Watch the “Lord’s Day Live!” and “Scripture Explains Itself!” videos then copy the following “Doodle Bible School,” “Application Sermon Questions,” and “Scripture Explains Itself!” questions. Click the “Submit Answers” button below each set of questions and paste the questions into the email. Answer the questions and send them to us. Read “To Keep the Faith” then follow the same instructions to submit the “To Keep the Faith Questions.”
Doodle Bible School
Lesson 15
Were you able to watch the entire lesson?
1. What is the theme of Joshua 23?
2. Can you doodle the picture clue?
3. Who did Joshua summon to give his final assignments? (23:2)
4. Can you quote the memory verse?
5. What book does Joshua mention that they must follow? (23:6)
6. With whom were they not to mix? (23:7)
7. They were not to make mention of who? (23:7)
8. One man could put to flight how man other men? (23:10)
9. Who fights for them? (23:10)
10. Have you ever been around others and it tempted you to act like them? What did you do?
Application Sermon Questions
Lesson 15
Were you able to watch the entire lesson?
1. What was the title of this lesson?
2. What was the first point made within this lesson? (Judges 7:16-18)
3. What was the second point made within this lesson? (Judges 15:14-16)
4. What was the third point made within this lesson? (2 Samuel 23:8-10, 20-21)
5. Who killed 800 men at one time with his spear? (2 Samuel 23:8)
For additional ways to capitalize on the information in the chapter above, click the link below.
Home Church Worship Guide – Joshua 23
Scripture Explains Itself!
Lesson 15
Were you able to watch the entire lesson?
1. What is meant by the word “hate” in this passage?
2. What other New Testament passage uses the same Greek word to describe our relationship with family members?
3. What does the word “election” indicate?
Reading Assignment
Lesson 15
Expression (Part 2)
Celebrating Reverent, Relevant, Revealing Worship
If it is the church’s responsibility to produce an atmosphere that promotes the “awe!” of God, then every Christian deserves an opportunity to reach this worshipful attitude. Worship services must reach out to all levels of spiritual maturity. My grandmother often reached the level of “awe!” by singing “The Old Rugged Cross.” The devotional song, “We Shall Assemble On The Mountain,” helps draw me into the presence of God. For children, it may be “Jesus Loves Me” or “The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock” complete with hand motions and laughter. But, whatever the age and whomever the person, we all deserve opportunities to be drawn into the convictions of “awe!”
Ancient wording of traditional songs, repetitious orders of worship, old English jargon, monotone sermons, and a host of other man-made limits to true worship have literally murdered our children’s desire to approach God. For too many of them, “Awe!” comes not as a response to God’s awesome nature, but as an exhale at the end of another yawn.
At nearly every speaking engagement, I am approached by a mother who is in tears over her child’s decision to leave the church. Some day we will answer for those we have pushed away. Like a bad steward who ignores a field yielding over 80%, God will require an answer for our mismanagement.
Many have wrongly concluded that the only way to remedy this situation is to make the worship service into a circus. This author challenges that conclusion. I suggest that our young people are not asking for a circus, they are simply looking for conviction.
Young people are interested in spiritual things. They do want to worship. But young people want to do more than just go through the motions. They want to see and experience life-changing worship.
Too often, young people watch adults go through the motions without emotion and they ask themselves, “Why should I?”
For a moment, allow me to be very personal. When was the last time you cried during communion or said “Amen!” after the final verse of “How Great Thou Art”? When was the last time you responded to the invitation and cried publicly about your sin? Conviction is not an option, it is a necessary condition of the heart that leads us into the presence of God.
Our young people see too many grandfathers who do not sing during the song service or grandmothers who write their contribution checks while the grape juice is being passed. Too many fathers take time off from work to go on vacation, but refuse to take time off from work to go to church. Too many mothers are more concerned about their child’s homework than they are about their child’s assignments from Sunday school. Do you roast the preacher and grill the elders over Sunday lunch? Is church work your passion or something you endure? The young people are watching. They expect more than just empty words and heartless expressions. Before they give their lives to Jesus, they want to know how He has changed your life. Does it show? Are you convicted?
Someone asked, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Although this is a very probing question, perhaps a better question would be, “Since you ARE on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict your children?”
Conclusion
There is no denying the emergency. Just look around you. The statistical nightmare is obvious. We are losing our kids.
Change must come immediately! But, that said, it is unrealistic to expect results will come at the same pace. There is no quick fix. It has taken us many years and multiple generations to arrive at such an emergency. It may require the same to get us out. Patience, perseverance and persistence are essential.
It is possible that an entirely new generation of parents and church leaders will need to be trained before hopeful numbers can again be realized. The question is, when will we start this training and who will we use to train them? Answer: A revival among parents and church leaders is our only hope. We must lead if we expect our young people to keep the faith.*
*Borrowed from “To Keep the Faith” by Sonny Childs
This concludes the lessons from the book “To Keep the Faith,” however, we have one more lesson in this series. Please take the time to consider your own life, the congregation you worship with, the people you associate with regularly and the impact that is being made on your children or the children you influence because of what they see and hear. Show your family and loved ones that being a Christian is more than just meeting with other Christians to worship. It is a lifestyle of living daily for the Lord and developing an attitude of worship!
NOTE: If you missed the first nine lessons in this series, you can go here (lesson 1), here (lesson 2), here (lesson3), here (lesson 4), here (lesson 5), here (lesson 6), here (lesson 7), here (lesson 8), here (lesson 9), here (lesson 10), here (lesson 11), here (lesson 12) , here (lesson 13) and here (lesson 14) to catch up.
To Keep the Faith Questions
Lesson 15
1. What are some ways to promote an atmosphere of “awe” in a congregational assembly? What are some reasons given that have “murdered our children’s desire to approach God”?
2. Many have wrongly concluded that the only way to remedy this situation (pushing our children away from the church) is to make the worship service into a ________. Is this true? What are our young people looking for when it comes to worship?
3. Conviction is not an ________, it is a ___________ condition of the _______ that leads us into the presence of God.
4. You must understand that your children are watching you and, therefore, you ARE on trial as a Christian. What do they see in your life to convince them that being a Christian is worth the sacrifice?
5. Parents and church leaders must lead if our young people are going to keep the faith. As a Homemaker Hero, what can you do to help the young people in your congregation grow into the next generation of faithful followers of God?