The First Century Church

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The First Century Church

Bible Lesson Teaching Notes

Author: Miss Melissa Hess

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P.O. BOX 4375

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APPLYING THE BIBLE LESSON TO TODAY’S CHILDREN

The BIBLE LESSON is a Bible story which includes the GOSPEL, a PERSONAL APPLICATION about sin, and an INVITATION for the unsaved child. It will also emphasize one MAIN TRUTH or teaching point with a PERSONAL APPLICATION and a CHALLENGE for the saved child.

THE UNSAVED CHILD - Three basic parts of the lesson for the unsaved child:

1. GOSPEL

The Gospel message should be woven throughout the Bible lesson. It should include these Bible truths:

G

od loves you and me

O

nly sinless Son of God

S

in - You and I have sinned (Use Scripture verse)

P

recious blood of Jesus paid for sin (Use Scripture verse)

E

ver living - Risen Saviour

L

et Christ in - Receive Him (Use Scripture verse)

2. PERSONAL APPLICATION FOR THE UNSAVED

The purpose of the personal application for the unsaved child (PAU) is to explain the sin issue. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE REMAINDER OF THE GOSPEL. It is not the invitation. It should come as early as possible in the lesson so the Holy Spirit can begin to convict the child of sin.

The personal application for the unsaved child explains the sin issue with the personal YOU, examples or illustrations of sin, and Bible verse.

3. INVITATION

The invitation usually comes at the end of the Bible lesson, but it could come earlier. It will invite the child to receive Christ as Saviour. A Scripture verse should be used and explained.

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THE SAVED CHILD - Three basic parts of the lesson for the saved child:

1. MAIN TRUTH

The Main Truth is the teaching point for the Christian child which you want to stress several times throughout the lesson. It will be a simple statement of Bible doctrine or Christian growth.

2. PERSONAL APPLICATION FOR THE SAVED

The purpose of the personal application for the saved child (PAS) is to explain the Main Truth. It will include the personal YOU, examples or illustrations, and a Bible verse.

As you think about examples or illustrations to explain the Main Truth, ask yourself these questions: When? Where? How? The Bible verse will answer the question Why?

For example:

WHO?

P

ersonal you “YOU” should be predominant word rather than “we” or “us”

HOW?

A

pply by example Examples to explain Main Truth WHY?

S

cripture A Bible verse which gives proof of the

Main Truth 3. CHALLENGE

The challenge usually comes at the end of the Bible lesson. It should encourage the Christian child to put into action the teaching of the Main Truth and personal application for the saved child.

NOTE: We realize there are many methods of Bible lesson preparation and presentation, and that this method is not the only way to teach. However, we trust that as you study these lesson helps they will be beneficial in filling in some of the details of the lesson.

CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. g P.O. BOX 4375 g HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

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The First Century Church – Lesson #1

“Jesus is Alive!”

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28; Luke 24; Acts 1:1-14 MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

VISUALS: God’s Plan in Action: The Early Church Flashcards 1-1 – 1-6 or Free Bible Images Flashcards 1-1 – 1-6

MAIN TRUTH: You can be a witness by telling others about Jesus.

BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION

A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS B. TRANSITION

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS A. FLASHCARD 1-1

B. FLASHCARD 1-2 C. FLASHCARD 1-3 D. FLASHCARD 1-4 III. CLIMAX

E. FLASHCARD 1-5 IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS F. FLASHCARD 1-6

B. BRIDGE C. INVITATION D. CHALLENGE

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The First Century Church #1, Page 2 I. INTRODUCTION

A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS

Carlos was at a football game cheering for his favorite team. In the final seconds of the game, his favorite player intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. It won the game for his team! Carlos was very excited. He couldn’t believe he got to see that happen, and he couldn’t wait to tell his friends all about it. Did you ever see something happen that you couldn’t wait to tell someone else about? When something big or exciting or important happens you want to tell others about it, right? When you tell someone else what you know or what you saw, you are being a witness.

B. TRANSITION

Some people in our lesson today are witnesses. Would they be willing to tell others about what they saw? Listen carefully to a true story from the Bible to find out.

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS

The Bible tells us that the disciples of Jesus were witnesses. These men were Jesus’ closest friends and had been with Jesus for three years. They followed Him, they listened to Him teach, and they watched Him do miracles, things that only God can do.

While they were together, Jesus had told the disciples that He was the promised Saviour sent from God. He even explained to them that He was going to die and come back to life. That was hard for the disciples to understand.

Even though the disciples were close friends of Jesus, they were still men who did wrong things. These men were sinners.

S, PAU The disciples are not the only ones who sin. You and I are sinners too. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that does not please God. The Bible says,

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Every person in the world has sinned – including you and me. (Share three examples of sin that children do.) Maybe you have not done one of the sins I mentioned, but I’m sure you can think of other sins you have done.

God knows sin is very serious. It separates you from Him.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 3 The disciples were good men and close friends of Jesus, but they were still sinners. It was hard for them to understand when Jesus said He would die and come back to life.

A. (FLASHCARD 1-1)

But some of Jesus’ followers were there with Jesus on the day He died. They followed Him as

He carried a heavy wooden cross to a hill outside the city of Jerusalem.

They watched as soldiers, who hated Jesus, put nails through His hands and feet and hung Him on a wooden cross.

Two other men were also crucified – hung on crosses to die – that day.

Those men were criminals, and they were sinners. They had done things not right in God’s sight. They were being punished for the crimes they had done. They deserved to die. But what about Jesus? Why was He being put to death? Why did He have to die?

O, P It was for you and me! Though Jesus is the perfect Son of God who never, ever did anything wrong, He was willing to die on the cross to take the punishment for the sins that you and I have done. The Bible says, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. . .” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

“According the Scriptures” means it is found in God’s Word, the Bible, and we know that what God tells us in His Word is true. Jesus Christ died on the cross and gave His blood to pay for our sins. Jesus didn’t deserve that punishment, but He loved us enough that He was willing to die in our place.

