Family Worship

Jonah Warned of Gods Judgment:    

The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach your family that God called Jonah to go to his enemies and call them to turn away from their sin, but Jonah refused. Instead, he ran away. Later, God sent Jesus to His enemies to call us to repentance. Jesus willingly obeyed. Jesus died on the cross to rescue us from sin.


MEMORY VERSE: 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are.”

Psalm 139:12-13


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!


Plan a dessert party for your family. Give each family member a job to help make the night a wonderful experience for others. After the party, talk about the hard work, sacrifice, and time it took to love each other. Remind kids that God often calls us into hard things, but serving God is always worth it.


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 the book of Jonah from the Bible:

Preschool:


Elementary:


STEP 4. DISCUSSION! 

Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story. 


Preschool Discussion:

  • What makes people special? People are special because God made us in His own image. 
  • God loved the people of Nineveh even though they were His enemies. 
  • The people of Nineveh were special because God made them in His own image. 
  • Why did God sent the prophet Jonah to warn them?
  • God made you and me in His image too. That is why God sent us Jesus to make a way for us to be with Him forever in heaven. Never forget that you were made special by God. 

Elementary Discussion

  • If you were a Jewish man in the 900 B.C., the last place on earth you wanted to visit was the city of Nineveh! Nineveh was full of Assyrians—a group of wicked and violent people who did not follow God. Going to Nineveh to tell them about God was a dangerous—and possibly a deadly mission. No wonder Jonah didn’t want to go! 
  • The real reason Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh was because he felt like these wicked people didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness. They were wicked and cruel, so how could God show them mercy? What Jonah didn’t understand is that God cared for the people of Nineveh as much as He cared for the rest of the world.  
  • God wanted to see the Ninevites turn away from sin and trust in Him. So much so, that God used a big fish to get Jonah back to Nineveh when he tried to run away. Finally, Jonah reluctantly preached the message God had given and warned the people about God’s judgment. The people repented and God spared their lives.  
  • The Bible tells us that God shows mercy on whomever He wants to show mercy. Jonah didn’t think the Ninevites deserved God’s mercy, but the truth is that none of us deserve His mercy. But God loved the world so much that He shows us His mercy through Jesus. Unlike Jonah, Jesus was willing to accept the mission God gave Him. Jesus came to save the sinners who God cared so much about.  
  • God called Jonah to go to his enemies and call them to turn away from their sin, but Jonah refused. Instead, he ran away. Later, God sent Jesus to His enemies to call us to repentance. Jesus willingly obeyed. Jesus died on the cross to rescue us from sin.

STEP 5. Pray!

  • Pray: God, thank You for showing mercy that we do not deserve. Thank You for sending Jesus to make Your mercy available to those who believe in Him. Help us to remember that Your mercy is great and extends to all who repent and believe.