Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Kids, You Are Special


 No one in the whole world
Is a duplicate of you.
I'm glad God made you special,
You're the one and only YOU!

It's true! No one else looks exactly like you and talks like you and thinks like you.

Look at your hands. No one else has fingerprints exactly like yours. God is so wise that He designed a fresh set for each person. He never has to use the same pattern twice!

Even if people tell you that you look like your mother or your Uncle Jim, you are the only one of you God made. Long before you were born He planned how you would look, from the top of your head down to your toes.

God made you so special because He loves you. He made you so that you could know Him, and love Him back.

The Bible says that God cares about each bird in the sky (Matthew 10:29). Don't you think that God is more interested in you?

God knows everything about us. He knows the good things that we do and the bad things that we don't want anyone to know about. The Bible says that we all have done bad things (sins) and that we all deserve to be punished (Romans 6:23).

But you and I are so important to God that He sent His very own Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

God loves you so much that He wants to forgive you. But first you must agree with Him that you have sinned.

Right now you can talk to God. Tell Him that you want Jesus to be your Savior. He is always ready to listen to you. He wants you to be part of His family and to help you every day.

[Soldier4Christ]

Most of All, Jesus Loves You!

Always remember…

Mama loves you, and Daddy loves you.

Your brother loves you, and your sister loves you.

Your grandma loves you, and your grandpa loves you.

Your aunts and uncles love you, and your cousins love you.

And your friends love you. But most of all…

Jesus loves you!

Do you know Jesus?

He is God’s Son who lives in Heaven. If you would like to ask Jesus to live in your heart and be your Savior, you can say a prayer like this one:

Dear God, I am sorry for the bad things I do. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me, and I want to meet Him in Heaven someday. I want to live for you and feel the love of Jesus in my heart. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Amazing Butterfly


Did you know . . . ?

... that butterflies taste with their feet?

... that butterflies don't have noses? They smell with their antennae!

. . . that butterfly wings are covered with tiny scales? Different colored scales make up the pretty patterns we see.

... that butterflies are cold-blooded? The dark colors on their wings help them absorb the heat from the sun.

... that some butterflies wear camouflage? The wings of many butterflies have colors and patterns that blend in with their natural surroundings to protect them from predators.

... that butterflies can see ultraviolet light? Some scales on butterfly wings reflect light that is invisible to humans. Butterflies use these ultraviolet patterns to recognize each other.

... that a butterfly's mouth is like a drinking straw? That's because butterflies only eat liquid foods, like nectars from flowers or fruit. The mouth, called a proboscis, stays rolled up until it's time to eat.

... that a butterfly wasn't always a butterfly? Every butterfly starts as a tiny egg that hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar grows and grows until it's time to build a hardened shell around its body, called a chrysalis. While the caterpillar sleeps inside the chrysalis, its body changes and grows new parts. When it comes out, it has become a butterfly, quite a different creature than a caterpillar!

AMAZING!

Did you know that you can become a new creature, too? You may not grow wings and learn to fly, but God can give you a new life. Do you sometimes do things that make you feel bad inside? Maybe you were mean to someone at school or told a lie to your parents. God calls those bad things sin. Everyone is born knowing how to sin, and everyone who sins must be punished. But God, who loves us, doesn't want us to sin. He wants us to be like Him-loving, kind, and good. Just as a caterpillar becomes a more beautiful butterfly, God can help you become more like Him. God sent his only Son, Jesus, to earth to be a human, just like us, except Jesus never sinned. Even so, He chose to die so that He could pay the death penalty for our sins. Three days after He died, God raised Him back to life again!

Do you want to have a clean, new life? Then just believe in what Jesus did for you. Tell God that you are sorry for your sins and thank Him for sending Jesus to save you. The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God will change you on the inside to make you a new, glorious creature-just like a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. To do this, you can pray something like this:

Dear God, I am sorry for the bad things I do. Thank You for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins. Please change me on the inside and help keep me from sin so that I can live a clean and beautiful life for You. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Boy Who Lost His Boat


Tom carried his new boat to the edge of the river. He carefully placed it in the water and slowly let out the string. How smoothly the boat sailed! Tom sat in the warm sunshine, admiring the little boat that he had built.

Suddenly a strong current caught the boat. Tom tried to pull it back to shore, but the string broke. The little boat raced downstream.

Tom ran along the sandy shore as fast as he could. But his boat soon slipped out of sight. All afternoon he searched for the boat. Finally, when it was too dark to look any longer, Tom sadly went home.

A few days later, on the way home from school, Tom spotted a boat just like his in a store window. When he got closer, he could see--sure enough--it was his!

Tom hurried to the store manager: "Sir, that's my boat in your window! I made it!"

"Sorry, son, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you'll have to buy it for one dollar."

Tom ran home and counted all his money. Exactly one dollar! When he reached the store, he rushed to the counter. "Here's the money for my boat."

As he left the store, Tom hugged his boat and said, "Now you're twice mine. First I made you, and now I bought you."

Did you know that God made you and me and that He also bought us? The Bible says that God made us to enjoy all His creation. He made trees to climb, rivers to swim, delicious things to eat. He made sunny days in which to play. And He made mothers and fathers to care for us.

But God especially created us for Himself. He wants each boy and girl to know Him personally. He wants to show us His love every day. He wants us to talk to Him through prayer. And He wants to help us with all our problems.

