Inductive Study for Kids: John 1:8 – Witness

This entry is part 3 of 11 in the series Inductive Study for Kids

When I started writing about our Inductive Study for Kids through the book of John, it seems I was a bit hasty in publishing it.  Life simply got in the way and I wasn’t able to follow through with it.  But apparently this topic has resonated with you, my readers.  I get very few comments on this blog; fewer still emails from my readers.

Since I published my first post on our Inductive Study for Kids through the book of John, I have received comment after comment asking, “Is there more?!!”  And I even got an email from a pastor-reader asking how I would approach the teaching of another passage for a kids sermon he was working on.

I hear you!  And I am trying to dive back into our Inductive Study.  Today, I am sharing a little bit of a review.  If you haven’t read the first two posts in this series, please check them out, as I am sure they will help to understand how I am approaching this book.

John 1: 1-5

John 1: 6-8

 

Verse 8

A LOT of water has crossed under our bridge since we last visited these verses using the Inductive Method I am so fond of.  In the interlude our girls have worked through memorizing John 1:1-7 in their school (Classical Conversations).  This has been SO good in solidifying their understanding of these first verses of the Book of John!  By the way, if you are looking for an awesome way to help your kids (and you!) memorize this passage, check out this song by King Things.  There is also a Latin version!

In the previous post on this topic, I mentioned we went over verse 8 as a sort of review. When we started back to studying this book, it became clear to me I could teach this verse in a new way.  So, I am going to add to our previous post this simple teaching idea – a conversation about a witness.

It goes a little something like this:

“He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.”

After reading the verse, I asked: “What does a witness do?”

Giving time for various answers, I answered: “A Witness testifies or tells about what he has heard or what he has seen.”  As I speak this sentence I point to my ear and my eyes at the appropriate times.

NOTE: Throughout this entire “lesson,” I point to my ears and my eyes when I say “hear” or “see.”

I ask my kids to repeat after me both the sentence and the motions.  And I write on our chalkboard table something similar to this as we talk:

Can you be a witness?

I tell my kids, “You can be a witness, too!  When you go to the park or when you go to the store or when you go anywhere, you can pay attention to what you hear and what you see.  Then when you get home, you can be a witness to Daddy.  You can tell him what you hear and see. “

This led to a discussion about the most recent trip outside the house.

A Special Kind of Witness

So, we know that a witness testifies about what he has heard or what he has seen, what did John testify about?

“GOD!!”

“In what person?”

“JESUS!”

So, what kinds of things did John, a witness, tell about Jesus?

“What he saw and what he heard!”

Review

“He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.”

“What does John 1 call Jesus?”

“The light!”

“Was John the light?

“No!  Jesus is the light!”

 

I never have purported to share anything more than what is SIMPLE.  I know these simple concepts and conversations are not earth-shattering.  They are also not complete.  Rather they are jumping off points for future discussion and learning.  I humbly hope they are effective to plant truth into my little flock.  And I hope they are a blessing to you and yours as well.  If you have any questions, I would love to hear them!  I pray your patience as we slowly work our way through the book of John.

 

Inductive Study for Kids - a simple study of John 1:8


Series Navigation<< Verse by Verse through The Gospel of John, 1: 6-8Inductive Study for Kids: John 1:9-13 >>

Leave a Reply