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After forty years of wandering in the desert, it was time to cross over the Jordan River and take the land that God had promised. Joshua instructed the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant and begin walking into the Jordan. Even though the river was at flood stage, it immediately stopped flowing so that all of the people could pass safely through. To help the Israelites remember all He had done for them, the Lord had them pile twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordan, one on top of the other, to make a memorial.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 3-4; 5:10-12

Outline:

1. The Israelites cross the Jordan River (Joshua 3:1-4:18)
2. Remembrance (Joshua 4:19-24 and 5:10-12)

Tips for teaching children:

• Fun activity for very young children: Mark off an area on the floor to resemble a river. Lead the children in crossing the river.
• Craft: Decorate stones with paint and glitter.
• Devotional to remember what God has done. Have the children sit in a circle. Children will pass the stone from one to the other around in a circle. As individual children hold the stone, they should tell the group something that God has done for them. Once everyone who wishes to share has done so, pray and thank God.

Tips for teaching adults:

• What are some “stones of remembrance” in your own life? In other words, How do you keep a record of God's faithfulness to you, God’s fulfilled promises to you, God’s goodness to you?
• What are some ways that we can teach our children or the children in the church the faith and to help them remember God and his promises?
• As the class to bring a smooth stone to class. Write on these stones one thing God has done for you, how God has been faithful to you. Give this stone to a child at church and tell them your story on how God has been faithful to you.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Crossing the Jordan

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Joshua sent two spies over the Jordan River and into the city of Jericho. Rahab, a woman in the city, let the spies stay at her house. When the city officials searched for them, she hid them on her rooftop under stalks of flax. She told the spies she would not turn them in as long as they promised to save her and her family when they returned to conquer Jericho. Before escaping to the nearby hills, they instructed her to tie a red cord in her window so that they would know where she was when they came back.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 1-2

Matthew 1:5

James 2:25

Hebrews 11:31

Outline:

1. God prepares Joshua to lead (Joshua 1:1-9)
2. Joshua prepares the people to take the land (Joshua 1:10-18)
3. Rahab protects the spies (Joshua 2:1-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Use a paper heart to discuss how following God can change lives.
  • Prepare a paper heart by gluing two pieces of paper together. One paper should be black and the other white. Cut the paper into the shape of a heart.
  • With the black side of the heart facing up, talk about how Rahab used to be a bad person doing bad things until she learned about God.
  • Then, turn the heart over to the white side and discuss how Rahab began to follow God. She left her people and began to live with the Israelites.
  • Using the heart again, apply this concept to people today and ourselves. We can choose to live a good life or a bad life.
• Take the children on a walk to “find Rahab’s house”. Before the children arrive, find a window in your building and hang a red streamer or scarf from it. After learning about Rahab, take the children on a walk outside so that they can spot “Rahab’s house”.
  
  

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin the class by asking these questions: Have you experienced leadership change in your congregation? What was it like? What went well and didn’t go well? What does it look like to step into a role after someone great has gone before you? How would you deal with fear or inadequacy in those moments?
• Rahab was of questionable character and an outsider, so "what does Rahab’s story teach us about who God might include in His redemptive purposes?" What does Matthew 1:5 add to this discussion? What does this tell you about God?
• Ask everyone in the class to write on a piece of paper an area of your life where you need courage or more courage. Have the class members place the papers you have written on into a bowl, and then begin drawing them out of the bowl and read to the class. Pray for each of these areas.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Rahab Helps the Spies

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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In this episode, David and Mary read Luke chapter 24.

Other verses you might like to read at Easter are...

1. Jesus is buried. (Luke 23:50-56)
2. The empty tomb (Luke 24:1-12)
3. Appearances after the resurrection (Luke 24:13-49)
   • Road to Emmaus (13-35)
   • The Disciples (36-49)

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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As the time of Moses’ death drew near, the Lord told him to appoint Joshua as the new leader of Israel. Moses appointed Joshua and told him and all of the people to be strong and courageous because the Lord would be with them as they entered the Promised Land. Even at the age of 120, Moses was strong and had excellent vision, so the Lord directed him to climb Mount Nebo and view all of Canaan, the Promised Land. After viewing the land, Moses died.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 27:12-23 and Deuteronomy 31:1-8; 32:48-52; 34:1-12

Outline:

1. Leadership passes from Moses to Joshua (Numbers 27:12-23 and Deuteronomy 31:1-8)
2. Moses dies (Deuteronomy 32:48-52; 34:1-12)

Tips for teaching children:

