Locations & Times

Kids - Connected

Staying Connected to Jesus - Week 4

August 24-25, 2019 |

What does the Bible mean when it talks about people producing the good fruit of the spirit? This four-week series will show elementary kids that good fruit is stuff like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; and the way to produce it is by staying connected to Jesus. 

WORSHiP

BIBLE VERSE

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay connected to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything,” John 15:5.

GROUP Q&A
  1. Why does fruit get rotten? (Discuss.)
  2. Have you ever noticed you were not producing fruit of the spirit, or offered some rotten fruit to someone? (Discuss. Ask for examples.)
  3. Have you ever noticed you were producing fruit because you were connected to Jesus? (Discuss. Ask for examples.)
  4. Why is it important for us to stay connected to Jesus? (We get to live life with him and produce good fruit.)
PARENT BIBLE STUDY

Read: John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:16-26

Connected. This series is all about connection to Jesus. He is the source of grace, love, and mercy in our lives, and when we stay connected to him, good things come out of us. The Bible calls these good things the fruit of the Spirit. Throughout this series, we will explore four questions about the fruit of the Spirit so we can wade through some common misconceptions and dig into the real, no pun intended, fruit.

Fourth Question: When I act in a way that is opposed to the fruit of the Spirit, am I still connected to Jesus? // What can I do to stay connected to Jesus?

Answer: Growth takes time. While it would be nice to wake up one day and be immediately holy, this isn’t the way God designed it. Why? He wants relationship with us. Over a lifetime of following him, we become more like him because we spend time with him, and this growth of a friendship brings the God who created us glory and joy.

It’s true, anger and selfishness will rear their ugly heads, and we will still sin. But Jesus is our victory. In him there is abundant grace. We repent and we remember that even though we sometimes lose the battle, Jesus’ death and resurrection has given us victory over the war. The word for the lag between our salvation and our perfection is sanctification. Sanctification is the process of holiness being cultivated in our lives over time. And who cultivates this holiness? The Holy Spirit.

Our effort isn’t in what we do to become good. Instead, we pour our effort into our relationship with Jesus, staying connected to him, practicing remembering that he is with us, in us, and helping us. This is a discipline, and it takes a lot of conscious effort. How do we do it? We read our Bibles. We memorize the Bible. We serve. We worship. We pray. We might even fast and spend time in solitude. In other words, we arrange our lives in a way that prioritizes our relationship with the God who made us and loves us unconditionally, and who delights to be with us in the process of becoming more like him.

What are some ways you can rearrange your life to spend more time with Jesus?

How have you seen God cultivate fruit in your life? Thank him for it and remember his faithfulness.

ASK YOUR KID

Q. What is the Bible verse for this month?
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