A LIFE WITHOUT BLEMISH

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Blemish means something that is dirty, stained and in pure. A life without blemish therefore is one that is holy and free from any form of sin no matter how insignificant. A life without blemish is a life that is blameless. For a child to live without blemish, he must first be saved from sin as he takes these steps:- (a) Realize that he is a sinner (b) Repent and confess his sins to God (c) Ask for forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of Jesus. Turn from all his bad ways. (d) Ask Jesus to be his Saviour and Lord (f) Be determined to press on for other Christian experiences such as sanctification and Holy Ghost Baptism. As you prayerfully take these steps, you will become a new creature, old things (sins) will pass away from your life (2 Corinthians 5:17).

          However, the saved child must remember that this world is full of corruption and evil. To live a life without blemish, the Christian must watch and pray. You must be blameless so as not to bring shame to the Name of God. To be blameless therefore, the Christian child must be watchful in the following areas. (i) The company you keep you; must separate from corrupt people who can influence you to follow their bad ways.

(ii) The way you talk, yourself there should be no jesting, or dirty jokes. Avoid too much talking. Be sober and quiet and speak the truth always. (iii) Your appetite; you must eat moderately. Control yourself, do not eat anyhow. Be satisfied with whatever your parents can provide for you. (iv) Be ready to suffer for Christ sake. Do not complain or murmur. Be prayerful (v) Perfect love for God and for people around you. There should be no hatred or fighting. Be kind to others.

          Your life should be clean and pure whether you are in the church, school, house or neighbourhood. People around you should have good report about you.

          There were many children in the Bible who lived in a corrupt society yet remained blameless. Examples are

Joseph - He feared God and refused to defile his body (Genesis 39:9).

Samuel – He was a child with great honour because his life was blameless (1 Samuel 12:3, 4).

Daniel – His enemies could not find any occasion to accuse him of any wrong doing. He refused to be defiled in any way (Daniel 6:3, 4).

Esther – She was a virgin, pure and obedient (Esther 2:5-9).

Timothy – He was an example of a believer in word, conversation, charity, spirit, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).

          They all reaped great blessings; you will be blessed if you follow their example. God expects all His children to serve Him without blemish. Jesus has set the example for us to follow when He said “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). Therefore, your watchword every day of your life should be “I must be blameless”. God will keep you.

QUESTIONS:

1. What does it mean to live a life without blemish?

2. Mention three children in the Bible who lived a life without blemish.

3. Mention three areas which you must be watchful in order to live a blameless life.

4. Who is our perfect example?

5. How can a sinful child live without blemish?

MEMORY VERSE: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

ACTIVITY: Children should consecrate their lives to Christ.

TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE

1 John 4:7-12

Love is not just an ordinary feeling, rather it is an attitude that reveals itself in our action towards other people. Although love is an aspect of the fruit of the spirit, (Galatians 5:22) we are still expected to develop it as we relate with one another. The Bible commands us to love for the following reasons: - (a) Love is the very nature of God which He showed us by giving His own Son to die for our sins. He wants us to share His nature because we are born of Him. (b) Because God loved us, we must also love others at all cost (c) If we love one another, God will continues to abide with us and His love will be perfected in us. (d) As we show love, unbelievers will know that we are Christ’ disciples.

We are to love others based on Christ’s sacrificial love for us. Such love will bring sinners to Christ, make friends of Jesus to be strong and united in a world that is hostile to the children of God.

We show true Christian love by: sharing what we have with others, helping those in need, being kind to people, praying for everybody, preaching the gospel to sinners and forgiving those who offend us.

On the other hand, when love is absent, the works of the flesh will show forth like quarreling, bitterness, unforgiving spirit, selfishness, gossiping, hatred and other bad behaviours. It is therefore important that every member of the fellowship must surrender their lives to Christ. There should be genuine repentance and cleansing of all sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. Thereby we shall have grace to show love to those around us. When we show love, God will pour His blessings. There will be: - answers to prayer, spiritual and numerical growth in the fellowship, good health, success, promotion, abundance of daily needs and eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

Have you accepted the love of Jesus? If no, you must repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and Lord. As a friend of Jesus, you must strive to show unconditional love to everybody around you.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is love?