Some of the people in the crowd that day were glad to see Jesus die. They hated Him and didn’t believe that He was really the Son of God. Others who were there loved Jesus and were sad that He was dying.

IH Have children make a sad look on their face, as though seeing Jesus on the cross.

Besides being sad, Jesus’ followers were probably devastated when they saw Jesus die. Jesus had told them He was the promised Saviour sent from God, but now He was dead. How could He be the Saviour if He was dead?

What would the disciples do now?

A follower of Jesus asked permission to take Jesus’ dead body down from the cross. He wrapped His body carefully in clean linen cloth and buried Him in a tomb, which was like a cave carved out in the rocks. A huge stone was rolled in front of the entrance of the tomb to seal it up.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 4 IH Have children pretend to wrap Jesus’ body and lay Him gently in the tomb.

Pretend to push a huge stone in front of the entrance.

The enemies of Jesus remembered that Jesus said He would come back to life on the third day. They placed guards at the tomb to make sure none of Jesus’ friends came to steal His body and announce that Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus was dead in that tomb for three days.

B. (FLASHCARD 1-2)

Then, just as the sun was rising early in the morning of the third day, some women who were

followers of Jesus came to His tomb. They were bringing spices and ointments to put on Jesus’ body, which was the custom for burying people in that day.

As they arrived at the tomb, there was a great earthquake. The ground started shaking violently. At that same moment, an angel of the Lord came from Heaven and rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb and sat upon it. The Bible says the angel’s face looked bright like lightening, and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards at the tomb were so frightened that they fainted and looked like they were dead.

IH Have children shake as though from the earthquake. Have children shield their eyes from the bright light from the angel.

The women were also very afraid. But the angel spoke to them and said,

“Do not be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.”

Perhaps, at that very moment, the women looked into the tomb and saw that Jesus wasn’t there. His body was gone! Only the linen clothes that had been wrapped around Him were still lying there flat.

The angel went on to say, “He is not here. He has risen as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord was laid.”

E Why wasn’t Jesus still in the tomb? Because He was no longer dead. Jesus was alive! It had happened just like our memory verse says, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus had risen from the dead just as He promised, and He is still alive today.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 5 Jesus was alive. When the women saw that Jesus had risen from the dead, they ran to tell their friends the wonderful news. They were being witnesses.

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, you can be a witness by telling others about Jesus. A witness is someone who sees something or knows something and tells others about it.

When you know about Jesus, you should want others to know about Him too.

The women at the tomb saw that Jesus had risen from the dead and ran to tell their friends what had happened.

That very same day, two other followers of Jesus were going to a village called Emmaus.

IH Have children stand up and walk in place, as though walking to Emmaus.

As they were walking, they were talking together about all the things that had just happened in the city of Jerusalem. Perhaps they were questioning if it was really true. Had Jesus really risen from the dead?

C. (FLASHCARD 1-3)

Suddenly, a Stranger came up and started to walk with them.

They didn’t recognize the

Stranger, but the Stranger started talking to them. He asked them, “Why are you sad? What is it that you are talking about?”

IH Have children repeat the words, “What is it that you are talking about?”

One of the followers, whose name was Cleopas, answered the Stranger by saying, “You must be a Stranger in Jerusalem. You’re probably the only Person who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there.”

Then they went on to tell the Stranger the things that had happened to Jesus.

The Stranger then reminded them of things that were written about the promised Saviour hundreds of years before in the Old Testament part of the Bible.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 6 When they arrived at a home in Emmaus, they invited the Stranger to come in and stay with them because it was late in the day. As they sat down at the table to have supper together, the Stranger took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them.

When He did that, the Bible says their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. Immediately, they knew who the Stranger was. He was Jesus!

Jesus suddenly disappeared. He was no longer with them. But the two followers of Jesus were amazed that they had just seen the risen Saviour.

They could not wait to share what had happened with other followers of Jesus, so they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell them. They were being witnesses.

MT, PAS If Jesus is your Saviour, you can be a witness by telling others about Jesus. A witness is someone who sees something or knows something and tells others about it.

When you know about Jesus, you should want others to

know about Him too. How can you be a witness and tell others about Jesus?

1You can teach your friends at school the memory verses that you are learning at Good News Club. Today’s verse, I Corinthians 15:3-4, is a perfect verse to start with. ²You can draw pictures to show others in your family how Jesus died on the cross and how He came out of the tomb alive.

3You can invite other kids in your neighborhood to come with you to Good News Club. They will definitely learn about Jesus here. Perhaps you can think of other ways that you can be a witness by telling others about Jesus.

The Bible says, “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

(Acts 1:8). This verse means we should be ready to witness to people who live in our neighborhood and city, people in our country, and people around the world. We should want to be witnesses by telling others about Jesus.

The two followers who had been on the road to Emmaus had met Jesus, talked with Him, ate with Him, and now they wanted to tell others about Him.

That same day, they hurried back to Jerusalem where the disciples and other followers of Jesus were gathered together.

D. (FLASHCARD 1-4)

As they were there telling their story, Jesus Himself appeared in the room with them. All the

people were startled and frightened. They thought they were seeing a ghost.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 7 IH Have children make a shocked look on their face.

Jesus spoke to them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He went on to say, “Look at My hands. Look at My feet. Touch Me and see that I am real.”

They saw the nail prints in His hands and feet. They touched Jesus and ate with Jesus. Jesus loved these people and wanted them to believe that He was really alive.

G Just as Jesus loved these people, Jesus also loves you. He knows who you are and you are very special to Him. He wants you to believe that He is really alive.

Jesus loved these people in our story and wanted them to believe that He was really alive. They did believe that Jesus was alive. They did believe He had risen from the dead!

