Week 1- 10/4/2015
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2-3 Activity Page
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4-5 Activity Page
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Week 2- 10/11/2015
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Week 3- 10/18/2105
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2-3 Activity Page
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4-5 Activity Page
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Week 4- 10/25/2105
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1st Grade Activity Page - Dave will attach to email, file too large
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2-3 Small Groups
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2-3 Activity Page
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4-5 Small Groups
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4-5 Activity Page
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God is the only god. God is one of a kind with no beginning and no end. And everything God has created is unique and one of a kind.
Each animal is not only different from other species, but also different from other like animals. No zebra has the exact same patterns of stripes. Each monkey has its own temperament. Each sparrow sings a slightly different tune.
The same is true for people. God made each person one of a kind—even identical twins have unique fingerprints! Every person that ever was or ever will be is an original, including the kids we serve each week in our children’s ministry environments.
Now, imagine that God created each one of those kids with an individual box of potential and your job as a parent or leader was to help them figure out how to open it and use it.
There’s a tendency to treat kids like they need to wait before they can start discovering what’s in their box—before they can do something that matters. But kids can use their gifts right now. Sometimes they just need some help figuring out what’s in their box.
That’s where you come in. As leaders in kids’ lives, you can help them discover how to tap into their God-given potential. If you teach kids to find purpose NOW, they’ll grow up knowing the even greater potential God has for them in the future. That’s why for our memory verse this month we chose a moment where Paul was encouraging Timothy to use the gifts God gave him to serve the church.
In 1 Timothy 4:12a, Paul writes: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live” (NIrV).
We don’t talk about Timothy a lot, but he is a perfect example of a young individual who had incredible potential. A handful of insightful adults in his life recognized what was in his box and helped him open it. And because of that, Timothy had tremendous impact on the growth of the early church. His story is an incredible example of individuality.
Individuality is discovering who you are meant to be so you can make a difference.
Most of us remember Timothy because of what Paul wrote to him while he was a young leader in the church at Ephesus. But if you do a little digging in the book of Acts, and you look at what we know about the journeys of Paul, you can piece together a pretty remarkable story about a young man who discovered his unique God-given potential and did some amazing things.
This month, you have the opportunity to help kids discover the same thing. You can open someone’s box and help them see something inside that they can use right now, maybe something about their story or some talent they may not know they have. When you help a child begin to understand that God made them and God has given them unique abilities to love and to serve others, it has a lasting impact—not only because of what they accomplish right now, but because they are establishing a pattern of living that can change the course of their story.
WEEK 1
First, we know from
Acts 16:1 that Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek Father. That means Timothy grew up understanding the Jewish heritage and the stories of Moses alongside hearing about Greek gods and pagan rituals. This unique part of his story would position him to play a significant role in taking the story of Jesus to the Gentile world. Paul also had a unique story too, which he shares with Timothy in
1 Timothy 1:12-16.
Bottom Line:
Jesus wants to use your story to make a difference. As kids hear both of these stories, we want them to begin to understand that Jesus wants to use their story to make a difference, just like He did with Paul and Timothy.
WEEK 2
We’ll look closer at Acts 16:1-5 and discover that there were also some unique abilities in Timothy’s box that people around him must have noticed. And Paul could see it too, because he decided to take Timothy on a missionary journey with him.
Bottom Line: When you discover your gifts, you can make a difference. You can help kids discover the unique ways God has gifted them. As they realize this, we can encourage them to use those gifts to make a difference.
WEEK 3
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-21 and 25-27, Paul explained to the church at Corinth that we are all parts of one body. Everyone has a unique story and unique talents, but we can’t live out our calling alone. We need each other. Timothy grew to realize that one of the greatest things in the box of his potential were his relationships with other Christians.
Bottom Line: When we use our gifts together, we can make a greater difference. Kids will learn that when they partner with other people, God can use those gifts to impact the world is a huge way.
WEEK 4
We’ll finish the month by digging deeper into our memory verse, 1 Timothy 4:12. After spending time with Paul traveling from city to city preaching the news of the gospel, Timothy ended up back in Ephesus, and he had some experience under his belt. Even as a young man, he was able to lead this significant church.
Bottom Line: You can make a difference right now. We want our kids to understand that they don’t have to wait to use the gifts God has given them. The next generation can do some amazing thing right now if the present generation starts helping them unpack their potential.
