Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Jesus Ascended to Heaven Acts 1:3-11 After Jesus crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus showed His followers that He is alive. (Matt. 28:9-10; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:16-17,19-20,26-27; 21:14) Jesus taught them about Himself and about God s kingdom. (Luke 24:25-27,44-48) Jesus told them that He would soon return to the Father. (John 20:17) Jesus directed the Eleven to go to a mountain. When they arrived, Jesus appeared. Some of them worshiped Jesus, but some of them doubted. (Matt. 28:17) Some of them wondered if Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman government and set up His kingdom on earth. Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time? they asked. (Acts 1:6) Jesus said to them, It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:7-8). Jesus also told them to remain in Jerusalem until they received the Father s promise the Holy Spirit. Those who repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus death and resurrection would be baptized by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5) The Holy Spirit would give them power to live holy lives and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) After Jesus told the disciples these things, Jesus was taken up into the sky right in front of their eyes! (Acts 1:9) Suddenly two men stood on the mountain next to the disciples. Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? they asked. They said Jesus would return the same way. (Acts 1:11) Until Jesus returns, His followers need to work faithfully. Jesus is alive in heaven, waiting to return for His people. Jesus told the disciples He was going to prepare a place for them, and when we die, we will be with the Lord in heaven. (John 14:1-3) In the meantime, Jesus has not left us alone. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and help us do God s work. One day Jesus will return to make all things new and to rule as Lord over all. YOUNGER KIDS BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Jesus Ascended to Heaven Bible Passage: Acts 1:3-11 Big Picture Question: How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. Key Passage: Matthew 28:19-20 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus prepared His disciples for a life of ministry. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us until He returns. Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 1
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Welcome time Activity page (5 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Small Group Time THE BIBLE STORY Jesus Ascended to Heaven Acts 1:3-11 Bible story review (10 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Journal (5 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) After Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, He spent time with His disciples. Jesus ate a meal with His disciples and gave them important instructions. He told them not to leave the city of Jerusalem. Jesus said the disciples should wait there until God kept His promise to give them the Holy Spirit. Jesus reminded the disciples of John the Baptist. John had baptized people with water when they turned away from their sin and turned to God. Jesus said that in a few days, the disciples would be baptized too. Not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Lord, are You giving the kingdom back to Israel now? the disciples asked. God was with His people the Jews but they looked weak. The Romans ruled over them. The Jewish people were ready to have power over other nations. Jesus did not say yes, but He did not say no. The Father knows when the time is right, He said. Then Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you. You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. As Jesus witnesses, the disciples would tell people what they knew to be true. They would tell people in the city, in the lands around the city, and all over the world the good news about Jesus. And the Holy Spirit would be with them to help them. After Jesus said these things, He went up into heaven on a cloud. The disciples watched Him go. All of a sudden, two men appeared. The men were wearing white clothes. These men asked the disciples, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come again. He will return in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven. Christ Connection: Jesus left earth and returned to heaven, but He did not leave us alone. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us and help us do God s work. One day Jesus will return to make all things new and to rule as Lord over all. Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 2
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group SMALL GROUP OPENING Session Title: Jesus Ascended to Heaven Bible Passage: Acts 1:3-11 Big Picture Question: How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. Key Passage: Matthew 28:19-20 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus prepared His disciples for a life of ministry. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us until He returns. Welcome time: Arriving Activity: Telephone game Lead kids to form a straight line. Whisper a word or phrase to the first kid in the line. She will whisper what she heard to the next kid in line, and so on, until the person at the end of the line receives the given word or phrase. The last person in line should share the word or phrase with the group. Say Spreading a message can be challenging! Jesus instructs us to spread the message of the gospel to all nations. We need help to get the message out. Today we will discover who helps us do God s work. Activity page (5 minutes) Word Search activity page pencils or markers Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say All the words you found are part of today s Bible story. Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Red light, green light Guide kids to line up on the opposite side of the room. When you say green light, all the kids should move toward you. When you say red light, kids should stop immediately. If a child is moving after you say red light, the child must start over. Once a kid reaches where you are, he becomes the leader and the game begins again. To add interest, consider giving instruction on how to move such as skipping, hopping, or crawling. Say When the leader said red light, you had to wait until he said green light before you could move again. In today s Bible story, Jesus told the disciples to wait for something. Let s discover why they were waiting. Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 3