• Play follow-the-leader with younger children. First “Moses” can lead, and then ”Joshua”.
• With older children, discuss attributes of a good leader (in school, in clubs, organisations and even government). If you notice natural leadership qualities in children, be sure and encourage them.
• Review the life of Moses. Collect items or illustrations that depict his life. As children look at the items they can share what this relates to in Moses’ life. Items might include a basket, leaves coloured as if on fire, anything from the plagues, a stick/staff, water, sand, the number 10 and more.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Divide class into groups of 5 or 6, supply paper/pens. Challenge the groups to write down as much as they know about Moses from books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – his life, his experiences, his ups and down, his personality. Spend about 20 minutes in the groups and then come together to share what each group has written down. Did any group have a fact about Moses that the other groups didn’t have?
• Another idea is to have volunteers draw on a whiteboard something from the life of Moses or something they know about Moses. The rest of the class guesses what is being drawn. As a teacher you could help things along by writing several things from Moses' life on cards and have people randomly draw a card and then draw this on the whiteboard.
• Ask each group to choose one thing about Moses that instructs us to follow God more closely and more wholly and pray about that.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Death of Moses

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Enemies of the Israelites paid money to a sorcerer named Balaam so that he would call a curse on God’s people. The Lord spoke to Balaam, but Balaam did not listen. As Balaam and his donkey travelled along a road, an angel of the Lord blocked the path of the donkey. When Balaam beat the donkey, God miraculously caused it to talk to its owner. Finally, Balaam saw the angel and realized what had happened. He ended up blessing the Israelites instead of cursing them.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 22-24

Outline:

1. King Balak summoned Balaam, but God took control (Numbers 22:1-20)
2. Balaam’s donkey talked (Numbers 22:21-41)
3. Balaam blesses God’s people (Numbers chapters 23-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Make a donkey puppet
• Explain the importance of words by using a tube of toothpaste as a visual aid. As you talk about kind words, squeeze a little paste out of the tube and onto a plate. Then, share examples of unkind words and squeeze more out. After you have done this a few times, then ask the children to put the paste back into the tube. Of course, this cannot be done.
  In the same way, once words have left our mouths, we cannot take them back. The blessing or damage has been done. Be careful about what we say.
• Take the time to specifically and genuinely bless each child with affirming words.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Ask the class an opening question: Have you said anything that you later regretted? Are there any volunteers to tell your story?
• Words are powerful. Read James 3:9-10. Have the class discuss this question: How have you been blessed by what others have said, and how have you been cursed by what others have said?
• Divide the class into groups of 4. Here’s the challenge: Each group chooses two families/individuals in the church to visit to encourage and pronounce a blessing on them. Each group member should write a note of encouraging words to bless the ones they see. Go visit this family, taking your notes of encouragement. After a brief visit, read the cards to the family, pray with the family, affirm your love, and leave.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Balaam and His Donkey

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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When Israel camped in the wilderness, the Lord continually provided the people with manna and quail to eat. Even though He provided for their needs, their impatience and discontentment caused them to reject the food that God had provided. As a lesson for all to see, the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people so that many of them were bitten, became sick, and subsequently died.

The people realised their sin and told Moses they were sorry for their actions. The Lord told Moses to mount a bronze snake on a pole. Anyone bitten by the poisonous snakes could look at the bronze snake and be healed.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 21:4-9

Outline:

1. The Israelites Complain (Numbers 21:4-5)
2. God punishes the people (Numbers 21:6)
3. Confession and healing (Numbers 21:7-9)

Tips for teaching children:

• Talk about complaining and how this is hurtful. To help children relate, act out opening a gift at a birthday party. Instead of saying thank you, offer complaints about the gift (wrong one, I don’t like the colour, it is not as nice as the one my friend got, etc.) Children should then talk about how this might make the gift-giver feel.
• For a craft, guide the children in wrapping a chenille wire (pipe cleaner) around a craft stick or dowel. Write “Numbers 21:4-9” on the stick.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Ask the class to share some snake stories. Ask if anyone has experienced a snakebite, and if so, ask them to tell the class about their experience.
• This is a brief and unusual story, but through it, we can learn something about God and possibly ourselves. Ask the class to discuss what they have learned about God from this story. And ask the class to compare themselves to these Israelites who complain. How are they like them and how are they different from them?
• End the class with three prayers:
  • Thanksgiving – for God’s provisions (spiritual and physical)
  • Petition – for God’s mercy and forgiveness
  • Pledge – to be a trusting people who rely on God’s provisions instead of complaining. Maybe ask three different people to pray