But our sin--the bad we do--separates us from God. We cannot truly know God until our sins have been forgiven. We are like that boat racing downstream--far away from God.

But the Bible has Good News! "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came "to seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). On the cross of Calvary He took the punishment that we deserve. He paid the price for our sins by dying for us. And to prove that our sins are truly forgiven, he rose from the dead. Today He lives with the Father in heaven. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will receive Him as Savior.

So you see, God made us and He bought us too. Have you received Jesus as your Savior?

"As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Little Snowflake


High up in the icy, winter clouds lived a little snowflake. This snowflake had a star-shaped hole in the center and six pointy arms that looked like tiny pine trees. All snowflakes have six arms, of course, but not all of them look like tiny pine trees. Even fewer have star-shaped middles. This snowflake was special. His name was Glitter.

Glitter grew up next door to Flip, a tough old snowflake with thick, square arms. Glitter loved talking with Flip.

"You were made special, Glitter. No other snowflake looks quite like you," Flip told him once.

"Are there any snowflakes that look like you, Flip?" Glitter asked.

"Nope! I'm one-of-a-kind, kid." Flip continued, "You can look all around this cloud we live in, but you'll never find two snowflakes that look alike."

Glitter thought about this for a while. "Our Creator must really care about us if He made each one of us special."

"Yes," Flip replied. "He sure does."

Suddenly a brisk wind blew through the cloud. "Oh! What fun!" cried Glitter as he clung to one of Flip's strong arms. The wind carried them right out of the cloud and into the open sky. All around him Glitter could see the different shapes of his snowflake friends as they went flying on the wind. Glitter had never seen anything so beautiful. He was glad that the Creator made him to be part of this lovely winter sky.

Flip and Glitter swirled slowly down through the fresh winter air. Glitter looked toward the ground and a gasp of excitement caught in his throat. "Look, Flip! Look at the colors!"

It was true. Below the snowflakes, a little frozen pond stood crowded with children on ice skates, twirling and gliding in their brightly colored coats. As the snowflakes drifted closer, Glitter couldn't help but smile. Not one of the children looked exactly like another! Some had dark skin and some had freckles. Some had big teeth and some had green eyes. Here and there a blonde ponytail peeked out from under a hat, or earmuffs held a black curl in place.

"All the children are different from each other, Flip. The Creator must have made them special, too!" cried Glitter.

Flip answered softly as they landed on the sleeve of a little red-haired girl, "Yes. And the Creator loves every one of them."

Did you know that God made you special? And He loves you just the way you are! In fact, God loves you so much that He wants to be with you forever. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world [this includes you!], that He gave His only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life [that means forever!]" (John 3:16). If you want to live forever with God in Heaven, just believe that Jesus died to take the punishment for your sins (sins are the bad things we do) and then rose again to life. Ask God to help you live a new, clean life for Him.

You don't have to be bigger or smarter or prettier than you are. God loves you just the way He made you and He wants to be with you forever--starting today! Just say this to God with all your heart:

Dear God, Thank you for making me special and for loving me so much that you sent Jesus to die for my sins. Please come into my life right now and help me live for you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

You Are Precious in His Sight


Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
--C.H. Woolston

Has anyone ever told you how special you are? Has anyone ever told you they love you? Did you know there is someone very important who loves you and was a child just like you? He had friends just like you. He laughed and sometimes cried just like you. Do you know who this important person is? His name is Jesus, and He is God's only son, and He loves you very much. While Jesus at one time was a child just like you, there was something very different about Him -- Jesus was (and still is) also God and today He lives with God in heaven! Let me tell you a story about how much Jesus loves children like you.

One time when Jesus was talking to some adults about God, His Father, some mommies and some daddies brought their children to Jesus so He could pray for them and hold them. The disciples or followers of Jesus tried to send them away so the children wouldn't bother Jesus, but He said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs" (Matthew 19:14). Jesus took time out of His busy day to spend with the little children. Jesus gathered the children to Him, prayed for them, and put His hands on them. Most importantly, Jesus told the children that the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who have faith like a child.

Do you know what faith is? It means believing in something that you may not be able to see. Can you see the air that you breath? No, but I bet you believe in it. Can you see the bones in your body? No, but I bet you believe they are there. Can you see God? Not today, but you can know He is there, that He loves you and wants you to be a part of His family. God wants you to trust in Him and depend on Him for everything!

Do you want to become a part of God's family? Do you want Jesus to come into your life? Then in faith you must believe that Jesus is God's only Son, that He was killed for our sins and rose from the dead three days later, and now lives at God's right hand up in heaven. If you believe that these things are true, you can ask Him into your life right now! Just pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I am sorry for all of the bad things I have done (sins). Thank You for dying for me and taking my punishment in my place for me. I thank You that You rose from the dead, making a place for me to live with You forever in heaven. I want You to live in my heart. I want You to be my Savior and best friend. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Creator: Faith or Fiction?


The Fusion of Science and Faith

There's a lot of misunderstanding about faith. Some believe faith actually contradicts facts. "The whole point of faith," scoffed Michael Shermer, editor of The Skeptical Inquirer, "is to believe regardless of the evidence, which is the very antithesis of science" (How We Believe, 123).

However, that's certainly not my understanding. I see faith as being a reasonable step in the same direction that the evidence is pointing. In other words, faith goes beyond merely acknowledging that the facts of science and history point toward God. It's responding to those facts by investing trust in God-a step that's fully warranted due to the supporting evidence.

