September 26, 2014
Welcome back to another Friday Family Bible Time! We are continuing with our study through the days of creation and this week we are on the third day. On this day, God formed the seas and the land. Then He made the first plants, trees, shrubs, and fruit! I don’t know about you, but I LOVE fruit! I am so thankful for the creativity of our Heavenly Father who gave us such a wide variety of fruit to eat. Our New Testament connection this week is found in John 15, where Jesus tells us that WE are to produce fruit, as well. We can only do this by staying connected to HIM. Apart from God, we can do nothing.
Keep scrolling down and you can find this week’s study. Or, if you prefer a printable study, the link to the pdf is below.
Family Bible Time Week 3
Topic: Creation Day 3
Theme: On day three of creation, God made the land, the seas, and the vegetation. He made trees that would produce fruit after their own kind. God wants US to produce fruit, too.
Bring an apple with you to your Family Bible Time. Give the apple to one of the members of your family and have everyone sit in a circle. Then have someone read the Bible verses. Every time the word “fruit” is read, the apple must be passed to the next person in the family. Whoever has the apple at the end, can eat it 🙂 (It is probably best to have other apples available for everyone else to eat, too.)
Scriptures:
Genesis 1:9-13
John 15:1-6
Discussion Questions:
1. What did God create on the third day of creation?
2. What are your favorite plants and fruit?
3. How does new fruit grow?
4. What does the Bible mean when it tells us to produce fruit?
5. What kinds of fruits can we produce?
6. In order to produce any kind of fruit, what do we need to do? (see John 15:4)
7. What are some ways that we can abide in Christ?
Activities: (choose from this list, or come up with one of your own. Do as few or as many as you want.)
1. Make a fruit salad together. Discuss the different fruits of the spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23) that we should have in our lives as well as the ways we can produce fruit by telling others about Jesus. For added fun, take the fruit salad to a neighbor and share God’s love with them.
2. Visit an orchard and pick your own fruit. Discuss how we bear fruit while you are picking the fruit. Share the fruit you pick with another family.
3. Plant a tree. Discuss today’s Scriptures as you are planting it. (This is also a great lesson to use when planting a garden. If the season is right, let your kids plant a garden. Then you can use the garden as an object lesson all summer long!)
4. Collect a bunch of branches and make a campfire. Discuss how the branches are dead because they are apart from the tree. In the same way, if we are not with God, we will be dead spiritually. Then we are good for nothing except to be burned! Roast marshmallows or hot dogs over your fire and discuss how we need to stay connected to God so we can continue to bear fruit and bring others to Him.
5. Cut up an apple and examine the seeds. Discuss how God made it so that each seed grows the fruit that it is from. You can’t get an orange from an apple seed!
6. If you have a musical family, sing the following fruit of the spirit song. This is LOTS of fun!!!
Prayer Time:
Draw a picture of a tree on a large piece of paper. Then cut several pieces of fruit out of construction paper. On each piece of fruit, write a different person that you want to share Jesus with. Then pray for that person as you glue the fruit on the tree. Keep the tree in a place where you can use it in your prayer time this week.
Outreach Ideas:
Serving as a family can be a powerful experience. Choose an activity to serve together this week as a practical way to live out your faith. Examples include the following:
1. Take care of the earth God created – pick up garbage in your neighborhood or at a local park.
2. Visit an orchard and donate the items you pick to a local homeless shelter.
3. Rake leaves for an elderly neighbor. Do this all season to make even more of an impact!
4. Plant a tree or flowers or pull weeds at an area park or another location that could use some sprucing up!
5. Pick up sticks at a local park or another area that could use it.
6. Bake a couple apple pies and give them away to a neighbor . . . or, invite your neighbor over to have an apple pie with you!
If you have any ideas to add, share them in the comments below!
If you have not gotten your October Prayer Calendar yet, why don’t you get it now? Help your kids PRAY BIG!!
https://cherilynngamble.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/october-prayer-calendar/
(link to October prayer calendar)
Also, don’t forget to check out the Monday Marriage Moments. Every Monday, I post a Bible study that you can do with your spouse to help your marriage. We are currently going through the fruit of the spirit . . . which would fit perfectly with this week’s family time! REMEMBER . . . your family is the most important ministry you have!!!
https://cherilynngamble.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/monday-marriage-moment-love/
(link to Monday Marriage Moment)
May God bless you and your family this week!
Cheri
Cheri Gamble 