2 Paul s Second Missionary Journey Acts 15:36-16:15 Kids will understand: The second journey Paul set out on. That Paul was passionate about sharing his faith. That God wants us to be passionate about sharing our faith. May 25 2014
Game Play a game of tag to kick things off. Choose one person to be it and call that person the Christian. When Christian tags someone else, they become Christians as well. They are then able to tag others. Keep going until everyone becomes a Christian. What would have happened if Christian had never tagged anyone else? What happened because Christian tagged others? Today we re going to talk about someone who was willing to go to great lengths to share his faith. This someone became a Christian in a very dramatic way and once he did, he never stopped sharing. Many, many people became Christians because he wasn t afraid to tell how Jesus had changed his life. His story helped people while he was alive 2,000 years ago and even helps us today. Bible Account Today s Bible hero is Paul. He wasn t always known as Paul, though. Does anyone know what he used to be known as? He used to be called Saul. Saul s testimony is an interesting one. He was known for the terrible things he did. At one time he persecuted and killed Christians. He was a mean man with a hard heart. Then, he met Jesus one day on his way to hunt down Christians so he could throw them in prison or even kill them. When Saul met Jesus, his entire life changed. He saw how wrong he had been and from then on he gave every minute of his life to telling others how their lives could be changed by God, also. Later on, he started going by Paul instead of Saul. Today as we learn about Paul s second journey to share his faith, I m going to need your help. I m going to talk about a place Paul went and you re going to say this rhyme together. Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance, Paul would preach in Jesus name. Practice saying the response together while running in place until the kids know it. This action running shows that Paul was really serious about his message of good news that Jesus was the Messiah. He couldn t contain himself! This message drove him to do all that he did. Okay, here we go. Paul just couldn t sit still! The message he had to share about Jesus made him have to go out and tell anyone who would listen. He couldn t help himself. So, Paul left with his friend Silas and they set out together. 2
(kids) Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance. Paul would preach in Jesus name. Their first stop was Derbe. In Derbe, Paul told the people about what a terrible man he had been. He told them how he had been a serious Jew who tracked down Christians to put them in prison or kill them. He told them how he had studied under the great teachers. Then, he told them how the risen Jesus had knocked him to the ground and made him blind. Jesus had asked Paul, Why are you persecuting me? After three days of being blind, Jesus sent a man to Paul who touched his blind eyes. When Paul could see again, he promised to serve Jesus the rest of his life. He told the people who would listen that Jesus could do the same for them; Jesus could change their lives! (kids) Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance. Paul would preach in Jesus name. Paul and Silas continued on to Lystra where they met Timothy and decided to bring him along on the journey. In Lystra, Paul told the people what a terrible man he had been. He told them how he had been a serious Jew who tracked down Christians to put them in prison or kill them. Does this sound familiar? He told them how he had studied under the great teachers. Yep, same message! Then, he told them how the risen Jesus had knocked him to the ground and made him blind. Jesus had asked Paul, Why are you persecuting me? After three days of being blind, Jesus sent a man to Paul who touched his blind eyes. This is just what he had told the people in Derbe! When Paul could see again, he promised to serve Jesus the rest of his life. He told the people who would listen that Jesus could do the same for them; Jesus could change their lives! (kids) Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance. Paul would preach in Jesus name. Paul, Silas, and Timothy then traveled along from town to town and church to church. They stopped wherever the Spirit of God led them. Every place they stopped, Paul told his story of how Jesus had changed his life. It was the same thing he had told the people in Derbe and in Lystra. He told them how the only thing he wanted to do now was to serve Jesus the Messiah, and he never forgot to tell them that they could have a changed life, also. Sounds familiar, doesn t it? (kids) Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance. Paul would preach in Jesus name. 3
