CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LESSON 20 SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2022

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Kings 3:3-14; Matt 9:9; 19:16-22; Mark 1:16-20; Col. 3:1; 2 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 11:23-38.

Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, Colossians 3:1 (NIV).

TARGET:

To help the child understand that the choices he or she makes affect him or her and that he or she needs to seek God’s guidance when making choices in life.

OBJECTIVES:

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

1. Listing some of the choices he or she has made in life and saying which ones were good and wise and which ones were bad and foolish.

2. Identifying temptations he or she might meet at home, school, and neighbourhood and discussing right choices and wrong choices for each of the temptation.

3. Praying and asking God to give him or her wisdom to make right choices within the week and all through his or her life.

4. Stating what he or she ought to do in order to make the right choices always.

OUTLINE:

1. Wise Choices – 1 Kings 3:3-14; Matthew 9:9; Mark 1:16-20.

2. Foolish Choices – Matthew 19:16-22; 2 Tim 4:10.

3. Other Examples – Hebrews 11:23-38.

Have you at any time in your life made a choice which you regretted afterwards and even still regret now. That could be said to be a bad choice. Every one of us make choices from time to time. Can you recall some of the choices people make everyday? If you were given the chance to have anything you want, what will you choose?

People say “variety is the spice of life”. Indeed, God made us to enjoy a variety of things. One man chooses one thing, another chooses something else. That is life. Our choices are not always the same. Life will be very dull if everybody made the same choice everyday. Many of the choices we make will not have an impact on our whole life. But there are some choices that can do that. Some choices are very important because what we choose to do can cause us happiness or sorrow.

The Bible is full of people who made choices in their lives. Some of the choices were good while some were bad.

1. WISE CHOICES – 1 KINGS 3:3- 14; MATT 9:9; MARK 1:16-20

King Solomon made a wise choice. The Israelites had no temple at that time. They still sacrificed to God at the “high places.” The most famous of these “high places” or hilltop altars was at Gibeon. King Solomon went there and sacrificed one thousand burnt offerings.

The Lord appeared to him in a dream that night and told him to ask anything he wanted, and it would be given to him. King Solomon asked God to give him wisdom so he could rule God’s people well. Because of his wise choice, God gave him wisdom more than any other person on earth. God also promised to give him great wealth, great influence and power over all his enemies.

In the New Testament, Matthew, Simon, his brother Andrew and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John also made wise choices. They chose to follow Jesus Christ and to become His special students or disciples.

Jesus saw Matthew sitting at a tax collection booth, He told him to come and be His disciple. Matthew jumped up and went along with Him. That was a very wise choice.

2. FOOLISH CHOICES – MATT 19:16-22; 2 TIM 4:10

One day, someone came to Jesus and asked what he must do to have eternal life? Jesus replied that he could get to heaven by keeping the commandments. “Which ones?” The man asked. And Jesus replied, “Don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself”. “I’ve always obeyed every one of them,” the youth replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him. “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

This answer from Jesus was a challenge to the man either to choose to follow Jesus by selling everything he had or to reject Jesus by holding strongly to his great wealth. The man made a foolish choice. He chose his wealth. For when the young man heard this, he went away sadly, for he was very rich.

Demas was another man who made a foolish choice. Demas was once a “fellow labourer” with Paul, along with Mark and Luke (Col 4:14; Philemon 1:25). He was once highly commended by Paul. But because of some difficulty with preaching the gospel, Demas forsook Paul and chose the worldly type of life instead.

3. OTHER EXAMPLES – HEBREWS 11:23-38

There are many other examples of people who sacrificed positions, opportunities and privileges that were very valuable in order to serve God. Moses was one of such persons. He was a Hebrew but grew up in Pharaoh’s house. “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the grandson of the king, but chose to share ill treatment with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin” (v. 24). Moses thought that it was better to suffer for the promised Christ than to own all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the great reward that God would give him. That was a wise choice.

Rehab, the harlot from Jericho, I chose to assist the Hebrew spies when they were planning to conquer Jericho. She had decided to abandon the idols and gods of her people to worship the Hebrew God. Likewise, people like Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, each showed by his activities that it is a wise thing to serve the living God, the God of the Israelites.

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LESSON 20 SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2022

There comes a time when all of us must choose what we want to do with our lives. And we need to make right choices at such a time. There is need for us to live holy lives as Christians. We must choose to avoid everything that is bad and that is of the world – sexual vice, impurity, fighting, stealing, cheating, gossip, worshipping false gods, evil desires, anger, malice, hatred, abusive language, swearing, dirty talks, and telling lies.

One area we should consider as we make choices is in choosing our friends. This is important because the kind of friends we choose can either help us or ruin us.

What we choose to watch on TV is very important as what we say comes from what we have in our hearts. Also, what we read and the games we play should be chosen carefully. Choosing wrongly is dangerous, for such things open our minds to Satan’s power. And regarding what we listen to we should choose good music.

The choices we make in life are not without responsibility. Both our choices and our actions have consequences. And taking responsibility for choices and actions is a painful lesson to learn.

God wants to help us with every choice we make. If we follow His direction we can be assured our choices will be right and wise.

Occasionally, however, we could make wrong choices. When this happens, we only need to repent and ask for forgiveness since one wrong choice can lead to another.

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LESSON 20 SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2022

1. Mention three (3) or more persons that made right choices in today’s lesson and the choice they made.

(A) Solomon – chose wisdom

(B) Matthew-chose to follow Jesus Christ; Simon – chose to follow Jesus Christ

(C) none of the above

(D) A and B.

2. _______ left Paul and chose the worldly way.

(A) Demas

(B) Philip

(C) Herod

(D) Israel

3. Salvation – to accept Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Saviour is the most important choice anyone can make in life. True/False.

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LESSON 20 SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2022

Mon: The Best Choice – Matt. 9:9-14

Tues: Saying Yes to Jesus Christ – Mark 1:16-20

Weds: Living by Your Choice – Col. 3:1-15

Thurs: Do Not Be Demas – 2 Tim. 4:9-15

Fri: Hold Fast Your Choice – Heb. 11:23-30

Sat: Learning from Solomon – 2 Kings 3:3-14