world of life colour

Word of Life For Teens (Level II) Sunday School Study Series Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series  1

WORD OF LIFE FOR TEENS Copyright © 2003, 2004 and 2019 by Sunday School Network International (SSNI). All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the SSNI. For additional copies of this book or information on SSNI ministries, curriculum, or training needs, please visit SSNI website at: www.sundayschoolnetwork.org; or www.ssnak.org or write to: Sunday School Network International 11502 Bustleton Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116, USA. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by Permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Scriptures marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. All Rights Reserved. ISBN 0-9749068-1-6 Printed in the United States of America. 2  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

INTRODUCTION 3 The Sunday School Network International (SSNI) Board is pleased to present the Sunday School Text Book “Word of Life” for teens to the Indian community. The development of a Sunday School Text Book was assigned to the board in July 2001 to provide a culturally adaptable and age appropriate textbook for our future generation. A thirty member Curriculum Development Team consisting of theologians, ministers of the gospel, Sunday School Directors, Sunday School Teachers, and committed Christians of different professions have published this book. The careful and diligent efforts of these men of God and the blessings of God have made this work possible. The SSNI board developed a syllabus, which was distributed to various writers and reviewers. The syllabus was finalized after obtaining feedback from several people involved in this effort. A list of potential authors with Sunday school teaching experience, writing skills, theological knowledge acquired through education or life experiences was obtained from across North America. After ascertaining their availability and willingness, authors were asked to write lessons in the areas of their expertise. Following the carefully provided format, authors submitted their lessons to the editorial team. Unfortunately, all the lessons obtained from the authors are not included in this book. After careful review of various Sunday school materials currently in use in India and America, changes and suggestions were made to finalize the contents. These lessons are organized into four major units: Old Testament, Discipleship, Early Church History, and Spiritual Warfare. A four-step process was used to review and edit the lessons. The editorial review began with a review for theological accuracy and correctness, followed by English language accuracy review. At this stage the readability standards were also considered before the formatting review. The final review was a cursory review to detect any omissions. The advice and guidance obtained from our consultants proved to be very beneficial. Thomas Idiculla, PhD General Editor Sunday School Network International Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

NOTE TO THE READER This book is a resource that you can use to learn the Word of God. It can be used in Sunday School and group Bible studies. The authors used the following criteria for developing lessons: age appropriateness, readability level, Christian beliefs and doctrines, and culturally acceptable practices common to the Indian reformed Churches and Pentecostals. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK: Please cover each lesson in one or two classes depending on the subject matter. Each lesson consists of life issue, bible passages, memory verse(s), teaching aim, outline, lesson content, life application, and review questions. Life Issue: Each lesson is centered on a life issue that can be discussed through the Bible passage, and applied to students’ lives. Bible Passages: These Bible passages should be read before starting the lesson. Memory Verse: This verse emphasizes the main concept of the lesson and should be memorized. Teaching Aim: These are the goals to be achieved by studying the lesson. Outline: Familiarize the lesson outline. Study each section. Life Application: This section helps to apply the lesson learned in your daily lives. Review Questions: Complete review questions, after you finish studying the lesson. HOW TO PREPARE FOR A CLASS SESSION: Your teaching time may be limited. Make the most of it! Your teaching should touch the lives of children and meet their spiritual needs for salvation and discipleship. You may need approximately two hours of preparation to teach a lesson. Before you begin a unit, read the entire unit a few times. Familiarize yourself with the unit overview, objectives, life application and review questions. Prepare summary notes, visual aids or handouts for the lesson. When necessary refer to a Bible Dictionary, Commentary, Bible Maps, or online resources. Be fully knowledgeable and confident about the contents of the lesson you are teaching. The following is a suggested timeline for a one hour class: 4  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