2. State two reasons why God commands us to love.

3. Who can show love to others like Jesus did?

4. Mention three ways whereby you can show love to others.

5. How can a sinner receive grace to show love to others?

MEMORY VERSE: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” 1 John 4:7.

ACTIVITY: The children are to prayerfully sing “Give me love for my brethren”.

REJOICE IN THE LORD

Philippians 4:1-4.

Rejoice means to express great happiness and joy. Tolu was so happy today, she went everywhere with smiles on her face. Her classmates wondered why she was so happy. When asked, she simply said that she was happy because she was a friend of Jesus and knew that Jesus is always with her. Wow! What a wonderful answer. Joy is an important aspect of our salvation in Christ. It is an inner peace and delight in God the Father, the Son the Holy Spirit and in the blessings that flows from our relationship with them. Friends of Jesus must rejoice always by recalling the Lord’s goodness, grace, presence and promises.

     The topic is sub-divided into three parts:

1. EXHORTATION TO REJOICE: John 16:33; I Peter 5:8.

     Believers are encouraged to always rejoice in the Lord no matter how tough the situation. Satan is the prince of this world. He deceives the people in the world to disobey God (Ephesians 2:1,2). He also opposes and tempts friends of Jesus to backslide and sin against God. However, Jesus has conquered for us on the cross of Calvary and given us victory over our enemy the devil. The worldly people want to make friends of Jesus to love the fashion, games, dancing, dressing, hair-do and lifestyle of the world which is an abomination before God. But as a friend of Jesus, you must rejoice always, be prayerful, observe your quiet time regularly and attend fellowship with other friends of Jesus. Victory will surely be yours in Jesus Name. 

2.  EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO REJOICED IN THE LORD: Acts 16:25,26.

     Life is full of troubles. Satan hates friends of Jesus and creates problems for them. But Jesus is ever near to make them rejoice and overcome all their trials. Paul and Silas sang praises to God in prison, Peter slept peacefully in the midst of soldiers (Acts 12:5), Jehoshaphat and Judah sang praises in the battle field (I Chronicles 20:20), the Apostle rejoiced after they had been beaten (Acts 5:40, 41). This was because they knew that Jesus is ever present with them. The joy of the Lord was therefore their strength. If you have fully given your life to Jesus, you too can have this kind of joy in time of trouble.

3. BENEFITS OF REJOICING IN THE LORD: Psalm 33:1-3: Philippians 4:4.

     God commands and encourages friends of Jesus to rejoice always. When we put on a sad outlook and we are down cast, we tell the world that our God is small and that He is not able. But when we rejoice and cheer up in times of trials or troubles, we are saying that our God is able and we trust Him to deliver us as He delivered Paul ana Silas. Rejoicing always is being obedience to God’s command and the right attitude of faith that glorifies God and puts Satan to shame. When we rejoice and praise God, we silence the devil and open the door for God to quickly help us out of our difficult situations.

     God does not accept the praises of sinful children. Therefore, if you are not born again, you must acknowledge your sins, confess and forsake them and ask Jesus to wash you clean with His blood. Then continue to rejoice in the Lord. Friends of Jesus are encouraged to rejoice in the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”

QUESTIONS:

1.  Mention three reasons why friends of Jesus should rejoice in the Lord.

2. The presence of God is the source of our joy. Yes/No?

3.  Mention three people who rejoiced in the Bible even in difficult times.

4.  Jesus wants us to rejoice, He has ________________________ the world.

5.  What must a sinful child do before his praises can be accepted by God?

MEMORY VERSE: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4).

CONGREGATIONAL SONG: GHS 16 - IF GOD BE FOR US

ACTIVITY: Children should rise up and sing praises to God.