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God changed Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah. When they hosted three visitors, they were told that God would give them a child within the year. The promise was fulfilled when Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac, one year later. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7

Outline:

1. Abraham and Sarah offer hospitality to three visitors (Genesis 18:1-8)
2. The Lord promises a son (Genesis 18:9-16)
3. Isaac is born one year later (Genesis 21:1-7)

Tips for teaching children:

• Use sheets and blankets to construct a tent
• Prepare food as if for a guest
• Sing God Answers Prayer and talk about how, sometimes, we have to wait for God to answer our prayers.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Here’s a fun conversation starter at the beginning of class:  “What makes you laugh?” “What do you think is funny?”
• Some questions to get a conversation going: 
  • How did Abraham and Sarah show hospitality to these three visitors? 
  • How do you show hospitality to visitors to your house?
  • What do you do to make them feel like they are important? 
• Verse 14 is the key text in this story.  Ask the class if anyone wants to share difficult things in their life.  Pray about the hard things that were shared in the class.  
• When is it hardest for you to trust God?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Abram’s Three Visitors

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Abram and his nephew, Lot, both prospered while living in the land of Canaan. Their servants began to argue over whose flocks and herds should have the small amount of grass that was available. To solve the problem, Abram told Lot to choose an area for himself. Abram would take what was left. Lot chose the more fertile land and moved near a place where very bad people lived. Abram began living in a less fertile area, but God blessed him and told him that all that land would someday belong to his descendants.

Remember to make careful choices because choices have consequences.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Genesis 13:2-18
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Proverbs 19:21
• Matthew 6:33
• James 1:5

Outline:

1. A crowding problem (Genesis 13:2-7)
2. Abram suggests Lot to choose new territory (Genesis 13:8-13)
3. God restates land promises to Abram (Genesis 13:14-18)

Tips for teaching children:

• Place upright dominoes in a row. Push over one domino and watch all of the dominoes fall, one by one.  Talk about decisions and how they set off consequences.
• Draw or paint a map of the places where this story takes place. Use this simple map as a guide. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• Here are some conversational questions to stimulate discussion:
  • Although the text doesn’t explicitly tell us, why do you think Abram let Lot choose first?  
  • Would there be any way for either Abram or Lot to know what the consequences would be of Lot’s choice? 
  • Although Lot got the lushest land, what two things does God promise Abram?  
  • If you were faced with a similar choice, would you have followed Abram’s example or Lot’s? Why? 

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Abram Gives Lot First Choice

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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God chose one man, Abram, to be the beginning of a new nation called God’s People. He told Abram to leave his home and relatives and set out travelling. Abram, his wife, Sarai, and nephew, Lot, left home. He began to travel and live in tents. The Lord also told Abram that his name would be great and the whole world would be blessed through this new nation. Abram believed in God and had living faith—the kind of faith that proves it is real by doing actions.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 12:1-9

Genesis 11:27-32

Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:8

James 2:17

Outline:

1. God tells Abram to go (Genesis 12:1-3)
2. Abram goes (Genesis 12:4-9)

Tips for teaching children:

• When talking about Abram’s movements from place to place, move to different locations in the room.  
  • Ur 
  • Haran
  • Shechem
  • Bethel
• Sing the Father Abraham Song

Tips for teaching adults:

• Plan on a day when the class can take a trip together; choose one person in the class to decide where the class will go. Only that person will know the destination.  Everyone can take a picnic if it is a longer day. If it is a drive, car-pooling is suggested.  If it is a walk, make sure all can walk to the destination.  Enjoy spending time together on this journey.  Ask the class what were they thinking and feeling not knowing where they were going.  What was going through their minds?
• Here are some good conversation starters: 
  • “Imagine you are journeying with Abram.  What kind of questions would you ask him?  How long would you stay with him?” 
  • Where else in Genesis do we read of “blessing” and the promise of “descendants?” (Don’t forget Genesis 1:28 & 9:1 as part of the conversation). 
  • What were some of these blessings the peoples of the earth would receive through Abraham and his descendants?
• Link to free Bible Maps: https://open.bible/maps/   Check out the PDF map of “The World of the Patriarchs”.  Be sure to note this at the top of the website about use of the maps:  “The maps on this page are each included in the Biblica Open Bible Maps collection, copyright 2023 Biblica, Inc, and licensed under a CC-BY-SA license (see below for license terms and limitations).” 