General Editor Rev. Thomas Idiculla, PhD Editors Contributing Authors Rev. Sushil Mathew, PhD Albert Mathew, BE Rev. Leslie Verghese, PhD Anne Stephen, BA Rev. Chandy John, BA Albert Mathew, BE Rev. Freddy Thomas; MDiv Santhosh George, BS Finny Kuruvilla, MD; PhD John Kurian, MBA Advisors Josh Mathew, BS Rev. Dr Joy Joseph Jithendra Muthuswamy, PhD Mathai M. Alummoottil Rev. Dr. Joy Joseph Rev. K.C. John, MDiv Consultants Michael Johnson, MDiv Thomson K. Mathew, PhD; EdD Rev. Nelson P. John, MDiv; MBA Rev. Sabu Flemington, MA Kunjappen C. Varghese, PhD Rev. V J Samkutty, PhD K. V. Simon, PhD Shibu Thomas, MBA Associate Editors Rev. Sunny P. Thomas, BD; MA Anil Thomas, MS Rev. Thomas Mathew, BD Thomas B. Idiculla, PhD Bobby Oommen, MS Cover Design Happy Alexander, MDiv Global Computers James Samuel Jean Johnson Rebecca Mathew, PhD Robin Cheriakalath, BS Shirley Alex SSNI BOARD Rev. Dr. Joy Joseph (President) Santhosh George, BS (Secretary) Rev. George Mathew (Treasurer) Mathai Mathew Alummoottil Rev. Thomas Idiculla, PhD Rev. Sushil Mathew, PhD Rev. Leslie Verghese, PhD Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series  5

The printing of this book has been made possible in part by a grant from the PCNAK Boston 2018. The SSNI Board acknowledges the Executive Committee for their generous support for Sunday School ministry. 6  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

CONTENTS UNIT I OLD TESTAMENT SERIES Lesson 01 An Introduction to the Old Testament .................. 11 Lesson 02 Creation and the Calling of a Family ................... 15 Lesson 03 The Birth of a Nation ................................................ 21 Lesson 04 Wandering, Conquest, and Settlement ................. 27 Lesson 05 The Period of Judges ................................................ 34 Lesson 06 The Period of Kings .................................................. 41 Lesson 07 The Period of Exile ................................................... 48 Lesson 08 The Period of Return ................................................ 55 Lesson 09 Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.......................... 61 Lesson 10 Summary of the Old Testament ............................. 65 Unit II DISCIPLESHIP SERIES Lesson 01 An Introduction to Discipleship ...................................... 73 Lesson 02 Becoming a Disciple ................................................. 76 Lesson 03 The Cost of Discipleship .......................................... 79 Lesson 04 The Model of Discipleship ...................................... 82 Lesson 05 The Keys to Successful Discipleship...................... 86 Lesson 06 The Evidence of Discipleship ................................. 90 Lesson 07 Servant Discipleship................................................. 94 Lesson 08 Let’s Practice Discipleship ...................................... 97 Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series  7

Unit III THE EARLY CHURCH Lesson 01 Introduction to Early Church History ................. 103 Lesson 02 Beginning of the Church ....................................... 106 Lesson 03 The Church in Jerusalem ....................................... 109 Lesson 04 The First Christian Martyr .................................... 113 Lesson 05 Persecution of the Church ..................................... 116 Lesson 06 Gospel to the Gentiles ............................................ 119 Lesson 07 The Conversion of Saul .......................................... 123 Lesson 08 Paul's First Missionary Journey ............................ 126 Lesson 09 Paul's Second Missionary Journey ....................... 130 Lesson 10 Paul's Third Missionary Journey and Voyage to Rome ................................ 134 Unit IV SPIRITUAL WARFARE Lesson 01 Introduction to Spiritual Warfare ........................ 141 Lesson 02 Who is Our Enemy? ............................................... 145 Lesson 03 Strategies of the Enemy ......................................... 149 Lesson 04 Knowing Ourselves and the Lesson 05 Weapons of Battle .................................. 154 Lesson 06 Prayer and Walking in Spirit ................................ 158 Lesson 07 Studying the Word of God .................................... 163 Lesson 08 The Battle of the Mind ........................................... 168 Weapons of Spiritual Warfare .............................. 175 8  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

UNIT I OLD TESTAMENT SERIES Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series  9

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01LESSON AN INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT OVERVIEW LIFE ISSUE: We must study and understand the whole Bible, not just parts of it. BIBLE PASSAGES: Acts 7 TEACHING AIM: To understand why it is important to study the Old Testament. OUTLINE: Introduction Basic Structure Seven Periods of Israel’s History LIFE APPLICATION: The Old Testament is the foundation of the Bible. MEMORY VERSES: 11 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18) Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

