The Gospel is Preached in Ephesus

Transcription

1 4 The Gospel is Preached in Ephesus Acts 18:24 & 19:20 Kids will understand: The account of the Gospel being preached in Ephesus. That the Gospel is God s plan for man. Everything else is counterfeit. That the Gospel is God s only plan and it exposes the devil s counterfeits! Dec

2 Activity - Skit Parker Woods is a character who has been carried through the quarter. Parker should be dressed in outdoor gear to the hilt with plenty of camping supplies around him. He is well meaning and serious in wanting to show the kids the ropes about safe and enjoyable camping in the park, but he often runs into some kind of humorous difficulty. Carefully place an article of clothing Parker will wear by a campfire, grill or fireplace to get a smoky smell. Parker strolls in and sits down holding a fishing pole. He sets the tackle box on the ground. charcoal Parker s smokey clothes hot dog long stick fishing pole tackle box bucket Parker should have charcoal rubbed on his face. Roast a hotdog so that it s charred beyond what you would want to eat. Place the hot dog on the stick like how you would roast it at a campfire. Parker: (Walks in slowly looking at the hot dog on the pole, sighing heavily.) Well, dad gum it! I kinda overcooked this, didn t I? (holds hot dog out for kids to see) This used to be a 100% pure beef hot dog. Yep, Ol Parker was gonna put it in a nice soft bun, squeeze some hot mustard and ketchup on it and then to top it off sprinkle some cheese on the top. MMMMMmm, now that s what I call campfire eatin! But, Ol Parker got a little carried away! My campfire became a bonfire! The ranger came over to check on me and make sure I hadn t set Agape National Forest ablaze! I think Smokey the Bear woulda written me a ticket right then and there! (slaps leg and laughs) (smells his clothes) Whew, doggies, I smell like I m well done! Yep, If I woulda got any closer to that inferno, I woulda looked like this hot dog! I just kept adding branches and dry leaves to the fire and all the sudden poof! That fire just took off! I ran as quickly as I could to get some water at the creek to douse it! I always carry a bucket with me to bring up water to clean my dishes and splash on the fire before I leave the site! Well, it s time for Parker s camping tips for today. Tip #1 Always be safe when you start a fire. Make sure you have an adult with you, but as you can see, even adults need to be careful, too! Tip #2 always bring plenty of hot dogs with you in case you accidentally set em on fire and burn em to a crisp! (laughs) Listen, all this talk of burning things up reminds me of a Bible story where some people ended up throwing their books in a big old bonfire! Why did they do that? Because they found out the truth! Those books were imitations counterfeits! Those books were intended to deceive them and when they figured it out, boy were they mad! Now, I won t fib to ya. Ol Parker didn t mean to burn his hotdog in that fire, but these people DID mean to burn their books! Let s see why they did that! 2

3 Activity Pass out a piece of paper and pencil/markers to each kid. Show the slide of a kid standing at the edge of a cliff. This kid needs to get to the other side. Your job is to come up with a plan to rescue the kid and take him to the other side safely. You must write out a brief plan of rescue and draw a picture to depict that rescue. Use your imagination and be creative in your plan. paper pencil markers PowerPoint slide Allow the kids who would like to share their plans with the class a chance to do so. How did you come up with your plan? What factors went into your decision and the method you chose? What if the kid refused to cooperate and chose to stay? Did you know that God came up with a plan to rescue us? What is God s plan to rescue us called? Bible Account - Skit Show the video, Interview with Apollos, to the kids. Apollos didn t insist that the people burn their books. Neither did Paul. What happened was that when they learned the truth, they realized that what they had been doing and believing was fake. Once they saw the truth, they didn t want anything to do with lies and counterfeit beliefs things trying to pass themselves off as the truth. Interview with Apollos VIDEO Game Get someone who is handy with a drill to make you some giant balland-cup catchers. Get some new toilet plungers at the dollar store. Drill a hole through the handle about 2 back from the rubber plunger head. Put a piece of clothesline rope through the hole in the handle and tie a knot. Now, drill a hole through a tennis ball. Thread the other end of the rope through the tennis ball and tie a knot, so that there is about 2-feet length of rope. Now, you ve created a giant ball-and-cup game. You will need one of these giant ball-and-cup games for each team. At the signal, one player from each team will hold the handle of the plunger, with the rubber head in the air. They will try to swing the tennis ball so that it lands and stays in the rubber toilet plunger head. The first person to complete this task will be asked one of the following questions. After the question is answered, the next person on each team will try to capture the tennis ball. 3 new toilet plungers rope drill tennis balls

