Teaching

Have a child select the first Signpost card and read it aloud. Tape the card to the wall or prop it against the wall so children can see it. Lead a discussion with the information below. Repeat for the two remaining Signpost cards. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Signpost 1 - Ascended to Heaven

The Superbook adventure helps us understand our relationship with Jesus. Just before Elijah was taken up to heaven, who was with him? Elisha.

Elisha was Elijah’s assistant. He was chosen to follow in Elijah’s footsteps as God’s prophet. Do you remember who was with Jesus when He ascended to heaven? Jesus’ disciples.

The disciples were chosen to follow in Jesus’ footsteps when He left the earth. Like Elisha, they watched as the One they loved and followed was taken to heaven. One day, Jesus will come back for us. We, too, will ascend through the clouds to be with Him in heaven forever!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

2 Kings 2:11:

As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.

Acts 1:9–11:

⁹After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. ¹⁰ As they strained to see Him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ¹¹“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!”

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (cev):

¹⁶ With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. ¹⁷ Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever.

Signpost 2 - Spirit-Filled Heirs

Before Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha asked him for a special blessing—a double portion of his spirit. Did this mean that Elisha was being greedy or disrespectful? No.

In Bible times, the oldest son would inherit a double portion of the inheritance—twice as much as anyone else in the family. (See Deuteronomy 21:17.) Elisha wanted to be Elijah’s heir and to inherit his ministry. God had shown Elijah that he should have Elisha to help him and eventually replace him as God’s prophet. Elisha affectionately called Elijah his father. So as his follower, Elisha was asking for his rightful inheritance. When you inherit something from someone, you are called an “heir” of that person. As followers of Jesus, we are God’s children and become heirs of God. With Christ, we inherit all of God’s wonderful blessings.

What did Elisha pick up from the ground when Elijah was taken to heaven? His cloak.

Yes, the cloak is symbolic of God’s calling and ministry.

What did Elisha do with the cloak? He used it to strike the Jordan River and divide it as Elijah had done.

The cloak itself had no power—it represented the anointing of God’s Spirit. Elisha called out for God’s Spirit and the water divided. The other prophets declared that the Spirit of God now rested upon Elisha! Yes, Elisha had accepted the call of God and was following in Elijah’s footsteps to carry on the work of God!

The Bible says that Jesus was filled with God’s Spirit without measure! When Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised that God would send the gift of the Holy Spirit to all of His followers. The Holy Spirit would anoint them with power to be His witnesses and to carry on His ministry. The promise was fulfilled, beginning on the Day of Pentecost. Those who heard and saw Jesus’ followers, after the Holy Spirit came, knew that God’s Spirit rested upon them!The gift of the Holy Spirit is still given to all believers today—giving us His power to be His witnesses, and giving us spiritual gifts to carry on His ministry!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

2 Kings 2:9–10:

⁹ When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” ¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”

1 Kings 19:16,19:

¹⁶ Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. ¹⁹ So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away.

Romans 8:16–17:

¹⁶ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.

Acts 1:8:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:42–43:

⁴² All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. ⁴³ A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

1 Peter 4:10:

God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

John 3:34–35:

³⁴For He is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit. ³⁵The Father loves His Son and has put everything into His hands.

Signpost 3 - I Can See!

Elisha knew that—even when he was surrounded by enemies—he was not alone. He could see the angels of heaven far outnumbered the Syrian army. Even though the Syrian captain could see with his physical eyes when he was attacking Elijah, he was blind to the spiritual world around him. He could not see that he was outnumbered! Soon he and his troops’ physical eyes would be blinded, too. Later, Elisha prayed for their eyes to be opened again, showing them love and mercy. The Syrian captain recognized the kindness and mercy God’s prophet had shown to them.

We, too, are blind to the spiritual world without Jesus. We must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Jesus is the Light of the World. He came to restore our sight so we could experience firsthand God’s goodness and mercy. We were lost and Jesus came to find us; we were blind and now we see!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 3:3:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

John 1:4–5:

⁴ The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.
⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

2 Corinthians 4:6:

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Now, let’s move on to the Discipleship Challenge and talk about another way to seek more of God.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Display the model craft that you made. Give children who missed Lesson 1 a Chariot and Cloak Pattern. They can then assemble their craft at home.

The challenge for Lesson 2 was to read Psalm 119:18:

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.

Did you think or talk about this verse at home?

Can you share something you learned about God from your Bible reading?

Continue to read your Bible each day to seek more of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes to the wonderful truths about God so you can know Him in a greater way.

Our third challenge shows us another way that we can seek more of God: by trusting Him—especially in difficult or discouraging times. When we trust God in hard times, we will discover the depths of His faithfulness and strength. Our challenge is to look up and discuss Deuteronomy 31:8 at home. Also, ask God to help you trust Him in times of fear, discouragement, disappointment, or in the midst of a trial or test. By doing this, you will experience God’s protection and strength in a deeper way.