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  God Calls Abram

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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After Noah and his family left the ark, God planned for them to spread out over the whole earth and repopulate it. Instead, in their pride, they gathered in one place and began to build a tower. To intervene, the Lord confused and stopped their plans, causing everyone to speak different languages. Once again, people began to move away and spread all over the earth.

When teaching, emphasise the nature of unhealthy pride.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 11:1-9

Proverbs 11:2

Psalm 127:1

James 4:10

Outline:

1. The people congregate in one place (Genesis 11:1-2)
2. They built a tower for themselves (Genesis 11:3-4)
3. God intervenes (Genesis 11:5-9a)
4. The people scatter (Genesis 11:9b)

Tips for teaching children:

• Play Jenga or stack blocks to make a tower
• Contrast different kinds of pride
  • positive pride (self-respect or self-esteem) 
  • negative pride (feeling superior or having an overly high opinion of oneself)
• Invite a guest to class and ask them to explain something to the children in another language.  Talk about why mixing up languages would have caused confusion.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Icebreaker before you begin teaching. Ask the participants to respond to the following, “What is the most important, magnificent or tallest thing you have built?”  Or if you are not a builder: “What is the most important, magnificent or tallest building you have ever seen?  Why?
• Use this material as a background to this story.  Photo montage of a ziggurat and other related artifacts: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Etemenanki#/media/File:Etemenanki_Berlin.jpg
• When is it not good to “settle?”  Are we building monuments, programmes or ministries to ourselves?  Are we trying to make a name for ourselves or to draw attention to God’s name? 
• How can we build for God instead of ourselves as individuals or a church?  

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  The Tower of Babel

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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When Noah, his family, and the animals entered the ark, the rains began and continued for forty days. The whole earth was covered in water. Even after the rains stopped, the ark continued to float for a total of 150 days until it was grounded on top of Mt. Ararat. 

While the water receded, Noah sent a raven and a dove out from the ark to see if they could find dry land.  

Eventually, God told Noah and his family to come out of the ark when the water had receded enough. The first thing that Noah did was to build an altar and offer some of the animals and birds as a sacrifice to God in thanks for keeping all of them safe. At that time, God caused a rainbow to appear in the sky. God said that this was a symbol of His promise to never destroy the world again by water.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 7:11-9:17

Outline:

1. The Flood (Genesis 7:11-24)
2. Leaving the Ark (Genesis 8:1-19)
3. Worship and the Agreement (Genesis 8:20-9:17)

Tips for teaching children:

• Sing the “Rise and Shine” Song
• Make any rainbow craft

Tips for teaching adults:

• Discuss the ways people might feel God has forgotten or abandoned them. When you see God remembering Noah, what comes to mind from your own experience of life? 
• Read through the story, focusing on aspects suggesting God is on a rescue mission. 
  • What aspects of this story suggest that this is a rescue mission? 
  • Where is God’s mercy seen in this story?
• Ask the class to share some interesting rainbows they have seen.  Or you could ask the class to bring to class pictures of rainbows, ones that have captured their attention. Follow up with these questions: 
  • “In Genesis 9:12-17, what is the sign of the covenant, and what purpose does it serve?  
  • Who does God make the covenant with (see Genesis 9:12-14)? 
  • What are the implications of this covenant?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  The Flood and God’s Promise

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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As time went by, people became more and more evil. Only Noah was obedient and pleased God. God gave Noah special instructions to build a huge boat (ark). This ark would keep Noah and his family safe from the floods that were about to cover the earth. The ark was also big enough to carry enough animals to repopulate the earth when the flood was over.

Noah believed in God and obeyed him so everyone on the ark was safe.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 6:5-7:16

Hebrews 11:7

Outline:

1. Humans had become wicked (Genesis 6:5-7:16)
2. Only Noah followed God (Genesis 6:8-10)
3. Noah builds and loads the ark (Genesis 6:11-7:16)

Tips for teaching children:

• Children who enjoy math can convert the dimensions of the ark into metric or imperial measurements.  They could also research the sizes of soccer or football fields (or any big building or stadium) and compare the sizes to the ark.
• Make a replica of the ark.
• Sing the song: Rise and Shine
• Eat animal crackers
• Young children will enjoy filling a tub with water and floating a toy boat on it.

