The Church of God of Carmichael

This week at BST we are continuing to learn about Peter and how he learned to understand Jesus' teachings.  In Matthew, chapter 16, Jesus was trying to explain to His disciples how He must suffer.  Peter spoke up and said in verse 22, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee."  Jesus rebuked Peter sharply by saying, "Get the behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."  We learned that many times we won't understand the future, but as we learn to trust Jesus with the details of our life, He can fulfill the best possible outcome for each soul involved.  Our verse is found in Matthew 16:24; "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross, and follow me."

This week at BST we learned more about Peter and the other apostles that Jesus chose to help Him spread the message of salvation. We learned the song about the 12 apostles and how we are called, also, to work for Jesus!  We talked about how Peter watched as Jesus healed his mother-in-law, who was very sick in bed with a fever. Peter got to see how Jesus cares deeply for us, and all of those we care about.  The verse was, "Follow me." John 1:43 

This week at BST we began a series about the life of the apostle Peter. We explored how Peter's brother met Jesus first, and how he shared his enthusiasm with his brother who was originally known as Simon.  When Jesus met Simon he told him his name would be Peter, which means, a stone.  We discussed how the Jews at that time were waiting for the Messiah.  We discussed how when John the Baptist saw Jesus he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"  The followers of John were curious and excited to meet this man called Jesus.  We will learn many things about Peter's life and how he learned to fully trust Jesus.  We also talked about how Peter made many mistakes, just like us, but that Jesus still loved him very much.

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,    
all ye that hope in the Lord.”  
Psalm 31:24

This week at BST the lesson was about Jesus and how He is like a shepherd for us. We explored the 23rd Psalm and read in John 10 about how Jesus is the good shepherd. We also told the story of Snowflake, the frisky little lamb who got into trouble by trying to do things his own way. When the shepherd had to go out into a storm to rescue him, Snowflake learned how much the shepherd loved and cared for him. We are a lot like Snowflake before we give our heart to Jesus, and need to learn how much He loves us and how He died to save us from destruction. "As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:15.

This week at BST we learned the story Jesus told about how the Good Samaritan was the only one who was willing to help the man who was injured by the side of the road. We explored how he was kind, compassionate, and generous. Jesus wants us to be just like him in this day and age. All it takes is a willing heart and our time. Many examples were given so the children can see that they can be like the "Good Samaritan" in their own homes and neighborhoods. We also did a white board story of Finney Fish and how he was unable to get anyone to put him back in the water except the old, slow turtle. Finney felt so sad when his "friends" would not help him and the only one left was the turtle that he had teased and made fun of over the years. Finney thought he was going to die, but the old turtle gently pushed him back into the water even though Finney had not been very nice to him in the past. Finney learned a lesson about who his true friends were and how he should always respect and be kind to others. Finney was very grateful for the old turtle's help. They remained friends for many years. The verse is from Psalm 31:24, "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart..."

This week at BST we brainstormed ideas on how the children could help their families at home.  We came up with:
1. Wash the car
2. Take out the trash
3. Set the table for dinner
4. Bring in the groceries
5. Weed the garden
6. Give a neck rub
7. Clean up the room
8. Wash the mirror or windows
9. Make someone a nice cool lemonade
10.  Play a game with a younger sibling to help Mom
11. Leave a nice note on someone's pillow
12.  Stay calm and quiet while driving in the car
13.  Cooperate when it's bedtime
14.  Help with dinner
15.  Pick up toys and books

The children were going to try and do some of these things and report back next week at BST how it went for them and their families. We looked at how Jesus left us an example of living our lives to be a blessing to others, and not to be selfish.  Our verse is: "As for God, his way is perfect." (2 Samuel 22:31 & Psalm 18:30)

This week at BST we looked at the story in the Old Testament about David and Goliath. We learned that David had great confidence in his Heavenly Father and that was enough. The soldiers in the Philistine army trusted in their giant warrior...until he feel. The reason David had such immense trust in God was that He had helped David many times before and David KNEW that God would be there for him again! David had prepared himself by worshiping and serving God out on the hillside with his flock of sheep. David had called on God when a lion and a bear had tried to disturb the flock. God came through for David then and David was SURE He would defeat the giant when the giant taunted the Israelite army. David was shocked at the audacity of Goliath when he dared to fight against God's people. Are we just as confident when we fight our battles? Spend time worshiping and serving Him, and we will have that assurance when our "giants" come against us!