Unit 18, Session 4: Malachi the Prophet
Gospel Project for Kids
Sunday 2/23/20

Dear Parents,
After many years living as prisoners in Babylon, God’s people had returned to Judah.
They had worked hard and overcome opposition to rebuild the temple and the walls
around Jerusalem. Surely God would restore them … finally! But nothing happened. As
they waited, they faced drought and economic uncertainty. God’s people probably didn’t
feel like God had blessed them at all.

“It is useless to serve God,” they said. “What have we gained by keeping his
requirements?” (Mal. 3:14). Did God still care? It wasn’t long until God’s people fell back
into the same patterns of sin that led to their exile in the first place: idolatry,
covetousness, hypocrisy, arrogance, and abuse of the poor.

But God did still love His people. He had been working out His divine plan of redemption,
and He never gave up on them. God sent a message to His people through the prophet
Malachi.

Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He spoke to God’s people
approximately 100 years after the end of the Babylonian captivity. Malachi’s message
from God was a wake-up call.

God communicated through Malachi that the people’s lack of blessing didn’t mean that
God didn’t care. God exposed His people’s sin and made clear that their actions merited 
a curse. God’s people needed to repent and turn back to God. “But for you who fear my
name,” God said, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Mal. 4:2).

Explain to your kids that 400 years of silence followed Malachi’s prophecy; God did not
communicate to His people. This period brings us to the New Testament, when the
silence would be broken by the last prophet before Jesus, John the Baptist. His words
about Jesus in John 1:29 offered hope to all who heard: “Here is the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world!”

Malachi was a messenger—a prophet—who told God's people to repent. Malachi
also told about another messenger God would send. This messenger, John the
Baptist, would call people to repent and get them ready for a final Messenger,
Jesus Christ. Jesus would bring good news of salvation.

Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for
Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week.

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

 Babies and Toddlers
○ Nothing can stop God’s good plan.
○ Jesus came to give us good news.
○ Malachi told people God’s words.
○ God promised to send a messenger before the Messiah.
○ Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah.

 Preschool
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything.
○ Malachi said a messenger would get people ready for the Messiah.

 Kids
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything in heaven
and on earth.
○ Malachi called God’s people to repent to prepare for the Messiah.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE
 1 Peter 5:10

NEXT WEEK
 “From Adam to Jesus” (Matthew 1; Luke 3; John 1)

Unit 18, Session 3: God’s People Repented
Gospel Project for Kids
Sunday 2/16/2020

Dear Parents,
Ezra was a priest in Babylon at the end of the exile. More than 50 years after the first
group of exiles returned to Jerusalem and completed and dedicated the temple, Ezra led
a second group back to Jerusalem.

Just as God had been with Nehemiah, He was with Ezra—granting him favor with the
Persian king. The king gave Ezra permission to go to Jerusalem. He provided Ezra with
a letter and access to resources to ensure safe travel. (See Ezra 7:11-26.)

Ezra traveled to Jerusalem with a purpose. God’s people had spent 70 years in exile,
and they needed to be reminded how to live. As a scribe, Ezra was an expert on the law
of Moses, and he had “determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and
teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).

Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people had rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls. They gathered
together at the Water Gate to hear the law of Moses. Men, women, and children--
anyone who could understand—came to listen to the reading of God’s Word.

From early morning until midday, Ezra read from the book of the law of Moses. He stood
on a high wooden platform where everyone could see and hear him. Ezra opened the
book of the law, and everyone stood up. The Levites helped the listeners understand the
words of the law. The people reacted strongly to hearing and understanding the law of 
Moses. Verse 9 says the people wept. The law revealed their sin, and they repented.
The law reveals our sin and how short we fall of meeting God’s standard. As you share
with your kids, help them recognize that we cannot meet God’s requirements. We need a
Savior. God sent Jesus to obey the law perfectly and die for our sins. We can trust in
Him for salvation.

