3 rd -6 th. Saul Discovers the Good News Acts 9:1-19. Lesson #4-30. Sunday, April 15, 2018

Transcription

1 Sunday, April 15, 2018 Lesson #4-30 Saul Discovers the Good News Acts 9: rd -6 th Key Verse: The Point: [Saul] asked, Who are you, Lord? The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts 9:5 God sometimes calls the most unlikely people to do the work of spreading the gospel. Making Connections: Good News Spreads Bible Nuts & Bolts: Paul s Travels/Bible Maps Spiritual Practice: Service 1

2 Activities Supplies Unexpected people share the Good News. Bibles Activity Sheet #4-30.A Pens or pencils Use Bible maps to discover Paul s journey. Bibles Large wall map Star stickers Internet-connected devices Explore the characters in the story. Bibles Create an ongoing reminder of service. Construction paper Markers Tape White board or mural paper Markers 2

3 Notice change in others. None Pulling unexpected people together. Balloons String Optional: tape Share a snack based on the theme. Students continue their own Bible storybook. Raisins Chocolate chips Marshmallows Light-colored cereal oat or rice O s or squares Small plates Mixing Spoon Spoons Large bowl Small bowls Bible Book page (found at end of lesson) Cardstock or plain paper Pens Markers or crayons Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch None 3

4 Background for Teachers Story Connections Last week, we heard the glorious story of Jesus resurrection from the dead. As we move to Acts, the good news spreads. The early Christian believers faced great persecution at the hands of Saul and other Jews who did not agree that Jesus was the Messiah. Yet today s story is one of both conversion and calling. It is powerful to witness the way that God actively changes people s hearts and minds, turning them into believers who wholeheartedly preach God s word and teach others about Jesus death and resurrection. This story opens discussions about what it means to be a Christian in our everyday lives and how we hear God s call. Story Summary: Saul Discovers the Good News Saul was a leader among the persecutors of early Christians. He was a devout Jew who, like many others, did not believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. He defended his faith by doing whatever it took to eliminate the spreading of the news that Jesus is Lord, including imprisoning believers and persecuting leaders in the Christian church. As Saul walked along the road toward Damascus with the specific purpose of interrupting the preaching and teaching of Christians, he is literally stopped in his tracks along the road by a bright, blinding light. He fell to the ground as he heard the words, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Blinded by the experience, he was led to Damascus by his fellow travelers where he remained without sight for three days. The Point God sometimes calls the most unlikely people to do the work of spreading the gospel. This dramatic calling along the road to Damascus demonstrates the Holy Spirit s ability to change the hearts of people. Both Saul and Ananias were reluctant to carry out what they were called to do. God transforms people by changing their hearts and minds and calling them to service as people who share the story of Jesus love with others. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Paul s Travels/Bible Maps To understand Paul s use of letters and his relationship with the people of the early church, it is helpful to understand the geography affecting these relationships. Paul traveled to many cities and towns, spreading the story of Jesus. A map will show where these different churches were beginning, and how Paul traveled between them. Spiritual Practice: Service Ananias, originally frightened by the prospect of going near Saul, ends up partnering with him in his calling. Christians are called to work alongside one another, support one another, and work together to share God s love in their daily lives. 4

5 Lesson #4-30 (3rd-6th) Sunday, April 15, 2018 Lesson Plan Unexpected people share the good news. You will need: Bibles Activity Sheet #4-30.A Pens or pencils During class: 1. Pass out a copy of Activity Sheet #4-30.A to students and ask them to quickly follow the directions on the paper. Take a poll of which of the people on the sheet they felt God could use. 2. It can be hard to believe that God can use people who do terrible things, who break commandments and treat others poorly. Let s take a look at whether there are any examples in the Bible of God using people who behave in such ways for good. Have students look up the following verses: a. Someone who commits murder: Exodus 2:11-12 In these verses the young Moses goes out to see the Israelites being used as forced labor. When an Egyptian started beating a Hebrew, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in some nearby sand. This set in motion a series of events in which Moses fled, lived in the land of Midian for years, and eventually returned to lead the exodus of the Israelites. b. People who are not liked by others: Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was despised due to the way he treated others. Yet he was a great example of repentance and belief. c. Someone who lies: Genesis 27:19 Jacob lied to his father, Isaac, about his identity in order to receive the blessing that granted him dominion over many. He became the father of many nations. 5

