[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”5″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”6″ ][cs_element_image _id=”7″ ][cs_element_text _id=”8″ ][cs_element_line _id=”9″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”10″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”11″ ][cs_element_image _id=”12″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”13″ ][cs_element_text _id=”14″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”15″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”16″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”18″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”19″ ][cs_element_image _id=”20″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”21″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”22″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”24″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”25″ ][cs_element_image _id=”26″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”27″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”28″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”30″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”31″ ][cs_element_image _id=”32″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”33″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”34″ ][cs_element_button _id=”35″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”36″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”37″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”38″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”39″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”40″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”41″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”42″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”43″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”44″ ][cs_element_text _id=”45″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”46″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”47″ ][cs_element_video _id=”48″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”49″ ][cs_element_video _id=”50″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”51″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”52″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”53″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”54″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”55″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”56″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”57″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”58″ ][cs_element_text _id=”59″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content][cs_content_seo]Bible Story

 Children of God
The apostle John had been one of Jesus’ closest friends. Along with Peter and James, John was part of the innermost core of Jesus’ disciples. John even referred to himself in his Gospel as “the one whom Jesus loved.” John left Jerusalem and went to Ephesus around A.D. 70. He stayed there as a church leader until nearly A.D. 100.
It is not surprising that 50 years after Jesus returned to heaven, John wrote a letter to help believers understand who Jesus is: the Son of God. At the center of John’s message was one key theme: love. Obeying God’s command to love one another is a mark of believers, whom John describes as brothers and sisters—children of God.
John wrote that God is love, and if believers truly love God—if they truly are His children—they will love one another. Our love, which we draw from the power of the Spirit, should be so deep that we are willing to lay down our lives for one another just as Jesus did for us. It is this deep, genuine love that will cause the world to understand the reality of the gospel.
Love is misunderstood and distorted in our culture today, and your kids have been or will be impacted by this in some way. Your kids may see love as just a feeling, as something temporary, or as something that has to be earned. This Bible story provides you with the perfect opportunity to expose the world’s myths about love and remind your kids of the truth about God’s love.
Followers of Jesus are children of God. This is an identity shared by all believers. As Christians, we can know that Jesus loves us by what He did for us: dying to save us from our sins. We, in turn, can show our love for Jesus by what we do to serve others.
John wrote a letter to teach believers in the church—the children of God—about the importance of showing love. Love is more than feelings or words; it is an action. Jesus showed God’s love for us when He died on the cross to rescue people from sin.
 

 
Children of God
(1 John 2-3)
John wrote a letter to teach believers in the church—the children of God—about the importance of showing love. Love is more than feelings or words; it is an action. Jesus showed God’s love for us when He died on the cross to rescue people from sin.

STORY POINT:

KEY VERSE:

BIG PICTUREQUESTION:

CLICK HERE To Watch the Story

Family Discussion Questions

How is the way God’s children live diff erent than how people who do not love Jesus live?
Name ways Christians can show love to one another.
How did Jesus show His love for us?

Worship

Game Idea

Glow In the Dark
 

 -Provide a variety of glow-in-the-dark objects you can find around the home.
-Invite the kids to play with the objects.

-Occasionally dim or turn out the lights so the kids can see how brightly the items glow and how quickly they fade.

 
CONNECTION:
Glow-in-the-dark objects cannot shine unless they absorb the light-energy of other sources of light. Even after absorbing that energy, they quickly give off all the light they were able to store. In a way, these objects can help us think about the way we“shine” for Jesus. We cannot give off any light apart from Jesus. In our story, Jesus showed His glory to Peter, James, and John, and it shone as bright as the sun. When we believe the truth of the gospel, it transforms our lives so that we become lights in the world. But how brightly we shine depends a lot on how much time we spend with Jesus, the source of our light. We study our Bibles, pray, and fellowship with other believers to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus, so that we can shine His light onto everyone we meet.[/cs_content_seo]