What Is Faith? lesson

Abraham Steps Out in Faith
(Genesis 12:1-9; Hebrews 11:8-12)
Faith is agreeing with God even
when everything that we see and
hear tells us He is wrong.
God is trustworthy, He always fulfills His
promises—even when we have to wait or it
seems humanly impossible. Our salvation
and relationship with God are completely
based on our faith in what Jesus has accomplished
by His death and resurrection.
Believing God keeps His promises can be
difficult, especially considering how many
promises are broken daily by humans.
Today, kids will hear a story of God keeping
His promise to Abraham. Hopefully, it will
lay a foundation to help them believe in the
trustworthiness of God’s character.

“We pray when there’s nothing
else we can do,
but God wants us to pray
before we do anything at all.”
— Oswald Chambers
Dear Father, may my students’ hearts be soft
and tender to respond to Your call and receive
Your gift of salvation.
May the seeds of Your Word take deep roots
in their hearts and produce rich fruit in their
lives. Grant them unwavering and enduring
faith like the one that Abraham had. Amen.
MY UNBELIEVABLE SUMMER //
“My Unbelievable Summer” templates, markers
As kids arrive greet them with a lot of enthusiasm and invite
them to fill in and decorate “My Unbelievable Summer” posters.
This activity is meant to be funny, an exercise in stretching one’s
imagination. Encourage the kids to write a few things that they
have really experienced this summer (or hope to experience), but
for the most part ask them to just make stuff up.
Once someone has completed their project encourage them to
share their poster with someone else and tell them all about their
unbelievable summer. If some students finish the project much
earlier than the rest of the kids, be ready to offer them some EX-
TRA TIME activities (see the last page).
We suggest that around 9:10 you ask kids to clean up their
work space. Call on volunteers to share some of the most unbelievable
things that “happened” to them this summer.
TRANSITION: It seems that all of you are having the most incredible summer filled with
tons of unusual things. However, to be honest I have a very hard time believing that… (list
some specific examples that kids have mentioned). I simply can’t believe that… (list a couple
more examples). You know, your summer stories remind me of how careful we should be
when we choose what to believe and what not to believe.
The Bible says (open your Bible) that without faith it’s impossible, IIIII-MMM-POSSIBLE
to please God (Hebrews 11:6). You might want to have fun with this verse—having kids repeat it
after you, each time placing a special emphasis on the word “impossible”.
So if faith is so important in our relationship with God let’s find out what faith is and
what exactly we should believe.

FACT OR FAKE? //
“Fact or Fake?” poster, markers, “Leap of Faith” posters, “God’s Story—Abraham” video
Draw your students’ attention to the “Fact or Fake?” poster. Go with them through each description
and decide which one is true (fact) and which one is false (fake). Cross out all the fakes.
If you come across a description over which kids’ opinions divide, take a vote.
Ask children to look at the remaining descriptions, supposedly the ones that are true. As you
read each one of them ask, “How do you know it’s true? Have you watched God create the world
in six days? If you haven’t, how can you be certain?” or “How can you be certain that there is a
country called Japan? Have you been there? Have you seen it? Maybe people just made it up
and it’s not real?”
Through this discussion help your students to discover how much faith is a part of our lives.
Ask the students to find Hebrews 11:6 in their Bibles. Ask them to draw a smiling face near the
verse as a symbol of God’s happiness when we believe.
Have all the boys read this verse aloud. Then have all the girls read this verse. Then have all
of them read it in a whisper. Next, ask everyone to close one eye and read the verse aloud. And
finally have them close both of their eyes and “read” the verse as loud as they can.
Say, Since faith is so important, since this is what makes God happy, we need to find
out what faith is. So, how would you define faith? What is it? (allow a few kids to answer).
Faith is agreeing with God even when everything that we see and hear tells us He is
wrong. (Ask kids to repeat this with you several times.)
Show your students the “Leap of Faith—I” poster. (Burning building. Scared girl. Firemen
stretched out safety net. They’re calling out, “Jump! We’ll catch you!”) Give them a chance to
share what is happening in the picture. Ask: Who requires faith here? What does it mean for
this person to show faith? What could be making it difficult for them to believe?
After a brief discussion show the “Leap of Faith—II” poster. (Very identical image to the first
one. The only difference—the boy trapped in the building because of the thick smoke can’t see
firemen. He only hears their promise, “We’ll catch you!”) Ask how this situation is different from
the first one. Ask: Who requires more faith—a person in the first picture or second? Why?
Say, This picture reminds me of a man in the Bible who was asked by God to jump into
the dark not once, not twice, but many times. God asked him to do many difficult things. It
was as if God had asked him to jump from the top of the Empire State building and into
the dark. This man had to believe that God would catch him every single time.
TRANSITION: Let’s watch the next video to find out what exactly did God ask this man
to do. Watch closely because at the end I will ask you to list all situations that required
this man to have faith. Before we start watching let’s say our main truth one more time:
Faith is agreeing with God even when everything that we see and hear tells us He is
wrong.
PLAY THE VIDEO.

