Overview of the Outreach Root:
God is enormous. He’s too big, too awesome, and too complicated to wrap our minds around. Yet he wants us to know him. He wants a relationship with us, so he has revealed himself in a number of ways. Creation tells us about God. The world around us is covered in his fingerprints. The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship with his people over the centuries. It also gives us names that describe him—Creator, Almighty, Holy One—and metaphors to help us connect with him—Father, Rock, Shepherd. He sent his Son, Jesus, to live on earth as fully God and fully man, “God with us.” And he sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and unite us to him. We will never know everything about God. But in order to become his disciples, we need to know some essential truths about the One we follow.
Main Topics Covered:
- Revealed: How do we know about God? This lesson teaches student about how God reveals himself and his ways to us. Students will dive into discussions about the general and special ways God reveals himself to the world. Bible Passage: Acts 10:17–48
- The Hound of Heaven: How does God pursue his children? Based on the poem “Hound of Heaven” published in 1892 by Francis Thompson, this lesson is all about how does God pursues his children. Bible Passage: Acts 9:1–22
- The Omni’s: How big is the God we serve? By learning about the “omni’s” found in Scripture, students will grapple with how big the God we serve really is. Bible Passage: John 4:1–30
- Omnipresence (God is everywhere): Jeremiah 23:24; Proverbs 15:3; Colossians 1:17
- Omniscience (God is all knowing): Psalm 147:5; 1 Samuel 2:3; Hebrews 4:13
- Omnipotent (God is all powerful): Matthew 19:26; Jeremiah 32:27; Isaiah 44:24
Questions you can ask your child:
- What are some things that happen in this world that you think break God’s heart? Do those things break your heart, too? God is a God of mercy and justice. How have you seen that play out in your life and in the world around you?
- What injustices in our world are you most passionate about wanting to change? Do you ever think about using your life now to help bring justice and mercy to people who need it?
- Which one of the “omni’s” is most impressive to you? Why? Which one gives you the most comfort? Why so?
- What is one aspect of “general revelation” (how God reveals himself in nature and through the moral code on our hearts) that speaks directly to you? Why?
Activities you can do together:
Spend time outdoors in a natural environment with your child. Go camping. Walk on the beach or hike in the woods. Take a bike ride or just eat a meal out on the deck where you can see God’s natural creation. Go out at night, lay on the grass, and look up at the moon and stars. Regardless of where you go or what you do outside, use the time to talk about how amazing God is and how his creation tells us that over and over. God is revealing himself all the time, and his fingerprints are all around us. Take turns going back and forth sharing amazing things you see or are experiencing in God’s creation.