ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR SUNDAY, 19TH NOVEMBER, 2023.

TARGET:

To help the child understand that the Gospels are books which talk about the good news of the teachings of Christ, His life, and His willingness to die for man’s sins.

OBJECTIVES:

During and after the lesson, each child will show that he/she understands the lesson by:

1. Saying ways he/she can communicate the gospel of the Lord Jesus as Luke communicated to Theophilus through writing.

2. Answering correctly questions that are asked during and after the lesson.

3. Praying and asking God for strength to communicate the gospel.

OUTLINE:

1. Luke Addresses Theophilus – Lk 1:1-4

2. Jesus Is At Nazareth – Luke 4:16-17

3 Jesus Reads The Scripture – Luke 4:18-22

INTRODUCTION:

The Gospels are another part of our Bible. It is the part that tells about the life of Jesus and the things He taught when He lived in this world. The Holy Spirit moved some men to write about Jesus.

The Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and each book takes after the name of its writer. The four different men noticed different things about Jesus. And they wrote in order to make the life of Jesus clear to the people they were writing to. Thus, the central theme of each of the Gospel is the life and teaching of Jesus.

1. Luke Addressed Theophilus – Luke 1:1-4

Luke begins his work by talking about how many people have started to write an account of the things that were prophesied in the Old Testament which now have been fully fulfilled before them. He went on to acknowledge that the information has been handed down over to them by people who witnessed what happened first hand. This shows that Luke himself was not an eyewitness of the things that happened to Jesus but his knowledge was sound because he had received his knowledge direct from those who were there and who were committed to spreading the good news.

Now, it seemed good to him to write an orderly account for someone he addressed as most excellent Theophilus.

The Gospel, as has already been pointed out, tells about the life of Jesus and the things He taught when He lived in the world. Luke, here tells of one incident in the life of Jesus and what He taught in the synagogue on one occasion.

Jesus had just arrived where He used to live. He went to the synagogue as He used to do. In the synagogue, anyone could be invited to take part in the service of prayers, reading the Scripture, and preaching the Word. Thus when Jesus stood up to read, they gave Him a copy of the book of Isaiah the prophet to read from, He opened the book to a particular place and began to read from that place. The Book of Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament, at this time, were written in scrolls. They were kept in a special place in the synagogue and were handed to the reader by a special attendant.

The passage Jesus read was about the Messiah. It may have been the one He chose to read or it may have been the one chosen for that day. The passage tells about the ministry of the Messiah – that of preaching and deliverance. It was a ministry to meet every human need. The Messiah had been anointed, not with ordinary oil, but with the Holy Spirit. And so the Spirit of God was upon Him to preach the Good News, heal the brokenhearted and the blind, proclaim freedom for captives. Deliver the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

After reading and returning the scroll, the Lord sat down. And as everyone looked at Him, He told them that the Scripture He had just read was being fulfilled before them that day. Everybody was surprised and wondered at the gracious words that He spoke that day. In that way they became witnesses of the fulfilment of the Word of God in the life of Jesus.

What Luke had in mind in writing to Theophilus was to give him a detailed account of the faith, which he only had a general knowledge of. Luke had access to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also have access to the whole Bible, which is also the gospel of the Lord Jesus. As children of God, we should not keep quiet. We should tell people about Christ and also help to correct wrong doctrines. one step in doing this is to know what the Bible says. Another step is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom to face challenges. We need to be committed just as Luke and Jesus were. God wants us to communicate the gospel to everybody, great and small, through witnessing, preaching, teaching, writing, singing etc.

Jesus’ custom of regular worship sets an example for us as Christians. In Hebrews 10:25, we are told not to abstain from going to church to fellowship with other brethren.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the gospel?

(A) The story of a person’s life

(B) The good news of the life and teachings of Christ

(C)The history of the Earth.

(D) The history of man.

2. In what form were the book of Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament written at this time?

(A) They were written in scrolls

(B) They were written in lines

(C) They had no paragraphs

(D)They were written in proverbs.

3. What, according to this passage, is the ministry of the Messiah?

(A) Deliverance

(B) Preaching and deliverance

(C) Preaching

(D) Praying.

4. What example does Jesus’ custom of regular worship set for us as Christians?

(A) To always go to party

(B) To always quarrel

(C) To always attend fellowship

(D) To always avoid fellowship.