About DiscipleTown
DiscipleTown uses a creative and adaptable town theme to teach practical "Disciple Skills." It is published by the creators of DiscipleLand, the most comprehensive children's Bible curriculum on the market. DiscipleTown teaches DiscipleSkills -— practical skills that every follower of Jesus Christ must develop in order to grow and live victoriously. The children's church format compliments DiscipleLand and/or your other ministries to kids. Learn more about DiscipleLand's Bible Curriculum at DiscipleLand.com.
Rather than providing a rigid plan to follow, you can quickly and easily modify DiscipleTown to fit your ministry needs. There is more than enough material for a full length service, but you can also choose only the elements you'd like to use. By design, DiscipleTown is packed with ideas so you'll never be left needing to supplement the lesson, but its flexibility allows you to add your own unique teaching elements.
Unit Summary
This DiscipleTown unit introduces kids to basic questions and answers related to understanding and defending the Christian faith — the study of apologetics. While apologetics is often used as a witnessing tool, its proper place is to strengthen the faith of believers. Nonbelievers will rarely be argued into coming to Christ. Everyone must come to Christ by faith. However, apologetics can be used to show that Christianity is reasonable and that trusting Christ does not require abandoning reason and logic. Our faith makes sense; there are answers to the tough questions nonbelievers ask and that come up naturally even to Christians as we think about what we believe. While most children don't consciously worry about these issues, it is important to help prepare them for these questions and to teach them that having questions is okay. Children need the confidence that when they think logically and search God's Word, He will provide His answers! .
Lesson Summaries
Lesson 1: The Truth About the Bible
The Christian faith is based on belief in a Person — Jesus Christ. Our source of information about Jesus is an ancient Book — the Bible. The further we get from the time Christ lived and when the Bible was written, the more important it becomes for Christians to be able to confirm the legitimacy of Scripture. The Bible's authority is under constant attack, and false information and misleading arguments can draw children away from the truth. The enemy seeks to undermine our faith and deceive us into thinking that the foundation of our worldview is unreliable. This lesson will help children see that the Bible is both a special Book from God and a reliable source of truth that can be trusted now and forever.
Lesson 2: The Truth About God
The word "god" is often used generically to refer to any deity that may or may not exist. However, as Christians we understand that God is not a concept or an idea, but a real Person who has interacted with His creation and desires a relationship with the crown of His creation: human beings. This lesson seeks to help children understand who God is, appreciate what makes Him unique from the general descriptions they will hear, and know with confidence that He does indeed exist — and, better yet, desires to know them personally and be involved in their daily lives.
Lesson 3: The Truth About Eternal Life
Eternity is, on one hand, difficult to get our minds around, and, on the other hand, rather simple; it is simply forever. The concept of forever is both beautiful and tragic when you realize that everyone has been created to live forever, but that not everyone will enjoy the eternal existence God desires because of the consequences of sin. Children need to understand that everyone will live forever in one place or another, and that God offers a free way to find forgiveness for sin and a way to enjoy an eternity with Him on a new earth with a new heaven. Our world is but a testing time to see who will use this gift of free will to turn to the Creator and respond to His offer of eternal life and fellowship with Him.
Lesson 4: The Truth About Jesus
Jesus: good man, prophet, myth, or Savior of the world? This lesson will help children understand exactly who Jesus is and is not. The most polarizing man in human history was far more than just a man —and He did much more than just become the central point of our calendars. Children need help understanding the significance of who Jesus was and what He means for their lives both now and for all of eternity. This lesson will give them an opportunity to accept Him as Savior if they have not done so already, as well as to decide if they are ready to follow Him as a disciple or follower, since that is the calling of those who truly discover the truth of who He is.