Family Bible Sessions: Session Three - New Testament Letters and Revelation

Welcome and Introductions:
Welcome parents and children to Family Bible Session. Have participants introduce themselves by saying their name and their earliest memory of the Bible.

Explain that this is the third week of our Family Bible Session. During the first week we quickly did an overview of the Old Testament, highlighting a verse in each book of the Old Testament. Last week we moved on to the New Testament reviewed the four gospels and highlighted key verses about Jesus’ life. This week we will finish the New Testament, talking about what happened after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven.

Bible Book Covers
Children made Bible covers in our art workshop. Have families quickly work together to make a Bible cover for each child’s Bible. As families arrive, set them to work. Allow no more than 15-20 minutes for this activity. Set the Bible covers aside to dry during the rest of the lesson.

Supplies:

• Fabric
• Fabric paints or acrylic paints and fabric medium
• Christian symbol stamps and letter stamps
• Felt cut-outs (crosses, hearts, and other Christian symbols)
• Paper plates
• Water for clean up
• Paper towels
• Cardboard to prevent paint bleed-through

Advanced Preparations:

• Mix the paint and put several colors out on paper plates
• Place the stamps and water nearby
• Insert the cardboard into the Bible covers on the correct side of the covers

Directions:

1. As families arrive, direct them to the paint area you have prepared.
2. Have children put on paint smocks.
3. Give each child a blank Bible cover.
4. Allow them to decorate the Bible covers using the supplies you have set out.
5. Set the Bible covers aside to dry.

Have families return to the study tables for the New Testament lesson.

Note: If families are present who did not make a bookmark, pass out the supplies and have them make the bookmark this week at home. Pass out handouts from earlier weeks also. Distribute highlighters to new families.

Pass out a copy of the attached handout and have participants highlight the verses in bold print. Watch the time closely. Be sure to leave about 5 minutes for the Family Pledge activity below. If time runs out, skip some of the letters and move to Revelation.

Family Pledge
Families will write a pledge to be used during the final week’s blessing service.

Supplies:

• White board and markers

Directions:

1. Ask families to reflect on the past three weeks’ activities.
2. What is something new they have learned?
3. What does God want families to do with God’s Word?
4. What have you as families done differently during these past three weeks?
5. What will you do as a result of these sessions?

Explain that next week, families who participated will be invited to come to the altar for a special blessing during our Unity Service.

Say: We recognize how important your role is as parents to open the scriptures with your children. We want to encourage you and help you to do this regularly. We want you to remember the promise you made at your children’s baptism: to nurture your children’s faith, to teach them and guide them to profess their faith openly and to lead a Christian life. Spending time in God’s Word is part of this promise you made.

Create the Pledge:

1. Have families brainstorm a short statement of how they will pledge to use the Bible in their families to help nurture their children’s faith.
2. Write down the pledge.
3. Make a copy of it to use in the Blessing Service.

Closing: Gather families together in a circle. Explain that next week all families who participated in this Family Bible Sessions, are invited to come forward at our Unity Service for a special blessing. Families should sit in front pews.

Prayer: Circle up. Have each participant say a brief prayer of thanksgiving to God for showing them something new about God’s Word during these sessions.

Journey through the Bible Handout - New Testament Letters and Revelation
Keep these sheets as a reference for you and your child. If you did not finish highlighting all the verses in class, do this with your child. Spend time with your child reviewing the highlighted verses from this study. Read the Bible Study notes that correspond to the verses. Discuss what the verses mean to you personally. Next week join us for a special blessing service in the sanctuary at 10:00 a.m.

Acts – Acts of the Apostles
Luke was the writer of this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. In the Gospel of Luke, we read about what Jesus began to do. In Acts, we read about what He continued to do through the Holy Spirit. Acts is the only book of history in the New Testament. This book tells about the history of the early church.

This book is full of action! It describes how the Gospel spreads throughout the region and into the world. Locate the book of Acts. Place the red ribbon bookmark with the descending dove here. The key verse is Acts 1:8.

Highlight Acts 1:8

The book of Acts is divided into three sections that follow Jesus’ description of how the Gospel would spread: to Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12) and to the world (Acts 13-28). All of this happened, as a result of the Holy Spirit coming to fill the hearts of the believers at Pentecost. Pentecost was a Jewish feast that took place 50 days after Passover.

