Read an Excerpt
Believe Kids' Edition
Think, Act, Be Like Jesus
By Randy Frazee ZONDERVAN
Copyright © 2015 Zondervan
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-74601-0
CHAPTER 1
God
* KEY QUESTION:
Who is God?
* KEY IDEA:
I believe the God of the Bible is the only true God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
* KEY VERSE:
May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May the love that God has given us be with you. And may the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14
The Trinity Is There at Creation
Rain is water. Ice is water. Steam is water. All three forms of water are still water. Similarly, God is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. God is actually three persons. We call this the "Trinity." We see clues to the Trinity early in the creation story. The second verse of the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit was already on the scene. And Genesis 1:26 tells us that God said, "Let us make human beings so that they are like us." Who is "us"? The Trinity!
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth didn't have any shape. And it was empty. There was darkness over the surface of the waves. At that time, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day." He called the darkness "night." There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one.
God said, "Let there be a huge space between the waters. Let it separate water from water." And that's exactly what happened. God made the huge space between the waters. He separated the water under the space from the water above it. God called the huge space "sky." There was evening, and there was morning. It was day two.
God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear." And that's exactly what happened. God called the dry ground "land." He called all the water that was gathered together "seas." And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let the land produce plants. Let them produce their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that grow fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds." And that's exactly what happened. So the land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. And the land produced trees that grew fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day three.
God said, "Let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let the lights set the times for the holy celebrations and the days and the years. Let them be lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth." And that's exactly what happened. God made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. God put the lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. He put them there to rule over the day and the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day four.
God said, "Let the seas be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky." So God created the great sea creatures. He created every kind of living thing that fills the seas and moves about in them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them. He said, "Have little ones so that there will be many of you. Fill the water in the seas. Let there be more and more birds on the earth." There was evening, and there was morning. It was day five.
God said, "Let the land produce every kind of living creature. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals." And that's exactly what happened. God made every kind of wild animal. He made every kind of livestock. He made every kind of creature that moves along the ground. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let us make human beings so that they are like us. Let them rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the livestock and all the wild animals. And let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Genesis 1:1–26
The Trinity Is There at Jesus' Baptism
We also get a glimpse of all three members of the Trinity in the New Testament at Jesus' baptism. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. He was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist, a great man of God. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came to rest on him in the form of a dove, and God the Father spoke to him from heaven.
The people were waiting. They were expecting something. They were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I am will come. I'm not good enough to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His pitchfork is in his hand to toss the straw away from his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can't be put out." John said many other things to warn the people. He also announced the good news to them. Luke 3:15–18
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened. The Holy Spirit came to rest on him in the form of a dove. A voice came from heaven. It said, "You are my Son, and I love you. I am very pleased with you." Luke 3:21–22
Discussion Questions:
1. What is your favorite part of creation? What is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in nature? Did that sight make you think of God? Why or why not?
2. Which person of the Trinity do you think is the easiest to understand: Father, Son or the Holy Spirit? Which do you think is the hardest to understand? Why?
3. Look at our key verse at the top of the chapter. What are the different ways each member of the Trinity relates to us? Which do you like best?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Believe Kids' Edition by Randy Frazee. Copyright © 2015 Zondervan. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
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