Tips for teaching adults:

• In preparation for the class day, ask participants to research some of history’s worst floods. They can share their findings with the group. Research could include loss of life, the financial cost of the damages, the extent of the flood and after-effects of the flood. Discuss the power of water and the devastation it can cause.
• Noah was a good and obedient man who walked with God.  God rescues his entire family because of his obedience and goodness.   Discussion starters:
  • What does this invite us to consider about God’s nature and how He interacts with people?  
  • How can our faithfulness to God be the channel of blessing to others? 
  • What does this have to say about the importance of our faithfulness to God for the sake of others?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Noah Builds an Ark & Loads Animals

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Two of Adam and Eve’s sons were Cain (a farmer) and Abel (a shepherd). Abel was faithful and offered the best meat from the best lamb in his flock to God as a sacrifice. Cain offered some produce from his crops as his offering to God. God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice but not with Cain’s. This made Cain so angry that he killed his own brother, Abel. In punishment, God exiled (or banished) Cain from the area he knew as home.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Genesis 4:1-16, 25

Colossians 3:23

Hebrews 11:4

Ephesians 4:26-27

Outline:

1. Two brothers offer sacrifices to God (Genesis 4:1-4a)
2. Cain is jealous when God only accepts Abel’s sacrifice (Genesis 4:4b-7)
3. Cain kills Abel (Genesis 4:8)
4. Cain is banished (Genesis 4:9-16)
5. Eve has another son, Seth (Genesis 4:25)

Tips for teaching children:

• To introduce the story, bring pairs of items and ask children to compare them and decide which is the best. Abel gave his best.
• Explain that an altar was a structure, usually made of stacked rocks, where people lay items and gave them up to show devotion to God.
• Talk about anger and how to diffuse it. 
• Half-fill one clear glass with water. Half-fill an identical clear glass with white vinegar. Tell the children that these glasses represent Cain and Abel’s hearts. (Point to the glass of water) Abel’s heart was good, and he wanted to give his best to God. (Put a drop or two of green food colouring in the vinegar glass and stir it.) The green glass represents Cain’s heart. He was jealous of his brother and didn’t give his best to God. Let’s see what happens to their hearts when they give gifts to God. Ask one child to put a teaspoon of baking soda in the glass of water (nothing will happen to the water). Abel gave his gift, and God was pleased. Abel felt good because he knew he had given his best. Now, let’s see what happened to Cain’s heart. (Have another child put a teaspoon of baking soda in the green vinegar glass). As the water bubbles and boils, talk about how jealousy made Cain’s heart upset and angry.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Cain responded to God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice with anger and jealousy. Discussion questions:  
  • Why are anger and jealousy so bad?  
  • What advice would you give to Cain as he seethes with anger to diffuse and re-direct it?
• Although the text isn’t clear why God accepts Abel’s sacrifice and rejects Cain’s, the text in verses 3-4 does imply that Abel brought his best, Cain did not. Discussion questions: 
  • Why did God accept Abel’s sacrifice and reject Cain’s?   
  • What can we learn about how we approach God in our worship and in our service to him?
• Challenge the class to supply needed items for a mission church or food pantry.  The quality of the items should be what the class would want for themselves.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Cain and Abel    

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Adam and Eve were happy in the Garden of Eden, where God provided for all of their needs. God gave them only one rule: do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent came to Eve, tempted her with lies, and convinced her to eat from the tree. Then, Eve gave some of the fruit to Adam, and he also ate it. They both realized their sin and guilt for disobeying God at that point. For the first time, people experienced shame. Because of their sin, God banished Adam and Eve from the garden.

When teaching this lesson, emphasise that God loves us and makes rules that will help us be healthy and happy. Satan wants bad things to happen to us, so he tempts us to disobey God.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-24
• James 4:7

Outline:

1. God told Adam not to eat fruit from the dangerous tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:15-17)
2. Adam and Eve listen to the Snake and experience temptation, sin and shame.  (Genesis 3:1-7)
3. God speaks with Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:8-13)
4. The consequences of their disobedience. (Genesis 3:14-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Explain the words “temptation” and “sin”
• When you talk about the snake, wrap a chenille wire around your finger to form a “snake”. Alternatively, roll Play-Doh to form a snake.
• Try this activity to help children understand the idea of choosing between right and wrong. Provide two paper plates for each child.  Help them draw a sad face on one and a happy face on the other.  Describe a situation the children might find themselves in and state a dilemma and choice.  Children should hold up the corresponding plate. 
  