Highlight Acts 2:1-4

Thousands of people became believers on this one day. The early church continued to preach and spread the good news about Jesus. But many did not approve. In Acts 8, we read about the first Christian martyr. A martyr is someone who is killed for his or her beliefs. Stephen was the first Christian martyr.

Highlight Acts 8:54-58
Stephen is killed. (this verse is important also because this is the first place we read about Saul)
Read Acts 8:58. What did Saul do?

Saul was a Pharisee. He was a great persecutor of Christians. He killed and threw many believers into prison.

Highlight Acts 9:3-4

After this amazing event, Saul was completely changed. He became one of the greatest apostles who ever lived. He traveled thousands of miles to share the good news of Jesus with others, both Jews and Gentiles. He came to be known as Paul which was his Roman name, as he traveled more and more into the Gentile world. The name change also helped to explain how much Saul changed. One of the important things we learn from Saul/Paul’s life is that we are never too bad for God to forgive us. If God can forgive Paul, God can forgive anything you or I do!

Paul traveled on three missionary journeys and had many adventures. He was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and left for dead on numerous occasions, but still Paul persisted.

Turn to the back of the Bible and find the map showing Paul’s missionary journeys. As Paul traveled he started churches in the cities he visited. Later he returned to these churches to visit with them, to encourage them and to help them with problems they were having. Paul also wrote letters to the churches.
Letters
The next category New Testament books is letters or epistles. Remember that the Bible is not organized in chronological order; rather it is organized by topics. There are 21 letters in the New Testament. Thirteen of the letters were written by Paul. These are placed first in the New Testament. The next 8 letters are called the general letters and are written by others. No one knows who wrote the book of Hebrews. The letters are placed according to their length for the most part – longest letters first. Paul’s letters are named according to the people to which he wrote (for example: Romans, Corinthians)
The general letters are named according to the author (I and 2 Peter, Jude, 1, 2, 3 John)

Locate Romans. This is the first letter in the New Testament, written by Paul. Place your lavender bookmark with the ICHTHUS charm here.

Roman Road – Some of the key verses in Romans have come to be known as the Roman Road to Salvation. These verses explain why we need Jesus and how we are made right with God.

Highlight Romans 3:23

Highlight Romans 5:8

Highlight Romans 6:23

Highlight Romans 10:13

Locate I Corinthians. Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to help the new church there with their many problems. They were arguing over marriages, food, and how to worship. (sound familiar?) Paul encouraged the Corinthians to stop sinning and to try to get along. He urged them to remember that love was the most important thing.

Highlight I Corinthians 13:4-8

Locate 2 Corinthians. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he continued to encourage them and to warn them about false teachings. He encouraged them to give generously to help others. He encouraged them to give, not because they were forced to, but because they wanted to!

Highlight 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Locate Galatians. Paul wrote this letter to the people living in Galatia. Paul encouraged the Galatians to trust in Jesus. When we become Christian, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and helps us live a new life that is pleasing to God. Others see the change in our lives and see God’s love. The changes in our lives, the things we now do are called fruit.

Highlight Galatians 5:22-23

Locate Ephesians. Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus. Paul spent over 3 years at Ephesus during his missionary journeys. This letter is called a “prison letter” because Paul wrote it while in prison. In this letter Paul explains that all Christians are part of the Church. The Church is the “Body of Christ.” Christians should be kind to one another. Christians should obey God. God gives us help and protection through the “Armor of God.”

Highlight Ephesians 6:13-18

Locate Philippians. This is another prison letter written to the people in Philippi to thank them for the money and encouragement they sent him. Even though Paul was imprisoned, he encouraged Christians to be joyful and thankful.

Highlight Philippians 4:13

Locate Colossians. In this prison letter, Paul emphasizes that Jesus is truly God. He confronts false teachings about Jesus. Christians need to know who Jesus is. Jesus is the Lord over all.

Highlight Colossians 1:15

Locate 1 Thessalonians. Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica in Macedonia while he was in Corinth. This letter addresses the second coming of Christ. No one knows when this will happen, but we can be sure Christ will come again. Meanwhile we should be joyful, pray and thank God for everything.

Highlight 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

Locate 2 Thessalonians. Paul wrote this letter to answer additional questions about the second coming of Christ and to encourage the Christians in Thessalonica to keep growing in faith, even when it was hard. He encourage the Christians to work hard.