Eventually, many people saw Jesus alive in person. In fact, one time He even appeared to over 500 people all at once. They, too, were witnesses that Jesus really did come alive again. Jesus helped them to remember what the Bible said would happen – that the Saviour would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.

Then Jesus said, “You are witnesses of these things.”

Forty days after Jesus came back to life, He led His disciples to a town called Bethany. Jesus reminded them of God’s promise that He would send a Helper, God the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus told them something else important too. He told them that the Holy Spirit would give them power to tell people everywhere in the whole world the Good News about Jesus.

III. CLIMAX

E. (FLASHCARD 1-5)

Something incredible happened next. As they watched, Jesus’

feet left the ground, and He

began going up, up into the air. He went up higher and higher until He disappeared into a cloud, out of their sight.

IH Have children place their flat hands down close to the floor and raise them slowly up into the air as though it was Jesus going up.

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The First Century Church #1, Page 8 IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS F. (FLASHCARD 1-6)

As the disciples stood there looking up into the sky, suddenly two angels appeared to them and

said, “Why are you standing there looking up into Heaven. The same Jesus which was taken up from you into Heaven will come again someday from Heaven in the same way you saw Him go.”

IH Have children put their hand over their eyes and look up toward Heaven.

Jesus will come back someday to take all those who have believed in Him as their personal Saviour to be with Him forever in Heaven.

B. BRIDGE

Will you be ready when that day comes? Have you believed in Jesus as your Saviour? If you haven’t, you can do that today.

C. INVITATION

L The Bible says, “. . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. . . .” (Acts 16:31). It is not enough to believe in your mind about Jesus. You must believe in your heart. When you do, He will save you from the punishment of sin. Do you know that you have sinned and that you deserve to be punished for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross and gave His blood to take the punishment for your sin and that He did not stay dead but that He came back to life again? If you believe these things, would you like to put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour right now? I want you all to bow your heads and close your eyes for just a minute. If you would like to believe on Jesus as your Saviour from sin, would you show me by raising your hand so I can see it.

(Teacher acknowledges those who respond.) You may all look up at me. If you raised your hand, I would be happy to show you from God’s Word how you can believe on Jesus as your Saviour today. (Tell them when and where they can talk to you.)

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The First Century Church #1, Page 9 D. CHALLENGE

MT If you have already asked Jesus to be your Saviour, you can be a witness by telling others about Jesus. A witness is someone who sees something or knows something and tells others about it. When you know about Jesus, you

should want others to know about Him too. How can you be a witness and tell others about Jesus? ¹You can teach your friends at school the memory verses that you are learning at Good News Club. ²You can draw pictures to show others in your family how Jesus died on the cross and how He came out of the tomb alive. ³You can invite other kids in your neighborhood to come with you to Good News Club. Perhaps you can think of other ways that you can be a witness by telling others about Jesus. The Bible says, “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). This verse means we should be ready to witness to people who live in our neighborhood and city, people in our country, and people around the world.

We should want to be witnesses by telling others about Jesus. Will you do that? I will give you a moment to pray silently. You can ask God to help you to be a witness and to tell others about Jesus. (Close the lesson in prayer.)

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The First Century Church – Lesson #2

“The Holy Spirit Has Come!”

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:1-41 MEMORY VERSE: Acts 1:8

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me . . . .”

MAIN TRUTH: The Holy Spirit will help you to be a witness.

B. FLASHCARD 2-2 C. FLASHCARD 2-3 D. FLASHCARD 2-4 E. FLASHCARD 2-5

III. CLIMAX

F. FLASHCARD 2-6 IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS B. BRIDGE

C. INVITATION D. CHALLENGE

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It was hard for Carolyn to wait. Her grandparents were arriving later that day and would be staying for a whole week. She loved her grandparents and enjoyed spending time with them, but since they lived in another state, Carolyn only got to see them once a year. She could not wait for them to come.

Have you ever had to wait for something? Waiting isn’t always easy, but many times we do have to wait.

B. TRANSITION

In our true story from the Bible today, some followers of Jesus are waiting for Someone very important to come. Who are they waiting for? Listen carefully and find out.

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS

The followers of Jesus had been with Him for the past three years, listening to Him teach, learning from Him, and watching Him do miracles, things that only God can do.

But then Jesus was crucified – hung on a cross to die. His body was buried in a tomb. Three days later, they discovered that His tomb was empty. Jesus had risen from the dead. He had come back to life.

A. (FLASHCARD 2-1)

Over the next 40 days Jesus had appeared to many people, proving that He was truly alive.

He showed people the scars in

His hands where the nails had been. He encouraged people to touch Him and see that His body was real.

IH Have children use fingers from one hand to touch the palm of their other hand, as though touching the nail-scared hand of Jesus.

Eventually, many people saw Jesus alive in person. They were convinced that He had truly risen from the dead.

Before Jesus went back to Heaven, He reminded His followers that He would send a Helper. The Helper would be God the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His followers to wait in the city of Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come.

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The First Century Church #2, Page 3 Then Jesus gave them another promise. He told them that the Holy Spirit would give them power to tell everyone in the whole world the Good News about Jesus. Telling others about Jesus is called being a witness.

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, the Holy Spirit will help you to be a witness. When you know Jesus, you should want others to know Him too. It’s not always easy to tell others about Jesus, but God the Holy Spirit will help you to tell others about Jesus and His Word.

Jesus told His followers that the Holy Spirit would give them power to tell everyone the Good News of Him.

But there were only a small number of Jesus followers at that time and a large number of people in the world who needed to hear the Good News about Jesus. How could they possibly tell everyone? God had an amazing plan.

IH Have children shrug their shoulders and repeat the words, “How could they possibly tell everyone?”

About ten days after Jesus had gone back to Heaven, an important Jewish holiday called Pentecost was being celebrated in the city of Jerusalem.

Many Jewish people from many faraway places came to Jerusalem for this special celebration. Because these people were from so many different faraway places, the people spoke many different languages.

