Week of July 1, 2012 Lessons for the Leader Have you ever been assigned to work alongside people you had difficulty communicating with? Maybe they were people you would not typically gravitate to, but through the assignment you found common ground. That camaraderie is exactly what the church in Acts experienced. Read Acts 2. The celebration of Pentecost brought people from different countries together. Consider the activities taking place in Jerusalem. How would you feel hearing people speak in languages you could not understand? How would you feel when you began to hear people speak in your own language? Imagine Peter's feelings as he stepped forward. He had no time to prepare a sermon. He completely trusted the Holy Spirit. In what ways do you trust the Holy Spirit to guide your speech? At the end of Peter's sermon 3,000 people accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. What type of change do your words have on people around you? Read Acts 4:1-22. Notice the effects of Peter and John's boldness. How does the Holy Spirit empower you to minister? What effect does your boldness have on non-christians? Read Acts 6:1-7. This is the first mention of deacons in Scripture. Notice the decision was not entered into lightly. The men selected were to be full of wisdom and of the Holy Spirit. In addition, they had to be willing to serve. What qualifications are expected of leaders in your church? How were you selected to serve? Take time to pray for your church leaders. How do they equip people to fulfill their God-given calling? How are you equipping children to serve? What do these symbols mean? 1a Application Activities Format: Follow the numbers with arrows for a 30-minute, large group plus 20-minute Application Activities format. 1 Follow all the numbers for a 45- to 60-minute large group only format. The First Church Focus Passage: Acts 2; 4:1-22; 6:1-7 Key Bible Verse: Ephesians 6:7 Life Application I can serve in my church. Level of Biblical Learning (Church) A church is a group of baptized Christians who meet together to pray, to tell other people about Jesus, to worship God, to learn from the Bible, to meet needs of others, and to encourage one another. Session at a Glance Introduction to Worship (6-8 minutes) Greet the Children Play "Spell It" Worship (30 minutes/45 minutes) Discuss the Word Serve Sing "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" Sing "Shine, Jesus, Shine" Read the Key Bible Verse Sing "Live to Worship"/Receive Offering/ Pray Tell the Bible Story Review the Bible Story Apply the Life Application Show "Jack Spade" Video #1 Sing "I Will" Sing "Make Him Known" Pray Application Activities (20 minutes) Wrap-Up (10 minutes) OK to copy. Page 1 of 16
Introduction to Worship 1aGreet the Children 2aPlay "Spell It" Pull It Together Giant Game Floor Mat*, tennis balls, index cards, marker, poster board Write the letters M, I, Y, L, O, H, P, S, E, R, V, E, C, H, U, R, C, A, T, and U on individual index cards. Insert 1 letter in each mat pocket. Place the mat on the floor. Teacher Tip Have a large group of children? Write the letters on poster board and play in smaller groups. Form teams. Call attention to the mat. Say: "Let's spell words by bouncing a ball on the letters. You may use each letter card only one time in each word. Your team receives one point for each letter used in the word. A word may only be spelled one time." Give the ball to the first team and allow the children to spell a word. Write the word on the poster board. Award points. Continue as time allows. Say: "One word we can spell is serve. We will learn how we can serve in our church." Worship 3aDiscuss the Word Serve (2 minutes) Pull It Together Construction paper, marker, tape Write the word serve on the paper (make as large as possible). Display. Call attention to the word serve. Enlist a volunteer to state aloud the word. Ask: "What does it mean to serve?" Encourage responses. Summarize: "To serve means 'to help or assist.' Can we serve in our church?" 4aSing "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" (DVD, 3 minutes) 5 Sing "Shine, Jesus, Shine" (DVD, 3 minutes) 6 Read the Key Bible Verse (3 minutes) Guide the children to open their Bibles to Ephesians 6:7. Read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Define words the children do not understand. Ask: "With what type of attitude does this verse say we should serve? How does our attitude affect our service?" Say: "Paul wrote these words about slaves and their owners. Listen to what Paul wrote." Read aloud Ephesians 6:5-9. State: "Paul wanted slaves to have good attitudes about service. We are not slaves, but we need to have good attitudes about our service." 7aSing "Live to Worship" (DVD, 3 minutes)/ Receive Offering/Pray Select a volunteer to pray. 8aTell the Bible Story (10 minutes) Pull It Together Tape Print "Church" Teaching Picture (CD). Display. Print "Questions" (CD). Display. Call attention to the "Questions" and the teaching picture. Say: "Listen carefully for the answers to these questions." Open your Bible to Acts 2. Tell the Bible story in your own words. The First Church Based on Acts 2; 4:1-22; 6:1-7 On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were together when suddenly a sound like a rushing wind came from heaven. The sound filled the whole house where the disciples had gathered. The men were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, just as the Holy Spirit equipped them. Some Jews from other countries, who were not living in Jerusalem, came to see what was taking place. These men were confused because they heard the disciples speaking in languages they could understand. The Jews asked, "Do these men not speak the language of the Galileans? How is it they now speak our native languages?" The First Church Page 2 of 16
