SESSION 6 - SAUL. BIBLE PASSAGE: Acts 8 9. LIFE POINT: God loves and forgives people when they ask for forgiveness.

Transcription

1 UNIT 2. GOD CHANGES PEOPLE / ELEMENTARY SESSION 6 - SAUL BIBLE PASSAGE: Acts 8 9 LIFE POINT: God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. CHRIST FOCUS: Because Jesus died on the cross, we can hae forgieness from sin. BIBLE VERSE: Beliee on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (HCSB) Beliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saed. Acts 16:31 (KJV) eliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. B Acts 16:31 (NIV) Beliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (ESV) B eliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (NKJV) Production Notes p From simple to inoled, you can tailor Worship For Life to your kids and leaders: Short on supplies and leaders? For an easy prep, enlist a host, a music leader, and prepare the Connection Point game. Then show the ideos for the worship songs and other segments. Hae some actors who would loe to prepare a short drama? Print the True 2 Life drama from the DVD-ROM! Use this drama instead of the Mayflower ideo. Do you hae musicians who would like to lead worship songs? Check out the lead sheets on the DVD-ROM or substitute your songs! This symbol denotes that the segment or song is aailable on ideo. h This symbol indicates props needed for today s session. 1

2 Schedule and Props This symbol indicates that a ideo is proided on the DVD-ROM. p This symbol indicates that the actiity is host or leader-led no ideo for this actiity. Huddle Ups (Optional) p People: Small Group Leaders Props: chairs Backstage Intro 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: clipboard, headset Countdown and Welcome 1-5 minutes People: Host Props: none Worship Song 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Point Game p Connection 5-10 minutes People: Host, 10 or more older kids, 1 leader Props: timer Set-up p Host 1-2 minutes People: Host Props: none Video or True 2 Life Mayflower Drama 5-7 minutes People for Drama: Kate, Tyler (preteen best friends) Props for Drama: icepack Song Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Story Bible 8 minutes People: Storyteller, 10 kids Props: Bible, flashlight, tape, 10 pieces of paper On each paper print 1 word: mean, Damascus, light, Jesus, three, Ananias, hands, tell, escape, Jerusalem. Attach the papers in random order on the wall. Song Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team in Real Life Video Worship 3-4 minutes People: none p Closing 2 minutes People: Host Props: none 2

3 Outro Backstage 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: clipboard, headset Ups (Optional) p Huddle People: Small Group Leaders Missions: none t TECH Video and/or audio capabilities Microphones for singers Lights (optional) Optional sound effects aailable (see sound effects file) m music All About Jesus We Will Go Jesus Came Your Loe Changes Me God Has a Plan Holy God (Holy, Holy, Holy) Need help planning your session? Additional training for Worship for Life: Kids is aailable at ministrygrid.com/web/worshipforlife. 3

4 p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) Huddle ups are for churches that hae a drop-off time before the session begins. There are multiple ideas for interaction during this time, such as simple games that children can play on the floor or within whateer arrangements you gather your kids. Leaders can ask get-to-know-you questions after welcoming kids into their groups. (Print the following for your small group leaders.) I Hae Neer Welcome kids to your Huddle Up and direct them to sit in a circle. Choose one child to stand in the middle of the circle. Encourage the child in the middle to announce something he has neer done. (For example, I hae neer hit a home run, or I hae neer had the flu. ) Direct any kids sitting in the circle who HAVE done the action to get up and trade seats. Explain that the child in the middle will try to steal one of the seats as the others are trading. The child left without a seat is the next child to be in the middle of the circle and announce another I Hae Neer Comment that there are some things that kids may hae neer done before; howeer, the Bible says there is one thing that EVERYONE has done: sin. Tell kids that today they will hear more about sin and learn that God loes them and will forgie them. 4