Oxford's Alister McGrath pointed out that all worldviews require faith. "The truth claims of atheism simply cannot be proved," he said. "How do we know that there is no God? The simple fact of the matter is that atheism is a faith, which draws conclusions that go beyond the available evidence" (Glimpsing the Face of God, 22).

On the other hand, the available evidence from the latest scientific research is convincing more and more scientists that facts support faith as never before. "The age-old notion that there is more to existence than meets the eye suddenly looks like fresh thinking again," said journalist Gregg Easterbrook. "We are entering the greatest era of science-religion fusion since the Enlightenment last attempted to reconcile the two" ("The New Convergence," Wired (December 2002)).
"Intellectual Cousins"

For John Polkinghorne, who achieved acclaim as a mathematical physicist at Cambridge before becoming a full-time minister, the same kind of thinking he uses in science has helped him draw life-changing conclusions about God:

No one has ever seen a quark, and we believe that no one ever will. They are so tightly bound to each other inside the protons and neutrons that nothing can make them break out on their own. Why, then, do I believe in these invisible quarks? . . . In summary, it's because quarks make sense of a lot of direct physical evidence. . . . I wish to engage in a similar strategy with regard to the unseen reality of God. His existence makes sense of many aspects of our knowledge and experience: the order and fruitfulness of the physical world; the multilayered character of reality; the almost universal human experiences of worship and hope; the phenomenon of Jesus Christ (including his resurrection). I think that very similar thought processes are involved in both cases. I do not believe that I shift in some strange intellectual way when I move from science to religion. . . . In their search for truth, science and faith are intellectual cousins under the skin (John Polkinghorne, Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity, 98-100).

Polkinghorne added, however, an important distinction. "Religious knowledge is more demanding than scientific knowledge," he said. "While it requires scrupulous attention to matters of truth, it also calls for the response of commitment to the truth discovered" (Ibid., 13).
"The Nature of Truth

According to McGrath, the Hebrew word for "truth" suggests "something which can be relied upon." Thus, he said, truth is more than about simply being right. "It is about trustworthiness," he explained. "It is a relational concept, pointing us to someone who is totally worthy of our trust. We are not being asked to know yet another fact but to enter into a relationship with the one who is able to sustain and comfort us" (Alister McGrath, Glimpsing the Face of God, 44).

The facts of science and history, then, can only take us so far. At some point, the truth demands a response. When we decide not merely to ponder the abstract concept of a designer but to embrace him as our own-to make him our "true God"-then we can meet him personally, relate to him daily, and spend eternity with him as he promises.

Taken with permission from The Case for a Creator, printed by Zondervan. Copyright © 2004 by Lee Strobel. www.zondervan.com
Have you ever wondered if God exists?

Maybe you think belief in God is only for the weak-minded, those who are ignorant enough to let blind faith keep them from acknowledging the hard facts of science. But science and faith don't have to be at odds. As you have just read, many scientists are discovering that the facts of nature suggest an intelligent designer behind it all.

That designer is God-the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. God cares for us-all of us-because he created us in his image. In fact, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God sent his Son, Jesus, to die as a substitute for you and me, to take the punishment for our sins.

When asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). Faith is not just an emotional response; it involves every part of your being-heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you admit to God that you have sinned, and put your whole trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will discover what it is to truly know God-not just know about him.

[Soldier4Christ]

How to Share Your Faith in Christ

So you want to witness! I did too, but I didn't have a clue about how to do it without stubbing my toe in the process.

First, let's recognize a basic fact. Every Christian is a missionary. Any person who has been born into the family of God through faith and trust in Jesus Christ automatically receives the Lord's commission.

Paul informed the Corinthians, "We are ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20). God makes His appeal through you and me. Have you ever really considered this--that you are all some people will ever know of Jesus Christ? Tremendous responsibility and infinite privilege are entrusted to us representatives of Christ.

From our Lord's conversation with the Samaritan woman at a well near Sychar (John 4:6-26), we discover some practical basic principles to follow as we try to represent Him in a realistic, natural way:
1. Contact others socially.

"Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well; and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water..." (John 4:6-7).

We must have social contact with non-Christians. When the Lord called Simon and Andrew, He said, "Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men: (Mark 1:17). Among other things, He was teaching them that to catch fish one must go where the fish are.

We need to understand that withdrawal from those who do not know Jesus Christ is outright disobedience to the will of the Lord. Much of our difficulty in this area stems from falsely equating separation with isolation from non-Christians.

We need to discover how we can initiate and develop friendships with non-Christians. To be a friend may involve listening to a neighbor's or co-worker's troubles or participating with him in activities that are of mutual interest. It means actively seeking opportunities to show love by running errands, baby-sitting and performing any other mundane but practical service that will demonstrate the love of Christ.

If you discover an absence of vital contact with non-Christians, ask God to show you one person whom he wants you to befriend, pray for, love and eventually bring to the Savior. He will show you that one.
2. Establish a common interest.

"Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink. For His disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat" (John 4:7-8).

Jesus began by referring to something in which she was obviously interested. (She'd come to draw water.) Gradually He directed the conversation away from this known interest to a spiritual reality which she knew nothing about. As instruments in God's hands, we must work patiently to establish mutual interests with others, beginning first where their interests lie. Later on we can profitably discuss spiritual matters together.

When we listen long enough we not only begin to know an individual; we also gain his gratitude and his willingness to listen to the gospel.
3. Arouse interest.

