SAY: God said, I am with you. SAY: God told Paul, No one will hurt you. SAY: Paul listened to God.

Transcription

1 People Tell It! Open your Bible to Acts 15, and show kids the words. SAY: In the Bible, Paul preached the good news about Jesus everywhere he went. Some people listened to Paul and believed what he told them, but some people laughed at and insulted Paul. Paul and his friend Silas even ended up in prison for preaching about what they believed. We ll act out what happened next. Everybody stand up. Half of you will be Paul, and the other half will be God. I ll tell you what to say and do. One night God came to Paul in a vision. Have the God group walk to the Paul group. Have the Paul group look up and say, Is that you, God? SAY: God told Paul, Don t be afraid! Speak out! Have the Paul group look afraid. Have the God group say, Don t be afraid. SAY: God said, I am with you. Have the God group give the Paul group a hug. SAY: God told Paul, No one will hurt you. Have the God group say, It s okay, Paul. SAY: Paul listened to God. Have the Paul group hold their hands to their ears as if listening. SAY: For the next year and a half, Paul stayed where he was and taught God s Word. Have the Paul group stand up straight and say, Jesus is Lord. ASK: What does God s message to Paul mean to you? Why don t we need to be afraid to talk about Jesus? SAY: Although Paul could have been scared of being laughed at or put in prison, he listened to God. Paul knew God was with him, so he wasn t afraid to talk about Jesus. And AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT JESUS, EITHER. 41

2 Picture Draw It! Distribute the Pipsqueaks Markers, and give several pieces of paper to each child. Ask kids to think of things that make them feel afraid or worried. Play Wherever You Go (Joshua 1:9) (track 7) on the CD as kids represent their fears and worries on the papers, one fear or worry per sheet of paper. Kids can write one word to represent the fear or draw a picture if they re more comfortable with that. ASK: What are some things you re afraid of or feel worried about? How can God help you the next time you re afraid or worried? SAY: God is with us wherever we go. We don t need to be scared of [fill in the blank]. Most important, we don t have to be scared to talk about Jesus. Remember what God told Paul in our Bible lesson today: AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT Have kids crumple up their fear papers and throw them away. For example, a child who is afraid of the dark could write the word or draw a dark room. Or someone who is worried about going to school could write or draw about school. 42

3 Body Grab It! Have one child sit in the middle of the room with eyes closed. This child will be the Tagger. Place two Wacky Whirlers next to the child. Have the child (with eyes closed) feel where the whirlers are, but not hold them. Have the other children form two teams, and have teams stand on opposite sides of the room. Continue playing as time allows. ASK: What was it like to sneak up and grab a whirler? When have you been afraid to talk about Jesus? SAY: In this game, you might have been afraid to get tagged. There are scary things about telling others about Jesus. We might get teased or laughed at. But as God reminded Paul, SAY: When I say Go, one person from each team will try to sneak up and grab a whirler without being caught. If you re the Tagger in the middle with your eyes closed, you ll listen carefully and try to tag anyone grabbing a whirler. No peeking! If you re trying to grab a whirler and you re tagged, you ll have to return to your team and let someone else from your team try to get the whirler. If you manage to get the whirler without being tagged, take it back to your team and yell, I m not afraid. Then you ll become the Tagger in the middle. 43

4 Logic Speak It! Form groups of three. SAY: One night God came to Paul and talked to him in a vision. God told Paul, Speak out. Don t be silent. God doesn t want us to be afraid to talk about Jesus either. One of the reasons we re sometimes afraid to talk about Jesus is that we don t know what to say. Let s practice talking about Jesus in our groups so we ll know what to say the next time someone asks us about Jesus. ASK: What was it like talking about Jesus just now? What can you tell someone this week about Jesus? SAY: We know God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for our sins. Because of what Jesus did, we can have a friendship with God. We can tell everyone we know about Jesus. AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT Encourage children to tell their groups one thing they know about Jesus. Have other group members ask questions about that thing. If kids don t know the answers, help them and encourage them to continue talking about Jesus. 44

5 Self Toss It! Have kids sit in a circle. Mold the Buzz Play Foam into a ball, and hold it in your hand. SAY: Let s talk about things we re afraid of. I ll think of something I m afraid of and then mold this foam into a shape that represents it. See if you can guess what I m afraid of. Sculpt the Buzz Play Foam into a shape. For example, you might form a dog or a bolt of lightning. See if kids can guess what you re afraid of by looking at what you shaped. Then pass the foam to someone else, and repeat the activity. Make sure everyone gets a turn; it s okay if kids share the same fear. ASK: What helps you when you re afraid? What can help you not be afraid when you talk about Jesus? SAY: God wants us to tell everyone we know about Jesus. Sometimes that can be scary. Paul knew exactly what was scary because he used to hurt Christians for talking about Jesus! Even when it s scary, God will always be with us and help us to tell others about Jesus. That s why AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT 45