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Option 2: Cloud art non- menthol shaving cream white glue bowls spoon blue construction paper, 1 sheet per kid paintbrushes, 1 per kid Allergy Alert hand wipes (for cleanup) Mix equal parts shaving cream and white glue in bowls to create cloud paint. Guide kids to paint clouds shapes onto blue construction paper. Place creations in an out- of- the- way place to dry. Say Jesus appeared to His disciples several times after His resurrection. In today s Bible story, Jesus returned to heaven. Jesus ascended to heaven on a cloud right in front of the disciples. Let s hear the full story! SMALL GROUP LEADER Session Title: Jesus Ascended to Heaven Bible Passage: Acts 1:3-11 Big Picture Question: How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. Key Passage: Matthew 28:19-20 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus prepared His disciples for a life of ministry. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us until He returns. Key passage activity (5 minutes) Key Passage Slide or Poster dry erase board and markers (optional) foam ball or other soft object to pass timer Make sure the key passage, Matthew 28:19-20, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verses together. Say Jesus gave this task to His disciples before He ascended to heaven, and He gives it to us who follow Him as disciples now. Jesus commands us to make more disciples. We do this by Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 4
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group telling people the gospel. Not only is the gospel the message of how Jesus saves people, but the gospel helps us want to obey Jesus commands. Lead kids to form a circle. Provide a foam ball or other object kids may safely pass. Give the ball to one child in the circle. He should say the first word of the key passage and pass the ball to the person next to him in the circle. She will say the second word of the key passage and pass it to the next child and so on. Continue until the key passage is complete. Lead kids to try again, but guide kids to pass the ball more quickly this time. Use a timer to time how long it takes the group to say the entire key passage. Challenge them to try and beat their time. Bible story review (10 minutes) Bibles, 1 per kid Small Group Visual Pack Big Picture Question Slide or Poster strips of paper, 9 basket or bag Encourage kids to find Acts 1 in their Bibles. Help as needed. Say We have spent the last few months in the Gospels. Where are the Gospels in the Bible? (New Testament) In today s story, we are in the Book of Acts. Acts is the only book in the History division of the New Testament. The Book of Acts tells us about how the early church started. Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today s Bible story is on the timeline. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. Write the following story sentences on strips of paper: Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for God to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The disciples asked Jesus if He would now give the kingdom back to Israel. Jesus told the disciples the Father knows the right time. Jesus told the disciples they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus went up to heaven on a cloud. The disciples looked up at the sky as Jesus went into heaven. Two men in white clothes appeared. The two men in white said Jesus would come back to earth in the same way He went into heaven. Mix up the strips and place them in a basket or bag. Guide kids to take turns drawing a sentence strip from the Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 5
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: Map it Bible times map globe or map Locate a Bible times map showing Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Also display a current world map or globe. Read Acts 1:8 aloud. Show kids where they can find Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria on the Bible times map. Point out that the area gets bigger with the addition of each place until it covers the entire earth. Next, show kids where your city or town is located on the globe or world map. Help kids determine what would be their Judea and Samaria. Talk about how your church is involved in making disciples. Say Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth is a big task, but Jesus did not leave us alone to do it. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to give us the power to fulfill the Great Commission. How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. Option 2: Gospel balloon release helium- filled balloons, 1 per kid ribbon Gospel Plan Poster Allergy Alert Provide a helium- filled balloon for each child and a copy of The Gospel: God s Plan for Me. Demonstrate how to roll up the paper and tie it to the balloon. Lead children outside to a place free of overhead obstacles. Be mindful of safety. Lead kids to release their balloons. Say Watching these balloons go up into the sky reminds us of how Jesus ascended to heaven on a cloud. While we wait for Jesus to come back, we should be about doing God s work of spreading the gospel with the Holy Spirit s help. When these balloons come down, maybe someone will find one and read the gospel. How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 6
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Journal and prayer (5 minutes) Journal Page, 1 per kid markers or crayons Bible Story Coloring Page Distribute each child s journal page for this session. Instruct the kids to draw a picture or make a list of a place they can tell someone about Jesus. Say Before we leave today, let s review our big picture question and answer. How does the Holy Spirit help believers? The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God s work. If time remains, take prayer requests or allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Pray, thanking God for the Holy Spirit. Pray for each child by name, asking God to help kids understand the power available to them through the Holy Spirit. Dismiss to parents Make sure to check security tags when dismissing children. Unit 33 Session 5 Younger Elementary 7
Unit 33 Session 5 Jesus Ascended to Heaven 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Prepared the Disciples