In John 4, it is fascinating to see this woman's curiosity kindled as our Lord draws her.

First, He came to her where she was. Second, He showed an interest in her concerns. Now He is using His actions and His words to arouse a positive response to Himself and His message of truth.

We cannot create spiritual interest in the life of anyone. Only the Holy Spirit can do this. However, God can use us to uncover the interest that He has put there.

To arouse curiosity, we might begin by asking him or her a leading question, as our Lord did. Today's headlines can be openers for a discussion of spiritual things.

Be alert for opportunities to share your spiritual experience. A question relating to church can be directed into a conversation on spiritual matters, if handled properly. Often a gospel leaflet or a timely book can stimulate further consideration of spiritual matters and reinforce your witness.
4. Know when to stop.

The moment we detect a faint glimmer of interest in a non-Christian many of us want to rush right in and rattle off the whole gospel without coming up for air or waiting to sense audience response. By relying on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit we can gain poise. The non-Christian needs gentle coaxing when he's just beginning to show interest: give a person only as much of the message as he is ready for.
5. Don't condemn.

In their conversation, our Lord did not condemn the Samaritan woman. As she answered Him about her husband, her sin itself condemned her.

Most of us are quick to condemn. Criticism is far more natural to our lips and to the lips of the world than praise. When a non-Christian offers us a cigarette, invites us to join him for a drink, or suggests some other activity we consider out of bounds, our reply may have devastating effects. The key is to recognize the compliment and generosity implicit in his offer and to decline on a personal basis so the person doesn't feel condemned or rejected. One possibility is to suggest an alternative activity.
6. Stick with the main issue.

In His conversation with the Samaritan woman, our Lord did not allow any secondary questions to sidetrack Him from the main issue. In declaring that He was the Messiah, our Lord reached the crucial point of the gospel. We must eventually cross this bridge and bring the non-Christian into a direct confrontation with the Lord Jesus.

The people to whom we witness will fall into one of two categories initially. The first group includes those who lack the necessary information about Jesus Christ. Be alert to discover the misunderstandings and gaps in their knowledge and seize each opportunity to explain more of the facts.

Those in the second group are already informed about the gospel but haven't acted on their information yet. Continued cramming of the same information down their throats is more apt to alienate than to win them. Pray earnestly and daily for them, and love them into the kingdom of God.

Once we begin to grasp these six principles and move out in faith, life becomes a daily adventure. Watch with anticipation for the opportunities God will give you to bear witness as an ambassador of Jesus Christ and to discover how He is working in the lives of others, through you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Is There a God?


"Everyone who is seriously interested in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe--a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble." --Albert Einstein

"I am fascinated by some strange developments going on in astronomy,... The astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world." --Robert Jastrow, director NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Have you ever looked up into the heavens at night--or felt a tiny baby grip your finger--and been filled with wonder?

The world is filled with wonder everywhere we look. Who made all of this? Did it just happen? Or is there really a God who, as the Bible says, "created the heaven and the earth"?

Can anyone really deny it? If you say there is no God, then all the wonders around you are just an accident. The billions of stars in the sky just happened to make themselves and generate their own power to keep on course. The land just happens to have topsoil without which nothing could grow. The air we breathe--only 50 miles deep and exactly the right composition to support life--is just another accident in the laws of physics.

Can you believe these things just happened? Isn't it more reasonable to believe that a supreme mind is behind all of this and everything that exists? Take the deposits of coal, zinc, gold and uranium. Did they get there by accident? And what prevents lakes from freezing solid, all the way down to the bottom, making it impossible for fish to survive?

Why does the earth spin at a given speed without slowing up so that we have day and night? Who tilts it so that we get seasons? No one really knows the why and how of the magnetic pulls. Or think of the sun stoking a fire just warm enough to sustain us on earth, but not hot enough to fry us or cold enough to freeze us. Who keeps the fire constant?

And what about the human body--an intricate combination of bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. The human brain has far greater capacity than any computer we have ever imagined. The kidneys contain approximately 280 miles of tiny tubes, and in the course of a day filter 185 quarts of water from the blood.

And then there is the heart, an unbelievably rugged organ: a four-chamber, four-valve pump that handles 5,000 gallons of blood a day--almost enough to fill a railroad tank car. It supplies a circulatory system with 12,000 miles of vessels and, in the course of a lifetime, beats two and one half billion times. All the blood in your body is pumped through your heart every minute while your heart beats 100,800 times a day.

Before you say, "There is no God," think of these marvels.

All of creation gives evidence that there is a Creator. But why do people still doubt God's existence? How can we know that He really does exist and He is interested in us?

The Bible says that we are by nature "dead in trespasses" and that we are "alienated from the life of God" (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18). Just as a body without physical life is declared physically dead, so anyone who is separated from God is described in the Bible as spiritually dead. And as long as we remain spiritually dead we can never really know God. We all need a new life. We need to be cleansed from sin and its penalty and restored to fellowship with God. This is what Jesus Christ meant when he said we "must be born again" (John 3:7).

God sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, so that we might have new, everlasting life. The Bible tells us, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

By His death and resurrection Jesus paid for our salvation. He broke the power of sin and death, making it possible for us to have everlasting life.

Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Receiving the new life that Jesus offers is what being born again means. And this new everlasting life will be yours if you will acknowledge you are a sinner and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

"This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:11-12).