5 BACKSTAGE INTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option aailable, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: clipboard, headset (Show ideo or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (speaking to kids) Hey, kids. I hae a question for you. Has anyone eer hurt your feelings? I mean like, REALLY hurt your feelings? (sighs) One of our team members said some ery hurtful things to me earlier, and I don t know what to do about it. She came back and apologized and asked me to forgie her, but I don t know if I should. She said some REALLY mean things! Part of me feels sad inside, but the other part of me feels really angry. Maybe we just shouldn t be friends anymore. What would YOU do? Why should I forgie her when she is the one who said all the mean things? And, what if I forgie her, and she does it AGAIN? (sighs) Oh, well. Thanks for listening, kids. You know, maybe our Bible story today will help me know what to do. Let s check in with our teams and see if eeryone is ready to get things started. (speaks into headset) Audio, you guys ready to go? Great! Lights, eerything programmed and ready? Perfect! Eeryone stand by for the countdown! (runs off stage) 5

6 COUNTDOWN AND WELCOME c Estimated time: 1-5 minutes Tech: Countdown ideo, Life t Point slide, Bible Verse slide p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Play Countdown ideo. Host walks out at around 30 seconds.) It s that time again! Are you ready to count down with me? Let s do it! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! I am so glad you guys are here today! Let me ask you a question: Did anyone threaten to put you in jail or beat you up because you came to church today? (allow for responses) Whew! That s a relief! Isn t it good that we can come together each week to learn about Jesus and to worship Him? Today we will learn about a man named Saul. He did not like Christians, and he tried to hurt them or put them in jail because they loed Jesus. He doesn t sound like a ery nice man, does he? Do you think God loed Saul een though he made really bad choices? (allow for responses) Do you think God can forgie Saul for such terrible things? (allow for responses) I m pretty sure that most of you hae neer beat someone up or put someone in jail! But we ll discoer today that eeryone needs God s forgieness. I can t wait to learn all about that together! God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. (Show Life Point slide.) Say that with me: God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. Today s Bible erse explains how we can receie God s forgieness. Let s read it together. (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred ersion.) Beliee on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (HCSB) Beliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (ESV) Beliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saed. Acts 16:31 (KJV) Beliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (NKJV) Beliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (NIV) (Host leaes as worship team gets in place.) 6

7 WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: God Has a Plan (lead m sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER God loes and forgies! That is some ery good news! Let s stand and praise God for making a way for us to be forgien! (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Lead kids to sit as song ends.) Now, let s get ready for Connection Point! 7

8 p CONNECTION POINT GAME c Estimated time: 5-10 minutes Tech: Connection Point slide, t Connection Point theme music eople: Host, 10 or more p Polder kids, 1 leader h Props: timer Game Instructions: Without talking, kids will work together to put themseles in alphabetical order by first names. Encourage kids to use motions to know where to moe. Line up the kids and gie directions. Encourage the kids to moe to the right area of the line A near the first and Z near the end. Kids will then begin signaling others to get in the exact order. Time the kids to see how long it takes for kids to get in order. Option: Choose two groups of kids and race to see which group gets in order first. Host (Play Connection Point theme music and show Connection Point slide.) Hello, eeryone! Welcome to Connection Point! Our game today is all about knowing your name and the alphabet! I need some players. (Choose 10 or more players and introduce them quickly.) OK, audience! You can make all the noise you want cheering, but our players hae all lost their oices. They can not talk, but they can write in the air and use their hands to signal. (To olunteers) When I say: Go! you will put yourself in ABC order by your first names. For example, if your name begins with an A, like Ambria, you will moe to the front of the line. If your name begins with a Z, like Zachary, you will moe to the end of the line. Think about your first name and the names of the other players. Then work together, to get in ABC order. Remember, you can t talk, but you can signal with your hands. I ll be timing you, so work quickly! Any questions? On your mark, get set, GO! (Play fun music while the kids get in order. Encourage the audience to cheer on the players. If needed, gie hints as the kids work, such as, Looks like Catherine comes before Chloe. ) (Guide all kids to sing the ABC song as you reiew the order of the kids. If time allows, select new players to beat the time of the first players.) This week our story is about a man named Saul. Saul had spent his whole life trying to do the right thing, but he hurt people who belieed in Jesus. Then one day Saul saw a really bright light. The light didn t make Saul lose his oice, but he lost something else. This is an exciting story about God s loe and forgieness. I can t wait to get to it! (Theme music/slide to transition. Host leads into next segment.) 8

