HOPE--Believing that something good can come out of something bad

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This Easter season as we make preparation at church to share with our kids the most important story ever told, we do so through the lenses of HOPE. HOPE, we will be defining for our kids as believing that something good can come out of something bad. We have a chance every day to respond with hope to show that we trust God and His plan for the world. And the people around us are watching to see where, and what, and whom we put our hope in. That’s why a great verse to get our kids to memorize is John 16:33b: “In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world,” (NIrV)

Those are actually the words of Jesus. And if you want a demonstration of how God can use pain and suffering and do something powerful, just think about Jesus. More specifically, think about the message of the Gospel. The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is enough to give us all the hope we will ever need, which becomes especially important this month as we celebrate and discover more about Easter. We’ll look at four different Bible stories this month focusing on Jesus and the events leading up to His resurrection.   

Our Part   March 6
Bible Story: Lazarus raised to life. We start our month on hope in John 11. Here we discover a moment when Jesus brought hope to two sisters who thought all hope was lost. When Lazarus died, his sisters were devastated. But Jesus used the opportunity to point people to God. Jesus was stronger than even death itself and raised Lazarus back to life four days after he was dead. Through this story, the one thing we want kids to remember is that whatever happens, then can remember that how powerful God is.
March 13Bible Story: Jesus encourages His disciples. We look at several passages throughout John 14-16. At the Last Supper, Jesus takes one last chance to encourage His disciples with the promise of heaven, the Holy Spirit, and that He will always be with them. Through this moment in Jesus’ life, we pray kids will realize that whatever happens, they can remember what Jesus promised. It’s such a comfort to know that God is always with us and wants to be with us forever.

March 20
Bible Story: Crucifixion. The weekend of Palm Sunday, we celebrate how Jesus was worshipped as He rode into Jerusalem. Yet, as we’ll see through passages in John 18-19, less than a week later, Jesus went to the cross for us. It was painful, but He endured all of it for us. We know that now, but when Jesus died, His disciples must have thought it was over—that everything they had hoped for would never come true. But, God wasn’t finished yet. Just like the disciples didn’t yet know the end of the story, sometimes our kids can’t see how there story will turn out. We pray that as they go through those times, they’ll remember God is always at work.

March 27: Easter
Bible Story: Resurrection. On Easter weekend, we celebrate that we can have hope because Jesus is alive! In John 20:1-18, we’ll find out that all the promises that Jesus made are true. Everything that Jesus said and did led to this moment. He paid the price for our sin on the cross and came back to life making it possible for us to be with God forever! This is something to celebrate! We want all the kids to leave believing that whatever happens, they can know that God loves them.Whether in the midst of darkness or before it occurs, we have an opportunity to lay a foundation for our OCCKids so that whatever happens in their life they can have hope.

Cooperation--Working together to do more than you could do alone.

When you have a job to get done, you need the right tool. Hammers and screwdrivers work great for doing the job they were designed for, but sometimes you need something a little more complex. You need a tool that has the right attachment for the job, one that cooperates with that tool to get the job done.
Like a drill.  Without the right drill bit to do the work, it’s just a noisy paperweight.
Or a ratchet. Without the right socket, well, I guess you’ve got a shiny little … hammer maybe?  It’s just not useful unless you have both parts working together. 
There are even some tools that don’t need another piece.  They need another person, like those lumberjack crosscut saws. The saw won’t work at all unless two people are working together.  That’s cooperation—working together to do more than you could do alone.

When you think about it, cooperation is huge. When you cooperate, you can build more. You learn more. You can do more.
As kids are growing they become more aware of the people around them. They have friends on the playground or in their neighborhood. They have to work in teams to finish projects in school. If they don’t learn God’s plan for cooperation, they’ll have a difficult time getting along with people. That’s why it’s important that we take some time out to discover more about what the Bible says about cooperation.

Cooperation is actually a spiritual concept that originates with God. God designed us as human beings not only to need each other, but also to need Him. Now, it’s not like God was up in heaven desperate for some help, so He made us. No, God is all-sufficient. But, He created us so we could have a relationship with Him, and so that we could participate in His work together. In other words, God put all of us together on this planet to do more together than we could ever do alone, and in some cases—with His help—to do things that might even seem “un-doable.”

So, we want every leader, every parent and every child to memorize this verse of Scripture: “Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do,” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIrV).
Just think about the difference you could make in your church if every parent, leader and child really bought into this spiritual concept of cooperation. The Bible is full of stories of people who came together in faith to do something they never could have done alone. We can’t wait to hear about what happens when kids start understanding God’s design for cooperation.

WEEK 1
Think about the Israelites building the tabernacle. We’ll look at different passages throughout Exodus 28, 31, 35 and 39. God could have had Moses do the work on his own, but instead God called expert artists, craftsmen, and all kinds of people to work together to build this incredibly intentional place of worship.
Bottom Line: We can work together to get God’s work done. Cooperation starts with God. When we work together we can do the work He has for us to do and accomplish more than we could ever do on our own.

