Jesus Warned About Not Acting :
The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach your family that Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. (Matt. 22:37-39) The religious leaders loved themselves most of all. When we trust in Jesus, He makes us right with God and changes our hearts so we can love and obey Him.
MEMORY VERSE:
“”The lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.
Deuteronomy 18:15
Learn the Memory Verse together and say it throughout the week to help your family remember and apply what they have learned.
STEP 1. GATHER!
Use this time to begin Family Worship Night and have fun!
For Fun
Play a game of charades as a family. Let kids lead the game by creating a list of occupations, animals, activities, or chores. Cut the list into strips and place in a bowl. One person will draw a strip and act out what is written while the rest of the family guesses the correct answer. Talk with kids about how the behavior of the religious leaders was a charade of what Jesus actually calls His followers to. Remind kids that Jesus wants us to show our love for Him by loving others, not through actions meant to earn the praise of people.
To Serve
Create encouraging cards to anonymously give to people in your life. Remind kids that love is not just a feeling, it is an action. We need to show our love through words and actions because God calls us to do so, not because we want attention or compliments from people.
STEP 2. WORSHIP!
- Sing and have fun while worshiping then pray. Take a moment here to thank God for your family and your time together!!
STEP 3. BIBLE!
Watch the Bible story video or read Matthew 23:1-36
from the Bible or Watch
Bible Story Video
Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story.
STEP 4. DISCUSSION!
Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story.
REVIEW THE BIBLE STORY
Have you ever heard the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig”? It might sound like a rough job for a farmer, but it’s actually a way of describing the useless things people do to make something look better than it really is. No amount of lipstick can make a dirty pig look pretty, and no amount of good deeds can make up for a heart that loves itself more than Jesus.
The religious leaders said they loved God, but they failed to love others. They wanted people to praise them for how well they obeyed the laws, but they didn't obey what Jesus said was the greatest commandment. Jesus said that anyone who followed these religious leaders was being lead further from God, not closer.
Those who trust in Jesus receive a new heart with new desires. They desire to obey God for the right reasons: to honor Him and to share Him with others. Their love for God is shown through the ways they love others.
Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. (Matt. 22:37-39) The religious leaders loved themselves most of all. When we trust in Jesus, He makes us right with God and changes our hearts so we can love and obey Him.
Mission Moment
The Harrell Family are missionaries in Mozambique. It’s a place with different customs and different foods. They eat many local fruits such as pineapples, papayas, mangoes, guavas, and bananas. They also eat sugarcane, and they eat a corn flour boiled dough called xima (SHEE muh). The missionary family enjoys learning about the customs of the people in Mozambique. Learning more about the people and their customs helps the Harrell family tell the people about Jesus in ways they will understand. The missionary family also builds friendships by teaching the Mozambique people English twice a week. During this time, the Harrell family has opportunities to tell the people about the love of Jesus.
STEP 4. Pray!
- Pray: God, help us to show our love for You by loving the people You have placed in our lives. Remind us of Your amazing love that was shown to us through Jesus. We want that love to overflow from our hearts so that we can love others as You love them. Amen.