Paul then had a vision of a man in Macedonia saying, Come over here and help us. Paul knew that meant he had to go. When Paul got to Macedonia, he had a message for the people there. What do you think his message was? It was the same message that he shared everywhere he went. He told them what a terrible persecutor of Christians he had been and how he had met Jesus. He told them about being blind and how he had been healed. Then, the thing that got their attention is that Paul said that Jesus had changed his life and Jesus could change theirs, too. (kids) Paul had a message. The message was the same. Every time he had the chance. Paul would preach in Jesus name. We might say that Paul was driven to tell the message of Jesus and what Jesus had done in his life. God wants all of us to feel driven to share our faith whenever and wherever we can. Object Lesson Download the following YouTube video titled Leap of Faith. YouTube video - Leap of Faith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk8vtwhy_jy This is an awesome, suspenseful clip from an Indiana Jones movie that will have everyone holding their breath. What do you think Indiana Jones was thinking before he took that first step off the ledge? What was his brain telling him would happen? What was his heart telling him would happen? Why do you think he did it took that first step? Indiana Jones had to have faith to take that step off of the ledge. What happened when he took the first step? There was a way provided for him to get across. It couldn t be seen until he demonstrated his faith that it was there. The story of Indiana Jones is a made-up one, but what he did in this movie helps us understand just a little better what it means to have faith in something. How is this like sharing your faith? You think you know what the reaction will be. You already have in your head what the other person is going to say or how they are going to react if you tell them about your relationship with God. We have to take that first step, though, so that God can reveal His plan and use us. God wants to know that we trust Him to provide a way for us. When did Paul have to take a step of faith in order to share his faith? 4
Game Dent the ball cap on top so that when placed on someone s head, the tennis ball can rest in the dent. Kids will go from the start line to the finish line trying to balance their team s ball in the ball cap on their head. They must pass the hat with the ball still in place to the next team member in line. If the ball drops at any time, the player must start over where the ball fell off. ball caps tennis balls What was difficult about this game? How is this game like sharing your faith? Why is it difficult for us to share our faith sometimes? What kind of reactions might people have when you share your faith with them? Sometimes it took more than one try to balance the ball all the way across the finish line. How is this like sharing our faith? Message (show slide #2) Paul couldn t sit still! I m sure you ve all heard someone tell you to sit down, that you are acting like you ve got ants in your pants! Having ants in my pants would definitely cause me to get up and run around! I wouldn t feel like sitting still! This is sort of how Paul felt like he couldn t sit still! Our animal that will help us remember our lesson today is the penguin. Penguins travel great distances for one purpose to find a mate (their penguin husband or wife). That purpose drives them to do what they do. Paul traveled long distances for one purpose, too to share the good news of how Jesus changes lives. Download the YouTube video called The March of the Penguins. This is a movie trailer for the film. Show this amazing clip about penguins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jkrzbncit8 These penguins do things that seem crazy to us. They travel long distances super long distances endure crazy temperatures and face starvation. All because they know they have to. Paul braved some pretty crazy situations himself, all because the message he had inside his heart drove him to. He had to do it. Is there anything that you are absolutely driven to do? What is it? How would you describe the way you feel about sharing your faith? Do you feel passionately about sharing your faith? Are you driven to speak about your faith in God? 5 YouTube Video The March of the Penguins, Movie Trailer priorities sheet from the end of lesson pencils someone to share their story of faith
Do you think about it all of the time and try to find ways to share? Paul sure was! What ways have you come up with to share your faith? (Encourage the kids to think creatively about ways, places, and people they come in contact with who they could speak God s truth to.) Have you ever known anyone who couldn t sit still, but just had to tell how God was working in his/her life? (show slide #3) Sharing his faith was a priority. Paul didn t let other things take over the way he spent his time. He knew that the most important thing he could do was to share Jesus with others. Beforehand, make copies of the Priority Sheet from the end of the lesson. The kids will rate these items and choose their top 5 that they spend time on. They should write 5 in the space next to the action they spend the most time doing down to a 1. Keep in mind they have to choose the top 5 things they spend time on, then rank those 5 only. Now look at the things you wrote 5, 4, and 3 next to. These are your most important. What does this tell you about yourself? What does this tell you about your relationship with God? What does this tell you about who you could share God with? Were you surprised to see how you really do spend your time? Does this tell you anything about how you might want to spend your time in the future? (show slide #4) Paul used his own story to share what Jesus had done. Paul had something really huge happen in his life when he came to know Jesus. A light shone from heaven and a voice Jesus voice spoke to him. This was after Jesus had died and risen from the grave. Saul (his name before) had an experience unlike most of ours! His story may seem way more exciting than yours. The important thing to remember is that he was willing to talk about how he lived and the things he did before he gave his life to Jesus, and then he also talked about the difference that Jesus made in his