Leader Guide

Teaching

Three Signpost Cards
Three sheets of cardstock or paper
Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
GizmoNote (optional take-home note)

Discipleship Challenge materials:

Conqueror Girl Page, Conqueror Boy Page, and Armor of God Page for children who missed the previous lessons
Sample craft made in Lesson 1

Make double-sided copies of the three Signpost Cards on cardstock, in color or black and white.

Place the cards in a pile face down, with Card #1 on top.

Optional: Print the GizmoNote, one per child to take home after class.

Make copies of the Discipleship Challenge materials for children who missed the previous lessons; see Lesson 1 for details.

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

Signpost 1 Hardships Will Come

Who is on this Signpost card? Paul.

Where is Paul in this picture? In prison.

All people face hardships and suffering; even Christians. In the Bible, Jesus said that God gives sunlight to both evil and good people and sends rain to both the just and unjust. (See Matthew 5:45.) At times, things that happen may seem unfair, especially to good people. Most likely, we all have questioned why tragedies or other bad things have happened to someone in our family, at school, or in our church. This was not God’s plan for His creation—sin brought pain and suffering into the world.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be surprised when we face adversity and hardship. He never promised that we would avoid them. Instead, He told us we would face not just a few, but many! However, He also said that we can experience His peace and joy as we overcome them through His help and love. (See John 16:33.)

After becoming a follower of Christ, the Apostle Paul experienced much pain and suffering throughout His ministry. Yet Paul knew that through his hardships and weakness, Jesus’ power was made perfect. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7–8.) Imagine singing praises to God in prison; Paul did, and the other prisoners heard him! (See Acts 16:25.)

We would be wrong to think we should escape all kinds of suffering, when people like Paul and Jesus suffered in this world. Jesus said a servant is not greater than the master; and, since He was persecuted, we will also be persecuted. (See John 15:20.)

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 16:33:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 15:20:

“Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you.”

2 Corinthians 12:7–9:

⁷Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. ⁸Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Signpost 2 Jesus is Faithful

This picture is of Paul in prison. What is different about this picture compared to the picture in Card #1? Jesus is with Paul.

Hardships and suffering are not something we look forward to; however, the exciting part is that we do not have to go through them alone. Jesus is faithful and will go with us through them all.

Raise your hand if you ever had a friend or family member stick with you through a tough circumstance. Children respond.

Would anyone care to share what it meant to you? Children respond.

God tells us that He will never fail us or abandon us. (See Hebrews 13:5.) Jesus said He is with us always, even until the end of the age. (See Matthew 28:20.)

Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by His closest disciples in the garden as He prayed and when He was arrested. This didn’t surprise Him—He knew beforehand that it would happen! Even with a broken heart, He endured suffering, pain, persecution, and death on the cross because of His love for us! Jesus chose to be faithful and obedient to His mission as part of God’s master plan even when it meant dying such a horrible death as an innocent man. (See Matthew 26:36–49, 58, 69–75; Luke 22:31–35.)

2 Timothy 2:13 says:

If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Hebrews 2:18:

Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.

Matthew 28:20:

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 26:56:

“But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

Matthew 26:36–49:

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and He said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” ³⁷He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed. ³⁸He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

³⁹He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” ⁴⁰Then He returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with Me even one hour? ⁴¹Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

⁴²Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³When He returned to them again, He found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴So He went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. ⁴⁵Then He came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Up, let’s be going. Look, My betrayer is here!”

⁴⁷And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet Him with a kiss.” ⁴⁹So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave Him the kiss.

Signpost 3 Jesus overcame the World

Can you tell me what Jesus is doing in this picture after He rose from the dead? He is going back to heaven, He is ascending to heaven.

Death could not hold Jesus down! He chose to come to the earth; and after completing His mission, He rose again to be with God in heaven. He is there today, sitting at God’s right hand on the throne! He is ready, willing and able to help us live victorious lives by His power! We have nothing to fear because we are conquerors through Christ! Jesus conquered sin and death so we can have victory in this world and forever in heaven with Him!

Paul said in Romans 8:18:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.

Because of all that Christ did for us—we want to fulfill our mission in this world to spread the Gospel and help and encourage others as He did!

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:5:

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Romans 8:17–18:

¹⁷And 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. ¹⁸Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.

2 Timothy 4:5:

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Romans 8:37:

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:55–57:

⁵⁵O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ⁵⁶For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, it’s time for the Discipleship Challenge where we will learn the last two pieces of God’s invisible armor so we can be a conqueror through Christ!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give any child who missed the previous lessons the appropriate Conqueror Page and an Armor of God Page.

Show children the sample craft made in Lesson 1 and have them assemble the craft at home. Use the model craft as you discuss the challenge.

The challenge last time was to learn two new pieces of God’s invisible armor. I would like two different people each to name one piece we learned last time. Shoes of peace, Shield of faith.

You had one other important challenge to do daily; what was that? Pray.

Who gives us an inner peace that the world can’t give us? Jesus.

According to the verse you learned, how can our shield of faith help us be a conqueror? It can help to stop the fiery darts of the devil.

Would anyone like to share an experience from the challenge? Children respond.

Hold up the Conqueror Page. We will continue with our challenge to learn and apply the last two pieces of invisible, spiritual armor God gives us to help us be conquerors through Christ!

Since this is the last lesson of this course, if time permits, read and discuss the next two pieces of armor in Ephesians 6:17:

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

When you have completed this challenge, glue the two pieces to the Conqueror Page. We will discuss your experience next time we meet!