SCHOOLS CONNECTED WITH THIS ASSOCIATION Church of Christ, West Street, Newton Church of Christ, Walters Rd., Dominion Rd. 9.30 a.m. Church of Christ, Near Railway Crossing, Frankton Junction Huntly, Miner's Institute New Plymouth: Church of Christ, Leach Street Church ca Christ, (1st and 4th Sundays) New Series No.7 First Steps in Bible Knowledge For Use in Sunday Schools, And in the Home, And by Young People Generally Price 34, Issued by the Direction of The N.Z. Evangelistic & Publication Association (Inc.) 1 West Street Auckland, €.2 (CHURCHES OF CHRIST,) (Holding Life and Advent Traths.) 1948 “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Beclesiastes 12:1)THINGS TO REMEMBER Dear Boys and Girls, There are many things which we all learn, and then forget: but some things are so im- portant that we ought to impress them upon our memories, so that we shall never forget them. The Truths from the Bible come first. Here are some of the greatest ones. Learn them over and over again, and you will be glad all your lives that you did. 1. WHO IS GOD? God is the great Heavenly Being Who i living and true (Genesis 1: 1. 5: 12. Acts 17: 24, 25. Revelation 4: 11.) 2. HOW OUGHT WE TO THINK OF GOD? We cannot see God, but we know from the Bible that He is holy, good, loving, all-wise, all-powerful, immortal. (Hxodus 34: 6. Leviticus 19: 2. Jeremiah 82:17. Daniel 7:9. I Timothy 1:17. Revelation 4: 2, 3.) 3, WHERE DO WE LEARN OF GOD? First of all in the Bible, which every where tells of Him; then we perceive His power in all creation. (Psalm 19: 1. Hebi 1: 1,2. Romans 1: 20.) 4, WHAT IS THE BIBLE? It is God’s Word, absolutely true, perfectly pure, and unchangeable; to it we should earnestly give heed. (Psalm 12: 6; 119: 11, 89. John 17: 17. II Timothy 8: 16. II Peter Beeiey 5. WHAT IS PRAYER? Prayer is the practice of speaking to God, in thanksgiving and request. (Psalm 37: 5; 5B: 17. Luke 18: 1. Philippians 4: 6.) 16. DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYER? God will answer Prayer according to His will, if we seek Him in sincerity and faith, praying in the Name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 12: 1-19. James 5: 16.) 7. WHO IS THE LORD JESUS? He is God’s Only-Begotten Son, and our Saviour. (John 3:16. Hebrews 1: 1-3.) 8 WHAT ARE WE? We are creatures made by God, that_we should be pleasing to Him and enjoy His blessing. (Genesis 1: 26-28. Revelation 4: 11.) 9. HOW DID OUR HUMAN RACE BEGIN? God made a man out of dust, and caused him to breathe, and he lived. (Genesis 2: 7.) 10. WHAT IS SIN? Sin is the satisfying of our own desires contrary to God’s will. (I John 3: 4.) ll, ARE WE ALL SINNERS? ‘Yes, there is none without sin. (Isaiah 58: 6. Romans 8: 10, 28.) 12. WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN? ‘The punishment for unrepented and unfor- given sin is death for the sinner. (Romans 6: 23. James 1: 15.) 18. WHAT IS DEATH? Death is the complete ending of our lives. (Genesis 3: 19. Psalm 6: 5; 146: 4. Hecle- siastes 3: 19; 9: 5.) 14, HOW ARE WE SAVED? We are saved by accepting God’s offer of salvation and everlasting life, through His Son crucified for us. (Isaiah 53: 5. Mark 15: 25. John 3: 36. Romans 10: 9, 10.) 2 ~~ 15. IS THE LORD JESUS ALIVE? Yes; He died and was buried, but was restored to life: and after showing Himself to those who loved Him, He returned to Heaven from where He had come. (Acts 1: 8,9. I Corinthians 15: 4-6. Revelation 1: 18.) 16. HOW DID THE LORD JESUS SHOW HIS CARE FOR CHILDREN? He encouraged little children to come to Him; and after His Resurrection, His com- mand to Peter was, “Feed My Lambs.” (Mark 10: 18-16. John 21: 15.) 17, WHAT IS THE CHURCH? ‘The “Church” is a word (as it is used in the Bible) meaning all the people in the world who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only Saviour from sin and death. It is used also of any one group of such people meeting together. (Ephesians 1: 22, 23. I Corin- thians 1: 2. Philemon 2.) 18. WHAT IS BAPTISM? Baptism is a ceremony whereby those who believe in the Lord’ Jesus Christ are totally immersed in water to show that they reckon their old sinful selves to have died with Christ, and that they are risen with Him to a new life of holiness. (Acts 8: 88. Romans 6: 3-5. Colossians 2: 12.) 19. WHAT IS THE LORD'S SUPPER? ‘The Lord’s Supper is the Memorial Feast introduced by our Lord on the night of His betrayal. He asked that it be observed con- stantly until His Return. Tt is deseribed in Matthew 26: 26-28, and I Corinthians 11: 28.26. 20. IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST COMING BACK? Yes, He is certainly coming back to earth. (Acts 1: 10, 11. Matthew 24: 29, 30.) 321. WHAT WILL HE DO WHEN HE COMES? He will gather the redeemed to Himself. (Matthew 24: 81. I Thessalonians 4: 13-18. Philippians 8: 20, 21.) ; then He will subdue sin and sinners throughout the world, and reign as King over the whole earth. (Isaiah 9: 6,7. Zechariah 14: 8, 4, 9.) 22, HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR THE LORD'S RETURN? By serving Him faithfully and lovingly every day, resisting all temptation to do any- thing wrong, and diligently doing what is right and good. (I Thessalonians 1: 10. IT Thessalonians 8: 5. Titus 2: 11-14.) 28. IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE THE LORD RETURNS, WHAT THEN? I shall sleep in the grave, awaiting the Resurrection, to take place when He comes back, (Psalm 17: 15. I Corinthians 15: 21-28.) 24. WHAT IS THE RESURRECTION? Resurrection is the restoring to life of those who have died. (John 11: 43, 44. Luke 24: 1-6.) 25, WILL EVERYONE WHO HAS DIED BE RESURRECTED? At the Lord’s Return the saved dead will be raised to everlasting life. (I Corinthians 15: 51-55. I Peter 1: 3-5.) The rest of the dead will be raised later, to be judged at the Great White Throne: those then condemned will be punished by the Second Death, from which there is no Resurrection, (John. 5: 28, 29. I Corinthians 15: 21-24. Revelation 20: 11-15.) 26. WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER THAT? God will bring in a new heaven and earth, and remove this present creation. ‘The new 4 — « will be very much better than the old, and all who are saved will have a joyful place in it; there will be no more sin, or pain, or sorrow, or death. (Revelation 20: 11-15; 21: 1-5.) 27. WHO ARE THE JEWS? ‘The Jews are God’s chosen nation: at first they were called Israelites. God gave them the Land of Palestine, but they have been seattered over the world because of their sins. (Genesis 15: 18. Deuteronomy 7: 6. Leviticus 26: 27, 88. Ezekiel 86: 16-19.) 28. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM? ‘They will yet be restored to their own land and be converted, and will become the most righteous nation the world has ever seen. (Ezekiel 86: 23-28. Isaiah 60: 21.) 29. WHEN WILL THAT HAPPEN? When the Lord Jesus comes back. His ‘Throne will be at Jerusalem, the capital City of Palestine, from which He will rule the whole world. (Luke 1: 82, 88. Isaiah 2: 2-4.) 30. CAN WE BE SURE OF THE TRUTH OF ALL THESE THINGS? Yes, as we simply take God at His Word, the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts and minds. (John 17: 17. Acts 8: 26-40. I PeterTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS Boys and Girls from 10 years and upwards are strongly advised to learn by heart the TEN COMMANDMENTS, found in Bxodus 20: 1-17, which gives the very words spoken by God’s own lips. AND God spake all these words, say- ing, 1 am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 1 ‘Thou shalt have no other gods be- fore me. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord y God ama jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing merey unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my com- mandments. 8, ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 4, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour; and do all thy work: 6 But the seventh day és the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, “nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them és, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 5 Honour thy father and thy mother : that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 6. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. ‘Thou shalt not steal. 9 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neigh- bour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything ‘that is thy neigh- bour’s. THE GOLDEN RULE should be learned and practised :— Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. (Matthew 7: 12.) = aPSALM 23 should also be memorised. Here it is: PSALM 23. A Psalm of David. THE Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul; he leadeth ‘me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup run- neth over. 6 Surely goodness and merey shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. THE LORD'S PRAYER is found in Matthew 6: 9-13. Every boy and girl should learn it:— Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.