Is Jesus Christ your Savior? Have you ever been born again? You can be right now by praying and asking Christ to come into your life.

[Soldier4Christ]

More Than a Carpenter


Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus entered the human race in a small Jewish community. He was a member of a poor family, a minority group, and resided in one of the smallest countries in the world. He lived approximately thirty-three years, of which only the last three comprised His public ministry.

Recently I was talking with a group of people in Los Angeles. I asked them, "Who, in your opinion, is Jesus Christ?" The response was that He was a great religious leader. I agree with that. Jesus Christ was a great religious leader. But I believe He was much more.

The distinct claims of Jesus to be God eliminate the popular ploy of skeptics who regard Jesus as just a good moral man or a prophet who said a lot of profound things. So often that conclusion is passed off as the only one acceptable to scholars or as the obvious result of the intellectual process. The trouble is, many people nod their heads in agreement and never see the fallacy of such reasoning.

To Jesus, who men and women believed Him to be was of fundamental importance. To say what Jesus said and to claim what He claimed about Himself, one couldn't conclude He was just a good moral man or prophet. That alternative isn't open to an individual, and Jesus never intended it to be.

C.S. Lewis, who was a professor at Cambridge University and once an agnostic, understood this issue clearly. In his book Mere Christianity, Lewis wrote: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse."

Then Lewis adds: "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Jesus claimed to be God. He didn't leave any other option open. His claim must be either true or false. It is something that must be given serious consideration.

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" It is a question that every one must answer. The Bible says whoever believes in Jesus Christ the Son of God "has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (John 3:36).

What is your answer? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you haven't, pray right now telling Him that you want to turn from your sins. Thank Him that He died for you and rose again so that you can have eternal life.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Story of Creation


Genesis 1

In your family, you have your parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, don't you? Several decades ago, these loving people were also the little boys , or little girls as you are right now. If you have chance to look at the old pictures of your family album, you will see. Twenty or thirty years ago, your mother and father were also children; they lived beside their grandparents, and their parents; they also went to school; sometimes they stayed home and helped out the house work; at free time, they played joyfully with their friends.

Moreover, about fifty or sixty years ago, your grandparents were also adorable and good children. If thinking way back very long time ago, at the time of the highest oldest ancestors, the greatest, we will see that our great great grandfathers and grandmothers were born by the first two people in the world.

The first father in the world was Adam; and the first mother was Eve. These first two people were created by God. Adam and Eve were very special than all other people, because when God created them, they were adults; unlike us, we were born as babies and gradually grew up. Before God created Adam and Eve, He created the world, star and moon, mountain and river, and all the animals that we see today. God also created a beautiful garden, with all kinds of plants and trees that provided fruits for Adam and Eve to live there.

Now, if you like to make a table, don't you must have wood and nails? If you like to make a shirt, you must have fabric, needle, and thread. To make cake, you must have sugar, egg, and flour… If you want to cook a meal, you must have rice, water, and fire. Whatever we want to do, we must have the materials to do it. However, when creating this world, God only used his words but not any other material. Every time to create something, God only said so and that thing was created, because God is The Creator.

God created this world in six days. The first day, God created light. After that, He made light separate from the darkness. He named the light, the "Day", and the darkness, "Night". And then, we have Day and Night. On second day, God created a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it. God named the dome, the "Sky", and the water above, the "Cloud". Then there were the white clouds hanging on the sky. On the third day, God continued to create the earth. This time, God commanded: "Let all the water below the sky must gather to one place, so that dry land will appear." Followed His command, the water was gathering into the low places. From that, the earth has had the rivers and nice springs. The water from the lower depressions flowed into places that created many different big and small lakes. The deepest place that had most water in it, we call the sea. Place without water was called mainland.

After that, God commanded the land to produce all kinds of plants, and they must bear grains and fruits accordingly. As God just finished his command, it was done. Flowers and grasses grew up everywhere. The ugly land surface now had the green grass covered it, and in it there were all kinds of fresh flowers with many colors. Trees also grew freshly, they bear grains and produced fruits. Those were all things God created on the third day. If in the backyard of your house, there are orange-tree, mango-tree, plum-tree, or any fruit-tree, just remember that God has created them.

The sun, the moon, and all the stars on the sky were also created by God. Since on the fourth day, God created them and commanded them to shine the lights down to the earth to separate day from night, to show days, months, and four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. On the fifth day, God commanded the water of river, spring, sea, and lakes must be filled with many kinds of fishes, and the sky be filled with all kinds of birds. Immediately after He said so, there were all kinds of fishes in the sea and lakes, and there were many kinds of birds flying on the sky. God also commanded the birds and fishes to give births of their kinds more and more.

On the sixth day, God also used his words to create all kinds of insects and animals. He only commanded: "Let the earth produce all kinds of animals accordingly to their kinds." And followed His command, animals and insects appeared everywhere. On the high mountain, in the wild desert, and in the plain country, there were all kinds of animals, with the different appearances and colors, run everywhere.

Here, God felt everything He has created was good, but His work has not done yet. Do you know why? Because God created a wonderful world and had everything, but there was no one to enjoy that great world. Therefore, God began to create mankind. The first two people, who God created, named Adam and Eve. These are the first father and the first mother in this world, they are also the ancestor of all of us.

Have you ever asked secretly: What did God create mankind for? The answer is: To let mankind accept the love of God and enjoy this wonderful world that He created. God is Love. He loves, takes care, and leads us everyday. God wants us to response to His love by accepting Him and praise Him forever.

