to do their work at night so that they can rob without anyone knowing. My job is to stay awake when others are asleep so that thieves do not have the opportunity to steal where I am guarding.

What I use helps me in my work. I normally carry weapons so that I can protect myself (show your weapons). Also, I have a whistle. If I see a thief I blow my whistle to wake people up and cause the thief to run away. I try very hard to do my work faithfully because other people depend on me. If I neglect my duties, people can experience great loss.

The Bible says God is our protector. His protection is much better than any other protection, even protection like mine. Let’s read Scripture and see what God’s protection is like (read Psalm 121). This Psalm tells us that God is our help, our protector. His protection is much better and more effective than the protection of a normal guard. Human guards can fall asleep at night when they are tired. But God does not fall asleep, He is awake day and night. A human guard has to be replaced by someone else. He cannot carry on all night and all day without rest. But our God does not sleep or need rest. His protection is available all the time. Even if a person has a night guard, it does not mean that nobody can touch him. Sometimes people are robbed even after their guards have done their best, because it is possible for them to be invaded by a large group of people. In other words, a person with a human guard can still experience misfortune from other people because his guard is just human. But the one who is protected by God is protected from all evil. The protection of God is sure and strong. A human guard does his work for an appointed length of time. His protection has a limit. But the protection of God is for now and forever. He will protect us forever. Even if we see some kind of harm in this life, we know that nobody will rob us of eternal life. No one will be able to cause us any trouble, problems or anything else when we are in heaven with God. Human guards can help us, but the only sure protection which has no weakness at all is the protection of God. He is our greatest protection.

Life Application: There are some things which are very scary in this life. Many times our world is in danger. In all things we should remember the protection of God. We must know that He sees us and protects us all the time, every day of our lives. So, if anything happens to you which is scary, or you have any problem, just pray to God your protector, and He will help you. Let’s thank God for His wonderful and powerful protection.

95

Bible Stories – Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:1-30)

Daniel 3:17 Materials: None.

Preparation: You will tell this story by using different sounds. When the students hear you use a specific word, they should respond with the appropriate sound. When you mention the names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, all the students should make a sound of celebration (like when a team scores a goal). When you mention the word idol, the students should make a sound that represents sadness or pain. When you mention the word trumpet, have the students make the sound of a trumpet. When you mention the word blazing furnace, have the students make the sound of a large fire. Give your students these instructions before you start your lesson and have them practice with you.

Lesson: Our Bible story for today comes from the book of Daniel. There was an evil king in the nation of Babylon, called as Nebuchadnezzar. His armies captured the city of Jerusalem and carried away some of the people as captives to serve him in Babylon. Among the captives were three young men who feared God. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (celebration sound).

One day, Nebuchadnezzar built an idol (sound of sadness). It was made of gold, and was 27 meters (90 feet) high. He placed the idol (sad sounds) in an large open area near Babylon, a place where all people could see it easily. Then he commanded all the people of Babylon as follows, “When you hear trumpets sounding (sound of trumpets) and music being played, you must fall down and worship the idol (sad sounds), whoever refuses to worship the idol will be cast alive into a blazing furnace (the sound of fire).

The day came when the trumpet was sounded (the trumpet sound) and the music was played and everyone worshipped the idol (sad sounds) by falling face down before it. Everyone except Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (sound of celebration). These young people refused to worship the idol (sound of sadness) because they knew it was against the