life. He told people how Jesus had changed him. That s really important for us to do, also. People may not understand what the Bible says when they first read it. But, God will grab them when they hear your story of how God changed you. They know you. They will listen to you. They want to hear your story, because that gives them hope that God can do a mighty work in them, too. Invite someone to share his/her conversion story. I cannot stress enough how impactful this is to kids (but really to everyone). We all connect with real life stories of people we can relate to. It doesn t have to be formal. Just encourage your guest to tell a little about what they were like before Jesus, how they were introduced to the Lord, and now how their life is different because of God s presence with them. You might consider having 2 guests if possible: one with a radical life- 6
changing testimony of before Christ/after Christ, and one with not such a dramatic flare. Sometimes a kid feels like his testimony isn t worth sharing because it isn t real dramatic. They didn t rob a bank or do drugs or torch someone s barn. God still changed their life though, and a life walking with God is a wonderful thing, no matter what happened before. No matter what our story is, Jesus wants us to share it with others. Game This is going to be such a hoot! Beforehand, take pictures of several peoples feet in the pair of flip-flops (10-12 pictures). Print these pictures off and hang them on the wall before class. Label each picture A-J (or however many pictures you have). You will also need to make up a sheet that has the names of the people who posed in the flip-flops. Give each kid a copy of this sheet of names. cheap pair of flip-flops feet pictures (about 10) copies of names pencils The kids will write the letter next to the name of the person they think is in each flip-flop picture. Go through the lists and see who was able to match the most pictures with the correct name. Maybe award a new pair of flip-flops (both a girl and a boy winner). Paul walked from town to town. He didn t hop on an airplane or take a bus. He didn t have a car or a motorcycle. Nope, he walked! I wonder how many pairs of sandals he wore out! Taking your faith to others requires us to get up and move! You may have to visit your friend, instead of waiting for them to come over to your house. You may need to stick around and help put away sports equipment so you can talk with your coach or another player. You may have to go serve lunch to some homeless people, so you ll have the chance to tell them about Jesus. It s important for us to remember that God wants us to be like Paul and take our faith wherever we go! Wherever your flip-flops go, tell someone how God has changed your life! Activity Fold a large piece of construction paper, butcher paper or newsprint in half. On the front of the folded newsprint, print the words My Story. Towards the bottom, print Written By and leave enough room for kids to sign their names. On the inside, at the top, print the words I m glad I m a Christian because. Now to get you thinking about how you might share your own story, we re going to write a story together! Each of the kids will come forward and write their name on the front cover under Written By. Then, the leader will write their answers to the question on the inside. As the kids answer the question, I m glad I m a Christian because, quickly write their answers on the inside page. 7 newsprint/butcher paper markers
Have you ever taken the time to think about why you re glad you re a Christian? Someone else is waiting to hear your story. Someone else needs to hear why you re glad to be a Christian. Your story may be the link that is going to connect them to God. Your story may give them the encouragement they need to take that step. Your story may be the one that makes them want what you have. I m going to place our book somewhere where we can all see it for the next couple of weeks. I hope it will remind you how important it is to share YOUR story. Science Experiment Beforehand, use the white crayon to make a heart on the white paper. On the inside of the heart, draw a cross. Fill a bowl with water and about 15 drops of red food coloring. white piece of paper white crayon red food coloring cereal bowl paint sponge Today we learned that God doesn t want us to keep it a secret when we have a relationship with Him. He wants us to share this with others. A lot of times, Christians live as though their relationship with Jesus is a secret. They look a lot like this white paper. Just plain, ordinary, nothing that makes them stand out. When we re willing to share our stories with others, God makes us able. Dip the sponge in the red water and paint it across the paper. As we make ourselves willing, God uses us to share His love. He doesn t want us to keep Him a secret, but He wants us to be willing to tell everyone about our relationship. After we painted our paper with the red water, it was no longer a secret what was on the paper. We need to find ways to make it obvious for people to see how God lives in us. Think about all the things you do each week and all the places you go. Not only do you go places for kids, but you also do things with adults, like run errands with your mom and hang out while your dad is bowling. What are some ways that you could share your story? Where could you share your story? With whom could you share your story? Prayer Beforehand, write one caption on each of 3 large pieces of construction paper: Courage to share my story Excitement about my faith To make it a high priority to share my faith 8 3 pieces of large construction paper mouth stickers or small lip cut-outs clear tape