QUESTIONS:

   1. Who created this world?
   2. Who were the first two people in this world?
   3. What did God create mankind for?
   4. God loves you, but do you love Him?

[Soldier4Christ]

The First Married Couple


Genesis 2

Every time your parents give you a new shirt, a new pair of shoes, or a new notebook, do you like that? You certainly like it very much and even try to take care of it so that it always looks new, don't you? Everyone likes the new materials because whatever new looks nice. God created the whole universe in six days. He created the light, the sun, the moon, and the stars. God also created the rivers, seas, lakes, trees, animals, and birds. Whatever new is nice. The mountains, the rivers, even the natural scenes around us, at the time God just created, were very beautiful, more than all things we see today.

Even though the world God created at that time were wonderful, but it was not finished because there wasn't everything in it yet. God created the world to prepare the place for mankind to live. Therefore, He must created humans, so His work would be done. When creating the earth and everything else, God only used His words; but when creating human beings, He used dust. You maybe think: "The most special creature is made by dust, so there is nothing special at all!" In fact, human beings were very special because they were created look like God's image, and they had God "breathed life-giving breath into the nostrils," that means God had given the His life-giving to human beings.

If you compare human beings with all kinds of animals, you will see clearly the characteristics of human beings. For example, since human beings were created like God's image, they can talk, smile, have brains to think and remember. Humans know the difference between right and wrong, good and wicked. Moreover, humans are more special than any animal because humans have faith, know to worship God and know how to pray with Him. Do you have faith in God and know how to pray with Him? In addition, humans also love, be angry, hate, be sad, and be happy. But, most of all, the special thing humans have is they have souls. Souls never die. God even gives humans the authority to manage the nature and all kinds of creatures on earth. Therefore, if there is someone tells you that monkey was your ancestor, then don't believe that. The Bible clearly said that God created humans and offered them the authority to manage all creatures.

Do you know why today we name the animals by many different names? That is because just after creating the first man, God named him Adam. Next, God brought the animals for Adam to name them. Therefore, we have names of every kind of animals such as elephant, tiger, lion, dog, cat, jaguar, monkey, buffalo, cow, etc… After naming the animals, Adam felt so lonely, because there was no animal that could talk to him, and none of animals look like him. Seeing Adam lonely, God said: "human living by himself is not good, I will make another person like him, to help him." God made Adam fall into a deep sleep, then took out one of the man's ribs and formed a woman out of the rib, that was Eve. From that on, Adam and Eve became a married couple. The Lord God gave this new married couple a special gift, that was a beautiful garden and the whole wonderful world that God just created.

Living in the garden, Mr. and Mrs. Adam enjoyed to look at the beautiful scenes and ate the delicious fruits in this garden. God also let them to take care the garden and manage all animals. From that, they lived happily together, in the garden filled of fresh flowers and fruits. Every day they learned new things in the nature, took care their plants and trees, and played with animals, birds, and also met God and talked to Him. Their life were very happy, no worry, no afraid of sickness. They lived near beside God and God watched over them every day.
QUESTIONS:

   1. What are the names of the first married couple in the world?
   2. Where did this married couple live?
   3. Why was their life happy?

[Soldier4Christ]

The Garden of Eden and The Forbidden Tree


Genesis 3

Once upon the time, when creating this world, God created a very beautiful garden, named the Garden of Eden or the Garden. This garden had full of fragrant flowers with strange grasses and all kinds of juicy fruits. After that, God created the first two persons in this world and allowed them to live in that beautiful garden. These first two persons were Adam and Eve.

Mr. and Mrs. Adam were the first married couple in the world. God assigned to both of them the authority to manage all animals and to take care of the Garden. Every day they listened to the birds singing, looked at all kinds of beautiful flowers, and swam in the cool rivers. When hungry, they ate the juicy fruits in the Garden. However, their most happiness was that they met God and talked to Him every day. Right now, if we live in a beautiful garden and full of everything like that we probably like it very much, don't we?

Adam and Eve were very happy, they neither have to worry nor afraid of anything, nor they have to work hard. On the other hand, they lived in peace, happy, because God has loved them, been closed to them, and taken care of them every day.

In the Garden of Eden, there were all kinds of fruit trees. In the middle of it, there were two very special trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Conscience. If someone eats the fruits from the Tree of Life, then they will live forever, never die. And whoever eats the fruits from the Tree of Conscience then they will know the difference between good and evil. In fact, the Tree of Conscience was the tree God used to test Mr. and Mrs. Adam to see if they truly loved God and obeyed Him or not.

When God let Adam and Eve to live in the Garden, He said: "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the Garden except the tree in the middle of it, and not even touch it. If you disobey My Words, you certainly will die." God's command was very simple, clearly that: Mr. and Mrs. Adam might eat all the fruits from any tree in the Garden except the tree in the middle of it. However, an unfortunate story was happened.

At that time, in the Garden there was a snake, a very sneaky and cunning animal. One day, the snake came near Eve and made friend with her. It pretently asked: "Did God advise you that you may not eat the fruits in this garden?" Eve answered: "No, God allowed us to eat all the fruits in this garden, except the fruits from tree in the middle of it; God recommended, don't eat fruits from that tree and don't even touch them. If not following to what He said, we surely will die." The snake then said: "No, eat those fruits you won't die! That is the Tree of Conscience. God forbade because He knows if you eat the fruits from that tree, then your eyes will be opened; and you will know the good and evil as He does so."

