Adult VBS: A Word from the Adult Writer

Gene Smith

ADULT VBS

Challenging changes await the adult students who will explore the biblical truths set forth in these five lessons. This year’s study will be an exploration of the unchangeable truths of God’s Word. Those who choose to study these truths will enjoy a life-changing experience that will enhance their daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Some simple, yet profound truths are set forth in this year’s Vacation Bible School.

Theme for VBS 2012: The theme for this year’s VBS is entitled “Sunlight Express . . . Jesus and Me.” The students will learn of the things Jesus does for them because He loves them. This particular study of the Bible will lead the students to experience the life-changing presence of Jesus Christ as they walk daily with the Lord.

AN OVERVIEW

Lesson 1: Jesus Saves.The story in the Bible is taken from John 3:1- 7. It relates the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night. His discussion with Jesus resulted in his being born again. This resulted in a total change in his nature and life. Compare this life-changing experience with your experience of salvation.

Lesson 2: Jesus Leads.
The story in the Bible is taken from John 10:1- 9, 27. It relates how Jesus leads His people and how they follow Him. Compare this with your salvation experience and Christ’s guidance in your life.

Lesson 3: Jesus Cares.
This lesson is taken from Mark 4:35-41. The writer of the second gospel was Mark. He is also known as John Mark. Mark was the son of one of the New Testament Marys, and a nephew of Barnabas. He was an associate of the apostles. He is mentioned in the writings of Paul and Luke. (See Acts 12:12; 15:37, 39; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24, 25.) The words straightway, forthwith, immediately and anon are words which are characteristic of Mark’s writings. In his writings, he presents Jesus Christ as the Servant of God. Tradition reveals that Mark wrote this book from the city of Rome, and this cannot be disproven. There seems to be some validity to the idea that he wrote for the Roman reader. There has never been any reason- able doubt about this book having been written in the Greek language.

Lesson 4: Jesus Lives.
The biblical basis for this lesson is taken from Luke 24:1-9. This Scripture reveals Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week. On the present-day calendar that would be what we know as Sunday. This is why we meet to worship God each Sunday.

Lesson 5: Jesus Returns.
The scriptural basis for this lesson is Acts 1:9-12. Jesus Himself made an unchangeable declaration that He will return to gather all of His people unto Himself. This event is commonly called the second coming of Christ.

 

Adult Lessons
$2.15
X81612 – *This is a returnable item

Visit our VBS website to view online samples of our Adult VBS Lessons. http://vbs.bogardpress.org/products/passengers/X81612/

VBS 2012 Sample Kit

VBS 2012 Sample Kit

The Sunlight Express Sample Kit is almost ready. You can order your kit on December 1, 2011. Orders will begin shipping in mid-December.

Kit includes Activity Pages and Student Books along with Teacher Manuals for age levels Preschool through Teen plus an Adult Book. Kit also includes a Director Plan Book and all the important samples you need for a fun-filled VBS!

$159.99

X82812 – *This is a returnable item

For ordering information, visit our VBS website.

 

Contents:

Preschool Activity Pages
Kindergarten Activity Pages
Preschool Kindergarten Teacher
Preschool Kindergarten Visuals
Beginner Activity Pages
Beginner Teacher
Beginner Visuals
Primary Activity Pages
Primary Teacher
Primary Visuals
Junior Activity Pages
Junior Teacher
Junior Visuals
Young Teen Student
Young Teen Teacher
Young Teen Visuals
Teen Student
Teen Teacher
Teen Visuals
Adult Lessons
Director’s Plan Book
Craft Book
Game Book
Skits Book
Ticket Book with stickers
Coloring Book
Theme Stickers
Achievement Certificate
Appreciation Certificate
Songbook
Name Tag
Lanyard
Plastic Name Tag Holder
Bulletin Cover
Doorknob Hanger
Publicity Flyers
Postcard
Bookmark
Publicity Poster
Salvation Tract
Attendance Chart and stickers
Iron-on Transfers with instructions
Bandana
Pencil
Tote Bag
T-shirt (Adult X Large)
Lesson Video/Music DVD
VBS Music CD
Praise Songs CD
Mission Projects DVD
Resource CD
Music Transparency Book
Room Decorations Transparency Book
New Testament
Photo Frame
VBS Pin
VBS Iron-on Patch
Live – It! Cards
Nylon Drawstring Backpack
Daily Foam Crafts
Location Signs
Daily Icon Set
Door Banner
Bible Story Posters
Catalog

For more information about our 2012 VBS, Sunlight Express, visit our VBS website.

Lesson Overviews for the Five Days of VBS

Track 1—Jesus Saves
Can you think of anything in life more important than Jesus saves? As a matter of fact, until a person is saved, there really is nothing important at all. Every other issue in life is moot until a person is saved. A preacher said one time, “If Jesus Christ does not save, then nothing in life matters; if Jesus Christ does save, then nothing else in life matters.” It is our desire to instill in the hearts of these teens the eternal perspective and factual perception concerning the issue of their souls. If they are lost, they are on the top looking down; this life will be as good as it gets for them. However, if they are saved, they are on the bottom looking up; it will only get better from here. I hope and pray that by the end of this lesson each student will understand that absolutely nothing matters in life until he has been saved by the only One who can save him, Jesus Christ.

