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Preschool & Kindergarten kids & families Acts 1.6
Weekly
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:18 Inspire (for parents) When our family was younger, we wanted to make sure we instilled a posture of sharing and giving to our young children. We wanted them to understand that as a Christian, and because we loved Jesus, we did it with a loving heart, and not because we were expected to, or that we had to, but because we wanted to. There were many places that we would donate our time and money to. Two of those places were the Open Door Mission/Lydia House, and the AAA Crisis Pregnancy Service. Every year we would go out and get friends, neighbors, family, anyone we could to sponsor us on the walk they scheduled to raise money to support to great work to keep babies alive at the AAA Crisis Pregnancy Center. We would also get together as a family and decide how much we were going to put in, so that we would not only donate our time in walking in support, but also donate our money.
Our two children always looked forward to the walk, to see all of the people, and to have a chance to get their faces painted, or to win a prize for raising money. But our goal was to make sure they understood that we didn’t do it ‘just’ for those things, but to save the lives of babies that might otherwise never be born. In our support of the Open Door Mission/ Lydia House, we supported them mainly just as a family with furniture and clothing, and with toys our children would decide on their own that they wanted a child who didn’t have as much as they did to have. We would take our donations to the Open Door Mission as a family. It was neat to see how both of our children were excited to give someone the bag of items, and tell them that they wanted another boy or girl to have their toys. - Shelley Brooks
Getting Started
Scripture: Acts 4:33-37 vers to give. Main Point: God’s Spirit compels belie family to This resource is designed to allow your children your re befo Word ’s God in time have is for parents attend church. Because God’s plan en’s faith, childr their of rers nurtu ual spirit to be the children your , ually we know that as you grow spirit well. as ually will grow spirit
Equip (for parents) Acts: 4:32-34 says “the believers shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. “ Sharing everything (v. 32), no needy persons (v. 34) and great power sandwiched in between. The believers spirit of sharing to the point there was no need among them was likely a powerful non-verbal witness to unbelieving onlookers. It may have been this witness that gave them the open door to share the powerful resurrection story. The Holy Spirit’s role here is two-fold. The Spirit inside them gave them the one heart and mind to share what they had with each other and to share the words of the gospel. God ‘s same Spirit at work in us is powerful enough to transform our hearts to be generous and willing and how often has a good deed, fulfilling a need, allowed us as Christians the opportunity to share the gospel message—the words filled with power to change a life! In our world today, it so easy to be takers instead of givers. But God commands us to be givers! He knows unless it costs us something it means nothing. God always has our best interest in mind. Proverbs, a book of little bumper stickers for godly living has plenty to say about generosity. Consider Proverbs 11:24 “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty,” Proverbs 11:25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will be refreshed”; and Proverbs 8:28: “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”
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Support (for parents & kids) Sometime this week read through the biblical account of the believers sharing their possessions in Acts 4:32-37 with your children. At the end of each section think of a question that reflects on what you just ready such as, “What do you think it means to be of one heart and mind” or “How can we be encouragers, like Barnabas was?” > JUST FOR FUN, have everyone in the family gather one or two of their most ‘prized possessions’. Discuss what it would be like to sell these items and give the money to someone so that they could then provide food or clothing to someone that was in need. Would you be happy to do that, or would you be sad that you would no longer have that item? Now, read the Bible passage.
When you are finished, let them know what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible and that they will hear it in church. Ask your children to If we miss the sacrificial life, we will miss our share with you their thoughts and questions calling! What a thrill it is when God uses us about what they just heard. Remind them the Bible is true, and that the God who sent to be part of His story of spreading His message of redemption and restoration as we bless His Holy Spirit to the disciples, is the same God that wants us to have the Holy Spirit others. - Darla Bair living inside of us today.