OBJECTS: The Bible and Nine Lettered Cards Spelling
the Word "Salvation"=
Hold up the Bible and say: "This is God's Mail-bag; the Holy Bible,
filled with holy letters for you. This Mail-bag came from heaven. It
contains God's latest wonderful message. I am God's letter-carrier. I
have nine special-delivery letters. They are all directed to you. My
business is to carry the mail for God. I will now deliver the mail
God has addressed to you."
Before the meeting secure nine envelopes, commercial size, and on
each draw in large outlines one of the letters in the word Salvation.
Before the meeting place these letters in various parts of the Bible.
Holding the open Bible in your hand, you say: "I have now opened the
Mail-bag from God, and find nine letters for you. The first letter
you take from the Bible you find in Genesis, and it is the letter
'S.'" Give this to the child who takes the first place in the line.
Explain that the message which you wish them to remember is the
message of the Ark. Eight souls were saved in this big ship. All were
invited, only those who accepted were saved. All who did accept were
safely delivered into the new world. During the voyage they just
trusted God. He fed them as he did the widow with her cruse of oil
and little portion of meal. The supply was given each day according
to their need.
God will take care of you. God will supply all your need. This is the
message of "S." It is a lesson in salvation. Now produce the letter
"A" from Genesis containing the story of Joseph. Give this to some
child who now takes his place next to the child with the letter "S."
The message God gives from this story is that Truth wins out at last.
Joseph, hated, sold in slavery, because of false accusation cast into
prison, but at last elevated to the throne, did not forget the home
folks. These are great facts to be remembered because they were steps
upward. Because he was true to God, he found his feet at last walking
in the golden way of true success. That is the message of the letter
"A." This is a story of salvation.
Return to the Mail-bag, and draw out the letter "L" from the book of
Daniel. Give that to the child next in line. This is a letter from
Daniel, and his message is always dare to stand firm for God. When
away from your home as was Daniel, don't be ashamed to let people
know that you pray. Daniel prayed before the open window because he
was not ashamed to be seen talking to God. He faced the lions as well
as the people, and God gave him the victory over both, and his
testimony counted one hundred per cent, because he was a real servant
of the Most High God, and this is another story of salvation.
Open the Mail-bag again, and produce the letter "V," from the story
of the Hebrew Children, asking another child to hold the letter,
standing next in line. The message from these three faithful boys is
that God's children should stand together like three links in a
chain. This gives strength stronger than iron. Good companionship is
the need of boys today. Fall in with the right crowd. A minister of
the gospel, who was appointed spiritual adviser to a boy about to be
executed, asked him one day what was his first step downward, and he
replied, "I fell in with the wrong crowd." The Hebrew Children were a
crowd made good by God, and they went through the fire before they
would bend their knees to the idols of the heathen land. God stands
with such a crowd; one and two made four in God's table of numbers.
He is always in the midst of them. Jesus said, "Where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
The king saw him and said, "He is like unto the Son of man," and this
was the reason. Three boys were fire-proof saints, so the fire did
them no hurt.
Open the Mail-bag again and produce the letter "A." This you take
from Psalms--open to the Twenty-third Psalm. This letter hand to
another child and tell the message of the Psalm, God is the Shepherd
of his people, and his sheep shall know no want. They shall find
green pastures, which signifies fresh pastures. Still water, deep
waters, and so an endless supply. Still water runs deep in the
Twenty-third Psalm. Paths of righteousness open up before the soul,
like the golden sunrise every morning. Evil cannot make afraid, no
enemy can destroy. Goodness and mercy, like two faithful shepherd
dogs, follow and protect in the rear till the house of the Lord lifts
itself above the clouds of time, and the "forever with the Lord"
comes at last to all who follow the Good Shepherd. This is the story
of salvation from our enemies and the open door to the house of the
Lord in heaven.
At the first part of Matthew open again the Bible Mail-bag and take
out the letter "T," and ask another child to hold it and take his
place in line as before. Let this letter stand for the birth of
Jesus, the Angels' glad song, and the sky's "Merry Christmas" to the
Shepherd with its glad melody of Jesus now born among men, the
Virgin's Son. This is the story of the Glory Song of Salvation.
Open again the Bible Mail-bag at the resurrection and take out the
letter "I," asking another child to take his place in line with this
letter. This letter delivers the message of the resurrection of
Christ. It is God's special-delivery letter that the last and latest
news is that Christ is risen from the grave, and orders that all the
bells of joy shall be rung and the message declared to all the
people. Salvation has been accomplished, and the stone that was
rolled away from the grave by an angel's hand, has become the
keystone of our faith. This is the story of salvation from the grave.
Now take out the letter "O" from the Bible Mail-bag opened at the
book of Acts. This is to proclaim how the gospel works among men, how
it turned cities upside down, and multitudes were converted. It
proclaims that all must be saved through the name of Jesus. Even the
wicked Saul of Tarsus is turned into another man by the gospel's
power, and all who will come in truth will also be turned, and by
God's grace will stay turned. This is the story of the salvation of
the soul. Tell the children that they can never get God's full mail
from just one letter from the book. We must seek to get all God has
said before we can know his perfect truth.
There is yet one more letter to come to give the full Bible message.
Open once more the Mail-bag, and in the book of Revelation you find
the last letter from God, and then you produce the letter "N." Ask
again some child to come forward and hold this letter standing last
in the line. This is the message of the book of Revelation. "Jesus is
coming back again," and our prayer should be "Come back, Lord Jesus,
the world is on fire, come back quickly."
Now you will note the nine letters from God spell "Salvation." That
is the message the Mail-bag contains. This is the message to you and
to the world. God's Mail-bag contains nine letters for the "Whosoever
Tribe," which means all kindreds and tribes that on the earth do
well. These letters can then be pinned up on some background in the
form of a cross, teaching the truth that Salvation comes only through
the Cross. There is no other way.
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