Highlight 2 Thessalonians 1:16-17

Locate 1 Timothy. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. Timothy had traveled with Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Eventually Timothy was in charge of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote to give Timothy advice about church leadership.

Highlight 1 Timothy 4:12

Locate 2 Timothy. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy while imprisoned in Rome and knowing that he would soon die. Paul was lonely. This letter contains some of Paul’s last words. Paul encourages Timothy to remember what he has learned and to be faithful, even during hard times. He encouraged Timothy to continue to teach others what he has learned.

Highlight 2 Timothy 3:16

Locate Titus. Titus traveled with Paul and Barnabas on one or more of his missionary journeys. Titus worked in Corinth and in Crete. Paul advised Titus about choosing church leaders who were helpful and who would teach what is true.

Highlight Titus 3:3-7

Locate Philemon. This is another prison letter and the last of Paul’s letters. Paul wrote this letter to his friend Philemon who lived in Colosse. In this letter Paul defended the slave Onesimus who had run away from Philemon. Onesimus was now a Christian and Paul urged Philemon to forgive him and take him back.

Highlight Philemon 7

Locate Hebrews. We do not know the author of the book of Hebrews. This letter was written to the Jewish people who believed in Jesus. It was passed from church to church. This letter helped the Jewish Christians understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and that he is greater than the Law and all the other prophets. Jesus is greater than the angels, the prophets and the high priest. The high priests made sacrifices for the peoples’ sin. Jesus is our everlasting High Priest, because he made the ultimate and best sacrifice that never has to be repeated. The focus of Hebrews is faith. Chapter 11 of Hebrews records what has come to be known as the “Hall of Faith.” The writer records the Jewish ancestors who had great faith, leading up to Jesus.

Hebrews 11
Living by Faith. Highlight some of the names mentioned here.

Locate James. James was the author of this letter. He was probably the brother of Jesus. He wrote this letter to the Christians who were scattered throughout many regions. James writes about the importance of faith and action. People who are Christians will be known by their actions. Our lives reflect the faith we have. James also teaches that it is important to be careful how one speaks.

Highlight James 2:14-17

Locate 1 Peter. This letter was written by Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. Note the difference between Peter of the Gospels (who ran away and betrayed Jesus) and Peter now. After Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and he became bold and courageous. Peter was being persecuted for his faith and was eventually put to death. In this letter, Peter encourages Christians who are suffering because of their faith to hold fast and to remember that God uses difficult times to help us grow in our faith. Peter encourages us to look at Jesus as our example.

Highlight 1 Peter 5:7

Locate 2 Peter. Peter wrote this letter right before his death, most likely in Rome. In this letter Peter urges believers to grow in their faith. He also warns Christians about false teachers within the church. He encourages Christians to look forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Highlight 2 Peter 3:9

Locate 1 John. The disciple John wrote this letter. In this letter John explains how much God loves us and how we should love God and one another.

Highlight 1 John 4:1

Locate 2 John. This second letter of John was written when many of the people who had known Jesus personally, were no longer alive. John’s main message was for the new churches to follow God’s commands and not listen to false teachers.

Highlight 2 John 6

Locate 3 John. John wrote this letter to his friend Gaius to thank him and to encourage his continued faithfulness.

Highlight 3 John 11

Locate Jude. The author of this letter was Jude, the brother of Jesus. Jude also wrote to warn about following false teachers.

Highlight Jude 20-21
New Testament Prophecy - Revelation
The last category of New Testament literature is the book of Revelation. This special letter was written by John and describes a vision that he had while exiled on the island of Patmos. This literature is called apocalyptic – it is highly symbolic and tells of end times. The book was written during a time of great persecution by Rome. Revelation is a book of tremendous hope for Christians everywhere. The book describes many strange events but ultimately tells the good news: God wins! Revelation brings the story of the Bible full circle.

Genesis
God creates the world.
Satan tempts and humanity falls.
Fellowship between humans and God is broken.
God promises to send a Savior

Revelation
Satan is defeated.
Christ, our Savior triumphs.
God creates a new heaven and earth
God and humans live in fellowship together.

Place the orange ribbon bookmark with the heart here. The heart reminds us that through the entire Bible, God demonstrates his great love for us!

Highlight Revelation 22:20-21

Resources:

• The Adventure Bible for Young Readers. Zondervan
• Blankenbaker, Frances. What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers, Gospel Light, 1986.