For each lesson, I will post ideas or suggestions of activities we have tried to help in the teaching or reinforcing each lesson. Each idea will begin with a summary of that lesson.
In this first lesson, we will begin by understanding that that we were created by God for a purpose. While God dealt with man in different ways through the ages, He created us to have a relationship with Him. As we begin this study of the Bible from beginning to end, we will first take time to see how it is laid out in certain timeframes – dispensations. Dispensation basically means God’s method of dealing with mankind in respect of sin and man’s responsibility. Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, marking his utter failure in every dispensation. It is with that thought that we will look at the scriptures as a whole.
God created the world perfect, but man sinned, bringing the judgment of death into the world. Throughout the ages, God gave man many opportunities to have a relationship with Him, but each time man failed. Man had to understand that the only way that relationship could ever be restored would be by the atoning death of His Son, Jesus. We will try to see how God dealt with man throughout the ages, and how God was working, revealing the way to bring man back to Himself – through Jesus.
Key Verse
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16
Ideas for activities or crafts for children:
There is a memory verse worksheet that can be downloaded.
My very talented sister drew pictures of a timeline in five different coloring sheets for children to color, making their own timeline. It includes a line that begins after man sinned in the garden and when God gave the promise of Jesus. Our class colored this line red to follow the promise of Jesus to the fulfillment of that promise. We then glued them to a roll of brown paper cut down to fit so we could post them on our classroom wall. I have posted these coloring sheets of that timeline. You may download them to make a timeline for each student. A simple way would be to copy the coloring sheets (on legal sized paper) and have them color them throughout the first few lessons. They could be glued to a roll of brown craft paper cut to size as they are completed. Our classes made them and added to them weekly, leaving them hung on the wall for viewing as we learned some of the Bible lessons that were pictured on them.
To open the links below, right click and choose “open link in new tab”.
Lesson 1 Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet
You’re talented sister was a real gift to this first volume of this study! What child, or even adult, wouldn’t enjoy these extra hands on visual helps they can create themselves by a simple click, print and color!
The whole concept of studying the Bible in chronological order is a testimony to “God is not the author of confusion”. As the God of order and precision He surely must be pleased for us to study His word to us in such an orderly and precise manner. Thank you for the time invested to produce such a profoundly simple path to understanding the Biblical life God has ordained for us.