Do you think Eve believed God's Words or snake's words? This was the time that God tested Eve's faith. Since the snake said reasonablly, Eve looked up to the forbidden tree. She saw its fruits very beautiful, delicious, and she thought: This fruit was not only beautiful, delicious, but also precious, because it would give the knowledge to me. In that moment, Eve forgot God's advice completely. She forgot God said clearly that "if you eat, you surely will die." She stepped near to the forbidden tree, reached out and plucked one fruit, bit a piece and the gave the fruit to her husband, he also ate it.

That afternoon as usual, God came back to the Garden of Eden to meet Adam and Eve, but He didn't see them anywhere. God called: "Adam, where are you?" Heard God's calling, both of them were so afraid and embarrassed; they didn't dare to run out and welcome God as usual. But they knew that they couldn't hide forever, so they slowly stepped out from the bush. Adam said: "Dear God, I heard You were coming back then I was so afraid and hide." Knowing that both of them were guilty, God asked: "Did you eat the fruit from the tree that I had advised you not to eat?" Right away, Adam blamed on his wife and God, he said: "The woman who God put near me gave me the fruit from that tree, so I already ate it." Turning toward Eve, God asked: "Why did you do the wrong thing?" Eve also blamed on another person, she said: "Dear God, because the snake tricked me so I ate the fruit from the tree that You forbade to eat."

Because of disobeying God's Words, both Adam and Eve were guilty with God. Even so, both of them didn't accept their sin but tried to find the ways to blame on other people. From that on, they were dismissed from the Garden. Their life would never be peaceful and happy any more, but it began with full of trouble, sickness, and sorrow. Both of them also had to work very hard to have enough food. But the saddest thing of all was that they no longer lived near beside God, nor they talked friendly with God as they did before.

QUESTIONS:

   1. What were Adam and Eve guilty for?
   2. After being guilty, what punishments did they have?
   3. Please list several situations that we disobey God's Words.
   4. When be guilty before God, what should we do?

[Soldier4Christ]

The Story Of Two Brothers


Genesis 4

Do you still remember what names the first married couple in the world were? The husband was Adam, and the wife was Eve. Adam and Eve were the first people on earth; therefore, their family was also the first family in the whole world. Mr. and Mrs. Adam lived in the Garden of Eden, the beautiful garden that God created. But one day they were guilty with God, so God dismissed them from the garden. The sin that Adam and Eve made was the disobeying. From that, they must worked hard in order to have enough food to live every day.

A while after that, Eve gave birth to a boy, named Cain. Both Adam and Eve thanked God and said that they had a boy by God's help. Cain not only was the first son of Adam and Eve, but also he was the first child in the world. From the beginning to now they never had children, but now they gave birth to a boy so they were very happy. Everyday they took time to take care of their son, helped him to walk and to talk. All the time they stayed near beside Cain and took care everything for the boy. When you were children, same as Cain, you were loved and taken care by your parents, weren't you? Cain was very happy because his parents gave all their love and time for him only.

Not too long after that, God gave Mr. and Mrs. Adam one more son. They named him Abel. The older son was usually jealous with his young brother. Cain seemed to be jealous with Abel because, from the day Abel was born, their parents could not give the love and time for Cain any more. As time went by, Cain and Abel had grown up. The two brothers usually played and worked together. Mr. and Mrs. Adam lived by cultivation, and so the Cain brothers also came out the farm and worked to help their parents. Cain liked to take care the farm; therefore, he eventually became a good farmer. Abel liked to take care the animals, and so he grew up and became a shepherd.

Cain and Abel not only worked different jobs but they also had different personalities. Abel was indulgent, tender, loved God and obeyed His Words. However, Cain had short temper, easily got angry, was jealous and did not loved God. Because of working different jobs, the two brothers were not closed to each other. Cain lived in a house in the garden, worked in the farm; but Abel usually took his animals and feed them far away, once in a while he came back home. Both brothers also followed their parents' model, worshipped The Lord and offered gifts to Him.

One day, both brothers offered the gifts to The Lord. Cain offered flowers, fruits, and rice, those were the harvest from the farm. While Abel offered to The Lord one lamb, was chosen in all his lambs. Cain offered the gifts to God but he didn't truly love God nor thank to Him. Abel, on the other hand, offered with all his loving to God and thanked Him. Therefore, God accepted Abel's offering but didn't accept Cain's offering.

When Cain saw God accepted Abel's offering but didn't accept his, he got angry and became furious to Abel. Seeing Cain angry, God asked: "Cain, why are you angry? Why do you scowl on your face? If you had done the right thing, then what made you angry?" God knew that Cain was very angry at Abel and wanted to hurt him; therefore, God warned Cain: "Sin is crouching to harm you, so you must be careful to overcome it." Even though God warned so, but Cain didn't change his mind, still angry and tried to find a way to hurt Abel.

One day, Cain asked Abel to go out to the farm to work. When both brothers came to the wild farm, nobody saw them, Cain came near and killed Abel. At that time, The Lord called Cain and asked: "Cain, where is your brother?" Cain answered: "Dear God, I don't know. Am I supposed to take care of my brother?" In fact, God knew everything, but He asked to see if Cain regretted and confessed his sin or not. But Cain didn't repent and didn't show any sorry for Abel. Therefore, God said to Cain: "What have you done? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. Soil was soaked with Abel's blood so from now on, when you plant, soil will not produce any harvest for you. You will have to say good bye to your family and become a homeless wanderer on the earth from day to day."