EXPLORE FAITH //
Shoes and/or suitcase (backpack), map (atlas), baby doll, jar with sand, present, butter knife
After the video ask: So what was the name of the person who was asked to jump from a
very tall building and into the dark? (Abraham.)
I have brought a box full of things that will remind us of situations where Abraham
needed faith, where he needed to agree with God even when everything that he saw and
heard told him that God was wrong.
One by one show the objects and have kids tell you what they have to do with the life of Abraham.
SHOES or ATLAS/MAP or SUITCASE—“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he
would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he
was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)
BABY DOLL and/or JAR WITH SAND—“By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—
and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered Him
faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”
(Hebrews 11:11,12)
BUTTER KNIFE—even though this demonstration of Abraham’s faith was not covered in the
video, most of the kids will remember this test of faith that he had to pass. “By faith Abraham,
when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about
to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your
offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively
speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19)
PRESENT—“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) Help kids
understand that salvation is God’s gift. It cannot be earned, it can only be received by faith.

SEED OF FAITH //
Apple, apple seed, knife, paper plate
Gather your students in a circle. Show them the seed and ask if
they can guess what seed it is. Ask someone to describe what all
needs to take place before a seed can produce fruit.
Tell your students that many times Jesus likened our faith to a
seed. Ask, why they think He did that.
• How is faith like a seed? (it needs to be nurtured,
protected, watered, it can produce great results.)
• How do we nourish our faith and cause it to grow stronger? (reading God’s Word,
talking to God in prayer, being with other believers to encourage each other).
Show the seed again. Ask, Can you believe that this tiny seed can produce a big and
juicy apple? It’s amazing, isn’t it? And we are talking not just about one apple, but about
an apple tree that will produce bushels of apples year after year after year. And it all starts
with one seed. Right here, in my hand I have the beginnings of a whole apple orchard. Incredible,
isn’t it?
You might think that you’re just a child and your faith is not strong. However, if you daily
water the seed of your faith in God, it will turn into a beautiful life that will glorify God
and bless others.
Have children pass the seed around. Ask them to hold it carefully in their palms for a few seconds
before passing it on. Compare it to God’s Word that they read at home and hear in church.
Say, your faith will be tested by people who do not believe in the Bible. You will meet people
who believe Jesus was a good teacher, but not the Son of God. You will meet people
who do not believe in the creation story. You will meet people who will tell you that God
and the Bible are nothing but a myth. Satan will try to steal your faith, that is why it’s so
important to guard it.
Squeeze the seed between your hands. Let’s lift our hands up as a symbol of calling on
God and depending on His grace. As everyone is holding their lifted hands up in the air pray a
short benediction prayer similar to the one on page 1.
BONUS IDEA
If you have time, offer kids to play a guessing game. Have every student write down a number
of how many seeds they think are inside of the apple. Then cut open the apple and count the
seeds. Give a prize to the student who guessed correctly and who was the closest to the right
answer.

FAITH IN ACTION //
“The Great Blondin” poster,
“Nik Wallenda Conquers Niagara” video—several versions to choose from
In the nineteenth century the greatest tightrope walker in the world
was a man named Charles Blondin. On June 30, 1859, he became
the first man in history to walk on a tightrope across Niagara Falls.
Over twenty-five thousand people gathered to watch him walk 1,100
feet suspended on a tiny rope 160 feet above the raging waters. He
worked without a net or safety harness of any kind. The slightest slip
would prove fatal. When he safely reached the Canadian side, the
crowd burst into a mighty roar.
In the days that followed, he would walk across the Falls many
times. Once he walked across on stilts; another time he took a chair
and a stove with him and sat down midway across, cooked an omelet,
and ate it. Once he carried his manager across riding piggyback. And
once he pushed a wheelbarrow across loaded with 350 pounds of
cement. On another occasion he asked the cheering spectators if they
thought he could push a man across sitting in a wheelbarrow.
A mighty roar of approval rose from the crowd.
Spying a man cheering loudly, he asked, “Sir, do you think I could safely carry you across in
this wheelbarrow?” “Yes, of course.” “Get in,” the Great Blondin replied with a smile.
The man refused.
That makes it clear, doesn’t it? It’s one thing to believe a man can walk across by himself. It’s
another thing to believe he could safely carry you across. But it’s something else entirely to get
into the wheelbarrow yourself.
It’s not enough to believe that Christ theoretically could save you. Until you “get in the wheelbarrow”
and trust all to Him, you are not saved. Trusting God all begins with Jesus being the
Lord of your Life. Lord can sound like a weird churchy word, but think about it. You know what
Lord means—master, ruler, boss, leader, king, the one with ultimate control over you.
When Jesus served God’s plan for the world by trading His own life to take the punishment for
the sins of every person on the planet, God gave Him the title of Lord of Lords. He is the ultimate
Boss of all creation. But most people live in rebellion to Him. They refuse to recognize His true
authority as their Lord. Have you made the decision to live with Jesus as your Lord? Have you
asked Jesus to forgive you your sins and lead every step of your life?
Just like we learned today, God can be trusted. He is calling you to a relationship with Him today.
Yes, you will become friends with God. But you will also belong to Him. Jesus IS Lord, but
He will become YOUR Lord. It’s a relationship that begins today and grows for years to come. It
all starts with a decision to trust God and believe what He says. Are you willing?

