The preteen years are so distinct from the childhood years that many parents find themselves in a quandary about handling their child, let alone their Bible study habits.
Physically, the child is going through all kinds of changes that sway their attitude toward everything, along with their parents. Because their bodies are changing, they suddenly want privacy, which frequently confuses parents, because they elaborate it to mean the child is hiding something.
Bible Scriptures On Faith
To confuse the issue even more, preteens see the Bible stories they have been raised on in a distinct light. Preteen girls will no longer touch a Nancy Drew book, considering it uncool or babyish, and if we're not just in how we gift the Bible, the stories of childhood Sunday school can meet the same fate: they're considered babyish and untouchable.
This can be inflamed by peer pressure. This age group has opinions, and they may start to hear, for the first time in their lives, strong statements adverse to the faith they've always believed in. They suddenly want to effect the example set by their peers more than the example of their parents.
All of this makes the preteen years difficult, but teachers have great opportunities.
"It was so easy when they were little," one Sunday school instructor said. "They never questioned the parting of the Red Sea, anymore than they questioned manna from heaven, or Daniel in the lions den. Preteens, however, not only interrogate everything, they want to know how it happened."
On this subject, other instructor said, "My brother is an anthropologist, and when he planned a visit, I asked him to come to my preteen Sunday school class and tell the children his thoughts on the subject of the Red Sea parting. I now wish every adult and child could have heard and seen his presentation. He brought an extra suitcase full of globes, pictures and paraphernalia, and he explained how the mixture of winds, tides and tsunamis, agreeing to history at that time, proved scientifically how it could have happened.
Another Sunday school instructor told of an perceive that
happened to her when she was a preteen and taught her how imperative it is to give preteens the right rejoinder and to be inevitable of the meaning. "Every preteen," she insisted, "should know how to find the truth, or the strict meaning in Biblical statements for themselves."
She was a very young girl when a youth director from the church told her class that it was "...much harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than it was for a camel to go through the eye of the needle.' (Matthew 19: 24). She pictured herself threading a needle, and knew that for a camel to go through it was not only impossible it was ridiculous.
"For years that troubled me," she said. "I asked myself such questions as, Why should I work if having money will keep me from heaven? Isn't it great to be poor?"
Twenty years later, she bought a Bible concordance and looked it up. To her relief, she discovered it wasn't impossible at all. Strong's, concordance explains it like this: The eye of the needle "was a kind of narrow gate into inevitable walled cities of Biblical times. To get the camel through the gate, one had to first unload it, walk the camel through, then bring the goods through the gate to get into the city." The scripture verse means to get one's priorities in order.
"Not only did this come as a relief, but it taught me one of the most necessary lessons I ever learned about teaching Sunday school to preteens, and that is: Get the facts level or don't teach at all. I use my concordance enduringly when teaching preteens, and I believe that to keep preteens growing in their faith, they should have a concordance of their own to help them move from childhood Bible stories, to more advanced Bible study."
A Bible concordance in this day and age can be an expensive item. However, one of the best is Strong's Exhaustive Bible Concordance on Line, and online -- it's free!
The best preteen Bible study tips contain bringing in an authority whenever inherent to elaborate the scientific aspects of Biblical events and to encourage them to understand what the scriptures mean. To do this, they should not only have a Biblical concordance at their fingertips, but they should be well versed in how to use it.
To keep a child's religious beliefs intact, Bible study habits should convert in a way that encourages their faith to grow rather than falter. Having preteens join together in a Christian youth groups to focus on community service projects can be a extraordinary outlet. Here they can be nearby like-minded kids who are going through similar experiences and are being raised in strong Christian families.
Preteen Bible Study TipsThe Jewish Roots of Christianity, Part I - Pt 1 Video Clips. Duration : 9.82 Mins.Pt 1 of Part I Judaism and Christianity: Two spiritual points of view, seemingly worlds apart, yet sharing a common city, story, and Messianic hope. Discover the rich heritage of the Christian faith, which is grounded in the same Old Testament Scriptures as Judaism, and deepen your own understanding of the Scriptures. Join in as you venture into the Jewish roots of Christianity. See and hear Mart De Haans enlightening conversations with people who understand the story behind the history— Messianic Jews and Bible scholars who review the context and first beliefs about Jesus and His followers. You'll deepen your understanding of the Christian faith when you discover its origins. For other parts of this series: The Jewish Roots of Christianity, Parts II & III, Go to: www.dod.org
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