INTRODUCTION We received the term “Old Testament” (OT) through the writings of Apostle Paul, who declared, “For to this day the same veil remains when the OT is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away,” (2 Corinthians 3:14). The word testament means, “covenant.” In the Bible, we learn about two great covenants, the OT and the New Testament (NT). The OT is the old covenant that God established with the people of Israel, and the NT is the new covenant that God established with the entire world. Why should we study the OT? There are several reasons why we should study the OT. We must understand the OT in order to understand the scriptures as a whole, because it is the introduction and basis for the NT. Without understanding the Old Covenant, it is impossible to understand the need for the New Covenant. It is impossible to understand Jesus Christ! In fact, the NT age began with John the Baptist quoting the prophets Isaiah and Malachi. Jesus himself drew heavily from the Law and the Prophets and stated that He came to fulfill the Word of the Law and the Prophets. Even at the close of the Bible, John’s Revelation is full of references to the OT. Not only is the OT a general introduction to the NT, it is an introduction to Jesus Christ and the prophecy of Jesus as the Messiah. From Genesis to Malachi, the Holy Spirit carefully lays out a beautiful picture of the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ). Understanding of these Messianic passages strengthens the foundation of our Christian faith. The OT is the shadow of the NT. The OT is the prophecy and the NT is the fulfillment. In the last hundred years, Christians have watched the OT being bitterly attacked on many fronts. Critical scholars have left many doubting the divine nature of the Scriptures, especially the OT. Only those who truly understand the Bible can stand up to challenge the critics. Rather than being defensive, we must acknowledge the immense evidence that the OT offers to assert the truth of the Scriptures. Much of the historical evidence for Christianity involves fulfilled Messianic prophecy that comes directly from the OT, especially from books like Daniel and Zechariah. Finally, the most important reason why we need to study the OT is for our own spiritual growth. The Bible teaches us that God is unchanging, so we can learn a lot about Him from the OT. The OT also contains many more examples of actual men and women of faith than the NT. Studying the struggles, failures and victories of people like David, Esther, and Moses can greatly help us to live a victorious Christian life. The fulfilled prophecies serve to encourage us as we wait for the second coming of the Messiah. 12  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

BASIC STRUCTURE 13 The Old Testament contains 39 books, written from around 1500 BC to 400 BC by many different authors. It is written in the languages of Hebrew and Aramaic and is divided into four sections: 1. Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy 2. History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther 3. Wisdom and Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs 4. Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi In the New Testament, the Old Testament is referred to as the Law, Prophets and Writings, or sometimes just as the Law. SEVEN PERIODS OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY The Old Testament is essentially the story of the people of Israel. In the next 9 lessons, we will study the history of the people of Israel, God’s dealings with Israel, and the promise of the Messiah. The history of Israel can be divided into seven periods: 1. The Period of Creation and the Calling of the Family of Abraham 2. The Period of the Birth of a Nation - Enslavement and Deliverance 3. The Period of Wandering, Conquest, and Settlement in Canaan 4. The Period of Judges 5. The Period of Kings 6. The Period of Exile 7. The Period of Return In each lesson, we will look at one period. After looking at these seven periods, we will see how the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. LIFE APPLICATION: THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE BIBLE Study the memory verse of the week. Notice how much importance Jesus is putting on the Law and the Prophets. Jesus says that He is the fulfillment of the OT. Since Jesus gives such importance to the OT, shouldn’t we as well? The best way to learn the OT is to think of it as a foundation for the NT. It provides the necessary background before the Messiah could come. Now, what is a building Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series

without a foundation? It is something easily toppled, and of limited value. In the same way, if you do not understand the OT, your knowledge of the Bible will be weak and easily toppled. We should love God and His whole Word, as recorded in the OT and NT. Review Questions: 1. Read Matthew 4:1-11. How was Jesus able to defeat Satan? What book did He quote? What does this say about what Jesus was memorizing? 2. From memory, write out the 7 periods of Israel’s history. This will be very important for future lesson. 3. When the early Christians found themselves in difficulty, they prayed a very important prayer. Read it in Acts 4:23-31. What book are they praying from? Have you memorized sections from this book? If not, choose a chapter from it and commit to memory. 4. We discussed how the Old Testament is divided into four sections viz. Law, History, Wisdom and Poetry, Prophets. Beside each of the books stated below, write down the letter corresponding to the section it belongs to: Ezekiel ____ Leviticus ____ Ecclesiastes ____ Isaiah ____ Psalms ____ Ruth ____ Judges ____ 1 Kings ____ Numbers ____ Esther ____ Genesis ____ Joel ____ Proverbs ____ Daniel ____ Ezra ____ Jeremiah ____ Jonah ____ 14  Word of Life | Sunday School Study Series