How to Use My B-I-B-L-E

May 24, 2020

Note: These lessons are made to be used as a guideline for parents to lead discussion/
study with their child(ren). A video to aid your discussion is available at
www.bridgelife360.com/homechurch. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Goal: Learning how to use a Bible.

Bridge Kids have just spent more than a year going through the stories of the Old Testament. We started at the beginning and
heard the story of creation. We heard the story of the first people and how sin entered the world. We learned about God’s chosen
people, his law, the prophets and his plan for redemption. Every story in the Bible is true...but now it is time for us to learn about
THE BIBLE itself. What is it? Where did it come from? Who wrote it? And most importantly….how do I USE it?

GETTING STARTED:
Look around your house and gather up all of the Bibles. How many different kinds of Bibles do you have? How is YOUR Bible the
same or different from your parent’s Bible?
• Do you have any picture storybook Bibles?
• Does your Bible have extra comments to help you understand what you are reading?
• Are there maps in your Bible?
• Are some of the words printed in red and some printed in black ink? (The red words are words that Jesus spoke!)
• Do you have a Bible that has only the New Testament?

What IS the Bible anyway?

• It’s a Message!
• It’s a Story!
• It’s a Library!
• It’s the Bible—God’s Holy Word!

There are LOTS of pages in the Bible, and it seems complicated. What do the big numbers and little numbers mean? It is important
that we know where the Bible came from and how to use it! So let’s watch today’s video and talk about The B-I-B-L-E. Then use
the activities and worksheets provided to learn more about how to use the Bible.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

The lesson video can be found at www.bridgelife360.com/homechurch (scroll to the bottom of the page.)

THINGS TO REVIEW:

The Bible is a MESSAGE!

Over many hundreds of years, God used many different writers to make the Bible. The writers came from different places, they
were different ages and had different jobs, but they all told the same MESSAGE: The Old Testament told us the Savior would come.
The New Testament told us the Savior DID come!

The Bible is a STORY!

The Bible tells us what God wants us to know about himself and his plan for us. This exciting, true story is God’s story.

The Bible is a LIBRARY!

Open a Bible and look at the Table of Contents. You will see that the Bible is made up of two parts: The Old Testament (everything
that happened before Jesus was born) and the New Testament (everything that happened after Jesus was born.) You will also see
that the Old Testament is a collection of 39 books, and the New Testament is a collection of 27 books. 66 books make up the Bible!
So the Bible is a library with 66 books!

The Bible is God’s Holy Word!

The Bible was written so we could know God—-that he is our Creator, that he loves us, and that he sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem
us. Every story in the Bible is true. God made sure his story was written down. We can use God’s word to survive and conquer!
His Word is for all time. ...it’s true and it will last forever. God’s Word is like a light...it shows us the way to go. God’s word is like a
sharp sword...it divides right from wrong! God’s word is like a seed...it get’s planted and grows in my heart.
 Activities for Pre-schoolers:

Make a picture Bible

Use the Make a Picture Bible worksheet to help your child understand that all the stories you tell them about God are true and can
be found in the Bible. Cut apart the pictures of Bible stories. Use the scripture reference on the picture to find the story in your
Bible. Place the picture between the pages. Explain to your child that the story in the picture is written on this page in the Bible.

Optional: Color the Bible story pictures.

Take it further: After you have placed all the pictures in the Bible, have your child practice finding where the story is written in the
Bible by finding the story picture placed between the pages.

Learn a Memory Verse

Memory verses are important ...it’s how we ‘hide God’s Word’ in our hearts. God’s Word is loaded with treasures about God and
his kingdom. When we memorize something God has said it can help us in times of trouble or when we have questions about life.
This week’s memory verse:

2 Timothy 3:16a (ESV—Preschoolers)

All Scripture is breathed out by God …

Sing The B-I-B-L-E (Lots of options available on You Tube!)

The B-I-B-L-E
Yes, that’s the book for me.
I stand alone on the Word of God
The B-I-B-L-E

BIBLE Fingerplay
The Bible is God’s special book (hold hands in front of you like a book)
His words are written there
And when I turn each page to look (Pretend to turn pages)
I handle it with care!

Start a Habit
Help your child start a good habit by reading a Bible story each day. Remind him/her that all the stories in the Bible are true.