6 3. Look at your activity sheet again. Is there anyone on there that God cannot use? [No.] We could look up a lot more verses in the Bible and find many more people with the same kinds of faults we find in all of us: people who lie, who take things that do not belong to them, who are selfish or proud, or who disobey the commandments. We see ways that, in spite of all their sin and brokenness, God can use them. 4. Allow students to name any other examples, either from the Bible or from their own experience, of how God uses unexpected people to share God s love and promises with others. 5. Let s pray: Gracious God, thank you for your everlasting love and goodness. We feel blessed that, even though we are broken and sinful, you love us and use us to share your love with others every day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 6

7 Use Bible maps to discover Paul s journey. You will need: Bibles Large wall map Star stickers Internet-connected devices Before class: 1. Locate a large wall map of the Middle East that you can put stickers on. Some churches already have maps of Paul s journeys. 2. Familiarize yourself with the geography listed below. Bibles often have good maps to use, or search the Internet. During class: 1. Have students gather around the large map. 2. Let s start at the beginning of Jesus story. Where was Jesus born? [Bethlehem.] Look up Bethlehem on your phone (or other Internet-connected devices), and then a volunteer can find and mark this location on the map. 3. Where was Jesus was during Holy Week? [Jerusalem.] Let s look up Jerusalem, and have someone mark this location on the map. 4. Paul came after Jesus had died, and started telling the story of Jesus and his resurrection. He told the story so much and to so many people, that churches started to develop in lots of different places. Paul left Jerusalem to spread the word of Jesus as far as he could. In his lifetime, he traveled almost 7000 miles to teach people about Jesus and God s love. Remember, this was before cars, trains, or planes! Let s find some of the places he visited, and we will mark them on our map. 5. Find and mark Philippi, Corinth, Antioch, Rome, and Ephesus. 7

8 Explore the characters in the story. You will need: Bibles During class: 1. Have students take out their Bibles. Provide a Bible to any student who does not have one. 2. Last week we heard the great news of Jesus resurrection. Mary became the first Christian witness as she shared the news of Jesus resurrection with others. From there, the Christian church began to spread. Today s lesson, from the book of Acts, comes a little later on. Although the church is growing and more and more people are being baptized and believing that Jesus is the Savior, more persecution is also coming from some Jewish leaders. Make sure to explain persecution if students are not familiar with that word. Persecution means that people were injured, imprisoned, or even killed for confessing Jesus as their savior. 3. One of the leaders of this persecution was a man named Saul. Saul was a leader among the Jews. He was a man who followed the rules and was seen as a great example to other Jewish believers. 4. Ask students to turn to Acts 9:1-19 in their Bibles. 5. Explain that you will be reading the passage from the Bible together, but need to divide into groups. Divide students so each of the following groups is represented by at least one student. (If your class is small, you can take a part yourself. If your class is more than four students, decide whether a small group will read each part or if some students will just listen and follow along.) a. Narrator: Reads all text that is not a direct quote b. Jesus: the voice that talks to Saul as well as appearing in a vision to Ananias c. Saul d. Ananias 6. If time allows, give students a few minutes to find their parts and preview them. Let them know that you would like them to read so their voice depicts the emotions they think that character was feeling at the time. 7. Read verses 1-19 using the assigned parts. 8