God's Word is powerful. When Ezra read God's Word, the people loved God more
and changed their ways. The Bible says that Jesus is "the Word." Jesus is God
who came to live with people on earth. Jesus has the power to change our hearts.

Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for
Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week.

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

 Babies and Toddlers
○ Nothing can stop God’s good plan.
○ The Bible tells us God’s plan to rescue us.
○ Ezra read God’s words to the people.
○ The people heard God’s words and turned back to God.
○ The Bible is God’s words to us.

 Preschool
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything.
○ God’s people promised to obey God.

 Kids
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything in heaven
and on earth.
○ God’s people repented and promised to be faithful.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE
 1 Peter 5:10
​
NEXT WEEK
 “Malachi the Prophet” (Malachi)

Gospel Project for Kids
Sunday 2/9/2020
Unit 18, Session 2: The Walls Rebuilt 

Dear Parents,

Nehemiah was a Jew living in Persia. He served as the king’s cupbearer. When the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonians, King Cyrus allowed God’s people to return to Judah. Two or three million Jews had originally been deported, but only a remnant— 50,000 people—returned. They set up their homes and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. But when God’s people faced opposition in rebuilding the rest of Jerusalem, they stopped. Some 70 years passed, and the walls and gates around the city were still ruined. City walls and gates were very important in Bible times. Thick walls protected a city from its enemies and provided a sense of safety and security. Gates were the center of city life, the meeting place for commercial and social transactions. Without these structures, the surviving remnant of God’s people struggled and was vulnerable to attack. Nehemiah traveled from Persia to Jerusalem to lead the effort in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. His leadership was effective. Nehemiah 3 describes all the people working together to rebuild the gates and walls. But it wasn’t long before Nehemiah met opposition from local governors. God’s people armed themselves and kept working. They completed the wall in just 52 days. Note how their enemies reacted: “All the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God” (Neh. 6:16). Now God’s people were protected from their enemies. 

Help your kids see that God provided the way for us to be protected from our enemies, sin and death: He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. When we repent and trust in Jesus, He frees us from sin and death. We still sin, but we are no longer slaves to sin. (See Rom. 6:17-18.) We may die a physical death as a result of sin, but we have eternal life. (See John 11:25-26; Rom. 6:23.) Nehemiah led the people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem to protect them from their enemies. Jesus came to protect us from our greatest enemy, sin and death. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to rescue everyone who trusts in Him. Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. 

FAMILY STARTING POINTS  
Babies and Toddlers 
○ Nothing can stop God’s good plan. 
○ Jesus protects us from our enemies. 
○ Nehemiah led the people to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. 
○ God kept His people safe as they worked. 
○ Jesus keeps us safe from sin when we trust in Him. 

Preschool 
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything. 
○ Nehemiah led God’s people to rebuild the walls. 

Kids 
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. 
○ God used Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. 

UNIT KEY PASSAGE  
1 Peter 5:10

 NEXT WEEK 
“God’s People Repented” (Nehemiah 8–13)

Royal Ambassadors, Girls in Action, Mission Friends: FEBRUARY

BIBLE FOCUS 
Children are learning that God pursues us because He loves us, and He provides for our needs. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus explained just how much the Father cares for us: “Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?”

MINISTRY FOCUS
One of the biggest problems in Cambodia is the lack of clean water. Villagers use their water source to bathe and wash clothes. Animals and insects share the same water source. The people use this same water for drinking. The water is filled with bacteria and diseases that cause illnesses. Many adults and children die every year from drinking unsafe water. William and Nancy Potter* perform acts of love in Cambodia, like providing water filters and medical care for Cambodians in remote villages. These acts of love are opening doors to share the gospel with Cambodians.
Visit wmu.com/pwpl with your child and read stories about ways Pure Water, Pure Love is addressing the problem.

