Year A. 3rd Term. Lesson 8. How to be a healthy Christian

Scripture: for teacher background:  1 Cor 3:10-16; 2 Cor 13:5; 1 Thess 5:14-24;

Psalm 26:2,3; 1 Ch 29:17; Proverbs 17:3, 1 Thess 2:4

Making contact:

Try and bring a few things that are used in a check up – a stethoscope, thermometer etc.

Talk about what the doctor does, listening to our heartbeat and breathing, taking blood pressure and our temperature. 

It soon shows when we are sick – a raised temperature, high or low blood pressure, shallow breathing, etc.

 Exploration:

We often think about how healthy we are and spend a lot of time and money on things to keep our bodies fit, but how often do we check our souls and spirits?

We know that our bodies are just temporary tents that will give in after 80 years or so, but what about our souls and spirits?

Eternity depends on how healthy we are inside.

The Bible says:

“Examine me and test me Lord, judge my desires and my thoughts.”  Psalm 26: 2

Let’s have a check up together today.

Let’s open up our hearts and see what is inside. What should we see first? JESUS!

We will not live in eternity at all if we don’t believe in Jesus. So that is a life and death question.

Imagine if the doctor was listening for your heart beat and said: “Sorry, you are not alive. I can’t hear your heart beat.”

Let’s listen to our spiritual heartbeat. Is it beating with the love of Jesus?

Then the next question is – “Is Jesus important. Is He central? Do we push Him to a Sunday corner? Let’s make Him number ONE.

Now let’s see if our hearts are clean. We don’t want Jesus to live in a dirty place.

Let’s ask Him to give us a spring clean and with His blood shed on the cross for us to wash us squeaky clean on the inside. No more ugly thoughts and unkind words.

Let’s see if our windows are clean. If we are watching or reading dirty programmes and books, this is polluting us. So let’s clean up here too. Let’s have clean eyes and ears.

Now let’s open our mouths. How clean and healthy are they? 

The Bible says that what is in the heart always comes out of the mouth. When we are very angry, we often find that our mouth shouts out very ugly things. 

We must get all this hate out of our hearts and ask Jesus to fill us with such a lot of love that even when we are in trouble, our words will not be unkind. 

When they were killing Jesus He could only say: “Forgive them Father. They don’t know what they are doing.”

Don’t let other people drag you down. Keep your plate clean. Ask Jesus to take any anger out of your heart so you don’t explode and break things.

A healthy Christian will always be well mannered and gracious, polite and kind. This is because a healthy Christian has Jesus inside helping them to be just like Him.

It’s not a matter of trying every day to be good. When your mom says: “Be good!”

You should say: “Jesus is helping me to be good. I can’t be good on my own.”

Healthy Christians will be peaceful deep inside even if there is a lot of trouble going on because deep down a healthy Christian knows that God is in control. 

There is nothing to fear. We trust in Jesus. 

So healthy Christians will sleep peacefully and be joyful. Not because they are such 'goodie goodies', but because Jesus fills them with joy and peace. The more of our hearts we give to Jesus, the more He can fill us with His goodies.

Just like to stay healthy you need healthy food, so a healthy Christian needs the Bread of God. We need to read our Bibles and pray to be healthy, growing Christians.

Healthy Christians also love to serve God and will always be found doing kind things, serving people, being helpful. They will be worshipping with other Christians.

Application

Children are so often taught that they must be good. Sometimes they try very hard.

Many are taught that they won’t go to heaven unless they are good. This is wrong theology. The best-behaved person will not go to heaven and live with Jesus if they don’t believe in Jesus. 

Being good is not the ticket!

It’s Jesus who counts and He is the one helping us all to be good. 

An important lesson today is to teach the children that they can’t be good on their own. 

If they can learn this when they are young then they will grow up depending on the Lord and not be adults who don’t know how to live in God’s strength.

Challenge to Mission

 Healthy Christians are giving out to this world and spreading the love that is in their hearts. If their hearts are beating strongly for Jesus, they will have the energy, the strength and the passion to pass this love on to those who need it. 

Healthy Christians will be missionaries at home, school and wherever they go. Healthy Christians will be helping to make other people feel better and other people find the health that they have got.

Consolidation

On the worksheet are questions for a spiritual check up.

Memory Verse 

 “Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person’s heart is tested by the Lord.” Proverbs 17:3