Every Sunday morning at 9:00 am
Every Sunday morning our Sunday School classes provide biblical instruction for all ages. From infant to adult, the Bible comes alive through stories, activities and in-depth Bible study.
For the kids we have:
Nursery,
Combined Pre-K/1st Grade class,
Combined 2nd-5th Grade class, and
Combined Middle School/High School class.
There are also two adult Sunday School classes offered.
All Sunday School classes begin at 9:00 am and we'd love for you to join us on Sunday mornings.
The Kingdom of God
Read Matthew 6:9-10
The Kingdom of God or God’s Kingdom are words written in the Bible more than 80 times. Sometimes the Kingdom of God is called the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of Light, but both are just other ways of saying the same thing. Have you ever wondered what Jesus is talking about when He talks about the Kingdom of God?
In Webster’s Dictionary, it explains that a kingdom is a territory or country where a king or queen rules and has control. Think about God. The Bible tells us many things about The Kingdom of God and how He will rule over it. God’s rule will never end. God will never be defeated. God will destroy all enemies. God has authority over everything on earth and in heaven. He rules over our lives and the world we live in as our king.
You may be confused because you cannot get out a map and point to the Kingdom of God. You cannot see it in pictures. Do you know where it is? The Kingdom of God is here on earth right now. It is found in the hearts and lives of those who love Jesus. In the future you will see the Heavenly Kingdom of God when you leave the earth and enter heaven.
Jesus wants you to understand the Kingdom of God. He taught about the Kingdom of God in many parables. He compared it to a net when talking to fishermen. He compared it to planting seed when talking to farmers. He compared it to treasures, yeast, and wise managers when talking to others. He tried to explain the Kingdom of God in ways people would understand.
Can you be part of God’s Kingdom? You certainly can! Do you believe in Jesus? Then you are part of the Kingdom of God right now. Have you apologized for what you have done wrong and asked to be forgiven? Have you thanked God that Jesus was punished for these wrongs instead of you? If you have, you will be part of the Kingdom of God forever. Isn’t it great to know Jesus and be a part of God’s Kingdom? We can feel secure that God rules!
Think about this verse – Luke 17:20b-21
Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, it is good to know that I am part of Your Kingdom. Help me remember that You are all powerful and will rule Your Kingdom forever. Amen.
Stay Away from Bad Company
Read Judges 16:4-6
Samson was a hero and judge who led Israel for 20 years. He was known to have great strength and was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. He was a Nazirite and was set apart for service to God. He had to follow certain rules as a Nazirite and one of these was never cutting his hair.
The Philistines conquered Israel and ruled over them harshly. On many occasions God helped Samson fight the Philistines. Every time he was able to kill and defeat them with the awesome strength the Lord gave him. This strength depended on Sampson keeping his promises as a Nazarite.
Samson fell in love with a beautiful woman named Delilah. The Philistines promised her a great reward if she could find out the secret of Sampson’s strength. Delilah agreed to help them. She started to nag and complain. She wanted Samson to trust her with the secret of his strength. She begged and cried, again and again. Sampson resisted her 3 times but finally got tired of arguing and told her. Guess who she told next? She let Samson fall sleep on her lap and while he was sleeping the Philistines cut off his hair. Immediately, Sampson knew he had lost his power. He realized it was because one of his vows as a Nazarite had been broken. The Philistines blinded Samson’s eyes and took him away in chains.
Samson knew it was wrong to tell Delilah the secret of his power. He let her convince him to do something that was wrong. He wanted to make her happy. He was tired of arguing. Have you ever let someone else do this to you?
It is easy to make this mistake when you want praise from others. You want them to see you as daring, smart, brave, cool, etc. Be careful any time someone wants you to do something wrong! You really should walk away. Leave them alone. They are bad company. Find other friends. Think about what God wants you to do. Wouldn’t you rather have God’s praise than praise from bad company?
Think about this verse – Proverbs 12:26
"The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (New International Version)
Close in Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for my friends. Help me choose them wisely. Amen.
Three Times
Read Acts 10:9-16
After Jesus was crucified, His followers were scattered. Peter left Jerusalem and traveled throughout the country telling others about Jesus. God had a mission for him. God wanted Peter to go to the gentiles and tell them the Good News about Jesus. God wanted Peter to know that he should not be afraid to meet with the gentiles, even though this was against Jewish law. God spoke to Peter in a dream. At first Peter hesitated because he did not want to break Jewish law. God spoke to Peter again by repeating the dream a second time. To make sure that Peter clearly understood, God sent the dream a third time. Finally, Peter knew that this was a command from God. He wanted all people to know about Jesus.
Every word in the Bible is a true. The Bible is filled with important messages for us. Sometimes the same lesson will be repeated by different writers. Matthew, Mark, and John all wrote about the time Jesus walked on water. In other places the message is given three times in a row. God told Joshua to be “strong and courageous” and repeated this message three times. Can you find this in Joshua 2? When these words and stories are repeated it is not an accident or misprint. It is a signal to pay attention!
When your parents tell you something more than once, you know it is important. When they tell you three times, you better be listening. When God tells you something three times, He does not want you to miss His message.