EXTRAS
This month, our RAs and GAs are working on their own derby cars and will have a Derby Race on February 23rd.  Paul and Keri Cheek are hosting a "Derby Car Work Day" at the church on February 15th.  They will bring tools and other necessary items and offer assistance to kids who might need some extra help crafting their car!  

Unit 18, Session 1: Esther Saved Her People 
Gospel Project for Kids
Sunday 2/2/20

Dear Parents, 

The Babylonian captivity ended when Cyrus, the king of Persia, took over Babylon and let God’s people go home. Some of God’s people—now called Jews (people from Judah)—traveled back to Judah to rebuild the temple, the city, and their lives. Others, however, stayed in Persia where life among the pagans was relatively comfortable. The king of Persia was now Ahasuerus (uh haz yoo EHR uhs), also known by his Greek name, Xerxes (ZUHRK seez). Esther was a young Jewish girl who became queen of Persia. The former queen had defied the king and was promptly replaced. Esther had been an orphan, so her cousin Mordecai adopted her. Mordecai kept in touch with Esther while she lived in the palace. One day, the king gave Haman the Agagite a very important position in the kingdom. The king even commanded the people to bow down to Haman. But Mordecai refused. Haman was a descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites. The nations of Israel and Amalek did not get along. Haman was angry, but instead of just punishing Mordecai, he planned to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. In this week’s Bible story, Mordecai turned to Esther for help. After all, she was in a position of power, and the Jews were her people. The stakes were high, but Esther approached the king and explained her people’s plight. Review the details in Esther 7. Note how Esther described Haman: “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman” (Esth. 7:6). We too have an adversary—the Devil. He prowls around like a lion, seeking people to devour. (1 Pet. 5:8) He loves nothing more than to destroy believers and hinder the work of God. Satan thought he had succeeded when Jesus died on the cross, but God—working frequently behind the scenes—raised Jesus from the dead and defeated Satan once and for all. (See Heb. 2:14-15.) God was in control over Haman’s evil plan to destroy the Jews. Like Haman, Satan wants to ruin God’s plan and destroy believers. Satan thought he had won when Jesus died on the cross, but God raised Jesus from the dead and defeated Satan once and for all. All who believe in Jesus are rescued from sin and death. Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. 

FAMILY STARTING POINTS  

Babies and Toddlers 
○ Nothing can stop God’s good plan. 
○ Jesus died and rose again to do God’s plan.
○ God made Esther queen of Persia. ○ God used Esther to rescue His people. 
○ Jesus rescues us from sin and death.  

Preschool 
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything. 
○ God used Esther to rescue God’s people from their enemies. 

Kids 
○ Who is in control of everything? God is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. 
○ God made Esther a queen to protect His people. 

UNIT KEY PASSAGE 

 1 Peter 5:10 

NEXT WEEK  “The Walls Rebuilt” (Nehemiah 1–6)




Royal Ambassadors, Girls in Action, Mission Friends: FEBRUARY

BIBLE FOCUS 
Children are learning that God pursues us because He loves us, and He provides for our needs. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus explained just how much the Father cares for us: “Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?”


MINISTRY FOCUS
One of the biggest problems in Cambodia is the lack of clean water. Villagers use their water source to bathe and wash clothes. Animals and insects share the same water source. The people use this same water for drinking. The water is filled with bacteria and diseases that cause illnesses. Many adults and children die every year from drinking unsafe water. William and Nancy Potter* perform acts of love in Cambodia, like providing water filters and medical care for Cambodians in remote villages. These acts of love are opening doors to share the gospel with Cambodians.
Visit wmu.com/pwpl with your child and read stories about ways Pure Water, Pure Love is addressing the problem.


EXTRAS
This month, our RAs and GAs are working on their own derby cars and will have a Derby Race on February 23rd.  Paul and Keri Cheek are hosting a "Derby Car Work Day" at the church on February 15th.  They will bring tools and other necessary items and offer assistance to kids who might need some extra help crafting their car!