Some of the men were amazed, but others thought the disciples were drunk. Peter explained, "We are not drunk. What happened to us was recorded by the prophet Joel." Peter stated, "Joel said God would give us the Holy Spirit to help. God showed you His Son, Jesus, through the miracles, and other things He did. You crucified Him on a cross, but God raised Him up because it was not possible for death to defeat Jesus. We are all witnesses of this. Jesus is now at the right hand of God. God has given us His Holy Spirit in what you see and hear." The people asked, "What must we do?" Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized." That day about 3,000 people asked Jesus to be their Savior. The people followed the disciples' teachings, fellowshiped, ate, and prayed together. They even sold the things they owned and gave the money to people in need. Each day they grew in their understanding of Jesus. Even more people asked Jesus to be their Savior. One day, Peter and John were speaking when the religious leaders confronted them. The religious leaders did not like what Peter and John said about Jesus, so the leaders had Peter and John arrested. This did not stop people from believing in Jesus. About 5,000 people chose to believe. The next morning the religious and government leaders gathered together. They asked Peter and John, "By whose authority do you teach these people?" Peter told the men how God healed a man through them. Then Peter said, "Salvation is found in no one else. It is only through Jesus that anyone can be saved." The religious leaders witnessed the power through which Peter spoke. They ordered Peter and John to leave the building, then asked, "What should we do with these men? We cannot deny what they teach." They ordered Peter and John not to preach or teach any more. Peter and John said, "We cannot stop talking about what we have seen and heard." Although they were arrested, Peter and John were released because the leaders found they had done nothing wrong. As more people asked Jesus to be their Savior, a problem arose in the church. Some people complained the widows were not being cared for properly. A decision was made to choose seven men to care for the widows. The men chosen had good reputations and loved God. The disciples were then able to focus on preaching and teaching people about Jesus. Many more people believed what was taught about Jesus. 9aReview the Bible Story (3 minutes) Call attention to the "Questions." Select volunteers to answer each question. 10aApply the Life Application (6 minutes) Pull It Together Worship Guides, pencils Ask: "In what ways did people serve in this Bible story? How did the people's service affect others around them?" Say: "God wants us to serve in our church. What are some ways we can serve?" Discuss ways children can serve in your church. Guide each child to select a partner. Distribute Worship Guides and pencils. Guide the children to complete "Serve It Up!" and "Service in Action." Select a child to read aloud the definition of serve. Talk about the ways children can serve. 11a Show "Jack Spade" Video #1 (DVD, 7 minutes) Show video. Talk about Daniel's actions. Ask: "Did Daniel have the right attitude about serving? Why? What did Jack Spade help Daniel learn about serving?" Say: "Jack helped Daniel understand that he should not serve so people notice him. What should be our reason for serving?" 12aSing "I Will" (DVD, 3 minutes) 13 Sing "Make Him Known" (DVD, 3 minutes) 14aPray (2 minutes) Thank God for the people who serve in your church. Pray for a servant attitude among the children and opportunities to serve. 15aTransition to Application Activities or Wrap-Up Week of July 1, 2012 Page 3 of 16
Wrap-Up (Large Group Only Format) 16 Review Key Bible Verse (3 minutes) Invite a volunteer to read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Review the meaning of the verse and apply it to the Bible story. 17 Play "Pick A Cup" (5 minutes) Pull It Together 4 disposable cups, marker, table, paper Write the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the inside of the cups (1 number per cup). Place the cups randomly on the table. Guide the children to form four teams. Assign an adult to each team. (One adult can assist two teams if needed.) Explain: "I will read aloud a question. Each team will decide on an answer. If your team answers correctly, you may pick a cup. On the inside of the cups are numbers. These numbers will tell you how many points your team receives." Read aloud the first "Pick A Cup" question. Invite each team to whisper the answer to the assigned adult. Guide each correctly responding team to send a child to select a cup. Reveal and record the points on the paper. Continue as time permits. Announce the winning team. 18 Sing "Whoa!" (DVD, 3 minutes) 19 Dismiss the Children to Their Parents Ask Yourself H N D What did the children hear about serving in the church? What will