9 8. That is quite a story! It is one of the very dramatic stories in the Bible. Let s think a little bit about how much each of those characters changed during those verses we just read. Have students all stand up and face you. 9. In a minute, I am going to ask you to turn and face the opposite direction. When I name a person we read about in the story, you are going to turn yourselves around to let us know how much you think that person changed in the story. If the person changed completely, you will turn around and look right at me. If you think they did not change at all, you will keep facing away from me. If you think it is somewhere in between, you will turn partway around. Have them face away from you. 10. When students are in position and understand the directions, name the characters below one at a time. Ask the questions for each character before proceeding to the next one: Saul: Notice how much the students turned. Ask some of the following questions: Why did you turn around the amount you did? [Answers will vary.] Try to allow students with different responses to answer. How do you know Saul changed? [His sight was restored. He was baptized. He regained strength. He chose to spend time with the disciples after the experience.] How would you feel if you were Saul? [Answers will vary.] While it would be a scary experience, you can point out that many people long for such a direct contact from God and some more concrete ideas of what they should be doing. Ananias: Again, make an observation of how much students turned. Ask: Why did you turn around as much as you did? [Answers will vary.] What are some of the ways that Ananias changed? [He was reluctant to go to Saul at first, but then he went.] How would you feel if you were Ananias? [Frightened since you could not be sure how Saul would react. Privileged to be chosen by God. Surprised at what God can do.] Jesus. Again, make an observation of how much students turned. Ask: Why did you turn as much as you did? [Answers will vary.] Do you have any evidence that Jesus changed? [No.] 11. We are all changed by God s promises and presence in our lives. Most of us agreed that Saul changed a great deal even though he was not interested in changing at all as the story began. Even Ananias changed some. He was quite fearful and unsure at the beginning, yet he did what God asked. God can use people who are willing and unwilling, people who we would think of as good as well as people who we might think of as bad. The only one who does not change is Jesus. Instead of changing himself, Jesus (with the Father and the Holy Spirit) changes us instead. 9

10 Create an ongoing reminder of service. You will need: Construction paper Markers Tape White board or mural paper Markers Before class: 1. Cut construction paper into strips lengthwise. 2. This on-going project was begun last week. The students set a goal last week for the length of chain and amount of service that they would like to accomplish. During class: 1. Last week we set a goal to serve other people. Do you remember what our goal was? How long do we want our chain to be? How often does that mean you are trying to serve someone each week? 2. If students did not bring their links from home, have them complete them now. On individual strips of construction paper, have them write down what they did to serve someone else. They will each complete multiple strips, and them tape them into rings to make the chain. 3. Invite students to share how they served others during the week. 4. We have one more week to work especially hard to serve people. Let s remind ourselves of some of the ways that we can serve others, and write some ideas on the board. [Help friends at school, be a good listener, do the dishes or help clean at home, pass out bulletins at church, etc.] 5. We have so many ways that we can serve! Remember to continue to write down the things that we do to serve others during the week. Then each time we meet for class over the next couple of weeks, we will take our strips of service and make them into a chain with the rings. 6. You can send the construction paper slips home with the students to write on as they do this project; this would be a good reminder and connect the family with what they are doing. However, students may forget to bring the strips back each Sunday, so plan to have plenty on hand during class as well. 10

11 Notice change in others. You will need: Nothing During class: 1. Saul was changed in some dramatic ways through his encounter on the road to Damascus and during the few days afterward. His changes came about because Jesus was able to change him from the inside out. His heart and his thoughts were changed. 2. Jesus has changed all of our lives, too. Because we know of his incredible love, we are different than we would be otherwise. 3. Today we are going to play a game about change, but about physical changes you can notice when you look at a person. We are going to take turns creating small changes in ourselves and seeing how easily others notice them. 4. Have students, two at a time, step outside the room and help one another make a quick change to their physical appearance. This may involve moving a barrette or ponytail, untying a shoe, combing their hair differently, taking off a belt or tie, etc. 5. When they come back in the room, have the remaining students guess what changed. 6. Make sure each student gets at least one chance to make a change and have classmates guess. 7. Those changes are pretty superficial. That means they are not very meaningful and long lasting. You may have changed your hair or clothes, and you are likely to change them again tomorrow or even later today. But the changes that come from Jesus are much more lasting. Once we hear of God s tremendous love for us, we cannot help but be changed so much that we just have to share it with others like Saul did. 11