Track 2—Jesus Leads
Once the salvation of an individual occurs, real things can start happening in his life. The first thing after being saved by the Lord is being led by the Lord. In Psalm 40:2, the psalmist describes his salvation experience, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Of course, the first example of one following His leadership is the willingness for the newly saved person to obey His instructions to go into the waters of baptism. I have told my children that I will not always be there to help them through life, but Jesus will. There is no greater lesson that a new Christian can learn than the lesson of learning to follow the leadership of our Lord. If he can learn to follow Jesus, by default there are many lessons that he won’t have to learn. When a young person learns to follow Jesus, he will never have to find his way in life because Jesus will take care of that. The reality is that the entire dynamic changes once one is saved. One no longer has to decide what to do; he now discerns what to do. Jesus gives us the leadership we need and bares the responsibility of that leadership. There is nothing more practical in the life of the believer than the willingness to follow the leadership of the Lord.

Track 3—Jesus Cares
One of the most wonderful truths that we can enjoy in this life is the reality that our Lord is a caring Lord. He cares for the lost; He wants them to be saved. He also cares for the saved and wants them to know it. The fact that Jesus saves deals with our ultimate need, the fact that Jesus leads deals with our practical needs and the fact that Jesus cares deals with our emotional needs. Jesus supplies all of our needs, and
no one needs that fact welded to his heart like a teen. I believe when a person knows that Jesus cares, he is on his way to living a spiritually, emotionally healthy life.

Track 4—Jesus Lives
The full reality of this lesson is often unexplored and unexplained. While we as Christians readily proclaim Christ as the risen Lord with our lips, in our lives He seems to be relegated to the pages of history. We often speak of Him in the past tense. Sometimes we speak of Him as though He is long gone. The fact is that nothing could be further from the truth. I heard once about a little boy who was given the writing assignment of presenting an essay on the greatest man alive. When he got up to read his essay, he announced that he was speaking about Jesus Christ. The world may relegate Him to history, but the Bible teaches us He is a person of the present. He is as alive today as any student sitting in the room. By the end of this lesson, each student will be able to know that Christ is not a person of the past but is real and relevant right now. It is true that He is the Rock of Ages, but it is also true that He could be and should be the “Man of the year” every year.

Track 5—Jesus Returns
My heart jumps every time I think about the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Too often we end the story of Jesus with the resurrection, when in fact that’s when it really begins. Because the Bible is complete doesn’t mean God’s work is. As Noah, Abraham and the prophets of old, we, too, are in eager anticipation of something magnificent and marvelous. In the Old Testament, we look back into history to a time when men were anxiously awaiting the birth of Jesus, and somehow we imagine that to be a time of excitement and joy. The reality is that we are in the same scenario. But this time we are not waiting for Jesus to come. We are waiting for Him to come again. As surely as yesterday’s news, Jesus is going to return for us. We have something to look forward to, and we all know life is much more enjoyable when lived in anticipation of something grand. To what are we looking forward? We are looking forward to seeing Jesus in His glorified flesh. If that isn’t something to look forward to, nothing is.

(Taken from the Teen Teacher’s Manual)

VBS Crafts

The Craft Caboose
Welcome to the Craft Caboose, an important car on the Sunlight Express. You see, the caboose is much more than a cute little red car at the end of a train. The caboose is a car that provides a place to inspect the cargo. It had a desk or table for handling business and was often decorated and made personal on the inside with pictures and posters. What better setting could there be for our craft adventure! Craft time will be an opportunity to reinforce each lesson and create a visual or witnessing tool as a reminder that will go home with the students each day. The students look forward to craft time much like children at one time looked forward to seeing the brakeman waving from the caboose of a train. You will be much like the brakeman with the opportunity to help these students get on the right track—the one that leads to the Lord. Craft time will be fun and exciting for the students, but it will also be a witnessing tool used by God to reach people for His glory.

Living Up to the Name
If you were to research the history of the caboose, you would find that this fascinating little train car was known by many different nicknames. It is quite interesting and appropriate for the Sunlight Express that one of the nicknames for a caboose is “glory wagon.” Everything we do is to be for God’s honor and glory, and the Craft Caboose provides an opportunity to do that. Crafts are not intended to be a project that will keep children busy until the next class. These are teaching tools and an outreach. Craft time provides an occasion to review the day’s lesson. It also allows a chance to dig in a little deeper. Not only are you discussing what the children have learned, you are working on a hands-on reminder of the lesson that they will be able to take home and possibly share with someone else. May we all be ready to reach children for Christ in our words, actions and craft time. May our Craft Caboose be a glory wagon for the Lord!

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen,” Romans 11:36.

Craft Book
X86712
$5.75

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A Word from the VBS Craft Book Writer

Climb aboard the Sunlight Express! Our journey is about to begin, and what a journey it will be! There is no greater adventure than the voyage that is taking place between Jesus and me. The same personal adventure is awaiting you, as well. Your ticket has been purchased and excitement awaits around each bend.
We will examine five wonderful promises this week beginning with an observation at the Great Gorge. It is deep and wide, but there is a strong unfailing bridge that is able to deliver us safely to the other side. Here, we will focus on the promise of salvation through our Savior, Jesus Christ. From the gorge, we will move to the tranquility of Mercy Meadows. It is a peaceful place where sheep are lead by their loving shepherd, much like Jesus lovingly leads us. The third setting is full of adventure. We will experience the rushing and crashing Fearless Falls where we will be reminded of the promise that Jesus cares. Beyond the falls, the Timeless Tunnel awaits. This will be a great time for us to remember that Jesus is as much alive today as He was before His crucifixion, and He will be alive forevermore. We will end our adventure on the beautiful mountaintop of Sonrise Summit where we will look forward to the promise that Jesus will come again.

The Sunlight Express promises to be an unforgettable, hope-filled adventure made possible by the love of Christ. Jesus’ love for us makes it all possible, from the provision of salvation to the promise of His return. We will never know a greater love than the love of Jesus or experience a greater adventure than our own personal journey with Him.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” John 15:13

(Angela Crymes, writer of the VBS Craft Book for VBS 2012, Sunlight Express)