IH Have children repeat the word “Pentecost.”

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples and other followers of Jesus were gathered together in one place. Just as Jesus had told

them to do, they were waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus had said the Holy Spirit would be their Helper. If they were going to be witnesses and tell all the people in Jerusalem the Good News of Jesus, they would need the Holy Spirit’s help.

Suddenly, there came from Heaven a roaring sound like the sound of a mighty windstorm. That sound seemed to fill the whole place.

IH Have children blow out of their mouths to make the sound of wind.

Then something like little flames of fire appeared and settled on the head of each person.

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The First Century Church #2, Page 4 C. (FLASHCARD 2-3)

At that very moment, every person there was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had come just as Jesus had

promised! The Holy Spirit cannot be seen, but God used the sound of the wind and the sight of the flames of fire to let the followers of Jesus know that the Holy Spirit had come.

The followers of Jesus started speaking in other languages that they didn’t even know how to speak. They couldn’t have done that by themselves. God the Holy Spirit was giving them the ability to do that.

When the Jews throughout Jerusalem heard about this, they came to see for themselves. Being that they were from many different places, they all spoke different languages. How amazed they were to hear the followers of Jesus speaking to them in their own language that they could understand!

They had never seen anything like this before!

God loved the people who were in Jerusalem that day and wanted them to hear about Jesus in their own language.

G, O Just like God loved the people in Jerusalem, God loves all the people in the whole world – including you and me. It doesn’t matter what language you speak or where you come from, God loves you. Because God loves you, He wants you to know His perfect Son, Jesus, the only One who can save you from sin.

God loved the people in Jerusalem and wanted them to hear about Jesus, so He sent the Holy Spirit who helped the followers of Jesus speak in the different languages to all the people.

“How can this be?” the people asked. “These people are all from Galilee, yet we hear them speaking in our own languages.”

IH Have children shrug their shoulders and ask, “How can this be?”

Others in the crowd mocked them. “They are drunk!” they shouted.

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The First Century Church #2, Page 5 D. (FLASHCARD 2-4)

But Peter, one of the disciples, stood up with the other disciples and announced loudly for all the people to hear, “Listen carefully

to what I say, these people are not drunk like some of you are thinking.”

Then Peter went on to remind them that this was predicted hundreds of years ago by a prophet of God and was written about in the Old Testament part of the Bible. “God said, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon My people and do miracles among them.’”

Then Peter began to witness – to tell others the Good News about the Lord Jesus. How did Peter have the ability to witness? God the Holy Spirit was helping Peter to be a witness.

MT, PAS If Jesus is your Saviour, God wants you to tell other people the Good News of Jesus too. Remember, the Holy Spirit will help you to be a witness. The Bible says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me . . . .” (Acts

1:8). It’s not always easy to tell others about Jesus. ¹Maybe you are shy and don’t know how to talk to other people about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can help you be brave to talk to them. ²Maybe you are not sure what to say to tell others about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can help you to know the right words to say. ³Maybe you are afraid others will laugh at you if you tell them about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can give you courage to tell others even if they do laugh at you. When you know Jesus as your Saviour, God the Holy Spirit lives in you. He will help you to be a witness.

God the Holy Spirit was helping Peter to be a witness to the crowd that day.

Peter knew the Holy Spirit had come, and Peter was trusting the Holy Spirit to help him know what to say.

E. (FLASHCARD 2-5)

Peter announced that even though the people were the ones who had killed Jesus by nailing Him to a cross, it was really all

part of God’s plan. God knew that we would sin and would need a Saviour.

God sent Jesus to be the Saviour.

P, E The Bible says, “But God commendeth (showed) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

Jesus Christ loved us so much that He was willing to die on the cross and give His precious blood to pay for our sins. He took the punishment for sin that you and I deserve. After He died, He was buried. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. He came alive and will never die again.

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The First Century Church #2, Page 6 God sent Jesus to be the Saviour. God the Holy Spirit gave Peter the help he needed to witness to the crowd that day.

Before he finished speaking, Peter told the people one more thing, “God raised Jesus from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”

When Peter was finished speaking, the people in the crowd knew in their hearts that they were sinners.

S, PAU Boys and girls, do you know that you and I are sinners too? The Bible says,

“There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10). No one does everything perfectly right like God does. You have sinned, and I have sinned too. Sin is anything you think, say, or do that does not please God. (Share three examples of sins that children do.) Maybe I have not mentioned a sin that you have done, but God knows about your sin.

God knew about the sins of the people in the crowd. Now they, too, understood that they were sinners. They asked, “What should we do?”

IH Have children shrug their shoulders and ask, “What should we do?”

Peter answered them and said, “Turn from loving your sin and start loving and obeying God. Trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

III. CLIMAX

F. (FLASHCARD 2-6)

A wonderful thing happened! The Bible tells us that about 3,000 people believed in Jesus as their Saviour that day and were saved

from their sin as the Holy Spirit helped Peter to witness.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS

The Holy Spirit did something that day that Peter could not do; He convicted the people of their sin and gave them a desire to know Jesus.

What an amazing day that must have been! Every day after that, the believers in Jesus met to pray together, to encourage each other, and to learn more about God together.

B. BRIDGE

The Holy Spirit did not force anyone to believe in Jesus. It was a choice each person had to make. You have to make that same choice today.

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The First Century Church #2, Page 7 C. INVITATION

L Are you ready to choose to trust in Jesus as your Saviour if you’ve never done that before? The Bible says, “. . . Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21). That means if you choose to trust in Jesus as your Saviour you will be saved from the punishment of sin, which is being separated forever from God when your life on Earth is over.