ON THE ROAD TO CANAAN //
This simple game will help kids get to know one another better.
Form a circle. Have kids each think of an object that represents a talent or interest they have.
For example, if Pam is a dancer, she could “pack” a pair of ballet slippers.
Say: We’re on the road to Canaan. I’m (name), and I brought my (item of choice).
Have the child on your left repeat the phrase, your name and item, and add his or her own.
With each turn, the list will get longer and children will have to stretch to remember the names
and interests of others.
Your list may sound something like this: “We’re on the road to Canaan. Alice brought her
Bible. Andy brought his baseball glove. Jan brought her math book. And I brought a paintbrush.”
If kids have trouble remembering, others may give hints.
The game is over when the last person has repeated everyone’s name and object. You can
play more rounds replacing objects with favorite foods or animals.
SILLY WALK //
Ask kids to line up against one wall, facing the opposite wall. Say: Abram and his family
walked to their new home. Let’s see how many ways you can walk.
Ask kids to walk in a variety of ways, each time from wall to wall.
Suggestions: baby steps, giant steps, marching like soldiers, on tiptoe, on heels, running,
hopping, leaping like frogs, crawling like caterpillars, walking sideways, backwards, like iceskaters,
like ducklings, like crabs, like horses, like penguins, etc.
Have kids sit again and discuss: What was your favorite walk—and why?
Say: Maybe Abram walked quickly with a spring in his step—he was eager to discover
the new home God had spoken to him about. Maybe, as Abram walked, he looked back
over his shoulder sometimes because he missed his old home.
Either way he kept going. Abram trusted God’s promise. We can trust God too. God
always keeps His promises—even if we have to wait awhile.

DIFFICULT ROAD //
A pile of various items of different sizes (cardboard bricks, balls, dolls, cars, building blocks, etc.)
Leaving behind the comfort of his hometown, Abram picked up and moved his entire household—hundreds
of people, thousands of livestock, and all of their possessions. Why?
Because God spoke to him and told him to. God is calling each one of us to follow His perfect
plan for our lives. The path may seem frightening when you don’t know what lies ahead, but the
only way to a blessed and fulfilling future is by letting God be the leader.
Say: Today we met a very courageous man who trusted God even when it seemed uncomfortable
and even ridiculous. One of the things that God had asked this man to do
was to leave his home and friends and go to the place he had never seen.
Moving your whole household to a new country was a difficult and enormous task back
then. Even with moving trucks and cardboard boxes, moving isn’t easy today.
But in those days, traveling by caravan was a big deal. It took months or even years to
get everyone from one place to the next. There were no road or cars, no maps or public
restrooms, no restaurants or hotels that could hold this man’s big household.
They had to carry everything with them. They had to take everything with them which
included huge herds of livestock. All of their servants and employees had to come too.
They had to find and bring food and water and cook themselves.
To remember Abram’s journey, we will go on a journey of our own.
I will divide you into two equal teams. When I say “Go!” the first player from each team
will run to the pile of treasures, pick one item and take it to the next player. The next player
will run to the pile of treasures carrying the item that was passed to him. He or she will
choose one more item from the pile and take it back to the next player.
The next player will start off with two items, then he or she will pick up the third item
and bring it back to the next player, and so on until every player on the team had a chance
to run to the pile and bring back one item.
The team that finishes the race first wins. If someone drops one of the items on the
ground, they’ll have to stop and pick it up before continuing with the race.