  

Tips for teaching adults:

• Bake two batches of your favourite cookies and bring them to class.  One batch of cookies will be normal, but the other batch should be made with salt instead of sugar.  When they take a bite, they will know how awful it tastes and will not eat it.  This is your cue to introduce the class today to the Fall of Man.  Tell the class that something may look good and desirable, but actually, it is not.  This is the nature of sin.  It promises life but ultimately brings death.  Don’t forget to offer the class the good cookies afterwards.
• Ask the class to read Genesis 2:15-24 and discuss the following questions: 
  • In what ways has God shown that he loves and cares for his creation and Adam and Eve? 
  • “Has he shown his love and care for you in a similar way?  Explain.”
• 1 John 2:15-16 is drawing upon the story in Genesis 3.  Read this and then discuss:
  • What connections do you see between 1 John 2:16 and Genesis 3:6? 
  • In what ways can we identify with Eve’s situation?  
  • In what ways can we relate to 1 John 2:16? 

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Fall of Man

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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After spending six days creating the world, God considered the seventh day a special day to rest. God did not rest because He was tired; He did not become exhausted or run out of energy. God’s work of creation was perfect, and the seventh day was a day to reflect on what He had completed. 

God also wants us to rest and consider His work and how He takes care of us.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Genesis 1:1 and 2:1-3
• Isaiah 40:28-29 God does not become weary or run out of energy.
• Psalm 19:1-4 God rested, knowing the creation itself would point people to Him.
• Exodus 20:8-11 God later commanded His people to remember this seventh day as a day of rest. 
• Psalm 23:1-2 As our shepherd, God provides safety, peace and rest. 
• Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest. 
•  Psalm 148:7-13 A Psalm of reflection on God’s creation

Outline:

1. God created our world (Genesis 1:1)
2. God rested (Genesis 2:1-3)

Tips for teaching children:

• Spend time relaxing and reflecting on God and what He has done (play calming music, breathe deeply)
• Serve food (like ice cream) and savour each bite.  Talk about the flavours and textures and how each bite makes you feel.  Use this as a lead-in to taking time to think about things instead of just rushing through.

Tips for teaching adults:

• I would ask these questions in an adult class: 
  • What do we learn about God in this text?  
  • What do we learn about ourselves?  
  • How has your life and work over the past 6 days blessed others?” 
  • If resting on day 7 suggests that God is now present and ruling over his creation, then how can your life and work show that you believe God is in control and present in his world?
• Organise a day out on Saturday as a class to have a picnic and enjoy the day together.  Spend some time thinking of ways you can re-organise your life so that you can enjoy more moments like these.  Conclude your day together by thanking God for his care over his creation and that he has given you the opportunity to bless others through your work and life.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Day 7-God Rested

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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On the last day of creation, God created animals. After this, it was finally time for God to create man and woman. There was something special about this last creature of creation. God created man and woman in His “own image.” As seen in Adam and Eve, people are distinct from animals and have a have a special relationship and partnership with God.

Bible verses used in this episode:
Genesis 1:24-31; 2:7, 18-25

Other helpful verses about animals:

• They belong to God: Job 12:7-10; Psalm 50:10-11
• Praise God for His care of creation. Psalm 145
• Used to describe peace. Isaiah 11:6-9
• Kindness towards animals. Exodus 23:5; Proverbs 12:10; Proverbs 27:23
• Examples of truths. Job 12:7-10; Job 35:11; Proverbs 30:24-31; Matthew 10:29-31; James 3:7-10
• God knows us. Psalm 139:13-16 

Outline:

1. God created animals (Genesis 1:24-25)
2. God created people (Genesis 1:26-27)
3. God blessed what he created (Genesis 1:28-31)

Tips for teaching children:

• Play a game where one child makes an animal sound, and the other children guess the animal.
• Show illustrations of the human body. This might include the skeleton, muscles, etc.  
• Talk about how amazing God’s creation of the human body is. Take a pulse or listen to a heartbeat.  

Tips for teaching adults:

• Psalm 8 is a beautiful reflection on Genesis 1. I suggest asking one person to read verses 1-2, another to read verses 3-8, and then the first reader to read the last verse. Ask the class to discuss the relationship between God, humans, and animals. How does this make you feel? How can you exercise your care over the creation in a way that honours God and reflects his wisdom?
• Project: Organise a project to clean up and beautify a park. This project can include children. Beautifying a park may involve picking up rubbish, clearing out dead plants, removing dead limbs, and planting new things appropriate to the park. Afterwards, meet somewhere and reflect on this project in light of Genesis 1:26-31. Ask the group, “ How were we partnering with God in taking care of his creation?”
• Research the prayer of St. Basil the Great, (influential 4th-century Christian leader, teacher and preacher) and his prayer about animals. 

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Day 6- God Created Animals and People  

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]