4 Questions and Answers What did Apollos do for the people after he taught them? (baptized them) Where did Apollos preach the Gospel? (Ephesus in Greece) Who came to preach in Ephesus after Apollos left? (Paul) Did Paul just preach or did he do other things? (performed miracles and powerful things of God) Besides the Gospel, what else did Paul teach the Ephesians about? (the Holy Spirit living in the believer) How did Apollos find out about Jesus and the Gospel? (Aquilla and Priscilla invited him into their home and shared.) Who did the Ephesians worship before they heard the Gospel? (the goddess Diana) What is the Gospel? (God s plan to restore our relationship with Him and to save us through Jesus) Fill in the blank. The devil tries to the Gospel and God s Word. (counterfeit, copy, fake) True or False. When the people heard the Gospel, it didn t change them. (False) What did the Ephesians do with their sorcery and magic books? (burned them in a big fire) Object Lesson Cover the top of a clear jar with cheesecloth, holding it in place with a heavy rubber band. Pour some dirty water slowly into the cheesecloth and let it work its way through the material. The dirt will be left behind on the cheesecloth, and the clean water will go on through. This is something you could demonstrate to the kids, but then you could also give them an opportunity to do it themselves and see how the impurities are sifted out. pitcher dirty water cheesecloth clear jar heavy rubber band The people in Ephesus were doing some dangerous things, weren t they? It s serious business to put something before God! The first two commandments deal with idolatry and placing things in front of God. God knows us inside and out. Many people who say they are Christians have placed idols in front of God, like their job, relationships or possessions. God knows who has put Him first! The cheesecloth separated the impurities from the water, didn t it? The Gospel the Word of God is like this cheescloth. You can use God s Word to help you figure out what has snuck into your life that shouldn t be there. The Bible can help you separate what is real from what is counterfeit. The counterfeits cannot stand up to the God s Word! When you take things through the test of God s Word, you can spot counterfeits, imitations, and garbage things meant to deceive and trick you and steal your affections away from God! 4

5 Another totally cool thing about God s Word is that it continues to sift out impurities from your Christian life. You know... things that block you from drawing closer to God. As we live our everyday lives, things from this world just kind of attach to us and try to steal our focus. These things get in the way of our Christian growth. As the impurities are separated from you, you become focused again and get back on track to become more like Jesus! Puppets Make or locate 2 small hats that look like ranger hats and 2 badges for the 2 puppets to wear. Ranger: What a beautiful morning to be in Agape National Park, trainee! Trainee: Yes, and actually, not just here, but wherever you are! Ranger: Yes, only God could make something as beautiful as a day like this! (breathes in deeply) Ahhh, just smell the fresh air and the flowers! Trainee: (breathes in deeply) Ahhh yes, no one could put that smell in a bottle. This is the real deal! Ranger: Speaking of real deals have you posted those signs around the park yet about mushroom hunting? Trainee: I was just about to do it when you had me stop to smell the genuine, 100% fresh air! Ranger: Oh, well, please do it right away! I love wild mushroom hunting, but if you aren t trained to identify a poisonous mushroom versus a real mushroom, then it can be very dangerous to your health! It could even kill you! Trainee: Yes sir! Some of those poisonous mushrooms look almost identical unless you have a trained eye to spot them! I m on it! (exits) Ranger: You always have to stay alert so you won t be fooled! That s a good man top of the line, nothing fake about him, real deal recruit right there! I sure can pick em! 2 generic puppets Message (show slide #1) Good News! Have you seen the news lately on TV, the Internet, (hold up a magazine and newspaper) magazines, newspapers or just heard people discussing it? I bet your parents turn it off or down when you re in the room for good reason! It s not just good news. For the most part, it s bad really ugly news! But, God s news is GOOD! Hold up a Bible. God s plan for rescuing us is called the Good News of the Gospel. The Gospel is God s plan to send Jesus to earth from heaven to die and rise from 5 PowerPoint slides leaf magnifying glass Bible magazine newspaper spicy hot candy (Atomic Fireballs, Hot Tamales, Red Hots)

