Aim to learn about the power of faith
Aims
* To learn about the power of faith
* To learn to use the Bible to find Bible verses
Materials
* Copies of the Bible for each child
* Bible stories
– The Faith of the Centurion (Luke 7:1-10)
– Jairus’ Daughter & The Sick Woman (Luke 8: 40-56)
* Visual Aids – large picture of the stories
* worksheet
Lesson Outline
1. Introduction about Faith
2. Searching in the Bible
3. Bible stories
4. Teaching Points
5. Activities – games of trust, worksheets
6. Review the lesson aims
7. End with a prayer
1) Introduction about Faith
Discuss the word faith. Faith is to believe and trust in the power of God. Faith is also to believe in things we cannot see. Just because we cannot see something, however, doesn’t mean it doesn’t
exist.
A Story about the existence of God
A college student was in a philosophy class, where there was a class discussion about whether or not God exists, The professor had the following logic:
“Has anyone in this class heard God?” Nobody spoke.
“Has anyone in this class touched God?” Again, nobody spoke.
“Has anyone in this class seen God?” When nobody spoke for the third time, he simply stated,
“Then there is no God.”
The student did not like the sound of this at all, and asked for permission to speak. The professor granted it, and the student stood up and asked the following questions of his classmates:
“Has anyone in this class heard our professor’s brain?” Silence.
“Has anyone in this class touched our professor’s brain?”
Absolute silence.
“Has anyone in this class seen our professor’s brain?” When nobody in the class dared to speak, the student concluded, “Then, according to our professor’s logic, it must be true that our professor has no brain!”
God is invisible, but if we believe in the power of God, miracles can happen. Today’s stories of Jesus show what can happen when people really believe in the power of God.
2) Searching in the Bible
1. Give each child a copy of the Bible.
2. Find the contents page
2. Explain the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament
3. Search in the contents page for the gospel of Luke
4. Search for Luke 7: 1-10 and Luke 8: 40-56
5. Read the stories together
3) Bible stories
1. The Faith of the Centurion – Luke 7: 1-10
When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion
heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.
When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent
returned to the house and found the servant well.
2. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman – Luke 8: 40-56
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to
his house, because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and
touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly
healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.”
Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
4) Teaching Points
* In the stories Jesus used the power of God to heal people and demonstrate God’s love. Through these miracles, he could also show that God was working through him.
* Healing didn’t just depend on Jesus. People also needed faith, to believe that he could heal.
That’s why Jesus said, “ Everything is possible for him who believes”. When we believe in the power of God anything is possible.
* In the story of the centurion’s servant, the soldier had so much belief in the words of Jesus, he didn’t need Jesus to come and lay his hands on the sick servant. It wasn’t just Jesus healing, but
the man’s faith in the power of Jesus. He said, “But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Jesus was really impressed by his faith and said “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
* The sick woman didn’t need to even talk to Jesus. She believed by touching his cloak she could be healed and she was. Jesus even felt power leave from him, it wasn’t just Jesus who healed, but her faith that Jesus could. Jesus told her “your faith has healed you.”
* Jairus believed Jesus could heal his daughter. When they got the news that she was dead Jesus told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” Jesus needed Jairus to believe
the girl was only sleeping, not dead. Believing in Jesus words helped to heal his daughter
5) Activities
* Play games of trust
1. Minefield – Objects are scattered on the ground. In pairs, one person verbally guides his/her partner, a blindfolded person, through the minefield.
2. Trust Lean
One child stands still with arms by their side. They fall backwards and are caught by the teacher.
Each time they fall the teacher stands further away, testing their faith
* Complete the worksheet
1) What does faith mean?
Faith is to believe and trust in the power of God.
2) What did Jesus say about faith?
“If you can believe all things are possible.”
3) What did the centurion ask Jesus to do in Luke 7:7?
“But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
4) What did Jesus say to Jairus in Luke 8:50?
“Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
6) Review the lesson aims
* To learn about the power of faith
– Faith is to believe and trust in the power of God
– Faith is also to believe in things we cannot see
– When we believe in the power of God anything is possible.
– It wasn’t just Jesus who healed people. They were healed because they believed Jesus could heal
* To learn to use the Bible to find Bible verses
– Decide whether it is in the Old Testament or New Testament
– Look in the table of contents for the correct book
– Find the correct chapter and verse
7) End with a prayer