Bible Coloring Page

Color the Memory Verse coloring page.
 Jesus
Jonah & Comes
The Big Fish Back to
Life!
Book of Jonah

John 20

The Ten Zacchaeus

Commandments & Jesus

Exodus 20 Luke 19

Daniel Jesus
In the Walks on
Lion’s Den Water

Daniel 6 Matthew 14:22-32

Jesus HEAVEN!
Is
Born
Revelation 21

Luke 2

Make A Picture Bible Worksheet

“All scripture is breathed by God…”
2 Timothy 3:16a
 Activities for Kindergarten / First Graders:

Make a picture Bible (great for non-readers)

Use the Make a Picture Bible worksheet to help your child understand that all the stories you tell them about God are true and can
be found in the Bible. Cut apart the pictures of Bible stories. Use the scripture reference on the picture to find the story in your
child’s Bible. Place the picture between the pages. Explain to your child that the story in the picture is written on this page in the
Bible.

Optional: Color the Bible story pictures.

Take it further: After you have placed all the pictures in the Bible, have your child practice finding where the story is written in the
Bible by randomly calling out one of the stories and having your child find the story picture placed between the pages.

Practice using your Bible

Note: If your child hasn’t yet learned to read you can point out these things to them:
• The Table of Contents (shows the books of the Bible in order and the page number for each book.)
• The Old Testament (God’s story BEFORE Jesus was born)
• The New Testament (God’s story AFTER Jesus was born)
• Where to find the name of the book on each page
• Practice finding chapter numbers
• Practice finding verse numbers

Memorize the Books of the Bible: Over the next several weeks help children memorize the Books of the Bible in order….an im-
portant step in learning to use a Bible. Concentrate on the Old Testament books first, and then move on to the New Testament.
(Note: There are some great songs on YouTube that can help you memorize the books of the Bible!)

Memory Verses: Memory verses are important ...it’s how we ‘hide God’s Word’ in our hearts. God’s Word is loaded with treas-
ures about God and his kingdom. When we memorize something God has said it can help us in times of trouble or when we have
questions about life. This week’s memory verse:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
 Activities for Uptown Kids:
Practice using your Bible
Parents: Guide your child in leaning to use their Bible. Find these things:

• The Table of Contents (List of the books of the Bible and starting page numbers)
• The Old Testament (God’s story BEFORE Jesus was born)
• The New Testament (God’s story AFTER Jesus was born)
• Does your Bible have a Concordance or Glossary (to help find stories or understand words)
• Where to find the name of the book on each page
• Practice finding chapter numbers
• Practice finding verse numbers
• Is all the printing black or are there red words? (Point out the red words were spoken by Jesus while on earth)

Now practice finding certain scriptures.

Point out that each story or scripture has an address…. Book, chapter, verse.
• Start out by having your child find a certain book of the Bible. (Start by deciding if it is an OT or NT book.)
• Move on to finding a Book and a certain chapter.
• Now give the entire reference and find these verses:
Colossians 3:20 Ephesians 4:32 1 John 4:19 Matthew 19:4
Psalm 107:1 1 Timothy 4:12 Ephesians 6:1-3 Psalm 23:4
Genesis 1:27 Deuteronomy 31:8 Jeremiah 29:11 Joshua 1:9

Memorize the Books of the Bible:

Over the next several weeks help children memorize the Books of the Bible in order….an important step in learning to use a Bible.
Concentrate on the Old Testament books first, and then move on to the New Testament.
(Note: There are some great songs on YouTube that can help you memorize the books of the Bible!)

Memory Verses:
Memory verses are important ...it’s how we ‘hide God’s Word’ in our hearts. God’s Word is loaded with treasures about God and
his kingdom. When we memorize something God has said it can help us in times of trouble or when we have questions about life.
This week’s memory verse:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteous-
ness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Digging Deeper
Do you have access to different versions of the Bible? Look up some of the verses above and read them in different translations.
Discuss how they are different. Do they mean the same thing? Are some versions easier to understand? Start with this week’s
memory verse (ESV above) and compare to these versions:

New Living Translation:

16
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects
us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

International Children’s Bible:

16
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for
correcting faults and teaching how to live right. 17 Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have
everything he needs to do every good work.

www.biblegateway.com is a useful tool for reading versions.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV