God is faithful in the Resurrection Story and in the Old Testament!

Posted on the teacher resource blog, tonight but worth sharing with parents and others also.
Some talking points for you and your kids!

Two weeks ago
RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Last week
Jeroboam and Rehoboam

Man, what a let down!  
Not really!
Two weeks ago, depend upon God and trust Him.  
God gives victory over sin and death to those who trust in Jesus Christ.

Last week, depend upon God and trust Him.  
God punishes those who live in sinful disobedience.

In the kindergarten class we emphasized listening and obedience.
It is important to listen.

It is important to listen to wise counsel.  Rehoboam didn't do this.

Ultimately, it is NECESSARY to listen to God.  Jeroboam didn't do this.

Rehoboam was not humble.  He did not obey.
Jeroboam was not humble.  He did not obey.

The memory verse Psalm 147:6 speaks of humility.  "The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground."

Here is a quote to consider.
“God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him.”  David Platt
Think about this quote as it relates to this past week's and next week's lesson.

During this week I was thinking about this story and the next story of Elijah.
Paul's words in 1st Corinthians 2:2 - 5 are so very important.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

This Sunday's lesson is Elijah and the Prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 17:1; 18:17–46 
God’s supremacy is demonstrated through humble obedience.
God's power is made known because Elijah's obeys Him.

God, help me to trust you!!!  
I confess that I am not able to live the life you want me to live because I am a sinner!
I know that I can only live the life you want me to live in Jesus Christ.
I am yours and you are mine, Lord.  Help me to rest in You!!

Why Children Need the Church

This article explains some of the reasons why we are doing the things we are doing.  

Our children not only benefit from the preaching of the gospel, they also benefit from witnessing the transforming work of the Holy Spirit taking place with the gospel believers around them.  Through regular interactions with teachers, parents, mentors, and pastors, our children are given the opportunity to observe the powerful, sanctifying hand of God in the lives of other Christians.  Through the ordinance of baptism our children are able to watch as men and women confess their belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ and commit to living their lives in obedience to him.  They gaze in wonder as these believers are plunged into the baptismal and brought back up to the joyful celebration of the congregation, symbolizing their death and resurrection with Christ.  In the same way, as the communion plate is passed and wine and bread are consumed by the members of the body, our children witness the centrality of the gospel to every believer’s life.  They are beckoned to come and taste of the Lord’s goodness for themselves – to receive the gospel of grace being proclaimed. 

In short, our children need the church because they so desperately need the gospel it is founded upon.

To read the entire article go to page 87 of www.credomag.com/issues/Churchy%20Gimmicks.pdf

Grandparents as Disciple Makers

One of the main principles we want to communicate over and over again is
Parents are the primary disciple makers in a child's life.  

This DOESN'T mean parent are the only disciple makers in a child's life.

This is an article on the role grandparents play in the disciplemaking process.
www.sbts.edu/family/blog/intergenerational-discipleship-grandparents-as-disciple-makers/

Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

"Seniors must remember what it was like to be young, and the young must remember that they may one day become seniors. We must be patient with one another."

“Every Timothy needs a Paul, and every Ruth needs a Naomi.”

"A young believer needs an older believer, someone seasoned in his or her spiritual walk to mentor and guide toward spiritual maturity."

This week's memory verse is Romans 10:9 a Personal and Powerful Verse.

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

PERSONAL SALVATION:This verse talks about agreeing with (confessing) what is already true.
The truth is Jesus is Lord.
You need to believe and agree with it.

"The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns.  It is one thing to say, 'Christ is a Saviour.'  It is quite another thing to say, 'He is my Savior and my Lord.'  The devil can say the first, the true Christian alone can say the second."  Martin Luther.

POWERFUL SALVATION:
God raised Jesus from the dead.  
This is a miracle that needs to be celebrated each and every day. 

Use the turnpike 

The Son of Man Resurrected (04.20.14)

DIY Resurrection Eggs

Here is a link to a good, easy to use resource for talk about Easter (Resurrection Sunday) with your children.

Making your own set is actually really simple, and it’s not too late to make one for Holy Week!
Supplies

• 12 plastic eggs
• an egg carton (I bought a carton of marshmallow eggs and ate them to get mine!)
• a small leaf to represent a palm branch at Jesus’ triumphal entry
• 3 quarters to represent the 30 pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot receiveda thimble to represent a cup at the Last Supper
• a tiny piece of paper rolled into a scroll to represent Jesus’ prayer in the garden
• a piece of leather or thick fabric to represent the soldier’s whipping Jesus
• a tiny crown made from grass or a flower stem to represent the crown of thorns
• 2 nails to represent the nails and the cross
• a die to represent the soldier’s casting lots for Jesus’ clothes
• a toothpick with one end broken off to represent the spear piercing Jesus’ side
• a piece of cheesecloth or thin fabric to represent Joseph wrapping Jesus in clean linen cloth
• a rock to represent the stone rolled in front of the tomb
• number stickers, optiona
• resurrection eggs cheat sheet

Pastor Dave's prayer for his family and ministry

This past Sunday Pastor Duke gave Emmanuel Baptist Church two assignments.
One of those assignments was to faithfully pray for the pastors to faithfully proclaim God's Word.

As the Children and Family Ministry pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, this article explains what I desire for my family and for each family at Emmanuel. 

I would appreciate your prayers
as I lead my own family and 
I help others lead their families

Pray that I would consider the long term spiritual growth of my kids not just the right now conformity
Pray that I would not over correct out of the fear of people or not under train out of busy-ness or passivity.
Pray that I would encourage my children to love the church and to love Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Pray that I would love my wife and my children

I recently read an article entitled "The Pastor's Home as a Paradigm of the Church's Family Ministry."  The article was very challenging to me as a parent and pastor.  Here is a quote that gives a good summary.

The pastor who desires to lead a family-equipping church must sound a clear note in his own home that he understands it is not the church but parents—and fathers in particular—who are given the primary responsibility for calling the emerging generation to hope in God (Ps. 78:1-8). The church serves a supplementary role, reinforcing the biblical nurture that is occurring in the home. It is not the job of professionals at the church to train believers’ children in the fear of God. The family-equipping pastor who is also a family shepherd will not allow Sunday schools, children’s ministries, or youth ministries to become substitutes for the household discipleship of his children. This commitment provides a solid platform to call Christian fathers who have abdicated their God-given responsibility to repent and to embrace their role as family shepherds. (emphasis mine).

Here is the link for the entire article www.sbts.edu/family/blog/the-pastors-home-as-paradigm-of-the-churchs-family-ministry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pastors-home-as-paradigm-of-the-churchs-family-ministry

A Neglected Grace. A great resource for family worship in the Christian

A great review of a good book.

“Family worship” is an archaic phrase—and an increasingly archaic practice. It sounds austere and intimidating, like an outdated tradition for über-conservative, tightly sheltered, hyper-Christian families who care more about spiritual solemnity than family warmth.

Pastor Jason Helopoulos, assistant pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, puts the lie to these misconceptions and seeks to revive a joyful Christian practice with roots deep in Christian tradition. In A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home (Christian Focus, 2013), Helopoulos dusts off, rewraps, and re-presents this forgotten gift.

To read the entire review click /www.sbts.edu/family/blog/3838/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3838

An Exciting Problem in the children's wing and Reasons You Think You Cannot Help.

No the problem is not with the new building.

The exciting problem is we have recently had a large number of new children coming on Sunday mornings.
We are excited that we have the chance to share God, His love and His word with more children.
We want to do this in a way that will help children learn.

This is especially true with the 2 year old through kindergarten classes.
If you want to find out more  about serving talk to Andrea Fansler, go to www.emmanuelbaptist.com/service or email children@emmanuelbaptist.com

Here are five reasons why you might think you cannot help in children's ministry along with reasons why you actually can.

I cannot serve because I don't know the Bible.
On any given Sunday we don't teach every single part of the Bible.  We teach a certain aspect of the Bible.
If you have a heart for Christ and you desire to see kids come to Christ you have the basic essentials to work with kids.

I cannot commit the time.
There is nothing more full time than your commitment to Christ.  In serving in children's ministry, you are merely committing to use an hour or two a week in a ministry kids who need to hear God's truth.

I don't have kids. 
The older you are the more wisdom you have for the kids and other teachers.
The younger you are the more energy you should have.

I don't want to do what I experienced growing up.
Some people may not have had a great experience in Sunday School.
If that is the case, determine that you want to make a difference in kids.
If that is not the case, desire to share what you experienced with others.

I don't know what to do.
You will be trained in what to do.  We have been working on ways to improve our training process.