6 the dead so our sins could be forgiven. Then our relationship with God is restored again while we live on earth. That s not all, folks! When we leave earth, we live with God in heaven forever! Now, is that GOOD NEWS or what? Apollos taught about God. He found out about Jesus and was set on fire by the Gospel! From that point on he lit up Ephesus with the fire and light of God s Word! (show slide #2) Beware of copycats. No one likes a copycat. Have you ever had someone do exactly what you do? Say what you say or wear what you wear? It can be annoying but not necessarily dangerous. Have you heard of knock-offs? They re counterfeit products that are sold in stores and on the Internet. The products are made to look like a designer or a famous brand. Often the products are inferior in quality. When you look closely you can see defects and differences, what we call flaws. These are illegal and they can get you into trouble if you purchase or sell them! The genuine product makers don t like knock-offs! Hold up a magnifying glass. I know you ve used one of these before. What do you use them for? It s used to look at something more closely. Place a leaf under the glass and allow some kids to look at the detail. You can see details with a magnifying glass that you can t see without it. Some magnifying glasses and most microscopes have a light on them to bring out even more detail! Hold up the Bible again. This is our magnifying glass. We can hold things up to God s Word and evaluate them. This is what happened in Ephesus. When God s Word the Gospel was introduced, the truth lit up the city like a bonfire lights up the camping area around it! The light exposed the counterfeit power and the devil s teaching! Just like the genuine product makers, God doesn t take kindly to counterfeits! God was not happy with the devil s counterfeit products, his false gods, and mystic practices that he used to deceive the people! (show slide #3) Ephesians 5:11-14 (NLT), Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is what Apollos and the other apostles did who preached God s Gospel and who had the light of God s Word in them. Wherever they traveled, the light exposed and illuminated, like a bonfire, the evil deeds and practices. Once the people could see what was real, they got rid of the fake stuff! (show slide #4) Fire in your bones. Kids will look up and read Jeremiah 20:9 (NLT), But if I say I ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can t do it! Wow! That s pretty cool well actually, HOT, isn t it! God s Gospel is like a fire. You have to share it and when you do, it spreads. You can t keep it to yourself! 6

7 Pass out some hot candy to the kids (like Hot Tamales, Atomic Fireballs, or Red Hots). Have you ever had this type of candy? What happens? It s hard to sit still. It makes your mouth feel like it s on fire, right? Oh, at first you re okay, but it builds up, doesn t it? You have to open your mouth! It s the same with God s Word. The more you know, the more you see it work and experience it the more it burns to share it! The Gospel is FIRE. It s alive, it burns, it s powerful! It changes anything that it comes in contact with! Take that fire into the darkness! Activity Optional: Videotape the kids presentations they create in this activity and play them in class next week. These could also be used as a promo on your website or in church for a volunteer recruitment tool. Divide the kids into groups of 2 or 3. God s Word as being the only genuine, authentic, real deal versus counterfeits, imitations and fakes. Don t be fooled! card stock markers pencils paper camcorder (optional) Each group gets pencils, markers and cardstock to create signs, images, or cue cards to be displayed during their promos. Give kids ample time to create their infomercial and then practice their presentation. Kids will then present their infomercial to the class. This was fun, but are you prepared to defend God s Word? Are you prepared to present the Gospel? Why do you think the devil is so successful with fooling people with counterfeits? How can we spot counterfeits? What do we use to compare? Object Lesson Show the PowerPoint slide with the definition of counterfeit. Counterfeit - made in imitation of something else with the intent to deceive. Beforehand, place five fake dollar bills in your wallet or purse. Hold up the real dollar bill. How would you like to have this dollar bill? I would guess that all of you would, but it s mine (smile) and I m going to place it in today s offering! But hold on, now that I think of it, I do have some money in my wallet. Let s do it this way the first five people who raise pause because kids will start raising hands already who stand up will get one! Hand the bills out and wait for the groans and protests as they discover it isn t real. Act surprised at first. What do you mean it isn t the real deal? Oh, that s right, it s just play money, sorry! Have you heard of counterfeit money? Counterfeit money is money that isn t officially printed by the government. It s made to look like real money and it s against the law to print counterfeit money. To be counterfeit means to be not real or fake. 7 dollar bill 5 play dollar bills PowerPoint slide