12 Pulling unexpected people together. You will need: Balloons String Optional: tape Before class: 1. Blow up two balloons so they are approximately the same size and tie a string to each one. During class: 1. Hang the two strings holding the balloons to the ceiling so they are about six inches apart from one another. They should be approximately the same height as a student s head when standing up. If it is difficult to hang them from the ceiling, have a tall person hold them by the string so they hang about six inches apart from one another, also at about head height. 2. Have a student volunteer stand facing the two balloons so his or her nose is pointed right in between the two balloons and the balloons are approximately six inches away from the volunteer s face. 3. If [Name] were to blow straight ahead right now toward the balloons, what would you expect to happen? [The balloons would move away from the volunteer.] 4. Encourage the volunteer to blow straight ahead, directly into the space between the balloons. What typically happens is that the balloons actually move toward one another? Depending on the speed of the air, the balloons may even touch one another. 5. Why do you think the balloons moved toward one another rather than away from each other? [Because when air is blown between the balloons, there is less air pressure in that space and the balloons move into that space.] 6. This demonstration can remind us of the story of Saul s conversion. Saul was trying to push away other Christians by persecuting them. Ananias did not want anything to do with Saul, either. Yet God brought them together in a very unexpected way. It is amazing what God can do and how people are brought together to accomplish God s work. 7. As time allows, give other students the opportunity to take turns blowing on the balloons. 12

13 Share a snack based on the theme. You will need: Raisins Chocolate chips Marshmallows Light-colored cereal oat or rice O s or squares Small plates Mixing Spoon Spoons Large bowl Small bowls Before class: 1. Before serving any food, always check with participants or caregivers for students who have food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. 2. Place snack ingredients into individual serving bowls. During class: 1. Give each student a plate. Have them take one or two scoops of each item to put on their plate. 2. In our story today, Saul had a dark heart. Our dark colored snacks remind us of the darkness in Saul. Let s separate them onto one side of our plate. 3. But after Saul met Jesus, he because happy and filled with light! Let s put the light colored snacks on the other side of our plate. 4. Like our plates, we all have days that we have darkness and lightness in our hearts. As you eat your dark colored snacks, think of the things that make your heart feel dark. As you eat the light colored snacks, thank Jesus for his love and light in our lives. 5. Let s pray: Dear Jesus, some days we, too, are filled with darkness. But thank you for loving us and filling our hearts with light. Amen. 13

14 Optional ongoing activity. You will need: Bible Book page (found at end of lesson) Cardstock or plain paper Pens Markers or crayons Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch Before class: 1. Make copies of this week s Bible Book page on cardstock or copy paper for each student. During class: 1. Hand out Bible Book pages. 2. What are some of the important things we have learned from today s story? [Answers will vary.] 3. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that you have learned from the story today. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from the story or illustrate one of the important things you ve learned. Don t forget to put your name on the back of the page, please! 4. Optional: Collect and three-hole punch the pages, and put them in individual binders for each student to be kept at church until the end of the year. If you wish, you can investigate other options for binding the Bible books through a local print shop at the end of the year instead of using a three-ring binder. 14

15 Before ending class, make a point to come together to pray. Use the following or say your own prayer. Allow any students who would like to include a petition to do so at the appropriate time. God of Change and Love: You took Saul s heart, which was full of hate, and turned it into a heart full of love and grace. We are so happy to know that you can take each of our hearts as well, and help us to love others and share that love with the world. Bless each person in this room as we go to share that good news with others. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.. 15

