Families, as we look to study the Word with our families through this series in Revelation, we will look at Bible stories, characters and/or themes in other books of the Bible that correlate to the Letters to the Churches. We believe this will help your child to better understand what Jesus was revealing to each church.
Week 1
Revelation 1:5 NIrV “May grace and peace come to you from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness, so what He has shown can be trusted. He was the first to rise from the dead. He rules over the kings of the earth. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ who loves us! He has set us free from our sins by pouring out his blood for us.”
This passage of scripture tells us Jesus is the “faithful witness.” Being a “witness” means Jesus does what He says He will do. He is true to His word.
Read John 14:6 together.
In this moment in scripture, Jesus is sat down with His disciples. He is comforting them with His words. He states the He is “…the truth… .” What does Jesus being “the truth” mean? How does this verse in John correlate to Revelation 1:5? How is Jesus “the faithful witness?” Can you give some examples from the Bible of Jesus being a faithful witness?
Now that we know Jesus is true to His word, and that He is truth, how does that help us in our daily lives?
Week 2
Revelation 2:4-5 NIrV “But here is something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first. Think about how far you have fallen! Turn away from your sins. Do the things you did at first…”
Revelation 2:1-7 is a letter to the church in Ephesus from Jesus. From the passage above (4-5), what have the people in the church of Ephesus turned away from? Jesus then tells the people to do 3 things. List the 3 things they are to do.
Why is Jesus giving the Church in Ephesus this reminder? Let’s read Matthew 22:37-40. This passage is often referred to as ‘The Greatest Commandment.’ What does the Bible say is the “first and most important commandment?
Jesus told the church in Ephesus they had turned away from their first love and passion for Jesus. He was reminding them to remember this love, this commandment. And in turn, their passion and zeal would come back and they would share the good news of Jesus with others. Read verse 39 again. How can you “love your neighbors as yourself?” Think of a few ways you can love your “neighbors” this week and make it happen!
Week 3
In Revelation 2:8-11, John is writing a letter from Jesus to the church in Smyrna. In verse 9, Jesus is telling His people “I know that you suffer and are poor.”… He also says in verse 10, “Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer…Be faithful, even if it means you must die. Then I will give you life as your crown of victory.”
The believers in Smyrna were under persecution and suffering for following the teachings of Jesus. This is similar to an Old Testament story about a man named Daniel and his three friends.
Read Daniel 1:1-7. The city of Jerusalem was attacked by the king of Babylon and his armies. The king of Bablylon, Nebuchadnezzer, served false gods. He did not believe in the one, true God.
In verse 3, what did Nebuchadnezzar order his chief of court officials to do? In verse 6, we discover who some of these men were that Ashpenaz chose to serve in the king’s court. What are their names?
These men were in a new palace, being trained to serve under the rule of an evil king. But, Daniel was faithful to God. Read more about Daniel and his friends in verses 8-16.
Daniel and his friends stayed faithful and would not eat or drink the king’s food and wine. What did they eat and drink? After 10 days, they were tested. What did the guard find after the 10 days?
Because of their faithfulness to God, “God gave knowledge and understanding to these four young men. So they understood all kinds of writings and subjects. And Daniel could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.” (verse 17)
Week 4
In Revelation 2:12-17, Jesus has written a letter to the church in Pergamum. Jesus has a warning for this church. In verse 14 he writes, “But I have a few things against you. Some of your people follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to lead the people of Israel into sin.” This means there were false teachers within the church. Take a moment to define ‘false teachers’ . These false teachers were teaching false beliefs that did not belong to God. These teachings were leading the people into sin.
The story of Balaam goes all the way back to the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Balaam had been a prophet and was delivering messages to God’s people. Later on in Numbers, we learn that Balaam had led the Israelites astray by false teachings (Numbers 31:16).
The Bible warns of false teachers and to watch out for them. We can find and read several verses about false prophets and teachers in the Bible.
Find and read together these verses:
- Deuteronomy 18:20
- Matthew 7:15
- Acts 20:28-30
- 2 Peter 2:1
How can we, as believers, know what is the right and true word of God? It’s by knowing what the Word of God, the Bible, says!
What are ways you can learn what the Bible says? Discuss together and then spend time praying over your children.
Here is a helpful link to an article on teaching your children how to spot false teaching.
Week 5
This week, take 5 minutes to watch this video from The Gospel Project. Notice how the churches are told over and over again, “Pay attention to this message from the Spirit. Jesus will reward His faithful believers.” Jesus kept encouraging the believers to turn away from their sins and remain faithful.
What are some sins you might struggle with? Jesus encourages you to turn away from your sin and remain faithful. In what ways can Jesus help you turn away from sin? What does it mean to ‘remain faithful?’
Spend time in prayer with one another.
Week 6
Revelation 3:1-6 is a letter to the church in Sardis. Sardis was a powerful and strong city. However, at one point in history, a Persian king discovered a weak point in their city wall. He sent someone to climb the wall surrounding the city. There was not a watchman looking over to protect the wall. The climber was able to sneak inside this strong and powerful city and open the gates for the Persian army. They came into the city and defeated them. And surprisingly, it happened a second time! In this letter, Jesus is reminding them to “Wake up!” To be watchful and remain strong in their faith or it (your faith) will die.
Talk with your family about faith, and what you believe the Word says about Jesus, His ministry and His commands for us.
Open the Bible to 1 Corinthians 16:13. What command is given in this verse?
What does it mean for a believer to walk strong in their faith?
How can you stay spiritually strong and alert?
Spend time in prayer and ask God to strengthen your faith. Encourage one another to pray more this week, spend more time in the Bible and live out your faith more boldly.
Week 7
Revelation 3:7-13 is a letter written to the church in Philadelphia. God commends the church in verse 10, “You have kept my command to remain strong in the faith no matter what happens. So I will keep you from the time of suffering…” In verse 12, the letter continues, “Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will make that person a pillar in the temple of my God. They will never leave it again. I will write the name of my God on them….”
The church in Philadelphia was a faithful church. They were obedient in following God and doing what was asked of them. In verse 8, the letter mentions how the church had “little power,” but they still kept God’s words and did not deny His name.
In the Old Testament, we find an example of faithfulness during persecution through a man named Joseph. In Genesis chapters 37 and 39-45, we read of Joseph’s long journey through jealousy, betrayal, endurance, faithfulness and victory. It would seem that Joseph had little power, but kept God’s word and did not deny His name.
Click here for a short Bible Story video of Joseph.
After viewing the video, talk about Joseph and his life. What hard things did Joseph come up against?
Through each thing that Joseph suffered through, he chose to remain faithful to God. In what ways did he remain faithful?
What did God say in Revelation 3:12 if we, as believers, remain faithful?
The Lord blessed the church in Philadelphia because they were faithful. The Lord promises to bless us when we are faithful to Him.