WEEK 2
There’s this really great and rather bizarre story in Exodus 17:8-13 where Joshua is battling a group of people called the Amalekites. As the battle starts, Moses is standing on a hill with his brother Aaron and another guy named, Hur. And there Moses is, holding up the staff of God. As long as Moses keeps his arms up, the Israelites are winning. But when he drops his arms, the Israelites start losing. So Hur and Aaron make this really great decision. They hold up Moses’ arms—and with God’s help, the Israelites are victorious.
Bottom Line: We can work together to help someone else succeed. Just like Hur and Aaron, it’s important for a child to realize that working together isn’t just about doing something for yourself. You can work with other people to help them win at life too.

WEEK 3
In Luke 5:17-26, we find in the life of one paralyzed man who just happened to have some really good friends. When His friends heard that Jesus was in town, they tried everything to get their friend to Jesus. In fact, as friends, they cooperated, tore a hole in a roof, and dropped their friend down in front of Jesus while He was teaching. And as a result of their faith and cooperation a miracle happened.
Bottom Line: We can work together to change someone’s life. When we work with others, we not only help them, but we can help God change their life.

WEEK 4
In our final week, we look at how the Early Church worked together in Acts 2:42-47 to help those who were in need. And when they cooperated, people noticed.  When other people saw all of these different kinds of people working together, they came to know Jesus.
Bottom Line: Working together can point people to Jesus. Our kids can learn how to be the church even at a young age. Just think about the impact they could have on the world when they realize that how they work together could impact a person’s relationship with Jesus.

This month, think about this question: “What can you do together?” What can you do together as a church to demonstrate to your children the way God designed us—not only to need each other, but also to need Him?  How can we cooperate with God on His plan to change the world?

I have this sneaking suspicion that the children who watched those friends that tore the roof apart and saw Jesus make that man walk again were never the same. They had stories to tell for generations because they had seen the power of cooperation and what happens when God shows up to put His stamp of approval on people working together. This month, help make that the story of our church too.

Self Control - Caring enough to do something about someone else's need

Happy New Year from Club E at Olathe Christian Church! We are so excited about our continued partnership with you and your families into the New Year! January is a great time to work on changing the way we play this game of life. It feels like a fresh, crisp start to a new year! We are VERY excited about what we have to teach your children this month from God’s Word – actually we are going to spend the whole month in Proverbs, a book packed full of wise verses—many about the topic of Self-Control.

We define self-control like this: choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. And this month, we’ll learn that self-control really has more to do with God than self. Throughout the Bible, God talks a lot about self-control. As a fruit of the Spirit, self-control is a response to the changes He is making in our lives. On our own, we are helpless to control anything, but with God’s power we have an advantage. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us and are able to do what we should do even when it’s not what we want to do. 

As we learn to reflect the character of God and respond to His love for us, self-control is crucial. After all, how we live speaks volumes to our friends, family, and even strangers we meet every day. Our ability to show self-control in the heat of a moment could make or break someone’s view of God. Let’s all learn together this month to pause, select the right words and actions, and most importantly tap into God’s power to show some self-control.

Our memory verse for the month is Proverbs 25:28 - “A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through.”  This verse can serve as a great reminder for kids (or adults) in those moments when they don’t want to show self-control.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at self-control through God’s lens and explore truths that Solomon captured in the book of Proverbs. Our weekly lessons include:

Our Part
January 2/3
Proverbs 25:28 – “A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through.” In ancient times, the city without walls was exposed to harsh elements and cities that could conquer them. A lack of self-control exposes you to danger. Bottom Line: God can give you the power to control yourself. We want kids to start the month realizing they can lean into God’s power to help them demonstrate self-control.

January 9/10
Proverbs 16:32 – “It is better to be patient than to fight. It is better to control your temper than to take a city.” God reminds us having patience and showing self-control is more important than winning an argument or conquering an entire city. Bottom Line: Pause before you lose your temper. God wants us to know that to PAUSE and show patience even when it’s difficult is better than choosing to fight our way through life.

January 16/17
Proverbs 21:23 – “Those who are careful about what they say keep themselves out of trouble.” We want kids to understand the power of showing self-control with the words they say. Bottom Line: Select your words carefully. When we lean into God’s power and select our words carefully, we may show others a glimpse of God’s grace, which could change them forever.

January 23/24
Proverbs 25:16 – “If you find honey, eat just enough. If you eat too much of it, you will throw up.” You can have too much of a good thing. Here we are given a clear picture of what could happen if we don’t know when to stop. Bottom Line: Know when to stop. When we are able to show self-control and stop what we’re doing, we might end up with too much of something. And having too much can cause us harm. Our memory verse reminds us that when we ignore self-control, we leave ourselves open to responding in ways that could end up hurting us.

January 30/31
Proverbs 4:23 – “Above everything else, guard your heart. Everything you do comes from it.” In order to show self-control, you need to fill your heart and minds with what will help you guard your heart. The apostle Paul gives us an idea of what some of those are in Philippians 4:8. We should think about what is noble, right, and pure, lovely and worthy of respect. When we fill our heart with these things, we’ll have a better chance of responding with self-control.  Bottom Line: Use God’s words to guide your thoughts. If we focus on God’s Word, when those frustrating moments come, we’ll be able to remember the truth of scripture to help us show self-control.

With all of the Proverbs we discovered this month, we know that God can help us protect ourselves from the consequences of not demonstrating self-control.