9 p HOST SET-UP c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes t Tech: Session Title slide p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Show Session Title slide.) (enters singing part of the ABC song) Wow, that was a fun game! You all did a great job! Earlier, we learned that God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. We need God s forgieness because of sin. So, what is sin? (allow for responses) Sin is when we decide our way is better than God s way. We may know that God wants us to be kind, but instead we choose to argue with our friend. We chose our way instead of God s. Our attitudes, actions, words, or thoughts do not please God. Saul chose his way instead of God s way, and something pretty incredible happened to him. We ll hear all about that in just a minute, but first let s see what s going on with the Mayflower kids (or our True 2 Life team) and worship God together. (Host exits.) 9

10 MAYFLOWER VIDEO OR TRUE 2 LIFE DRAMA c Estimated time: 5-7 minutes t Tech: Mayflower ideo People for Drama: Kate, Tyler p (preteen best friends) h Props for Drama: icepack (NOTE: After the host set-up, there are two options proided: a ideo or a skit. If you choose to show the ideo, play the Mayflower ideo. If you choose the drama, act out the following.) True 2 life Drama Kate and Tyler enter. Tyler is holding an icepack oer one eye. Kate: I am so sorry. Tyler: (sighs) I know you are. Kate: But, I m really, really sorry. Tyler: Don t worry about it. Kate: But, I am worried. I m worried that you think I did this to you because of that silly blindfold game you made me play you know, the one where I was wearing a blindfold and you made we walk toward the sound of your oice? Tyler: You made it. You made it all the way to me blindfolded. Kate: I know. I just wish the ball had made it into your gloe instead of into your eye. Tyler: It s not like you were trying to hit me in the eye, were you? Kate: Of course not. I am so, so, so, so sorry. Can you eer forgie me? Tyler: (joking) Well. It might not hurt so bad if I had a chocolate milkshake to drink and keep my mind off of it. Kate: Done. One chocolate milkshake coming right up. Tyler: And I sure do like those new crackers. The ones shaped like robots, the extra cheesy ones. Kate: Got it. One chocolate milkshake and some cheesy robot crackers. Tyler: Oh, and one last thing. I sure could use another pack of baseball cards. You know, they would soften the blow of your bad throw. Kate: Now, wait a minute Tyler: All right, one more final, final thing Kate: What? 10

11 Tyler: If you could just do my homework for me this week. You know, I don t want to strain my only good eye. Kate: Now, wait just one minute. Tyler: (laughing) I m only kidding. I don t want you to do any of those things. I m fine. Really. Accidents happen. Kate: You mean, you re not sore at me? Tyler: Oh, I m sore all right, but not at you. Kate: Let me see. Tyler: (remoing icepack) See, it doesn t een hurt as bad as it did. Kate: Ooh. It doesn t look quite as black and blue and bloody and huge as it did. Tyler: Kate, you re not helping Kate: I m sorry. So am I forgien? Tyler: You re forgien. And we ll always be friends no matter what life throws at us een if you re the one doing the throwing. (They exit.) (END SCENE) 11

12 WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: None Music: Holy God (Holy, Holy, Holy) m (lead sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) Matthew 26:28 says that because Jesus died on the cross we can hae forgieness from sin. There is no greater loe than God s loe for us. Let s worship Him together. (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Kids rise to sing.) 12