16

17 Activity Sheet #4-30.A Lesson #4-30 (3rd-6th) Sunday, April 15, 2018 Who Does God Use? Unexpected people share the good news. Who can God use? Circle the people below that you think God can use to carry out God s work. Cross out the people you think God would not use. Someone who commits murder People who read their Bible regularly People who believe in God People who are not liked by others Someone who lies Someone who is kind to others People who obey the Ten Commandments Who can God use? Circle the people below that you think God can use to carry out God s work. Cross out the people you think God would not use. Someone who commits murder People who read their Bible regularly People who believe in God People who are not liked by others Someone who lies Someone who is kind to others People who obey the Ten Commandments 17

18

19 Bible Book Lesson #4-30 (3rd-6th) Sunday, April 15, 2018 Saul Discovers the Good News Acts 9:1-19 I learned: 19

20

21 The Home 3 rd -6 th Living the Word: Teaching Kids God s Story Narrative Lectionary, Year 4 ( ) Lesson #4-30 Acts 9:1-19 Last Week Mary recognized Jesus and heard his command to go tell the disciples about his resurrection. After having appeared to only one disciple (Mary), Jesus appeared to a group of his disciples for the first time, and discussed with Thomas the relationship between seeing and believing. This Week This week we meet the apostle Paul, who takes part in the work of the disciples to announce the forgiveness of sins through the resurrection of Jesus. Story Summary Saul was a devout Jew who did not believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. He defended his faith by imprisoning believers and persecuting leaders in the Christian church. As Saul walked along the road toward Damascus intending to interrupt the preaching and teaching of Christians, he is stopped in his tracks along the road by a bright, blinding light. He fell to the ground as he heard the words, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Blinded by the experience, he was led to Damascus by his fellow travelers where he remained without sight for three days. Practice: Service Ananias, originally frightened by the prospect of going near Saul, ends up partnering with him in his calling. Christians are called to work alongside one another, support one another, and work together to share God s love in their daily lives. Think of a way you can serve someone who has a sad face and help give them a happy face this week. The Point God sometimes calls the most unlikely people to do the work of spreading the gospel. Bible Nuts & Bolts Paul s Travels/Bible Maps To understand Paul s use of letters and his relationship with the people of the early church, it is helpful to understand the geography affecting these relationships. Paul traveled to many cities and towns, spreading the story of Jesus. Maps can be found online or in Bibles show that show where these different churches were beginning, and how Paul traveled between them. Next Week Having heard of his conversion, we see how Saul s faith plays out during his imprisonment in Philippi.

22 @ HOME Lesson #4-30 Acts 9:1-19 Family Discussions Use the questions below or other questions you think of to discuss today s Scripture reading (listed above) with your family. In what way does this text speak to our theme of God s Kingdom is Revealed? What does this scripture have to do with our lives today? What part of this scripture is the most interesting to you? Why? Family Devotions As you hear and study these stories each week, consider what God has to say to you and your family. What is God s message to us? How should we respond? Sunday Read Acts 9:1-19 Saul discovers the good news. Take turns trying to accomplish simple tasks with your eyes closed to understand what it was like for Paul to be blind for three days. Monday Read Acts 9:19b-24 Saul begins to preach. When have you expected someone to act mean and they turned out to be nice? Tuesday Read Acts 9:26-31 Saul comes to Jerusalem. Who is one person that you might be afraid to talk to about Jesus? Make a plan to approach that person. Wednesday Read Acts 13:1-12 Barnabas and Saul are commissioned. Lay hands on each other and bless each other to tell others about Jesus. Say something like, May the love of Jesus go with you as you share his good news. Thursday Read Acts 15:1-21 The council at Jerusalem. What are some rules that are important to follow? What ones do you think are less important? Friday Read Acts 15:36-16:4 Timothy joins Paul. Timothy was a young boy. What are ways that young people can tell the story of Jesus that adults cannot? Saturday Read Acts 16:11-15 The conversion of Lydia. Find things in your house that are purple.