the children know about serving in the church? What will the children do as a result of serving in the church? Wrap-Up (Application Activities Format) 16aShare Application Activities (4 minutes) Invite the children to share their Application Activity experiences. ddarts and Crafts Table Tennis Paddle dddramatic Play Serve It Up ddgames Balloon Volleyball ddexploration and Discovery Servant Attitude Snack 17aSing "Make Him Known" (DVD, 3 minutes) 18aSing "Whoa!" (DVD, 3 minutes) 19aDismiss the Children to Their Parents "Pick A Cup" Questions What happened when the disciples gathered together for Pentecost? (a sound like a rushing wind came from heaven, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit) What were the disciples able to do after being filled with the Holy Spirit? (speak in different languages) What did some of the Jews think had happened to the disciples? (The disciples were drunk.) What Old Testament prophet did Peter quote? (Joel) Where did Peter state Jesus is now? (at the right hand of God) When the people asked, "What must we do to be saved?" what did Peter say? (Repent and be baptized.) How many people asked Jesus to be their Savior, then began to fellowship together? (about 3,000) Why did the religious leaders not like Peter and John's message? (The religious leaders did not like what Peter and John said about Jesus.) How did Peter and John respond when they were arrested? (they told the people about God and Jesus) From whom did Peter state salvation comes? (Jesus) What problem arose in the church? (some of the widows were not being properly cared for) Name a way you can serve at church. (Answers will vary.) Name a place you can serve. (Answers will vary.) * Giant Game Floor Mat (001114564) may be ordered through LifeWay Christian Resources Customer Service Center at 1.800.458.2772 or online at www.lifeway.com. Week of July 1, 2012 Worship KidStyle Children's Edition Leader Guide 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Page 4 of 16
Application Activities Select from the following choices. Each choice is designed for 20 minutes of small group time. Pull It Together Utility knife (adult use only), cardboard, wide craft sticks (2 per child), glue, markers, items to embellish paddles (sequins, pom poms, etc.), colored tape, tables, table tennis balls Print "Table Tennis Paddle" (CD). Trace the pattern on the cardboard (cut 2 per child). Teacher Tip Define words of Ephesians 6:7 the children do not understand. Worship Through Arts and Crafts Table Tennis Paddle Review the Bible story. Ask: "Why did God send the Holy Spirit?" Continue: "In what ways did people serve in the first church? How do people serve in our church?" Discuss ways people serve in the church. Select a child to read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Ask: "What type of attitude does this verse say we should have? How does our attitude affect our service?" Say: "Let's make table tennis paddles to remind us to serve in our church with positive attitudes." Distribute craft supplies. Follow directions on "Table Tennis Paddle." Provide table tennis balls and allow the children to play table tennis. Say: "Take your paddles home. Use them to remind you to pray for people who serve in our church. Also think about ways you can serve." Pray, thanking God for the people who serve in your church. Ask God to show the children ways they can serve. Pull It Together Large sheets of paper, markers, scissors, stopwatch, tape Print and cut apart "Serve It Up"( CD). Secure the paper to the wall. Teacher Tips Be prepared to assist with knowing what to draw. Define words of Ephesians 6:7 the children do not understand. Use a white board with erasable markers instead of paper and markers. Worship Through Dramatic Play Serve It Up Say: "Let's play 'Serve It Up.' Each person will select a card with a way to serve printed on it. You have up to 30 seconds to draw the action for the rest of us to guess." Select a child to begin. Encourage the child to draw the action. Continue for additional actions. Display the cards face up. Ask: "How many of these actions can we do to serve in the church? Are we willing to serve?" Review the Bible story. Ask: "Why did God send the Holy Spirit?" Continue: "In what ways did the people serve in the first church? How do people serve in our church?" Discuss ways people serve in the church. Select a child to read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Ask: "What type of attitude does this verse say we should have? How does our attitude affect our service?" Discuss the importance of having a positive attitude when serving. Pray, thanking God for the people who serve in your church. Ask God to show the children opportunities of where they can serve. Week of July 1, 2012 Page 5 of 16
