KidzPort August 22 – Eat Up!

August 22, 2010

We’ve had a busy couple of weeks at KidzPort.  Last weekend was the annual Father and Son Campout, and most of the boys spent theweekend in upstate New York.   Yesterday, we had Kids ROCK Day with our friends at House of Restoration in Hartford.  A lot of our kids went, and had a great time.   We’re looking forward to returning the favor when some of the HoRC kids come for Hallelujah Night this year!

Today we continued our journey through the book of Acts with some more about Peter.  A couple of weeks ago, we learned that Saul had a special calling on his life: to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  But God has a message for Peter regarding the Gentiles as well.

When Peter was praying one day, he got very hungry.  He had a dream about a large sheet being lowered from Heaven, tied up at the corners.  When it came to the ground, it opened, and he saw all kinds of animals, birds and creepy things.  A voice said “Rise, Peter, Kill and eat!” But Peter was a devout Jew, and would not eat anything that was not permitted by the Law.  He would not touch unclean animals.  So he said “No!  (Imagine saying “No!” to God – but we do it all the time!!)  He says that he would never eat anything unclean.

God answers Peter, and says that what God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.   Peter still refused.  He refused three times!!  Then God removed the sheet. Peter thought God was talking about food.  But He wasn’t!!

Jews didn’t only not touch unclean food.  They didn’t want to spend time with anyone who wasn’t Jewish.  They though the “Gentiles” were unclean, too.  But – God had cleansed the Gentiles, and sent them a messenger.  It wasn’t up to Peter to turn away from them.

For Parents:

• Read Acts 10: 11-16 with your child.  See what your child can tell you about the story.
• Tell your child about a time when you thought something was “unclean” and God showed you differently.
• Pray together that you both will have open eyes and hearts toward those who might be considered “unclean.”

KidzPort April 18 – I Doubt It

April 20, 2010

There is a major difference between “doubt” and “disbelief.”

Thomas experienced “doubt.”   In fact, Thomas has come to be the person that we identify with doubt.  (Where do youthink”Doubting Thomas” comes from.   Thomas wasn’t present when Jesus visited the disciples for the first time after the resurrection, and when they told him about it, he had a very reasonable reaction: “I doubt it.”

In a court case, there are two ways the lawyers try to convince a jury what happened: testimony and evidence. Testimony is what someone says they saw.  Evidence is physical proof of what happened.  Testimony and evidence support one another.  If a witness testifies to something, and the evidence bears him out, then everything he says is more credible.

Thomas had plenty of testimony, but no evidence.  But like Horatio Caine on CSI:Miami, he wants to follow the evidence.  He wants to put his hands in the wounds of Jesus.  He wants to see His smiling eyes for himself.  He’s not doubting God, by the way.  Thomas is doubting the other disciples, who up to this point have not been the most trustworthy bunch, to be perfectly honest.  So when Jesus walks in, Thomas has his evidence.  And he believes.  And there is the difference: doubt only requires more information.  Disbelief is a choice to not believe, even after seeing the evidence.

So many people see the evidence of God in the world and in their lives, and still choose to disbelieve.  But as Jesus says,

“Thomas,because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

For Parents:

• Read John 20 with your child.  Notice how various people react to Jesus’ resurrection: Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, Thomas.  Did they have doubt? How did they deal with it?
• Talk about a time when you didn’t believe something.  Did anything change your mind?  How did you balance testimony and evidence?
• Pray together for “Holy Spirit Faith”  - that you and your child would be blessed because you have not seen, yet believed!

Schedule Note:  Family Night on Friday, April 30.

KidzPort March 8 – Like a Sponge

March 10, 2009

We switched things up a little this week.  Pastor Mike lead the KidzTrek post-encounter group, while Sister Jill led the Kidzport group.

One thing that the kids talked about was the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and the importance of God’s Word to each of them.   Hebrews 4:12-13 says

 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

That sword is a heavy one – but a powerful one.  God says that if we use the Word, keep it in our hearts, that it will keep us nourished.

To illustrate that point, we challenged the kids to a little science experiment.  It goes like this:  Take a new sponge and cut it in half. Put each half in a cup of water for a day.  After the first day, drain all the water out of one of the cups, leave the other full.  At the end of the week compare the two sponges. 

The sponges are us.  The water is Jesus – the Water of Life.  What does being removed from the water do to us?

For Parents:

• Encourage your children to be in the Word each day.  It’s never to early – read one verse!  (Come to think of it, that’s a good idea for you, too.)
• Make sure your child does the “homework.”  Check it out with them, and compare the “results.”
• Work with your child on the memory verse – Heb 4: 12-13.