HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson Twenty-One

GOD-FEARERS (1)

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS ARE GOD'S ARRANGEMENT FOR US

Burden to Impart:

We should impress the children with the basic understanding that God has planned and arranged for us to live and learn with others (parents, siblings, friends, etc.). We must learn to have a proper relationship with all of those whom God has placed us together with.

Memory Verse: "...Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews" (Acts 10:22).

THE PERSPECTIVE OF THESE LAST THREE LESSONS:

Since most of the children have not yet known the conviction of the Spirit concerning sin nor have been regenerated, our teaching is to help prepare them for salvation by leading them to be "God-fearers," as Cornelius was before his salvation (Acts i0:22, 34-35; 13:16, 26). To be a God-fearer is halfway to salvation, when the Spirit comes to convict them and lead them into the reality (John 16:8, 13). In like manner, the wisdom in Proverbs is helpful in the principles of human life, morals, and relationships to preserve the children's human vessel from the corruption of this present evil age, until Christ comes to fill it with Himself.

Facts to Teach:

  1. It is crucial to realize that our life is under God's sovereignty. He is in control; everything is under His authority and arrangement. He knows all about us, much more than we could know about ourselves, for He has even numbered the hairs on our head. Therefore we should realize that our parents were selected by God to bring us into this world and to raise us up. God arranged in which family we should be born, trained up, molded, etc.
  2. God also arranged our siblings, who would be our brothers and sisters. We will spend a large part of our life with our brothers and sisters. Even after we grow up we are still involved with them for the rest of our life. God arranged that some would be our older brothers and sisters and some would be younger.
  3. God has also arranged many other relationships for us to be involved in: friends, adults, teachers, and government. In God's plan we cannot live as an isolated individual in this world. We were born into this world and must be related with many persons in this world (John 17:15). Proper human relationships are part of the proper human life that God planned for each one of us.
  4. Good relationships with others are necessary to have a peaceful life. Without a peaceful life we could never have a happy life, so good relationships with others are necessary to have a happy life also.
  5. We should accept and give thanks to God for His arrangements.