Brothers in Christ - Sunday July 18, 2021

Sunday July 18, 2021 (Vol 12, Unit 35, Session 3)

Hi there, and thanks for joining us this week. The following blog is here to be a tool for you to review the previous Sunday’s Children’s church lesson and help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20). So, let’s have some fun and teach our kids from the scriptures. 

Parent Devotional – Brothers in Christ

Philemon

Paul was a prisoner under house arrest in Rome when a man named Onesimus (oh NESS ih muhs) came to visit him. Onesimus was a slave who had run away from a wealthy man named Philemon. As it turned out, Paul was a friend of Philemon. So, when Paul told Onesimus the good news about Jesus and Onesimus believed, Paul desired forgiveness and reconciliation between Onesimus and Philemon—now brothers in Christ.

So Paul wrote a letter and told Onesimus to take it to Philemon. The Book of Philemon is the letter written by Paul to Philemon. Though Onesimus had become dear to him, and Paul wanted Onesimus to stay with him in Rome, Paul sent him back to Philemon with his letter.

In the letter, Paul urged Philemon to show kindness to Onesimus and treat him as a fellow brother in Christ. Paul even offered to pay Onesimus’s debt for him. Though Paul could have used his authority as an apostle of Christ to force Philemon to do what he wanted, Paul instead appealed to him as a friend and a fellow believer. He urged Philemon to treat Onesimus as if he were Paul himself—with love and kindness. 

Paul offered to pay Onesimus’s debt to make peace between him and Philemon. In this way, Paul acted like Jesus, who makes peace between God and humanity. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin, paying our debt so that we can be forgiven and welcomed into God’s family as brothers and sisters of Jesus. (See Heb. 2:11.) 

Paul’s letter serves as a reminder to us that everyone is equal before Jesus. People from completely different backgrounds—like Paul, a former Jewish leader; Onesimus, a runaway slave; and Philemon, a Gentile slave master—are brought together by the gospel under the lordship of Jesus Christ. In light of God’s love for us, we can be loving, kind, and forgiving to our brothers and sisters in Christ for the glory of God.

Parent Guidance and Instructions 

As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to pray and remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 says: “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Maybe you do not have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or perhaps your children are too young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day-to-day. Be blessed this week, my friends!

Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses, and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson, so you can read directly from it or change it to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages and the additional activities and information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) to review the lesson so you can adjust as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you would like, or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the week. Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions. We would love to hear from you!

Opening

“Blessings and Bummers”

Let’s get started. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges?

Parents share your blessings and bummers, encourage the kids to do the same. 

Prayer

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer: Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we do not deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us, Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you to our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe in Him. Please help us be thankful for all you do for us and look to you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! 

Let’s chat!

Prompt kids to discuss the best things about having siblings.

Say • Having brothers or sisters is great, but I think all of us with siblings would admit they sometimes frustrate us. God wants us to love one another. Today, we will learn about a time Paul told a man named Philemon to treat another man, named Onesimus, like a brother.

Optional Session Starter Activity

Pick one of two options or do both; this is your party. (You can find these on page 2 of the optional activity pages attached at the bottom of the post.)

We will see that Onesimus heard the gospel from Paul and believed it. That means Onesimus became a Christian, just as Paul and Philemon were. The fact that Onesimus started as a servant doesn’t matter to God. God treats all believers the same—as His beloved children. What will happen for all Christians in the future? One day all Christians will see Jesus in His glory and live with Him forever.

Review

Remember that Paul was still held by the Romans. Two weeks ago, we learned that Paul was willing to do hard things to share the gospel. Instead of taking his opportunity to be free, Paul shared the gospel with leaders, and requested to go to Rome. While traveling to Rome by ship, Paul trusted God to rescue him from a devastating shipwreck. Today we will learn about what Paul told Philemon regarding Onesimus, Philemon’s servant who ran away.

Bible Lesson

In Paul’s letter to Philemon, we see that Paul cared much more about making peace between two believers than he did about his own material possessions. Paul understood that Jesus’ love transforms us, and so it should transform how we treat one another.

The Bible tells us that love is a primary characteristic that should mark believers. We should love our enemies and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus loves even those who do not love Him, and His love is what can transform His enemies into His church. Paul understood this because that’s exactly what Jesus did for him. Paul had been an enemy of Jesus, but Jesus still saved him. Jesus wanted the church to welcome Paul as a brother, not treat him with fear or anger the way they might have before.

Christ Connection

Paul offered to pay Onesimus’ debt to make peace between him and Philemon. In this way, Paul acted like Jesus, who makes peace between God and man. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin. He paid our debt so that we can be forgiven and welcomed by God.

Bible Time!

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help them find Philemon. Encourage kids to look in the Table of Contents to find the Book of Philemon. Explain that Philemon was written by the apostle Paul, so it’s grouped with Paul’s Letters in the New Testament. Point out that Philemon is short, and so it has verse numbers, but may not have a chapter number.

Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:

Who was Philemon? (a friend of Paul, Philem. 1)

How did Onesimus respond to the gospel? (Onesimus believed in Jesus, Philem. 10)

How did Paul encourage Philemon to treat Onesimus? (like a brother instead of a servant, Philem. 16)

Why do you think Paul worked so hard to make peace between Onesimus and Philemon? Remind kids of Paul’s conversion story. Help them see that Paul, as much as anyone, understood the transformation that salvation through Jesus brings. Jesus welcomes enemies and turns them into brothers and sisters. Just as Paul was turned from an enemy into a brother, so Philemon was to welcome Onesimus as a brother.

How should we treat someone who is a brother or sister in Christ? Guide kids to think beyond the simple answers. Help them consider what it looks like to love a brother or sister in Christ. Be prepared to talk about ways we can serve and respect one another, as well as ways we can correct and encourage one another.

Who can you show love to this week? Guide kids to think practically. Remind them that they don’t have to share the names of any specific people if they prefer not to; but, encourage them to come up with at least one person they might not otherwise show love to. Help them brainstorm appropriate ways to show love.

Say • Paul encouraged Philemon to treat Onesimus as a brother in Christ. When Jesus took our punishment and died on the cross, He gave us the gift of being forgiven and welcomed into God’s family. We can show love and forgiveness to others because of Jesus.

Key Memory Verse

Read the verse together. 

We are made brothers and sisters in Christ through Jesus’ death and resurrection. When we respond to God’s salvation, there is a good work started in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will continue this good work of making us more like Jesus every day while we’re here on earth. In the future, God will finish this good work in each of us just as the Bible promises. What will happen for all Christians in the future? One day all Christians will see Jesus in His glory and live with Him forever. 

Memory Verse Activity:

Form pairs of kids. Challenge the pairs to recite the key passage one word at a time, taking turns saying each word in order. Instruct them to practice several times and see how fast they can work together to recite the key passage. Consider adding and element of competition by timing different pairs to see which pair is the fastest. Re-arrange the pairs and continue playing as time allows.

Say • We are able to be brothers and sisters in Christ because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus took our punishment on the cross and gave us forgiveness for our sins. When we respond to God’s salvation, He begins a good work in our hearts. We can be sure that work will eventually be completed.

That is all I have for this week. Let’s pray together. 

Jesus, Your Word is true and trustworthy. We can study it and learn about loving one another through Your example and through Paul’s letter to Philemon. Help us to treat others the way You have treated us—as brothers and sisters. Amen. 

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week! 

Thank you, Lifeway’s Gospel Project, for allowing us to publish this material.

Additional Activities and Information