Post these around the room where the kids can easily reach them. I want you to really think about what Jesus means to you. How would your life be different if He weren t in it? How would your family be different if God were not part of your family? How would you complete these sentences? Because of Jesus, I no longer Because of Jesus, I am Because of Jesus, I now Today we talked about having courage to share your story, about being excited about your faith, and about making it a priority to share your faith. Point to the different posters with these headings. It s so important to tell someone else how your life is different because of what God has done in you. Give each child a mouth sticker. If you don t have stickers, then use construction paper cut-outs of lips and the kids can use tape to put them up. Which one of these posters best says where you are today? Do you need more courage? Would you like to be more excited about telling your God story? Do you need to make it a higher priority in the things you do? Each kid will place their mouth sticker on the poster that best says where they are spiritually in this matter of sharing their God story. Pray together for those kids who put their mouth stickers on the page that said, Courage to share my story. Pray that God will show each child how to share their faith. Pray for those kids who put their mouth stickers on the page that said, Excitement about my faith. Pray that God will fill each of these kids with enthusiasm that cannot be contained it just has to come out! Pray for those kids who put their mouth stickers on the page that said, To make it a high priority to share my faith. Pray that God will show each child which of their friends or family might need to know Him, and that speaking up with their God story becomes more important than the other things that fill their week. Blessing May God bless you as you share His good news with others. 9
Take Home penguin finger puppets Send a penguin finger puppet home with the kids. You can get these at orientaltrading.com and search for this item. Encourage the kids to use the puppet to practice telling someone else the story of how God has changed their life. Talking with a puppet is a great way to get shy children to talk. An alternative is to search the same site for penguin spiral notebooks. If you choose to give these out to the kids, then encourage them to write down their God story. Game tennis balls Form relay lines with the kids. At the signal, one player from each line must stand with arms and legs stiff. They will place a tennis ball on the top of their feet (like the egg that the penguin carries and protects) and wobble to the finish line like a penguin on his journey. Once they reach the other end, they will remove the tennis ball, run back, and give the ball to the next in line. Was this penguin challenge easy or difficult? How is this like sharing our faith? Do you ever feel like you drop the ball when you re trying to tell others about Jesus? How do you drop the ball? Scripture Memorization masking tape I Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work. Beforehand, tape an outline of a hopscotch board on the classroom floor with masking tape. Each kid will go through the hopscotch like a penguin stiff arms and legs, trying their best to hop. With each hop, they will say a phrase from the verses we re memorizing. (Depending on how well your kids know the verses, you can write the phrases out on cards and tape them in the squares.) 10
Craft There are so many places that Paul went where he shared his faith. In our story today, Paul went to Derbe, Lystra, and Macedonia. But, Paul went many other places to talk about Jesus, like Corinth, Ephesus, Greece and Rome. God wants us to be willing to share our faith wherever we go. If you have a large map from Bible times, you could point out some of the places that Paul traveled. Whether he knew the people in each one of these places or they were strangers, Paul didn t hesitate to open his mouth and speak God s truth. Sometimes the people listened and they gave their lives to the Lord, but other times they ran Paul out of town and closed their hearts to what he told them. markers large manila construction paper optional: map of Bible times During your week you go lots of places. The kids will draw a map on their manila paper of places they go during the week. At each place, they will draw a picture that represents that place. If they want, they can add dotted lines that show the order of how these things line up in their weekly routine. Remind them to think about school, practices, church, lessons, games, visits to friends, errands they go on with their parents, special trips, grandparents, or a second home. Think of one way or one person you can share your God story with at each one of these places. 11
My Priorities Choose the 5 most important things in your life. Then, put a 5 by the most important of those, a 4 next to the one that s almost the most important, down to a 1 for the thing that is least important of the 5 you chose. 5 = really important 1 = not important at all Taking a bath/shower (yeah right!) Talking with friends Eating Getting homework done Sports practice or ballgames Playing my video game Texting Finding ways to make some money Being on the computer Going to church Sharing my faith with others Praying for people who don t know Jesus Playing outside/riding bike, basketball, etc. Doing chores Your hobby