Phil Vischer, Founder of Jellyfish Labs and co-creator of the acclaimed VeggieTales, opens the Bible to a tiny book all the way at the back. With the help of some animated friends, Phil walks through the entire book of 1 John to answer the question, “What is a Christian?”
This pioneering series packs tons of good theology into short sessions that toddlers to adults will enjoy. Learn not only what the Bible says, but also why and what it means for us today.
Use these questions to talk to your child about the message of 1 John. The consider taking the so-what challenge to incorporate this session’s message into your own life alongside your child.
Read Again
1 John 1:1–4
“We write you now about something that has always existed. We have heard. We have seen with our own eyes. We have watched, and we have touched with our hands. We write to you about the Word that gives life.” (1 John 1:1, ICB)
- Why does John talk about sense like “hearing,” “seeing” and “touching”? (To show that he was with Jesus and has the authority to teach.)
- What is the “Good News” about Jesus? (That He can give us a “forever kind of life” with God.)
- John wants us to have “fellowship” with God. What’s fellowship? (Doing life together with friends. Enjoying being together.)
- What is “joy”? (The best kind of happy—hug happy—that lasts much longer than “cookie happy.”)
- Is it wrong to want to be happy? (No. God wants us to be happy. But He wants us to be the best kind of happy, and that comes from being with Him, not from a cookie.)
- What kinds of things make you the happiest? Name some things that make you “cookie happy.” Name some things that make you “hug happy.”
So What?
For toddlers: Say out loud three times: “God loves me and He wants to be my forever-friend.”
For grade schoolers: Give a parent or a sibling a hug. Say: “God gives us joy. Hug happy.”
For you: Go out of your way to do something fun or exciting with your child. Say: “The fun we have together is the kind of joy God wants to have with you.”