13 BIBLE STORY c Estimated time: 8 minutes Tech: Christ Focus slide, Bible Story t slide, Bible Story ideo p People: Storyteller, 10 kids Bible, flashlight, tape, h 10Props: pieces of paper On each paper print 1 word: mean, Damascus, light, Jesus, three, Ananias, hands, tell, escape, Jerusalem. Attach the papers in random order on the wall. (Play the Bible Story ideo or tell the following Bible story.) STORYTELLER (Show Bible Story slide.) Welcome! I m glad you are here today because we hae a great Bible story. We hae some key words on the wall. I m going to hand the flashlight to someone. (Hand the flashlight to a child, then gie him/her the following instructions.) I want you to choose a word, shine the flashlight on it, and read it to the group. Then you may pass the flashlight to another friend who will choose another word. (Continue until kids read all ten words.) These words are ery interesting, but they don t make a lot of sense right now. Let s hear the Bible story to see how they all fit. (Collect the flashlight and shine it on each underlined word as you tell the story.) Saul was a man who did not like people who belieed Jesus. In fact, he was mean to belieers! He entered house after house and dragged the belieers away to prison. He made murderous threats against Jesus followers. He een went to the high priest and asked permission to go to Damascus to arrest the belieers there. He was not a nice guy. But, as Saul was walking to Damascus, something happened. (Open the Bible and read Acts 9:3-6.) As he traeled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaen suddenly flashed around him. Falling to the ground, he heard a oice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Who are You, Lord? he said. I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting, He replied. But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. When Saul stood up, he could not see anything. The men traeling with him did not know what was happening. They took Saul by the hand and led him into Damascus. He could not see for three days, and he did not eat or drink anything. (Read Acts 9:10-15.) There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a ision, Ananias! 13

14 Here I am, Lord! he said. Get up and go to the street called Straight, the Lord said to him, to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a ision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight. Lord, Ananias answered, I hae heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name. But the Lord said to him, Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. Ananias obeyed. When he put his hands on Saul s eyes, Saul could see again. Saul was baptized and immediately began to tell people in the synagogues about Jesus. Jesus is God s Son! Saul announced. Although Saul was now a belieer himself, some of the Jews were angry with Saul s new message. They plotted to kill him. Saul s friends helped him escape Damascus by lowering him oer the wall in a basket. Saul went back to Jerusalem and continued to speak boldly about his faith in Jesus. When Saul arried back in Jerusalem, some of the disciples did not trust that he had really become a follower of Jesus. They were afraid that he still wanted to arrest and hurt the belieers. Barnabas told the disciples that Saul had seen a bright light on the way to Damascus and that he now belieed in Jesus and was a follower. Saul went with the disciples around Jerusalem to tell more people about Jesus. In the beginning of our story, Saul is mean to the belieers of Jesus, but in the end, Saul told eeryone he met about how he belieed in Jesus! Saul met Jesus, and Jesus changed his life. Through Saul, God showed us that He loes people een when they make wrong choices. In fact, God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. (Show Christ Focus slide.) God loes people enough to proide forgieness for our sin. So when you mess up and when you sin, remember that you can ask God for forgieness, and He will forgie you. Let s pray. Dear God, thank You for today s Bible story. Thank You for loing us and for forgiing us when we ask. Help us follow and obey You in eerything we do, think, and say. In Jesus name, amen. 14

15 WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: Your Loe Changes Me m (lead sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) God forgae Saul, and he began preaching to eeryone about Jesus! Saul was completely changed! God loes and forgies us, too! Let s praise Him for that! (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Kids rise to sing.) WORSHIP IN REAL LIFE VIDEO c Estimated time: 3-4 minutes t Tech: Video p People: none h Props: none (Show Worship in Real Life ideo.) 15

16 p CLOSING c Estimated time: 2 minutes Tech: Session Title slide, Life t Point, and Bible Verse slides p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Show Session Title slide.) God really had to get Saul s attention for him to realize that he d been choosing his own way instead of God s way. God forgae Saul, and eerything about him changed. He went from wanting to hurt belieers of Jesus to BELIEVING in Him! Saul really had an incredible story to tell! It s easy to think that our sin isn t as bad as Saul s. Not sharing a toy doesn t seem as bad as hurting someone, does it? But, ALL sin is deciding that your way is better than God s way. God knew that all of us would sin and that we needed a way to be forgien. God loes us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that anyone who beliees in Him can hae forgieness of sin and a relationship with God. If you d like to know more about how to receie God s forgieness, be sure to ask me or one of our leaders before you leae today. We would loe to help answer your questions. Let s reiew the good news we learned today: God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. (Show Life Point slide.) Let s say that together. God loes and forgies people when they ask for forgieness. Optional Giing Segment: Saul spent the rest of his life preaching about Jesus. He was a missionary and traeled to tell people eerywhere about God s loe and forgieness. When you gie an offering, part of the money you gie goes to help missionaries all oer the world who are sharing the good news of Jesus just as Saul did. If you d like to gie today, (Gie your own directions for how the kids can gie to God. Perhaps you hae buckets in the back of the room, a chest up front, or an enelope that each small group leader passes.) (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred ersion.) Beliee on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (HCSB) Beliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (ESV) Beliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saed. Acts 16:31 (KJV) Beliee on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (NKJV) Beliee in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saed. Acts 16:31 (NIV) 16

