Leader Guide

Teaching

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

Discipleship Challenge materials:

Planetarium Challenge Card

Make double-sided copies of the two 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 Planetarium Challenge Card for children who missed the previous lessons to make at home; see Lesson 1 for details.

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

Signpost 1 No Excuses

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been told to do something, but you didn’t do it. Children respond.

What are some excuses somebody could give for not doing what they’re told? I’m too busy; I don’t want to; I forgot; someone else can do it better than I can; I don’t know how to do it; etc.

God wants us to know Him. The Apostle Paul said there is no excuse for not knowing God! (See Romans 1:20.) In this teaching we are going to discover some ways that God makes Himself known to us. Today’s SuperVerse tells us that God’s purpose is for the nations to find Him. (See Acts 17:27.) God’s throne is in heaven, yet because He is Spirit, He also is near to each of us. He not only CAN be found—He WANTS to be found. Even better, the Bible tells us that we know Him because He lives inside us! (See John 14:17.)

Let’s look at different ways God reveals Himself to us.

1. God can speak to us directly.

Just like I am doing right now, God can speak to us directly if He chooses. There are many examples of this in the Bible. God spoke to His prophets and leaders to call them and to give them instructions. Jesus spoke directly to Paul on the road to Damascus, and He spoke to Peter on a rooftop to give them fresh revelation of who He is!

2. God reveals Himself through leaders, prophets and teachers.

God spoke directly to His prophets to deliver information, instruction and warnings to His people. These prophets were God’s mouthpiece. People like Abraham, Isaiah, Moses, and Samuel all heard from God directly and then spoke His message to His people. King David said in 2 Samuel 23:2:

“The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me; His words are upon my tongue.”

What did God give Moses on Mount Sinai? The Ten Commandments.

God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses to carry down and give the people. God revealed what pleases and honors Him through His laws.

3. God reveals Himself through creation.

Paul said in Romans 1:20:

Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature.

What kinds of things can you look at and say, “Wow! God made that!”? The sun, moon, trees, flowers, animals, birds, people, etc.

By observing these things, we see the magnificent hand of our awesome Creator! The earth and sky are clear reminders of His existence and His continuing participation in His creation.

4. God reveals Himself through the Bible—His Word.

God reveals Himself clearly in the Bible. The words we read are not opinions or ideas from people. The authors of the Bible were inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit as they wrote! (See 2 Peter 1:21.)

Open the Bible and hold it as you speak. Have you ever heard someone described as an “open book”? That means the person doesn’t hide personal things and is easy to understand.

God has deliberately chosen to be an “open book” to us. When we read the Bible, we learn about God from God Himself, because He wants us to know more about Him.

Have you ever read a book that was so good, you wished it would never end? That’s what God’s Word is like—a book that will never end! That’s because no matter how much we read the Bible or no matter how many times we read the whole thing, there is always something new and exciting to discover about God in the Bible!

5. God reveals Himself by His Spirit.

God’s Spirit reveals truth to us. By knowing the truth, we can strengthen and defend our faith against doubt, false information, and skeptics. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is our Guide and Teacher. (See John 14:26, 16:13.) The Holy Spirit lives inside every believer and reveals the deep, secret things of God that we could not possibly know without His help! (See John 14:17.)

6. God reveals Himself through prayer.

What is the best way you can get to know someone? By spending time together, by talking with that person.

It is the same with getting to know God. Prayer is spending time with Him. Prayer is a two-way conversation. It is not only talking to Him, but also listening to Him. God will reveal Himself to us in our special times of prayer when we give Him time to speak to our hearts. For example, God can reveal His love, His forgiveness, His joy, and His will to us as we quietly wait for Him to speak!

7. God reveals Himself through Jesus.

Do you want to know God? Then get to know Jesus. The Bible tells us that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. (See Colossians 1:15.) God is invisible, but Jesus was visible when He walked on Earth—and He reveals Himself to us so we can know God.

Jesus said in John 12:45:

“For when you see Me, you are seeing the one who sent Me.”

The closer we walk with Christ, the more we can know and experience God.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

2 Peter 1:19–21:

¹⁹Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, ²¹or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

Our SuperVerse, Acts 17:27:

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us.”

1 Corinthians 2:10:

But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.

John 16:13:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

John 14:26:

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

John 14:17:

“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.”

Hebrews 11:1:

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

Colossians 1:15:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.

John 12:45:

“For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me.”

John 8:19:

“Where is Your father?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who My Father is. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father.”

John 14:9:

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you?”

Romans 1:19–20:

¹⁹They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. ²⁰For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Signpost 2 Ambassadors for Christ

Jesus revealed God to the world and now Jesus will help US reveal God to the world!

Do you remember from the video what Paul is doing on this Signpost card? He is in the synagogue teaching the Jewish and Gentile people about Jesus.

While Paul was on the road to Damascus, Jesus revealed Himself to him very powerfully and dramatically. Paul then made it his life work to reveal Christ to other people!

Did you know that God calls us to be ambassadors? An ambassador is a representative of someone and speaks on his/her behalf. As followers of Christ, we are called to represent Him and to be His voice calling others to God! 2 Corinthians 5:19–20 says:

¹⁹For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Through the Holy Spirit, we have the power and wisdom of God to invite others to know Him!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

2 Corinthians 5:19–20:

1 Corinthians 1:24:

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Now, it’s time for the Discipleship Challenge where we will continue with our Planetarium Challenge to learn how we can live our lives to honor God.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child who missed the previous lessons a Planetarium Challenge Card. Display the sample craft and encourage them to assemble their crafts at home and begin the challenge!

What was pictured on Challenge #2? The Moon.

Hold up the Moon from Gizmo’s compartment. In this challenge, you were asked to read and if possible, memorize Deuteronomy 13:4. Would anyone like to try to say this verse from memory?

Serve only the LORD your God and fear Him alone. Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.

Our wonderful, powerful God rightly requires that we honor and serve Him alone. He alone is worthy of our devotion and praise. In Deuteronomy 13:4, we learned that an important part of fearing the Lord is obedience to His Word, listening to His voice as He speaks to your heart, and holding tightly to Him. The more we do this, the more we can serve Him and avoid the temptations of this world.

Your challenge was to listen closely for His voice in your heart and to hold tightly to Him in all circumstances, good or bad. Would anyone like to share your experience with this challenge? Children respond.

Remove and hold up the Sun, Challenge #3. What is the verse on the Sun? Micah 6:8b–9a.

Optional: Read Micah 6:8b–9a:

⁸This is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. ⁹Fear the LORD if you are wise!

In this verse, we learn very clearly what God requires of us as we wisely choose to fear and live for Him.

1. The first part of this challenge is to read these verses each day and if possible, memorize them.

2. The second part of the challenge is to display the fear of the Lord by striving to think, do, and speak what is right and just, as well as showing love and mercy to others.

As you accept this challenge, remove the Sun from Gizmo’s compartment area and then glue or tape it onto the Planetarium Challenge Card.

In all of our challenges for this course, we are learning what it means to fear the Lord in our lives. It means to live in a manner that shows Him honor and respect. As we spend time with Him, we will develop a sense of awe of His greatness, His love, and His mercy. The goal is then to begin to think, act and speak like Jesus, doing what is right and showing love to others. That’s not just our challenge for the coming week, but for every day of our lives!