Do you know that you have sinned and that you deserve to be punished for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross and gave His blood to take the punishment for your sin and that He did not stay dead but that He came back to life again? If you believe these things, would you like to choose to trust in Jesus as your Saviour right now? I want you all to bow your heads and close your eyes for just a minute. If you would like to choose to trust in Jesus as your Saviour from sin, would you show me by raising your hand so I can see it. (Teacher acknowledges those who respond.) You may all look up at me. If you raised your hand, I would be happy to show you from God’s Word how you can believe on Jesus as your Saviour today.

(Tell them when and where they can talk to you.) D. CHALLENGE

MT If you have already trusted in Jesus to be your Saviour, God wants you to tell other people the Good News of Jesus. Remember, the Holy Spirit will help you to be a witness. The Bible says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye

shall be witnesses unto Me . . . .” (Acts 1:8). It’s not always easy to tell others about Jesus. ¹Maybe you are shy and don’t know how to talk to other people about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can help you be brave to talk to them.

2Maybe you are not sure what to say to tell others about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can help you to know the right words to say. ³Maybe you are afraid others will laugh at you if you tell them about Jesus. The Holy Spirit can give you courage to tell others even if they do laugh at you. When you know Jesus as your Saviour, God the Holy Spirit lives in you. He will help you to be a witness, but will you do it? I will give you a moment to pray silently.

You can ask God to help you to be a witness and to tell others about Jesus.

(Close the lesson in prayer.)

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The First Century Church – Lesson #3

“The Believers are Persecuted”

SCRIPTURE: Acts 5:12-42 MEMORY VERSE: John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto You . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

MAIN TRUTH: The Holy Spirit will help you to have peace in times of trouble.

B. FLASHCARD 3-2 C. FLASHCARD 3-3 D. FLASHCARD 3-4 E. FLASHCARD 3-5 III. CLIMAX

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Quinten was going through a difficult time. His parents had split up and now his mom had a new husband. There were new children living at Quinten’s house, sharing his room and all his things. They either picked on Quinten or never paid any attention to him at all. Quinten hated it. He wanted things to be like they were before.

Have you ever gone through something very difficult like Quinten? If you have, it’s easy to feel sad or stressed or even mad. But if Jesus is your Saviour, you don’t have to feel that way.

B. TRANSITION

Someone in our story today is going through a very troubling time. How will that person react? Listen carefully to find out.

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS A. (FLASHCARD 3-1)

Excitement was growing in the city of Jerusalem. Great big crowds of people were gathering at the Temple, the building where

people would go to worship God and to learn about Him. These people were excited to find out what the disciples were going to tell them.

The disciples were Jesus’ closest followers. They had spent time with Jesus while He was alive here on Earth. They had listened to Him teach and watched Him do amazing things. Some of Jesus’ followers had even been there on the day He died.

P, E The Bible tells us why Jesus died, “. . . And without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22). Remission is a big word that means forgiveness. In order for us to have forgiveness for our sin, blood had to be given. Jesus gave His precious blood when He died on the cross. He took the punishment for sin that you and I deserve. After Jesus died, He was buried, but three days later He came back to life. Jesus is still alive today, and He will never to die again.

Some of Jesus’ followers had been there on the day He died, and many of them, along with hundreds of other people, saw Jesus alive after He had risen from the dead.

But then Jesus had gone back to Heaven. About ten days after Jesus left, the Holy Spirit came. The Holy Spirit is God just like Jesus is God. God is three Persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

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The First Century Church #3, Page 3 O That’s right, boys and girls. God is three in One. We know God the Son is

Jesus. Just like God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, Jesus, God the Son, is perfect. He never, ever sinned.

Jesus is God the Son. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to the disciples and other believers in Jesus after Jesus went back to Heaven.

Now the Holy Spirit was living in those who were believers in Jesus. He was helping them to tell people about Jesus and to do some wonderful, amazing things. The disciples couldn’t do these miracles on their own; they could only do them because God the Holy Spirit was helping them.

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, the Holy Spirit can help you too.

The Holy Spirit will help you to have peace in times of trouble. Do you have times of trouble? Sure you do. We all do. When those times come, God can help you to have His peace. Peace is a quietness in your heart or a calmness

on the inside. This peace is beyond anything we can understand. It comes directly from God! The Holy Spirit can help you to have peace.

The Holy Spirit was now living in the disciples and helping them to do some amazing things.

Besides that, the Holy Spirit was helping many people to realize that they were sinners and that they needed Jesus to be their Saviour.

S, PAU Do you realize that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus to be your Saviour? Listen to what the Bible teaches, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6). Just like sheep who wander off, you and I turn away from God and from doing what He wants us to do. When we do what we want instead of what God wants, that’s sin.

(Share three examples of sins that children do.) Maybe I have not mentioned a sin that you have done, but you and I are sinners. God knows about our sin. Sin is very serious to God. Because of our sin, we need Jesus to be our Saviour.

The Holy Spirit was helping many people to realize that they were sinners and that they needed Jesus to be their Saviour. Thousands of people had become believers in Jesus. The family of Jesus’ followers was growing!

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The First Century Church #3, Page 4 B. (FLASHCARD 3-2)

Throughout the city of Jerusalem, news was spreading quickly that sick people were being healed by the disciples. Some sick people

started coming in from other surrounding towns to be healed. Those who were the most sick and those who couldn’t walk were carried in on cots and stretchers. More and more sick people were coming so they could be healed too. The Bible says that every one of them was healed.

IH Have children pretend to be carrying someone on a stretcher.

The people who had been sick must have been very happy to be well again.

The disciples must have been very happy to see God doing such wonderful miracles. But not everyone was happy about what was happening in Jerusalem.

The religious leaders of that time, called Sadducees, were not happy. In fact, they were filled with anger. They did not want people to hear about Jesus.

IH Have children make an angry look on their face.

To try to stop them from preaching about Jesus, the Sadducees had the disciples arrested and thrown into prison. They warned them to stop what they were doing. The disciples were being persecuted.

IH Have children repeat the word “persecuted.”

