The plan to stop Paul (34.1)

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The plan to stop Paul (34.1)"

Esmond Peters
5 years ago
Views:

1 Preschool WEEK 4 (June 23-24th) The plan to stop Paul (34.1) Bible Passage: Acts 23 Main Point: G od is always with us. Key Passage : To me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21) Big Picture Question: When should we tell others about Jesus? We should tell about Jesus all the time. Leader Bible Study As Paul s third missionary journey came to an end, a prophet named Agabus warned him that the Jews would seize him in Jerusalem and hand him over to the Gentiles. (See Acts 21:10-11.) But Paul did not hesitate. He returned to Jerusalem and was seized by a group of Jews who wanted to kill him because he taught things contrary to their law. The Roman soldiers nearby saw the commotion and stepped in, taking Paul into Roman custody. Now Paul was in Gentile hands. Paul remained under Roman protection and was staying in the barracks when the Lord gave him a message: Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome (Acts 23:11). What a comforting message for Paul! The sovereign Lord told Paul his future: You re going to Rome. Paul wasn t exactly sure how he was going to get to Rome, but he could trust that God was working all things together for that purpose. The next morning, Paul s nephew uncovered a plot to kill Paul and reported it to the Roman army commander. The commander arranged for Paul to go to Caesarea, where he would be safe. In this Bible story, we see God using human means to bring about His end. Even when others threatened his life, Paul trusted that God is faithful. He believed that God, who showed His love for the world by sending Jesus to die on the cross and rise again, would help him through hard times. We too can risk everything to share the gospel with courage because we know that God loves us and will care for us. God calls us to be obedient and faithful as we take part in His greater plan to show His glory to us and through us for the fame of His name. BEFORE THE SERVICE: Be sure music is playing as kids arrive. Set out today s Activity Page and some crayons at the tables. Review the activities to make sure you re prepared for the day. 1

2 WELCOME Greet children by name as they arrive, welcoming the parents as well. Direct them to play together. At 5 minutes after the beginning of service, have them sit at the table to complete today s Activity Page. 1. ACTIVITY PAGE: I need protection Invite preschoolers to draw a line connecting each person with the protective item he or she needs. Say: All these items protect people from different things. The knee pads, elbow pads, and helmet protect the skateboarder s body from getting hurt. The oven mitts protect the man s hands from the heat of the oven. The goggles protect the girl s eyes from the liquid. In today s Bible story, Paul needed protection and God provided it. Listen to hear how God protected Paul. 2. COLLECT THE OFFERING Pass around the offering bag or bucket to collect any offering for today. Say: Why do we collect offering? (Answer: To pass the blessings God has given us back to His church!) LARGE GROUP 1. MUSIC While the kids finish playing or coloring, get the worship DVD ready. Choose 3 or 4 songs to sing today. Say: It s large group time! Come sit in a circle with us! We re going to sing some fun songs together that worship God! Why do we sing to God? (Answer: To honor Him with our worship!) 2. STORY TIME When they are all seated, lead children cross their legs and listen as you read the story or as they watch the bible story video. Say: Paul was in danger because he kept on preaching about Jesus. But God protected Paul so he could preach about Jesus. Let s hear about it in our Bible story. The Plan to Stop Paul Acts 23 Paul was in Jerusalem. The believers there were happy to see Paul, but some of the Jews were not happy. One day, when Paul went to the temple, a crowd of Jews grabbed Paul and dragged him outside. They wanted to hurt him, but the commander of the Roman army stopped them. The army commander arrested Paul and took him to a group of leaders whose job was to decide if someone had broken the law and to decide how lawbreakers should be punished. Paul stood in front of the leaders and said, Friends, I did what God wants me to do. I did not do anything wrong. Paul told them he was in jail for teaching that Jesus rose from the dead. Then the leaders began arguing. Some of them thought Paul was doing the right thing, but some thought he was wrong. The Roman soldiers took Paul away so he would be safe. The next night, the Lord came to Paul. Have courage! said the Lord. You told people about Me in Jerusalem. You must tell people in Rome too. 2

