Help with Children's Sunday School Lesson?

Question

I am teaching children's Sunday School for the first time this Sunday and am doing it on the Fruits of the Spirit. I am going to explain that there are some things that we should not have in our lives or we won't be able to produce the fruit that the Lord wants us to. Because there are 9 fruits of the spirit I need 9 bad things we should try NOT to have in our lives and have come up with 8: Hatred, lying, stealing, greed, cheating, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy and I need ONE more...any help would be greatly appreciated.

To clarify, I did not mean that there is a bad thing for each good thing, I am just going to explain to them that if we don't get rid of things LIKE hatred, etc. in our lives then we cannot produce the fruits of the spirit.

Answer 1

hmmm good lesson I like it. Could you send the completed plan to the third source below I will publish it with a link to a site of your choice.

How about "anger" as the ninth bad thing

Answer 2

It doesn't work that way. The fruit (singular) of the Spirit IS Love, Joy, Peace, etc.

There isn't a "bad" thing for each "good" thing.

Depending on the age of the children in your new class, you might or might not be able to explain the works of the flesh, which are listed in Galatians in the same chapter as the fruit of the Spirit is in.

God bless your efforts :)

Answer 3

If you are wishing to give solid Classical exegetical pedagogy, abandon your current list. It just looks like a random list of "bad stuff". Instead, begin with the "fruit of the spirit"--note that Scripture uses the singular ("fruit"), not the plural ("fruits"). This is also in the Greek. In other words, there is but one fruit, but it has many traits. Then illustrate what each trait is opposed to.

Thus:

Agape ("benevolence" is a better translation than "love" in this case) opposes selfishness (not "hatred", in this context).
Joy opposes despair/apathy.
Harmony (better translation of "Eirene" than "peace") opposes discord.
Longsuffering (slowness in avenging wrongs) opposes vengefulness/pride.
Gentleness opposes cruelty.
Goodness ("agathosune"--uprightness of heart and life) opposes a lack of moral restraint (dissolution).
Fidelity ("faithfulness") opposes untrustworthiness.
Meekness opposes arrogance.
Temperance (self-control) opposes impulsiveness.


Now the fruit is shown as a reflection against the rot. Each aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is shown to exist in opposition to some trait that is all to common in unregenerate humanity.

Answer 4

Go to Proverbs 6:16 -19

Answer 5

Self-righteousness

Answer 6

From the Apostle Paul. . .take your pick from this list of unattractive bed partners:

adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, warth, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings.

And the well known "deadly sins" and "cardinal virtues" are:

Sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, sloth
Virtues: prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Anger? Meanness?

Answer 8

Religion is probably the main bad thing you should steer clear of in life I reckon. Look at the harm it is doing around the world.

Answer 9

How about ignorance, like the ignorance of believing that the accumulated myths and superstitions of your ancestors which have been dogmatized, institutionalized and mounded into the colossal pile of crap you call ultimate truth could possibly be real.

Answer 10

Pride

you do not give the age group... I did the Jrs for a couple years... you have my prayer for God's Guidence in you trials to come :-)