To be persecuted means to be treated badly for believing in Jesus and for telling others about Him. The disciples were being persecuted. They were thrown into prison and warned to stop telling other people about Jesus.

Did God want the disciples to be persecuted? No. He cared about the disciples. He loved them.

G Just as God loved and cared for the disciples, God also loves and cares for you and me. Whatever you’re going through, whatever is happening, remember that God loves you.

God loved the disciples. He didn’t want them to be persecuted. But the disciples were persecuted. They were thrown into prison and warned to stop telling other people about Jesus.

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The First Century Church #3, Page 5 C. (FLASHCARD 3-3)

Then an amazing thing

happened. An angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the prison, and led the disciples

out. Then the angel told them, “Go to the Temple and speak to the people this message of life.” Even though the disciples might be persecuted again, God wanted them to keep telling the Good News about Jesus.

MT, PAS Have you ever been persecuted because you are a believer in Jesus? If so, that is a time of real trouble. If Jesus is your Saviour, the Holy Spirit will help you to have peace in times of trouble. Peace is a quietness in your heart or a calmness on the inside. This peace is beyond

anything we can understand. It comes directly from God! This doesn’t mean everything is going to happen the way we want it to. But it helps us remember that we have the Holy Spirit to be with us when we go through hard and scary times. ¹Maybe your grandmother was very sick and had to stay in the hospital a long time, and you were afraid she was going to die.

The Holy Spirit can help you to have peace. ²Maybe your mom and dad split up and now your dad isn’t living with you anymore. You are afraid you won’t get to see him much anymore. The Holy Spirit can help you to have peace.

3Maybe there’s a mean kid at school who is always picking on you and making fun of you for believing in Jesus. The Holy Spirit can help you to have peace. The Bible says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

(John 14:27). God wants you to have His peace in times of trouble.

(Teacher: Emphasize the difference between bullying and persecution, and the importance of letting an adult know if this is happening to the child.) The disciples were in a time of trouble. They had been thrown into prison and were warned to stop telling other people about Jesus.

God gave them a message through the angel. He wanted them to keep telling people about Jesus. Would the disciples do that?

IH Have children show a thumbs up if they think the disciples will keep telling people about Jesus. Have children show a thumbs down if they think the disciples will not keep telling people about Jesus.

God gave the disciples the courage they needed to obey Him. Very early the next morning, the disciples went to the Temple and started teaching the people about Jesus as they were told.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders met together for a big meeting called a council. The order was given to bring the disciples from the prison to the meeting. The guards rushed to the prison right away to get them.

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The First Century Church #3, Page 6 D. (FLASHCARD 3-4)

When the guards arrived at the prison, the prison door was shut tight and locked, and the prison guards were outside keeping

watch. But when the Temple guards went into the prison, the disciples were gone.

IH Have children put their hand over their eyes and look around as if looking for the missing disciples.

The Temple guards must have been shocked. They hurried back to the Temple to inform those at the council meeting what they had seen. “The prison was securely locked,” they said. “The guards were standing outside.

But when we opened the doors, no one was there!”

The religious leaders and the captain of the Temple guard were probably very confused. They must have wondered what had happened and wondered what to do next.

Just then, someone came with surprising news, “The men you had put in prison are standing in the Temple. They are teaching the people.”

The captain and the other Temple guards hurried to the Temple to get the disciples. They brought them to stand before the council.

The high priest confronted the disciples, “Didn’t we order you never to teach in Jesus’ name?

Instead, you have filled

Jerusalem with your teachings about Him, and you are determined to blame His death on us.”

IH Have children shake their pointer finger angrily and repeat, “Didn’t we order you never to teach in Jesus’ name?”

The religious leaders did not want to hear that they were responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross. They did not want anything about Jesus being taught.

Then Peter and the other disciples answered and said, “We should obey God rather than men.” Peter went on to tell the council that God had raised Jesus from the dead after they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. Peter boldly added, “We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit.”

When the religious leaders heard what Peter said, they were furious. In fact, they were so mad that they wanted to kill the disciples.

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The First Century Church #3, Page 7 IH Have children make an angry look on their face.

Then Gamaliel stood up to speak. Gamaliel was a well-respected religious leader who was an expert in religious law. He ordered that the disciples be taken outside. Then Gamaliel wisely told the council, “Be careful what you are planning to do to these men!”

Gamaliel went on to say, “My advice is to leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are doing these things on their own then it will come to nothing and we have nothing to worry about. But if what they are doing is from God, then we cannot stop them, and we will be fighting against God.”

Perhaps the religious leaders nodded in agreement. They knew Gamaliel’s advice was wise, and they decided to listen to him.

IH Have children nod their heads in agreement.

The disciples were called back in. The religious leaders had them badly beaten and ordered them to never again speak in the name of Jesus. Then the disciples were set free.

What would the disciples do next? Would they follow what the religious leaders said and stop telling people about Jesus?

III. CLIMAX

F. (FLASHCARD 3-6)

No! The Bible says that the disciples rejoiced – were joyful – that God had considered them worthy to suffer for Jesus.

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS

And every day, the disciples continued to teach people at the Temple and in their homes about Jesus.

They kept on telling everyone they could that Jesus is the promised Saviour who died and came alive again, and that He is the only One who can save people from their sin.

B. BRIDGE

Do you believe that Jesus is the promised Saviour sent from God? Have you ever asked Him to save you from your sin?

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L Listen to what the Bible says about that, “. . . Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:15). That means if you put your trust in Jesus and ask Him to save you from your sin, He will give you life that lasts forever with God up in Heaven when your life on Earth is over. Do you know that you have sinned and that you deserve to be punished for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross and gave His blood to take the punishment for your sin and that He did not stay dead but that He came back to life again? If you believe these things, are you ready to trust in Jesus as your Saviour right now? I want you all to bow your heads and close your eyes for just a minute. If you are ready to believe in Jesus as your Saviour from sin, would you show me by raising your hand so I can see it. (Teacher acknowledges those who respond.) You may all look up at me. If you raised your hand, I would be happy to show you from God’s Word how you can believe on Jesus as your Saviour today. (Tell them when and where they can talk to you.)