When heard God's punishment, Cain said: "Dear God, that punishment is too hard for me, I cannot bear it." At this time, Cain still did not regret nor repent because of killing a loving blood-brother. Cain still only thought about himself. Therefore, Cain was sent out to a strange place far away, lived wandering with difficulties to the end. Sin killed Cain's life.

QUESTIONS:

   1. How many children did Mr. and Mrs. Adam have? What were their names?
   2. Why did Cain hate Abel?
   3. What did Cain do to Able?
   4. After that, did Cain repent his sin?
   5. In your opinion, is the sin of jealousy dangerous? Why?

[Soldier4Christ]

The Rainbow

Genesis 7-11

When the sky just stopped raining, if there was sunshine, looking up to the sky we usually saw there were very nice colorful arches. Do you know what is that? That is the rainbow or called the bow. One day, you see a bow on the sky, you remember to count how many colors and what are the colors! Do you know why after the rain there usually be a rainbow appeared so? The truth is not the rain water causes the rainbow, but that is the sun light reflected through the water vapor. Since the rainbow appears after a rain, every time seeing a rainbow after the rain people know that the rain just stopped. But in the Bible, it said the rainbow has a very special meaning.

Assume that you were an artist, you just drew a very beautiful painting, then some people put some ugly colors on and destroyed it. When you saw your painting destroyed, you would be sad and angry, wouldn't you? If you were in that situation, what would you do? Certainly, you must threw that painting away and redrew another painting.

Once upon a time, the Lord was also in a similar situation like this. God is the Creator, the good Creator. God created a wonderful world, but not too long after that, the people who lived in the world destroyed His work. The good people created by God have become bad. People have not been straight and loved each other but become deceitful, selfish. Not only being bad in working and speaking, but also people's thinking was bad. God was sad when seeing that, so He asked the human beings to repent and give up the bad. But they didn't repent, so God couldn't do anything differently from destroying human beings in order to destroy all those bad things. Therefore, God decided to use a big flood to destroy all the people on earth.

At that time, there was only one moral person in the whole world. That was Noah. Noah loved God and always obeyed His words. Noah had three sons. All his sons had become adults and had families. Noah didn't forget to teach his sons to love God and obey to God's commands. He leaded all his family to follow a moral life. God was very happy when looking at Noah's family. Therefore, one day, God called Noah and told him to build a giant ark, so that when God made the flood to destroy the earth, then his family would be on the ark to get away from the death. After listened to God's command, Noah and his three sons went to find wood to build the ark. His neighbors saw him building the ark on the mainland then laughed at him. They said: "There isn't any rain at all, so why would there be a flood coming! There is no big flood so that the big ark would be needed on the mainland like that!" Though every one around was laughing at him Noah and his three sons still kept quiet and obeyed God's command to build the ark.

Some of the people in the village came to help Noah, but no one believed that God would make a big flood to destroy the whole world. Because the ark was so big, Noah's family had to finish building it during several decades. Everybody around the area had waited for a long time but still not seen any rain coming, so they even laughed more at Noah. Some people laughed at him because his family only had eight people but he built the ark so big; other people wondered how the sea water could increase to the place where the ark was built. Finally, they laughed at him when they saw Noah guided every kind of animals on board. These people never knew what a flood was, now they saw an old man to build a giant ship and brought every kind of animals on board to avoid a flood; therefore, they didn't believe what was told to happen. Moreover, because their hearts was hard, and full of evil. They did not love God, nor worship Him, nor paid attention to God's warning.

While Noak was building the ship, he also advised people to repent their sins and come back to God so they would not be died, but no one listened. Those people kept living with sins. They lied to each other, were jealous to each other, and harmed each other. They didn't believe that God was the Pure and Fair, would punish the sinners, so that they surely did not repent. Through forty years God used Noah, built the ark, and warned and advised, so that He could save some more people, but there was no one who would pay attention to the words of Noah.

Before God made a big rain, He told Noah's family to enter the ship, and He closed the door. When the big rain started and the water began to increase, then people around awoke, they knew that all this time everything Noah had told them was true. They all ran to beside the ship, nodded the door and asked for saving them. They shouted: "Noah! Please let us in; otherwise, we will die!" But Noah could not open the door because God already shut the door. The crowd outside the ship was crying, complaining. They were too afraid: afraid of water, afraid to die, but it was too late now. For many many years, Noah told them to repent, but they only laughed at him and didn't repent. Now, it was too late that they believed what Noah had told them. Those people were too foolish, don't you think? If they believed what Noah said and repented their sins, now they would not have to die.

Today, God believers also teach God's Words as Noah did in the past. If anyone repents and receives Jesus as The Savior, then God will forgive them and they don't have to pay the price of death in hell. You also have heard about Gospel many times, or at least once today, but are you ready to response to God's call? If you want to receive The Savior Jesus, invite Him to be in your heart, then you will be forgiven your sins, be His children, and don't have to pay the price of death in Hell. Don't wait until it was too late to repent your sins as the people in the time Noah lived!

QUESTIONS:

   1. What did God command Noah do?
   2. Why did God have to use a flood to destroy mankind?
   3. When Noah told people about God's punishment, how many people believed Noah?
   4. What do we have to do today to avoid God's punishment?