17 BACKSTAGE OUTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option aailable, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: clipboard, headset (Show ideo or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (speaking into headset) Great job, eeryone! Good work! (speaking to kids) Well, I was right! Today s Bible story DID help me know what to do! Saul said and did some really bad things, but God forgae Him. Not only did God forgie him, but God loed Saul and used him to tell more and more people about Jesus. You know, if God can forgie Saul then I think I can forgie my friend. She did apologize and I know that I make mistakes, too. It would make me feel really bad if I asked someone to forgie me for a mistake and he wouldn t. Thankfully, we can know that God will always forgie us when we ask Him. He loes us! We should show that same loe and forgieness to others. Well, I think I need to go find my friend and let her know that I hae forgien her! Remember to hae a forgiing heart this week and remember to grab your One Conersation page on your way out today. I ll see you guys next time! 17

18 p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) This time is designed for churches that hae a pick-up time from a large room as parents arrie. It s a great time for follow-up conersations and questions from small group leaders about the session s content. You also can use the missions emphasis (below). (Print the following for your small group leaders.) Where was Saul going when he saw the bright light? (Damascus) What was Saul going to do there? (arrest belieers of Jesus) What happened to Saul on the road? (He saw a bright light, and then he could not see. He heard Jesus oice.) How long was Saul unable to see? (three days) Who helped Saul in Damascus? (Ananias) What did Saul immediately do once he could see again? (He was baptized.) Why were some of the Jews angry with Saul? (He was telling people about Jesus.) How did Saul escape Damascus? (Friends lowered him down the city wall in a basket.) MISSIONS EMPHASIS (OPTIONAL) Reiew the missions story. Explain that the Karamojong people often express enthusiasm by jumping as high in the air as they can, then landing flat-footed on the ground. Jumping is done for entertainment, competition, and celebration. Challenge kids to practice jumping as high as they can. On the count of three, instruct kids to jump repeatedly for ten seconds. Suggest kids sit down to rest. Talk about ways kids can gie to missions, such as saing loose change and setting aside a portion of allowance to gie as a missions offering. Missions Story Uganda and South Sudan: The Karamojong Jeremy Taliaferro and Robert Lane are missionaries in Uganda and South Sudan. These two men and their families minister to a group of people called the Karamojong (ke-rah-moh-jong). Three words describe what life is like for the Karamojong: War: The Karamojong are warlike. They lie in a country where people and groups fight against one another. 18

19 Famine: The Karamojong know what it is like to be hungry. They are unable to grow enough food for themseles. Suffer: The Karamojong are shepherds. Their lies reole around cows, goats, and sheep. They work hard, but they are almost always hungry and worried about war. Three facts describe what life is like for missionaries to the Karamojong: Missionaries can often obsere people in colorful clothes working with their cattle. They hear Karamojong beating drums and see them dancing. Missionaries homes are ery simple. They use solar panels for electricity and hand pumps for water. When conditions are right, they get an hour or two of Internet access each week. Missionaries are not building churches or hiring pastors or een preaching sermons. They simply lie among the Karamojong, loing people and sharing Jesus with anyone who is willing to listen. Missionaries to the Karamojong would like for you to pray: that the Karamojong will not be afraid of God. that the missionaries will be able to share about God in a way that the Karamojong can understand. that short-term missionaries will come to help minister to the Karamojong. 19