To teach the Bible to children we need to communicate not just what knowledge of happened but also the meaning and then think how that applies to us now.
So bible talks give:
- Knowledge
- Meaning
- Application
And we said that application is about our response to God’s word. It answers the question “So what?” What should my response be?
Now, on one level we should let God’s word speak for itself. And God does speak powerfully – often in a way that is exactly right for us at exactly the right time.
But we should also point the children in the right direction –after all, there are plenty of examples in history of Christians finding wrong applications from Bible verses.
With children we’re really looking out for only 1 or at the most 2 straightforward applications. They’ll be about encouragement to keep going as a disciple of Jesus or a challenge over an attitude or behaviour.
Like the numerous signs we see as we drive along a road, here are 6simple application signs to look for in your Bible passage:
- Positive examples sign– behave like this person did in this situation.
- Negative examples– don’t sin like this person did.
- Warnings– don’t let this thing from the culture around you shape your life.
- Direct commands – Just do it. Because Jesus says so; He knows best and He’s King.
- Promises. Get this stuck into your head. It’ll keep you going.
- Reasons to give praise or prayer to God.
So, let’s look at examples of each of these in turn. You might want to grab a Bible so you can look out for the application signs.
First – Daniel in the lions’ den- that’s Daniel 6.
Daniel’s got a tough choice. Does he honor God and get into trouble, or do what others are pressuring him to do? He chooses to follow God…and faces execution…but God rescues Him and the King turns to God as a result.
So it’s a positive example sign – of Daniel, who chose to go God’s way, even if that had meant becoming lion food.
How do we apply that with children?
Well, why not get them together in groups with a leader and list on a sheet of paper times when it’s difficult to choose to follow Jesus.
That might include what to do when they’re in an RE lesson and the teacher says that all religions are the same. Or when there’s peer pressure to join in with some sinful behavior.
In each situation what would Daniel have done?
For much younger children you may just want to say that sometimes it’s difficult to do what pleases God and we need to copy what Daniel did when he found it tough.
The second example: The Golden Calf in Exodus 32.
That’s the tragic incident when the Israelites, bored of waiting for Moses, made and worshipped a golden calf instead of God. The problem was that they failed to recognize that the Lord had rescued and provided for them and only the Lord was capable of bringing them through the desert to the promised land. And so they glorified an Egyptian-style idol instead.
It’s a negative example to us: the sin of idolatry. It sounds crazy…but so often we fall into the same sin – believing that other things will get us through this life, rather than Almighty God.
Now to apply for older children maybe you could have some pictures of things people put their trust in – like fame, qualifications, popularity, possessions, good looks or being religious or good…and talk about how we can avoid trusting in those things.
For little children that would be quite difficult to understand, so you might want to flip it on its head and together write or stick some words on a sheet which explain why God is the only one to be trusted – words like ‘strong’ and ‘knows everything’ and ‘ loves me’ etc.
The third example is from the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12.
In that one, a man asks Jesus to solve an argument over the family inheritance.
Jesus replies in v 15, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…’ and then he tells the parable of the fool who gets richer and more and more comfortable yet totally ignores God. And then he drops dead and has to face God with nothing except the claim that he was comfortable when he was alive.
So here’s a warning: Jesus says, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed”.
This is just as real to apply today. So, for older children you might want to do something like flicking through some magazine adverts and look out for the messages that suggest that we’ll be happier if we have the latest such-and-such.
Jesus isn’t saying we shouldn’t have possessions. But He is warning against the world’s message of seeking comfort in this life over the Kingdom of God.
For younger children you might want to show them some toys that appeal to them at their age.
Explain that they’re fun to play with but Jesus tells us ‘Don’t want those things so much that we ignore God’.
The fourth example: the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18.
That’s when Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who keeps hurting him. Jesus’ reply is His parable of the unforgiving servant.
You know; the one where the King has a servant for whom he writes off hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt. But that servant then imprisons his own mate over a debt of a few dollars.
The clearest sign is in verse 22, Jesus’ reply to Peter’s question is ‘Forgive…not seven times but seventy times seven’ This is a direct command. ‘Keep on forgiving’ and why? ‘Because God is willing to keep on forgiving us’.
So to apply maybe you’d want to give the children some space on their own to write down the names of children they find irritate or upset them.
Explain that forgiving means forgetting about what they’ve done and not telling everyone else how rotten they’ve been. They could write “Keep on forgiving.” next to the names.
For younger children it might be enough to say that we often find it difficult to forget when people are nasty to us. But God forgets what we’ve done when he forgives us – and Jesus tells us to ‘keep on forgiving other people even when they keep being mean’. OK.
Here’s number 5: The Great Commission Matthew 28: “…Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Well in there there’s a direct command ‘Go and make disciples’, and also a promise: ‘I am with you always’. Jesus promises that He doesn’t leave us alone to try to live for Him but that through His Holy Spirit He is with us – always.
To help children apply this how about some printed pictures of places where we can tell our friends about Jesus – like school, home, their street and invitations to church events.
Chat about in which of these Jesus promises that he’ll be with us.
And the final example – all those wonderful Bible passages like most of the Psalms or Genesis 1 that give us a reason for praise or prayer .
So, if the application is praise then let’s praise God – using singing, painting, drawing, writing raps or a whole manner of other creative stuff. Or is it prayer? – maybe if we’ve been looking at Jesus’ death on the cross we need time to consider what God’s done for us, maybe by writing some prayers, and maybe singing a song in response.
So, that’s our 6 application signs to look out for: Positive Examples, Negative Examples, Warnings, Direct Commands, Promises, and Reasons for praise or Prayer.
Now, you’ll have noticed that most of these application ideas are deliberately practical and active. That’s better than just talking at the children and it works much better in small groups.
And children are more likely to be honest and open in a smaller group, especially If they have the same leader each week.
So, there ya go. The application signs to look out for and some practical ideas to help the children explore the application of these passages in their lives.