3 But the next morning, a group of Jews made another plan to hurt Paul. They told the Jewish leaders about their plan. Ask the army commander to bring Paul to you, the group said. Pretend you need to ask him some questions. Then, when he is almost here, we will get him! Paul s nephew heard the Jews talking about their plan. He hurried to Paul and told him what they said. Paul told him to tell the army commander about the plan. So the army commander told two of his soldiers to get a bunch of soldiers and horses. The soldiers brought a horse for Paul to ride. That night, the soldiers took Paul to another city to see the Roman governor. God took care of Paul and protected him from the men who wanted to get him. Christ Connection: Even when others wanted to hurt Paul, Paul trusted God. God showed His love for the world by sending Jesus, and Paul believed God would help him through hard times. Like Paul, we can obey God no matter what because we know God loves us and takes care of us. 3. TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE STORY Say: God protected Paul so he could preach about Jesus. Paul trusted God; he knew God wanted people to know that He loved the world so much that He sent His Son, Jesus. Point to the Bible story picture as you ask the following review questions: Why were some of the Jews not happy with Paul? (They didn t want Paul to preach about Jesus.) When the crowd wanted to hurt Paul, who arrested Paul to protect him? (commander of the Roman army) What did the Lord tell Paul in a dream? ( Have courage! Paul would tell people about Jesus in Rome.) When the Jews came up with a new plan to hurt Paul, who warned him? (Paul s nephew) How did the soldiers get Paul out of the city? (on a horse) 4. KEY PASSAGE Read the key passage aloud several times, then allow volunteers to say the verse from memory for the class. Encourage kids and thank them for their efforts. Make sure the kids that have the verse memorized get a picture taken for the big wall. Say: Paul knew the angry people could have killed him. Paul was not afraid to die. He knew he would be with Jesus, which was even better. To me to live is Christ run hands from your knees up and towards the sky and to die is gain both arms stretched in front of you and then thumbs up (Philippians 1:21 ) open hand to hold a book 5. PRAYER REQUESTS Say: Why do we pray? (Answer: To open our hearts to God and talk to Him!) Ask the group if anyone has any prayer requests. Write their prayer requests in the notebook, then finish by praying, being sure to pray for each request. 3

4 BIBLE STORY ACTIVITIES 1. Make Chain Art Provide colored paper strips and show toddlers how to glue the ends together and make a chain. Write the main point on one of the chains. Say: God kept Paul safe so he could do God s plan even when he was in chains. God is always with us, and He will always help us do His plan! 2. Protect Paul Choose an object such as a toy person figure to represent Paul. Lead preschoolers to sit in a circle on the floor. Choose a child to sit in the middle of the circle with her eyes closed. Discreetly give Paul to a child in the circle and direct him to hide the object from view. Instruct the preschooler in the middle to open her eyes and guess who is keeping Paul safe. Once the child protecting Paul has been revealed, choose another child to be in the middle and play again. SAY: We will hear in today s Bible story how Roman soldiers kept Paul safe, but we know it was really God using those Roman soldiers to protect Paul. Listen to find out how God used the soldiers in His plan. SNACK & PLAYTIME Go around and give each child a little bit of hand sanitizer to clean their hands, then give them each a graham cracker and small cup of water. Once snack is done, have a teacher lead the kids in the game while the other(s) can begin cleaning up the room and set out any take-home papers in the hallway where you or parents can get them easily at pick-up (coloring page, any craft and Big Picture Cards). GAME OPTION #1 Toss an animal cube Print, cut out, and assemble the Animal Movement Cube. Invite a child to toss the cube. The child will lead the group to move like the animal shown faceup on the cube. Mention today s Bible story each time a horse is selected and direct preschooler s attention to the Bible story picture poster. Say: The army commander sent soldiers to move Paul on horseback to another city late at night. God protected Paul so he could preach about Jesus. Even when others wanted to hurt Paul, Paul trusted God. God showed His love for the world by sending Jesus, and Paul believed God would help him through hard times. Like Paul, we can obey God no matter what because we know God loves us and takes care of us. GAME OPTION #2 Parachute games Some ideas are: Popcorn : Place a number of bean bags, small balls, or cotton balls onto the parachute. Shake to make them pop up like "popcorn". Merry-Go-Round : Children turn their bodies sideways and hold the chute with one hand. They then walk around in a circle, making a "Merry-Go-Round." For variety, children can hop, skip, jump, etc. You can stop music as a cue to reverse and go the other direction. 4

5 Ball Roll : Have the children try to roll the balls into the hole in the middle of the parachute. (Or have children try to keep the balls from going into the hole in the center.) Making Waves : Children can make small, medium, or large movements to make various types of "waves." All Change : The Teacher calls out birthday months, pre-assigned numbers, colors, etc, and those children swap places under the chute before it falls, and run to an empty space. Beach Ball Fun : Use a beach ball, moving it with waves, around on the parachute. Parachute Tag : Lift the parachute high overhead. Call one child's name and have her run (skip, hop, twirl or crawl) to the other side before the parachute comes down and tags her. DISMISSAL Greeter should stand just outside the classroom door with the attendance sheet, calling kids to come one at a time. Check that the parent and child tags match and collect them both at the door before allowing the child to leave. If parent lost their security tag, greeter should send parent to the check-in desk for approval (never allow a child to go to a parent unless they have the security tag). As children leave with their parents, remember to say: It was wonderful having you join us today! See you next week! and distribute the preschool lesson cards for families. 5

Paul made much of Jesus (34.5)

Preschool WEEK 4 (July 22nd) Paul made much of Jesus (34.5) Bible Passage: Colossians 1:15 2:3 Main Point: G od is always with us. Key Passage : To me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians