Church Beginnings
OBJECTIVE
- Today's objective is to connect the ministry of Christ with the ministry of the Apostles, showing that Christ did not leave us alone, but rather sent the Holy Spirit by Whom the Church is established.
INTRODUCTION - 10 Minutes
- You are going on a camping trip and need to prepare yourself for the journey. What will you take?
- When we consider what to bring with us, we connect problems with solutions, foreseeing what circumstances we may encounter and what tools we need to overcome these.
- Success depends on accuracy of anticipation while a lack of preparation leads to inadequate resources to overcome those challenges.
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 10 Minutes
- And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head---Christ---from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:11-16).
Memory Verse
"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pt. 4:8)
CONTENT - 25 Minutes
- Shifting from the Hook
- As we prepare for the camping trip, gathering all the tools we can to overcome whatever obstacle we may encounter, so Christ has equipped us with the proper tools for ministry through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Church
- The Call to Ministry
- The Lord called 12 disciples during His ministry, along with the 70, to follow Him
- The disciples learned from the Lord, listening to His teachings and witnessing His miracles
- These disciples were sent out by the Lord as apostles to minister regarding the Kingdom
- In the Great Commission, the Lord told His apostles to preach to all nations (cf. Mt. 28:19-20)
- Ministry is the specific calling of a Christian to serve Christ in some capacity or purpose
- The Birth of the Church (Acts 2)
- The Church was born on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ
- After the Ascension of Christ, the Apostles waited for the promise of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:8) in the upper room for 10 days
- The Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues of fire upon those in the Upper Room
- The Holy Spirit Equips the Church for Ministry
- Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things, bring to their remembrance all thing that He said, and give them the words to speak
- On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit equipped the Apostles with tools to minister by speaking in various tongues (Acts 2:5-13), and opened Peter's mind to explain the Scripture
- St. Paul spoke of the unity of the Church in 1 Co. 12, saying that we are many members of the one Body of Christ, and that the diversity of gifts are given by one Spirit for the profit of all
- Unity of the Church
- The Church is not just a building, but is the body Christ, participating in united worship
- The early Christians continued in the Apostolic doctrine and in fellowship, going from house to house breaking bread, and taking care of each other's needs (cf. Acts 2:42-47)
- We are called in lowliness and gentleness to bear with one another in love to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:1-6)
- We are called to be affectionate to one another, give preference to one another, rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep for those who weep (cf. Rm. 12:9-16)
- Common Ministry for Youth
- St. Paul commands the children to obey their parents (cf. Eph. 6:1-3)
- St. Peter commands us to be hospitable to one another without grumbling, to be compassionate, courteous, and tenderhearted (cf. 1 Pt. 4:9, 3:8)
- St. John, in his first epistle, charges the little children to keep the things he has written to them, namely that we ought to love one another
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes
- As sixth graders, what ministry may we be called to in the church, at school, or at home?
- What are ways that the Holy Spirit equips us for our ministry?
- What is the relationship between the liturgical or church life and our ministry?
APPLICATION (Action) - 10 Minutes
- We may partake in a great ministry of encouraging our friends to attend liturgy, Sunday School, Bible study, and other church functions----consider creating a list of ways to minister
- We must equip ourselves for service through participation in the liturgical and church life
- Let us be considerate and empathetic, considering the emotional and spiritual needs of others
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
- Please take your child regularly to the liturgy, as early as possible, to establish the importance of liturgical worship in their Christian development and relationship
- Find opportunities for you and your child to help a needy family, visit a person in need of visitation, or participate in some sort of service through the church
- Encourage your child to pray for people that you may encounter throughout your day