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Bronze Snake on a Pole

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Forty years had passed since the Israelites left Egypt to go to the land the Lord had promised them. After camping in an area called Kadesh, they ran out of water. When the people complained to Moses and Aaron, the Lord commanded Moses to speak to a rock so that water would miraculously gush from it. Instead of obeying the Lord, Moses chose to speak angrily to the people and then strike the rock twice with his staff. The rock produced water, but Moses paid a high price for refusing to honour the Lord. He would not live to enter the promised land.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 20:1-13

Outline:

1. The people complain and argue (Numbers 20:1-5)
2. God instructs, but Moses and Aaron disobey (Numbers 20:6-11)
3. God proclaims the punishment for Moses and Aaron (Numbers 20:12-13)

Tips for teaching children:

• Gather rocks and paints and guide the children in painting them as if water is flowing from them.
• Guide children to create a model. They can then use it to tell today’s Bible story to the class. Provide rocks, water bottles, spray bottles, straws, tubing, waterwheels or any other water-related items.
• Discuss Ephesians 4:26-27.
  • Uncontrolled anger allows the Devil to tempt us to act in ways we otherwise would not:
    We might hurt someone, say hurtful things, swear, or make bad decisions that we will regret later.
  • Following this discussion, point out ways we might control our anger:
    We could pause and count to ten, take deep breaths, remove ourselves from the situation, or take a walk. We can pray alone or with someone.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Our story today is only 13 verses long so that it can be easily read during class time. Choose three readers to read the different sections or choose four people to read the different characters in this story: the narrator, the people, God and Moses.
• Leaders are held to a higher standard than the average person. Think of the leaders in your congregation. What kind of expectations does the congregation have of a leader that they wouldn’t have for the average person in the congregation? Are these expectations fair? What would be fair expectations? Pray for your leaders.
• Leaders do carry a lot of responsibility in the church. And they are often not appreciated or thanked. As a class, do something good for your leaders and their families to show your appreciation and show that you are thankful for them. Here are a few ideas: take them out to dinner, buy a gift, buy a gift card, or publicly thank them in the worship assembly for their leadership. You could create coupons that they could redeem, such as “one free dinner brought to your house” or “one free lawn-mowing”, etc.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Moses Does Not Honour God

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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As the people of God approached the land of Canaan that God had promised them, Moses took a census to record the number of people in the twelve tribes. A representative from each of these tribes entered into the land of Canaan to spy it out. When the spies returned, ten of them reported that the Canaanites were too big and strong to overcome. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, had confidence that God would help them conquer the land. The Israelites were then made to wander in the wilderness for forty years as a consequence of their lack of faith.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 1-3, 13-14

Outline:

1. Moses organised the tribes and camp. (Numbers 1-3)
2. Twelve spies checked out the land and then reported back. (Numbers 13)
3. The Israelites rejected God’s plan and received punishment. (Numbers 14)

Tips for teaching children:

• Talk about the tribes using a pizza as a visual aid. Cut into 12 slices and place on small plates. Place a cup or coloured plate in the centre of the table and then arrange the plates around the cup to mimic the placement of the tribes around the tabernacle. After this, you can use the pieces to represent the 12 spies. Then, of course, eat the pizza!
• If adults are meeting in another room from the children, then ask the children to be spies and obtain information. For example, find out how many people are wearing black shoes or how many purses are in the room. Children will enjoy trying to do this without adults seeing them. Make sure you let the leader of the adult group know before you do this.
• Depict giant grapes by blowing up purple balloons and tying them together to form a cluster.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Bring grapes and pomegranates to class for the students to eat while you are teaching.
• Since this story is probably too long to read in class, ask the class to read Numbers 13-14 the week before, or alternatively, you can summarise the story during class time.
• If the class is large enough, appoint twelve people to stand before the class and represent the spies. Two of the twelve will act the parts of Joshua and Caleb. Each group should try to convince the class of their point of view. As the teacher, encourage each group to refer to the Scripture for their argument.
• A smaller class might focus on the opposing positions of the spies.
  • The ten believed Israel should not try to take the land. Be sympathetic to their position and discuss why you think they make sense to many people.
  • Why was it so difficult for Joshua and Caleb to change the people’s minds?
• Ask the class to discuss some things that they are afraid of and how that affects their lives—their decisions, choices, and actions. Follow up with, “How do you handle your fear? How should you handle your fear?”
• Pray about these fears.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Twelve Tribes and Twelve Spies

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org