OT 68 Jonah and the Big Fish

Reference: Jonah 1-3

Big Idea: Just like Jonah was in a big fish for three days, Jesus rose from the dead after three days.

Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:3 - Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day... (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Big fish - press your palms together and wiggle them like a fish
Three days - hold up three fingers
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Rose from the dead - gesture down towards the ground, then lift your hands above your head
Three days - hold up three fingers

Motions for the Verse:
Christ - make a cross with your forearms
Died - cross your forearms in an “X’ over your chest
Sins - two thumbs down
Scriptures - pretend to open a book
Buried - pretend to dig with a shovel
Rose - gesture upward with both palms
Third - hold up three fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Where did God tell Jonah to go? // Nineveh.
Did Jonah go to NIneveh? If not, where? // He went the other way, on a boat
What happened on Jonah’s boat trip? // God sent a terrible windstorm
What did Jonah tell them to do to stop the windstorm? // Throw him overboard
When they threw Jonah into the water, what two things happened? // Storm stopped, fish swallowed Jonah
How many days was Jonah in the big fish? // Three days and nights.
After Jonah prayed from the fish, what did God do? // Made the fish spit him out onto dry land.
When Jonah told the people of Nineveh God was going to destroy their city, what did they do? // Became sad about their sin and called to God for help
Did God destroy NIneveh? Why or why not? // No, because they turned from their sin and trusted God to save them
What is today’s big idea? // Just like Jonah was in a big fish for three days, Jesus rose from the dead after three days.
What is today’s Bible verse? // 1 Corinthians 15:3 - Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day... (ESV)

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OT 67 God Saves Elisha From an Army

Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-23

Big Idea: Our invisible, everywhere, and good God is here to save us.

Verse: Jeremiah 23:24 - Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Invisible - cover your eyes with a hand
Everywhere - gesture with your hands in a wide circle
Good - two thumbs up
God - point up
Save us - make the baseball “safe!” sign with your arms

Motions for the Verse:
Man - point to yourself
Hide himself - hide your face behind your hands
Secret places - peek your eyes out from behind your hands (after doing the previous motions)
See him - pretend to look through binoculars
Declares the Lord - point up rhythmically on each word (Declares... the... Lord...)
Fill - hold your arms in front of you palms up, then raise them up above your head
Heaven and earth - point up, then slap the ground

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who heard everything the King of Aram said? Why? (Elisha, God let him hear everything he said.)
• The King of Aram was mad that Elisha heard everything. What did he do next? (Sent soldiers to capture Elisha.)
• Who came out and saw that Elisha’s house was surrounded with soldiers? (Elisha’s servant.)
• After Elisha prayed, what did Elisha’s servant see? (Angel soldiers with horses/chariots, surrounded by fire)
• After Elisha prayed, what happened to the soldiers? (They were made blind.)
• After Elisha led the blind soldiers to the King of Israel, did he hurt them or let them go? (Let them go.)
• After God made the soldiers blind, did the King of Aram keep fighting the Israelites or give up? (Gave up.)
• What is today’s big idea? (Our invisible, everywhere, and good God is here to save us.)
• What does it mean that God is invisible? Everywhere? Good? (You can turn this into 3 questions.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (Jeremiah 23:24 - Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.)

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OT 66 God Heals Naaman

Reference: 2 Kings 5

Big Idea: Put your faith in our Mighty Savior to be saved.

Verse: John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ESV

Motions for the Big Idea:
Faith - tap your temple with a finger, then tap the fist of that hand on top of another fist*
Mighty - flex your muscles
Savior - make the baseball “Safe” sign with your arms
Saved - make the baseball “Safe” sign again
*This is the ASL sign for faith. See here to watch a video.

Motions for the Verse:
God - point up
Loved - hands over your heart
World - trace a large circle in the air
Gave - cup your hands and gesture away from you
Son - pretend to hold a baby
Believes -  tap your temple with a finger, then tap the fist of that hand on top of another fist*
Perish - cross your forearms over your chest and close your eyes
Eternal life - draw a repeated sideways “8” in the air with your finger
*This is the ASL sign for faith. See here to watch a video.

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who was the prophet in today’s story? (Elisha.)
• What was Naaman’s job? (A commander in the army of Aram.)
• What was Naaman’s problem? (He had a skin disease.)
• What did Elisha’s messenger tell Naaman to do? (Dip in the Jordan River seven times.)
• How did Naaman feel after Elisha sent his messenger to tell him what to do? (Angry.)
• What happened to Naaman after he dipped seven times in the Jordan River? (His disease was healed.)
• Who healed Naaman’s disease? (God.)
• How can you and I be saved, by obeying God’s law or by faith in Jesus? (Faith in Jesus.)
• What is today’s big idea? (Put your faith in our Mighty Savior to be saved.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ESV)

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OT 65 Elisha's Miracles

Reference: 2 Kings 2 and 4

Big Idea: God’s miracles are signs that point us to him.