D. CHALLENGE

MT Perhaps you have already believed on Jesus as your Saviour. Have you ever been persecuted because you are a believer in Jesus? If so, that is a time of real trouble. If Jesus is your Saviour, the Holy Spirit will help you to have peace in times of trouble. Peace is a quietness in your

heart or a calmness on the inside. This peace is beyond anything we can understand. It comes directly from God! This doesn’t mean everything is going to happen the way we want it to. But it helps us remember that we have the Holy Spirit to be with us when we go through hard and scary times.

1Maybe your grandmother was very sick and had to stay in the hospital a long time, and you were afraid she was going to die. ²Maybe your mom and dad split up and now your dad isn’t living with you anymore. You are afraid you won’t get to see him much anymore. ³Maybe there’s a mean kid at school who is always picking on you and making fun of you for believing in Jesus. In times of trouble, the Holy Spirit can help you to have peace. The Bible says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). God wants you to have His peace in times of trouble. Perhaps you are going through a time of trouble, and you need God to give you peace. I’m going to give you a moment right now to talk quietly to God. Then I’ll close in prayer. (Allow children to pray quietly.)

(Teacher: Emphasize the difference between bullying and persecution, and the importance of letting an adult know if this is happening to the child.)

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The First Century Church – Lesson #4

“Saul Meets Jesus”

SCRIPTURE: Acts 7:58-60; Acts 8:3-4; Acts 9:1-22 MEMORY VERSE: 2 Corinthians 5:17

“. . . If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

MAIN TRUTH: The Holy Spirit will help you change your attitudes and actions.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS F. FLASHCARD 4-6

B. BRIDGE C. INVITATION D. CHALLENGE

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Knock, knock, knock! Someone was pounding urgently at the door of the home in Jerusalem where believers in Jesus lived.

Inside the home someone whispered, “Oh, no! Saul is at the door! He’s coming to get us!”

B. TRANSITION

Who is this man Saul? Why are the people in the home afraid of him? Listen carefully to this true story from the Bible to find out.

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS A. (FLASHCARD 4-1)

Persecution was spreading

throughout Jerusalem.

Persecution means to treat someone badly for believing in

Jesus and for telling others about Him. The Bible says that Saul was one of the people persecuting the believers of Jesus. Saul was going from house to house dragging out the believers, putting them in chains, and throwing them into prison. He wanted the believers to be destroyed. He wanted their message about Jesus to be stopped.

IH Have children show an angry look on their face.

Why did Saul hate the believers so much? Saul was a Pharisee – a Jewish religious leader. Like other Pharisees, Saul tried very hard to strictly keep all of the rules and laws of the Scriptures. Of course, no matter how hard he tried, Saul could not keep all the rules and laws. Only Jesus could do that.

O That’s because Jesus is the Son of God. He is the only One who always does what is right every single time. Jesus never sinned.

Saul, like other Pharisees, tried to keep all of the rules and laws of the Scriptures, and he thought he was pleasing God by doing that.

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The First Century Church #4, Page 3 S, PAU You may be trying to please God by being good or keeping rules. But

disobeying God in one thing is like disobeying God in everything. The Bible says, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses (good works) are as filthy rags . . . .” (Isaiah 64:6). Even when we try to be good, we can never be as good as God. He is perfect. We are not. You and I are sinners. We’ve done many sinful things. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that does not please God. (Share three examples of sins that children do.) These things are sin. You cannot get rid of your sin by trying to be good or by keeping rules.

Saul thought he was pleasing God by keeping the rules and laws of the Scriptures. He also thought that he was pleasing God by punishing the believers of Jesus. He didn’t believe that Jesus was really the One God promised to send to save people from their sins, and Saul hated that the believers were spreading this message to others.

Saul did not realize that he was actually going against God when he persecuted the believers. Because the persecution got so bad in the city of Jerusalem, many believers left Jerusalem and ran away to other cities.

After that, Saul decided to chase down the believers who had gone to the city of Damascus.

Damascus was about a five day

journey away from Jerusalem, but Saul did not care about that. He hated the believers and wanted to stop them from spreading their message about Jesus. He was willing to go all the way to Damascus to arrest the believers and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

Saul got letters from the High Priest in Jerusalem, giving him permission to go to Damascus to arrest the believers there. With letters in hand, Saul started out on his journey to Damascus.

IH Have children pretend to pack their bag for the trip. Be sure to include the letters from the high priest.

C. (FLASHCARD 4-3)

As Saul and his men were nearing the city of Damascus,

something very strange

happened. A blinding light – a

light more brilliant than the sun – shown down from Heaven around Saul.

IH Have children pretend to shield their eyes from the bright light.

Saul fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice speaking to him from Heaven saying, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?”

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The First Century Church #4, Page 4 Saul asked, “Who are You?”

IH Have children ask the question, “Who are You?”

The voice answered Saul and said, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting.” Saul realized that when he was persecuting the believers, he was really persecuting Jesus.

Saul understood; Jesus really is the promised Saviour sent from God.

P, E That’s right, boys and girls. Jesus is the Saviour God promised to send. He is the One who died on the cross and gave His blood to pay for our sins.

The Bible says, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7). Because Jesus willingly died on the cross and gave His blood, you and I can be forgiven for the wrong things we have done. After Jesus died, He was buried, but three days later He rose from the dead. Jesus is the Saviour that God had promised to send.

Now Saul understood that Jesus really is the Saviour that God had promised to send. Jesus spoke to Saul as he was traveling on the road to Damascus.

Saul was now sure that what the believers had said was true. Jesus was alive. Saul was now changed. He was a new person on the inside. Saul was now a believer in Jesus.

