4 Lessons I Learned From Vacation Bible School

 

by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta

When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)

What happens when the youth of today have nothing to feed on except what the world gives them? A repeat of Judges 2:10.

Last week my church enjoyed a week of Vacation Bible School. I was privileged to be one of the leaders in the 4^th–5^th grade age group.

As our pastor pointed out on Sunday during a recap of the week, some people think VBS is just a kids activity. This outreach is more than just a kids activity. While games and crafts are part of VBS, the core purpose is to reach young people for Christ. The joy of seeing children absorb the words of God like a sponge is rewarding. And once the kids have the seeds planted in their minds, they can also influence their families who may not know Christ.

The result of last week was that seven of those 4^th and 5^th graders gave their lives to the Lord. Hallelujah!

The Bible Expedition classes spoke to my soul too. Here are 4 lessons I learned from the teaching points of each day.

1. God is Our Provider. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV)

God provided for Elijah by feeding him with bread brought to him by a raven and by leading him to a brook for water. The Almighty Lord led Elijah to the place where He wanted this prophet to be so He could take care of him. When we follow God’s leading, we will be where we need to be to receive His provision.

2. God is Our Comforter. Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)

The Holy Spirit comforts us with His soothing balm that can't be compared to any worldly solution. He never leaves us and no matter what we go through He is always there. We are secure in His presence. Because we have His comfort we can share what God has done for us with others when they experience difficult times. 

3. God Always Forgives. Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:33) We can learn from the account of Peter denying Christ that Jesus didn’t turn His back on this disciple. The Scripture goes on to tell us that Peter went out and wept bitterly. His heart broke because of what he did.

We participated in a powerful visual aid that showed the kids (and leaders) what Jesus did on the cross. We put our finger into a bowl of red ink and pressed our fingerprint onto a wooden cross that stood at the front of the room. This represented our sin was crucified at the cross, and because of this we are forgiven.

Sometimes we think we have sinned so badly we can’t be forgiven.  But Jesus’s blood is more powerful than any sin we can commit.

After the resurrection, Jesus made sure Peter knew the power of His forgiveness. He does the same thing for us.

4. God Loves Us and Gives Us an Eternal Home. God gives us His love forever. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Because of what Jesus did, we have the power to live a victorious life here on earth. After death or the rapture, we will be with Him forever. The home He has prepared for us is beyond our imagination. We need to always remember nothing can separate us from His love or take us out of His hands. (Romans 8:38-39)

VBS is Not Just For Kids

Even though I have heard and read the biblical accounts that were focused on in VBS, I still received new revelation from the Word of God. VBS is not just for kids.

I hope you can see the importance of planting spiritual seeds into young lives. Only when we do this can we expect the next generation to rise up against evil and stand for Christ. We don’t want to repeat what happened in Judges when an entire group of people grew up without knowing God.

We have been privileged for the last few weeks to have our granddaughter with us. She has heard the Bible read all her life. The week before VBS began she was baptized and her Papa (my husband) was the one to carry out this ordinance. What a thrill for us! This is one example of the benefits of training our descendants. We start with the basics and teach them line upon line, precept upon precept until they grow into the maturity of their identity in Christ.

How did VBS affect your life and what can you do today to promote this outreach?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts.

What happens when the youth of today have nothing to feed on except what the world gives them? An entire generation grows up that does not know God. (click to tweet)