As you read your Bible you will find other examples of this. Keep a little marker with you as you read. When you find something repeated three times, be sure to mark it. The message is so important that God has repeated it to make sure you pay attention. This will be something you want to think about! It will be a message you will come back to again.
Think about this verse – II Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for my Bible. Help me to pay attention to the stories and listen to the lessons Your Word teaches. Let me be guided by your wisdom. Amen.
Do Not Brag
Read Daniel 5:1-6
King Belshazzar, the last king of the Babylonian empire, was a very rich man. He liked to show off his wealth and power and often did this by hosting lavish banquets. Shortly before he was assassinated, he held a grand banquet for 1,000 guests. Just to serve this many people he needed a banquet hall the size of a football field.
The wine flowed as the evening continued and Belshazzar wanted to impress his guests. He wanted to brag about his riches and power. He called for servants to bring out the gold goblets that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and use them to serve the wine. As they all drank wine from these goblets, Belshazzar praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. What do you think God must have thought? Suddenly a mysterious hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall in a language no one could read. Everyone was terrified by this ghostly event. It certainly must have ended the celebration. Someone remembered that Daniel had interpreted dreams for past kings, and he was brought in to read the writing.
The message from God was not good news. It predicted that the king would lose power and die because God had judged his actions. Belshazzar had tried to impress others without giving praise to the one true God. He worshiped false gods that were not real.
Do you ever brag about something you have done? Do you boast about things you have? God always wants you to do your best. He wants you to use and enjoy the things you have. But He does not want you to brag about these things. Special abilities, things you have, and things you have done are all gifts from God. Do not be afraid to use your talents, just remember God has given them to you as part of His plan. God knows every good thing about you. What you have comes from God. Remember to give Him the glory and do not brag!
Think about this verse – Jeremiah 9:23
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches" (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am part of Your plan. I know that You have given me special gifts to do Your work here on earth. Please help me do my best and keep working for Your glory. Amen.
What is a Miracle?
Read Luke 9:12-17
Do you remember reading about the time Jesus fed 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and two small fish? The Gospel writers tell us about 35 different miracles Jesus performed. Sometimes a miracle is told in just one Gospel, other times a miracle is told in two, three, or all four. The Bible tells us about many more times Jesus healed the sick or cast away demons when He was with crowds of people. But why do we refer to such events as miracles?
Using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the Oxford American Dictionary, we can define a miracle as an extraordinary event, caused by God. It is when God or Jesus acts to change something that we cannot change.
If you stop by my house while I am cooking dinner, I will invite you to stay and eat with me. No matter what I am cooking, I could stretch it so there would be enough for you too. Maybe I would put more spaghetti in the pot. Maybe I would add salad or another vegetable. Maybe I would warm some bread and put out some butter. But do you think I could ever make the meal on my stove feed 5,000 friends? No, never! A crowd that size would take planning, bigger pots, lots more groceries, and a team of cooks.
When Jesus saw a hungry crowd that had followed Him, He knew they needed food. It had been a long day and they would not be able to make the hard trip home unless they had something to eat. No one came prepared with any food. Jesus asked the disciples to gather any food they could find and bring it to Him. The disciples could only find one small, packed lunch. Just enough for one young boy. Jesus took the lunch, blessed the fish and bread, and turned it into a meal for 5,000 people. There was so much that there were leftovers. Could any human cook stretch a little lunch into meals for a crowd? Jesus did what no person could ever do. That was a miracle. It showed His divine nature.
The Gospel writers use miracles to show us proof that Jesus is the Son of God. They want us to know that Jesus is the Messiah. They wrote so we could believe. They wrote so we could know the power of Jesus. They wrote to lead us to salvation. The Bible is full of miracles. Can you find more?
Think about this verse – John 7:31
"Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the Gospel writers who teach about Jesus. Help me hear the messages they have. Help me to learn more about Jesus every time I read the Bible. Amen.
Two Are Better Than One
Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Have you ever done something special with a friend? Maybe you laughed together at a funny movie. Maybe you cheered each other on when playing baseball. Maybe you shared snacks in the park. Or…have you ever needed a friend to help you when you had a problem? Maybe a friend who is good in math helped you with a homework problem. Maybe you needed to borrow a pencil because you forgot to put one in your backpack. Maybe you needed someone taller to reach your hat after it blew into a tree. It’s great to be with a friend for many reasons!
King Solomon understood this and wrote a few verses about the benefits of having a friend. He knew that a friend always makes work easier. A friend can help you up when you fall and being together can help when you are cold or lonely. It is also good to be with a friend when you are scared. Solomon finished by adding that another friend makes it even better.
King Solomon wrote three books in the Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. We know that everything in the Bible is God’s Word. Solomon wrote these words down because God wanted him to share this wisdom with us. This means that when Solomon talks about the importance of friends, we know that God is also talking to us. He wants us to have friends and be a good friend to others.
Solomon writes about having a friend so you will not be alone. Enjoy the time you spend with your friends. Work together, play together, eat together. Bring them to church activities. Find out what they need and pray together. Show them God’s love and introduce them to your friend Jesus if they do not already know Him. Friends are important to each other. Your friends are important to God too!
Think about this verse – Proverbs 17:17
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for my friends and the times we can be together. Help me be a good friend in return. Amen.