Verse: Psalm 77:14 - You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
God’s - point up
Miracles - hold your hands above your head and wiggle them in celebration
Signs - hold your palm facing out, pretend to write on it using the other hand
Point - point with your finger straight ahead
Him - point up

Motions for the Verse:
God - points up
Wonders - wiggle your fingers and look up in awe
Known - tap your head
Might - flex your muscles
Peoples - gesture with your palms skyward to other people in the room

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who was God’s prophet in today’s story? (Elisha.)
What was wrong with the water? (It was bad, make plants and animals sick.)
What did Elisha put into the bad water to make it pure? (Salt.)
There was a woman who owed money to people. What were they going to do with her sons? (Take them away and make them slaves.)
What did Elisha tell this woman to to and borrow? (Jars from her neighbors.)
What amazing thing happened when the woman’s little jar of oil? (It kept filling up jar after jar.)
What miracle happened after a woman’s little boy died? (He came back to life.)
What big miracle shows us that Jesus is God’s Son? (He rose from the dead.)
What is today’s big idea? (God’s miracles are signs that point us to him.)
What is today’s Bible verse? (Psalm 77:14 - You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. ESV)

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OT 64 Elijah is Taken to Heaven

Reference: 2 Kings 2:1-18

Big Idea: God’s Spirit gives us power to obey him.

Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
God’s Spirit - point up
Gives - pretend to hold something and give it to another
Power - flex your muscles
Obey - form the letter “O” with your arms

Motions for the Verse:
Do you not - wag your finger “no”
Know - tap  your brain
You - point to someone else
God’s - point up
Temple - form a roof over your head with your arms
God’s Spirit - same as above
Dwells in you - hit your chest one time for each word

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who did God pick to be the next prophet after Elijah? (Elisha.)
• What was God going to do to Elijah? (Take him to heaven.)
• Elijah kept telling Elisha to stay behind; what did Elisha say? (I won’t leave you.)
• What happened when Elijah hit the Jordan River with his coat? (It parted in two and they walked across.)
• What did Elisha ask Elijah to give him? (A double share of his spirit, to have God’s power with him)
• What came and took Elijah to heaven? (A chariot of fire.)
• When Elisha picked up Elijah’s coat and hit the river, what happened? (Same thing as happened for Elijah.)
• Did God’s Spirit come and give power to Elisha, just like he did for Elisha? (Yes.)
• What is today’s big idea? (God’s Spirit gives us power to obey him.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? ESV)

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OT 63 Elijah vs. the Prophets of Baal

Reference: 1 Kings 18

Big Idea: The Lord is the one and only God.

Verse: Deuteronomy 4:35 - To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. ESV

Motions for the Big Idea:
Lord - point up
One - hold up one finger
Only - form a large “O” with your arms
God - point up

Motions for the Verse:
You - point to someone else
Know - tap your temple
Lord is God - point up on each word (Lord...is...God...)
No other - repeatedly do the baseball “safe!” sign (to indicate “no”)
Besides him - pretend to put your arm around someone “beside” you

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Why did God make it not rain in Israel? (King Ahab and the people worshipped pretend gods.)
• Who was God’s prophet in today’s story? (Elijah.)
• Where did the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal take place? (Mount Carmel.)
• How would the people of Israel know who was the real God? (The God who sent fire from the sky.)
• The prophets of Baal prayed to him all day. Did Baal answer? Why or why not? (No, because he’s not real.)
• What did Elijah have people do to his altar? (Pour four jugs of water over it three times.)
• What happened after Elijah prayed? (God sent fire from heaven that burned up the entire altar.)
• What did the people of Israel say after God sent the fire? (The Lord is the one and only God.)
• What is today’s big idea? (The Lord is the one and only God.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (Deuteronomy 4:35 - ...that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. ESV)

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OT 62 Elijah and the Widow

Reference: 1 Kings 17

Big Idea: The word of the Lord is true.

Verse: Numbers 23:19 - God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Word - point to your lips
Lord - point up
True - touch your lips with your index finger, then point forward*
*This is the ASL Sign for “true”

Motions for the Verse:
God - point up
Is Not - wag your finger “No”
Man - flex your muscles to look “manly”
Lie - point to your lips
Son of man - pretend to cradle a baby
Change - pretend to grip the top and bottom of a steering wheel, then turn it 180°
Mind - tap your brain

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who was the prophet who spoke God’s message in today’s story? (Elijah.)
• Because evil King Ahab worshipped pretend gods, what did God make happen? (Stopping raining.)
• What did God make the ravens do? (Bring meat and bread to Elijah.)
• After the brook dried up, whose house did God send Elijah to? (A widow.)
• The widow and her son thought they would die. Why? (Because they were running out of food.)
• What did Elijah tell the widow to do? (Make him some bread first.)
• What happened to the widow’s flour and oil? (It never ended; it kept filling up)
• What happened after the widow’s son stopped breathing? (Elijah prayed and God let the boy live)
• What is today’s big idea? (The word of the Lord is true.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (Numbers 23:19 - God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. ESV)

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