8 Did you know that the devil tries to counterfeit God s power and His Word? He tries to counterfeit God s message? He does this through religion and other things like sorcery, witchcraft, magic and astrology to name a few. He even gets people to believe religions that sound good at first, but don t believe in Jesus Christ as Savior or don t believe all of what the Bible teaches. Satan s purpose is to deceive and confuse people. We always need to be on guard for counterfeit things in this world. Whether it s money, products or the things of God, always make sure it s the real deal! Object Lesson Kids look up and read James 1:22-25, Do what God s teaching says; don t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you re fooling yourselves. Hearing God s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror in the morning when your hair is going all crazy directions and you still have some chocolate on your chin from an ice cream treat the night before and doing nothing about what you see. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. But when you look into God s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God s blessing. Never just listen to His teaching and forget what you heard. Bibles mirror We ve been talking about real and genuine things God s Gospel and Word vs. the counterfeit things of the devil that the devil puts before us to deceive us. Did you know that as believers we can be a counterfeit of a real Christian? Are you kidding me? This verse says that we aren t to just hear God s Word. What else are we to do? Yes, do it! If we only listen but don t put it into practice in our daily lives, we aren t being real. God knows what s real and who s faking it! The verse here says we re even fooling ourselves in thinking that we re being obedient! Hold up a mirror. The verses here compare God s Word to a mirror. When we read it, we see ourselves for who we really are. We get a true, not a fake, picture of ourselves. We see what is good and we see all the blemishes, too! We see things that need to be fixed. When you look in the mirror in the morning, it s kinda scary, isn t it? I mean, when I roll out of bed, I look rough! There are lines on my face where I slept against something I ve got my PJs on I need some work! What if I just put the mirror down? Put the mirror down. What if I don t change anything and come to church like that? Whoa! That s not a good thought, is it? Well, that s the same as reading or listening to God s Word and then not applying it! You say you re a Christian, but actually, it isn t real. The people in Ephesus didn t have a light or a mirror to reveal the counterfeit teaching and spirituality to them. They could not see that it was wrong and needed to be fixed. Then the mirror, the fire of God s Word, came and exposed the fake gods and practices to them! When they saw this, they immediately acted and applied the Word and burned the books that held the false teaching! 8

9 Prayer Give each child an index card and a pencil. On this card each child will write something that God is showing her something God is exposing and revealing to her that needs to change in her life. As you read your Bible, God s Word, God points out places where you re not being real places that you need to pay attention to and hand over to God. Is there something that you need to burn get rid of in your life? The Take Home Reminder suggestion today is a small flashlight. If you ve chosen to do that, pass out the flashlights now. Otherwise, have some flashlights on hand that the kids can use. Turn out the lights and make the room as dark as possible. Today, each one of you is encouraged to pray about what is on your card. Shine your flashlight on your index card. What God is trying to point out to you a new truth or understanding, something that needs to change in your life is written on your card. Once God illuminates that issue once He lights it up to your attention once you see in your mind and heart that Satan is trying to get you to believe in something counterfeit then, it s time to get rid of the old and let God change you with His truth. If you hang on to the counterfeit, you re giving Satan permission to deceive you. Encourage the kids to pray out loud, if they so choose. Then, ask 2 or 3 of the kids to pray out loud for everyone. Blessing May you always follow the Gospel and not fall for counterfeits! 9 index cards pencils flashlights

10 Scripture Memorization Isaiah 40:31, Nobody who trusts in the world will find new strength They will fall low on wings like sparrows. They will crawl and not grow weary. They will trip and not pant. Isaiah 40:31, Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. PowerPoint slide (right) PowerPoint slide (incorrect) Show the incorrect PowerPoint slide. Some of the words in the scripture have been changed, so it s a FAKE scripture. We ve been working on memorizing Isaiah 40:31. And, when I read what s on this PowerPoint slide, I m thinking this isn t what we ve been learning. I think this is a fake! Go through the verse and have the kids correct the words that are incorrect, making this verse a fake. Then, show the correct PowerPoint slide. Apollos and the other apostles had a fire burning in them from God s Word. They were not faint; they worked tirelessly with a passion to bring the Gospel and God s Word to people who were in darkness and expose them to the works of darkness the fakes or counterfeits! When you trust in the Lord and His Word, you will find new strength you will soar like eagles and will be changed forever. Music DVD downloads Every Good and Perfect Thing and Not To Us are the two DVD downloading songs that are included with this unit. These songs were recorded by Yancy, a contemporary preteen worship leader. For more information about other music by Yancy, go to yancynotnancy.com. 10