God’s Gift
Items Needed: A small gift for each child (favorite candy, small toy, gift card for fast food or ice cream, favorite treat, etc.), Gift box or bag, Bible
Wrap and give each child a small gift. Read Romans 5:8 and talk about God’s gift of salvation.
Ask your child:
What is the payment for our sin? (Death; separation from God)
Can we do work really hard making good choices to earn our way to Heaven? (No)
What is God’s gift? (Jesus’s death on the cross brought forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.)
God is generous and His grace made a way for each of us to go to Heaven. We can’t pay enough money or do enough good works to buy our way into Heaven. The only way we can go to Heaven is by believing Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose again. When we do this, we receive a new life.
Two Birthdays?
Bring out your child’s baby book, birth certificate, and pictures. Talk about the day they were born into your family. Discuss the pictures and talk about how happy you were. If they were adopted, talk about the happy day they became part of your family.
Ask:
How do you become part of God’s family? How are you born again?
When we believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again and ask Him to forgive our sins, He gives us a new life. The day we do this marks our second birthday.
Explain these simple truths about being “born” into God’s family to your child:
God loves you and wants you to be in His family (John 3:16).
We have all sinned and gone our own way (Romans 3:23).
Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for our sins (John 3:16).
We must believe He died for our sins and came alive again (Romans 10:9).
Tell God we want to receive Him into our lives—we need to receive His forgiveness for our sins.
Thank God for His gracious plan of salvation!
If your child understands the basic truths about salvation, ask them if they would like to receive Jesus into their life? (Doing this on a one-to-one basis is best, not in a group.)
Write down the date they received Jesus. CELEBRATE it every year! Make it a fun day—two birthdays every year! (This will provide a great chance for your child to share the gospel with their friends.)
Watch a 2-minute video explaining God’s plan for salvation.
Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMkOBjVN3As&feature=related
After the video, emphasize God’s grace when He sent His Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Remind your child that God gives us a new life when we believe Jesus is our Savior and ask Him to forgive us.