Pull It Together Inflated balloons, string, scissors Print and cut apart "Volleyball Questions" (CD). Create a volleyball court by dividing the room in 2 sections. Tie the string about 3 feet off of the floor to create a net. Teacher Tip Define words of Ephesians 6:7 the children do not understand. Worship Through Games Balloon Volleyball Review the Bible story. Continue: "In what ways did people serve in the first church? How did their actions help the church?" Form two teams. Assign each team to a side of the court. State: "Let's play balloon volleyball. Everyone must be seated. The first team will serve the balloon. Each team has up to three taps to get the balloon across the string. If you do not get the balloon across or it touches the floor, the other team scores a point and your team will answer a question." Play the game, guiding the teams to answer questions. Ask: "Why is serving important? How do people serve in our church?" Discuss ways people serve in the church. Select a child to read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Ask: "What type of attitude does this verse say we should have? How does our attitude affect our service?" Discuss the importance of having a positive attitude when serving. Pray, thanking God for the people who serve in your church. Ask God to show the children opportunities of where they can serve. Pull It Together Plastic knives, variety of fruits (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes, strawberries, etc.), paper towels, small food containers (1 per child), mailing labels, markers, large mixing bowl, knife (adult use only), large spoon, table Prepare and post an allergy chart of foods. Wash and prepare the fruits for the children to cut. Teacher Tip Provide enough fruits for the children to enjoy a snack. Define words of Ephesians 6:7 the children do not understand. Worship Through Exploration and Discovery Servant Attitude Snack Review the Bible story. Ask: "Why did God send the Holy Spirit?" Continue: "In what ways did people serve in the first church? How do people serve in our church?" Discuss ways people serve. Select a child to read aloud Ephesians 6:7. Ask: "What type of attitude does this verse say we should have? How does our attitude affect our service?" Say: "Many people serve in our church. Sometimes people do things we are not even aware of. However, if these things did not get done, we would have problems. Let's make a 'Servant Attitude Snack' to say 'Thank You' to people who serve." Guide the children to wash their hands. Place the fruit items on the table. Direct the children to cut the fruits into bite-size pieces. Mix the fruits together and place in the storage containers. Clean the tables. Distribute labels and markers. Invite the children to decorate labels to attach to the containers. Say: "Place your label on your container. Think of someone who serves in our church. When you leave church, give the fruit snack to the person. Say 'Thank you for serving in our church.' " Pray, thanking God for the people who serve in your church. Ask God to show the children opportunities of where they can serve. Worship KidStyle Children s Edition Leader Guide 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. OK to copy. Page 6 of 16
Todd Leonardo The First Church 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in the USA. Acts 2; 4:1-22; 6:1-7 Page 7 of 16
Who was involved in the action? Questions (July 1) Page 8 of 16
What can I learn? Questions (July 1) Page 9 of 16
How did the people respond? Questions (July 1) Page 10 of 16
When did the events take place? Questions (July 1) Page 11 of 16
Where did the events take place? Questions (July 1) Page 12 of 16
Why did the events take place? Questions (July 1) Page 13 of 16
Table Tennis Paddle 1. Cut paddles from cardboard (2 per child). 2. Glue two craft sticks together. Secure in place. 3. Glue the paddles together. 4. Cover the sticks and edges with tape. 5. Decorate. Glue craft sticks here. Table Tennis Paddle (July 1) Page 14 of 16
Cook a meal Vacuum the floor Babysit a child Read a book Pull weeds in a flowerbed Drive someone to the doctor Sing a song Pick up trash Pray with someone Share your food Serve It Up (July 1) Page 15 of 16
What festival were the disciples celebrating? (Pentecost) What type of sound filled the house where the disciples gathered? (a rushing wind) With what were the disciples filled? (the Holy Spirit) What were the disciples able to do after being filled with the Holy Spirit? (speak in different languages) What did some Jews from other countries think was wrong with the disciples? (they were drunk) Which disciple stated, "We are not drunk. What happened to us was recorded by the prophet Joel." (Peter) Where did Peter tell the people Jesus is now? (at the righthand of God) When the people asked, "What must we do?" what did Peter tell them? (repent, and be baptized) What happened when Peter and John were confronted by the religious leaders? (Peter and John were arrested, about 5,000 people believed in Jesus) By whose authority did Peter and John say they taught? (God's) In whom did Peter and John say salvation is found? (Jesus) When ordered by the religious leaders to stop talking about Jesus, what did Peter and John say? (we cannot stop talking about what we have seen and heard) What problem arose in the church? (some people felt the widows were not being cared for) According to Ephesians 6:7, what type of attitude should we have when serving? (a happy, cheerful one) Our Bible story is located in the Book of Acts. Locate Acts in your Bible. Name a way we can serve in our church. (Answers will vary.) Why is it important that we serve in our church? (Answers will vary.) Name a person who serves in our church. How does this person serve? (Answers will vary.) Name a way children can serve in our church. (Answers will vary.) Name a way we can serve in our church. (Answers will vary.) Volleyball Questions (July 1) Page 16 of 16