SERIES DESCRIPTION
God is the author of knowledge. Everything we know to be true about the world is because of God. Knowing God is the most important Person to know. And while we may never know all there is to know about God, God gives us lots of ways we can know Him. We can know Him best through Jesus, who showed us how much God loves us. We can pursue knowing more about God through Jesus, who showed why knowledge is so important. The more we know God, the better we can live His way each day.
January Curriculum:
Week One (January 5)
The Boy Is Back in Town
Bible Story: The Boy Is Back in Town (The Boy Jesus at the Temple) • Luke 2:41-52
Bottom Line: Knowing God is the most important thing.
Memory Verse: The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. Proverbs 2:6 (NIrV)
Life App: Knowledge—Learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: How do you know God? Our preteens start with a big question. For many of them, knowing God seems completely unattainable. We hope that through discovering ways Jesus grew in His understanding of God, they’ll figure out specific ways they can know God too.
We start the month in Luke 2:41-52 as we discover a moment from Jesus’ childhood. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human. And Jesus recognized something very important. He knew that if He wanted to be a part of God’s story and know the secrets of the world around Him, He needed to be in a place where He could learn what His Father said. For Jesus, studying Scripture was a priority.
Bottom Line: Knowing God is the most important thing. Our kids are growing up in the information age. There is no lack of information. However, not all information is as equally valuable. We want our kids to discover that when they focus on knowing God first, the rest will fall into place.
K3 Worship
Alive Again
Good Grace
456 Worship Files
Week Two (January 12)
Take Me to the River
Bible Story: Take Me to the River (Jesus’ Baptism) • John 1:19-42; 3:22-36 (Supporting: Matthew 3)
Bottom Line: If you want to know God, start with Jesus.
Memory Verse: The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. Proverbs 2:6 (NIrV)
Life App: Knowledge—Learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: How can knowing who Jesus is change your life? At church we talk a lot about knowing Jesus, but do our kids understand that knowing Jesus can change their life in ways they might have never imagined? We want our preteens to discover that when they put their trust in Jesus and take time to learn more about Him, they can become the people God wants them to be.
In week two, we find Jesus at the Jordan River. In John 1:19-42 and John 3:22-36. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, is also at the Jordan River preparing the way for Jesus. When Jesus told John to baptize Him, at first, John refused, feeling far too inferior to baptize Jesus. John knew enough about the Scriptures, and he understood enough about God’s story that he responded to Jesus in a different way.
Bottom Line: If you want to know God, start with Jesus. The best way to know God is by taking time to find out more about Jesus. Jesus shows us what God is like. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to make a forever relationship with Him possible. We want every kid to know how important it is to trust Jesus with their life.
K3 Worship
Through It All
Let Go
456 Worship Files
Week Three (January 19)
I’m Still Standing
Bible Story: I’m Still Standing (Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert) • Luke 4:1-13 (Supporting: Matthew 4:1-11)
Bottom Line: Discovering what’s in the Bible can help you make the wise choice.
Memory Verse: The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. Proverbs 2:6 (NIrV)
Life App: Knowledge—Learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Key Question: How do you know what’s wise? Every day we make decisions. Some of those decision are simple, others not so much. This is hard enough as adults, but think about our preteens who are thinking deeply about the world for the first time. We pray that as they look at how Jesus made wise choice, they’ll be inspired to dig into God’s Word and do the same.
After Jesus’ baptism, we head to Luke 4:1-13 and see that Jesus is in the wilderness. In this story, Jesus was tested. Satan twisted what Jesus knew about God and His Word. But Jesus knew better and leveraged God’s truth to fight and win over evil. Each time Satan twisted what Jesus knew to be true, Jesus countered with Scripture.
Bottom Line: Discovering what’s in the Bible can help you make the wise choice. We always say, if you have a big question about what to do, the first place you should look is the Bible. We pray that kids will start to understand the importance of the Bible in their life. When they don’t know what choice to make, they can turn to God’s Word or someone who knows God’s Word to help them with whatever choices they’re facing.
K3 Worship
I Choose You
Who You Say I Am
456 Worship Files
Week Four (January 26)
Reason to Believe
Bible Story: Reason to Believe (Jesus and John the Baptist) • Matthew 11:1-6 (Supporting: James 1:5)
Bottom Line: If you don’t understand something about God, ask.
Memory Verse: The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. Proverbs 2:6 (NIrV)
Life App: Knowledge—Learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: When you have questions about God, who can you ask? Preteens are starting to discover the complexities of the world around them. With those discoveries comes some big questions about God and faith. They need people in their lives they can trust to help them navigate those big questions. We pray that through this lesson, kids will identify people in their life who can walk them through their questions and point them towards Jesus.
In Matthew 11:1-6 we find John the Baptist, Jesus’ own cousin, in prison. John seemed to wonder if Jesus was truly the Savior that God had promised. John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus his questions. Jesus responded in love which reassured John that all of God’s promises are coming true.
Bottom Line: If you don’t understand something about God, ask. We never want kids to feel like they can’t ask hard questions about God. Questions about faith are part of growing in your relationship with God. We pray that kids will find a safe place in your church to ask about what they don’t understand. We pray they have a great small group leader who will help them as they are discovering what it means to put their faith in God.