MT If you are a believer in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will help you to change your attitudes and actions. The things you do and the way you do them will be different when you know Jesus as your Saviour.

Saul was now different. He was changed on the inside. Before Saul had been persecuting believers. Now Saul was a believer!

D. (FLASHCARD 4-4)

Now Jesus spoke to Saul again and said, “Get up, go into the city, and it will be told to you what you are to do.”

Saul got up slowly off the ground, but when he tried to look around he couldn’t see anything. Saul was blind. The men who were with Saul had to lead him by the hand into the city of Damascus.

For three days, Saul stayed in the home of a man named Judas. While he was there, Saul didn’t eat or drink anything. He just prayed and waited for God to show him what to do next.

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The First Century Church #4, Page 5 Living in Damascus was a believer in Jesus named Ananias. God spoke to Ananias in a dream saying, “Ananias, go to a street called Straight to the home of Judas. When you get there, ask to see a man named Saul. He is praying to Me right now.”

Ananias was afraid. “But Lord!” Ananias exclaimed. “I have heard many people talk about the horrible things Saul has done to the believers in Jerusalem. He has come here to Damascus to arrest those who believe in You.”

But the Lord told Ananias, “Go, for Saul is My chosen vessel to take My message to the Gentiles, and to kings, and to the people of Israel.” God wanted all people – Jews and Gentiles (people who are not Jews), rich and poor, young and old – to hear about Jesus the Saviour.

G That’s because God loves all people, including you and me. God’s love goes beyond how much money you have and what color skin you have or what kind of clothes you wear. God made you, He loves you, and He will never stop loving you.

God loves all people, and He wants all people to hear about Jesus the Saviour. Even though Saul had done some horrible things to believers in the past, God had forgiven him. And God was going to use Saul in a special way. God told Ananias that He was going to use Saul to take the message of Jesus to others.

Ananias obeyed God and went to the home of Judas where Saul was staying. Ananias was a believer too, and his attitude and actions showed that he wanted to do what God had asked him to do.

MT, PAS If you are a believer in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will help you to change your attitudes and actions. The things you do and the way you do them will be different when you know Jesus as your Saviour. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things

are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You now have a new nature inside that wants to please God.

1Perhaps your parents have asked you to do something, but you don’t want to do it. If you ask Him, the Holy Spirit will help you to obey your parents and to do it with the right heart attitude. ²Perhaps other kids at school are making fun of your teacher, but you know that’s not the right thing to do. If you ask Him, the Holy Spirit will help you to be kind to the teacher no matter what others are doing. ³Perhaps you have an older brother or sister who looks at things that are not appropriate on the Internet and they encourage you to look at them too. If you ask Him, the Holy Spirit will help you to do what’s right and not look at those things. Obeying God and doing the right thing is not something you choose to do naturally. But you now have a new nature, a desire that wants to please God. He has changed you on the inside. The Holy Spirit will help you to change your attitudes and actions.

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The First Century Church #4, Page 6 Ananias was a believer, and his attitude and actions showed that he wanted to do what God said. So Ananias went to the home where Saul was staying.

When Ananias got there, he found Saul praying. Saul was still blind and couldn’t see Ananias, but Ananias placed his hands on

Saul. He said to Saul, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road to Damascus has sent me to you so you can receive your sight.”

III. CLIMAX

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again! Saul was no longer blind.

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS (FLASHCARD 4-6)

After that, Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for several days. He ate some food and got his strength back. Then he went

out and started teaching people about Jesus. Everyone who heard him was amazed. They asked each other, “Isn’t this the same man who was persecuting believers?”

IH Have children ask someone sitting next to them, “Isn’t this the same man who was persecuting believers?”

Saul was a changed man, and God was going to use Saul to do some wonderful things. From then on, Saul wanted everyone to know Jesus, the Saviour.

B. BRIDGE

Do you know Jesus as your personal Saviour? If you’ve never asked Jesus to be your personal Saviour, you can do it today.

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L The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

(John 1:12). That means if you put your trust in Jesus and ask Him to be your Saviour, He gives you the right or the privilege to become a child of God, part of His family. Do you know that you have sinned and that you deserve to be punished for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross and gave His blood to take the punishment for your sin and that He came back to life again? If you believe these things, are you ready to receive Jesus as your Saviour right now? I want you all to bow your heads and close your eyes for just a minute. If you are ready to receive Jesus as your Saviour from sin, would you show me by raising your hand so I can see it. (Teacher acknowledges those who respond.) You may all look up at me. If you raised your hand, I would be happy to show you from God’s Word how you can receive Jesus as your Saviour today. (Tell them when and where they can talk to you.)

D. CHALLENGE

MT Perhaps you have already received Jesus as your Saviour.

If so, then the Holy Spirit will help you to change your attitudes and actions. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2

Corinthians 5:17). You now have a new nature inside that wants to please God. ¹Perhaps your parents have asked you to do something, but you don’t want to do it. ²Perhaps other kids at school are making fun of your teacher, but you know that’s not the right thing to do. ³Perhaps you have an older brother or sister who looks at things on the Internet that are not appropriate, and they encourage you to look at them too. You can ask the Holy Spirit to help you to do the right thing. Obeying God and doing the right thing is not something you choose to do naturally. But you now have a new nature that wants to please God. He has changed you on the inside. The Holy Spirit will help you to change your attitudes and actions. The things you do and the way you do them will be different when you know Jesus as your Saviour.

Will you talk to God right now and ask Him to change your attitudes and actions so you are doing what He wants? (Give the children a moment to pray silently. Then close in prayer.)

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The First Century Church – Lesson #5

“Saul Stands for God”

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:20-31, Galatians 1:13-17 MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 15:58

“. . . Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord . . . .”

MAIN TRUTH: The Holy Spirit will help you to stand up for what is right.