Memory verse
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 14:15
Roman Urdu Agar tum mujh se muhabbat rakhte ho to mere hukmon par amal karo.
Teaching the lesson
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Rules are not the enemy
Start by asking the class to imagine a cricket match with no rules at all. Not freedom u2014 chaos, and the strongest boy wins every time. Rules are what make the game possible. God's law works the same way.
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The first four: loving God
No other gods, no idols, honour His name, keep the Sabbath. These four are about our relationship with God Himself. In Pakistan our children live among many beliefs; teach these gently and without insulting anyone, focusing on who our God is rather than on who others follow.
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The last six: loving people
Honour parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, do not covet. Ask the class which of these they see broken most often around them. Lying and coveting will come up, and they are right.
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Jesus summed them up
Jesus said all the law hangs on two commands: love God, love your neighbour. Write the ten on the board in two columns and show how the first column is one command and the second is the other.
Activity
Sort the ten. Write each commandment on a card and shuffle them. In two teams the children sort them into "loving God" and "loving people" and then put them in order. First team finished reads them aloud.
Craft
Two stone tablets from grey card, folded so they stand. On one the children write the first four in their own words, on the other the last six. The point of "in their own words" is that they must understand each one to write it.
Closing prayer
Lord God, thank You for showing us how to live instead of leaving us to guess. Help me to love You with all my heart and to love the people around me. Forgive me where I have failed. Amen.
This lesson is free to use
Print it, photocopy it, retype it or translate it into Punjabi, Sindhi or Pashto for your own class. You do not need permission and you do not need to tell us. The only thing asked in return is that it is never sold to a teacher who cannot afford it.
