Lesson Goal: Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. He was the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. God used him in a powerful way to write most of the books in the New Testament. Paul made three missionary journeys. God used him to establish many churches. This lesson is about how Paul was a trust worthy follower of Jesus.
Introduction: This is the thirteenth lesson in Unit 7: Paul the Apostle. Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. He was the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. This lesson is about Paul’s return trip to Jerusalem and how he was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. This lesson comes from the book of Acts. Acts is the fifth book in the New Testament. This book was written by Luke. The first four books of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-- tell about the life of Christ. The fifth book--Acts--tells about the beginning of the church. Let's say the first five books of the New Testament together--Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.
Attention Getter: “Trust” Do you know what the word “trust” means? Trust means to have confidence in a person or in the reality of something. Trust means that we have an assurance that something will happen. We can depend on the outcome. Trust is having a belief and certainty that something is true. This mountain climber trusts his partner to hold on to his arm and not let him fall. That is trust! Trust is also in simple things like trusting that a chair will hold us when we sit on it. We trust that when we turn on the faucet that water will come out. Trust is also learning to depend on important people in your life like your parents or your grandparents. These are people you know will always be there helping and supporting you. When we think about who we can trust the only One who can be fully trusted is God Himself. He wants His children to completely trust or believe in Him. God also wants to be able to depend on His children to live their lives in a way that honors Him. As followers of Christ we are to lead trust worthy lives. The Apostle Paul was a great teacher of the Word of God. He is a good example of a man who was trustworthy as a follower of Jesus. We are going to use the letters or an acronym of the word trust to show he was a good example of being faithful to God.
Opening Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, Thank you for this lesson about Paul and his Third Missionary Journey. Help us to be good teachers of the Way of Salvation like he was. We pray that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can boldly tell the message of truth to everyone. We thank you for the opportunity to serve you as missionaries of Christ. Give us many opportunities to tell others about You. Help us to be trustworthy followers of Christ. Thank you for our salvation and the gift of eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
Memory Verse: Our memory verse is Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/WKAphpGvJ3w
Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. Jesus had appeared to him on the Road to Damascus and revealed that He was really the Son of God. Paul believed in Jesus that day and
he was a changed man. God called Paul to be the Apostle who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name. He became the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. Paul made three Missionary Journeys to Europe. On his first Missionary Journey Paul and his companion Barnabas visited the major cities in Cyprus and Galatia. Despite much opposition they preached the gospel and several new churches were established. The gospel spread throughout the region and many Gentiles believed in Jesus as their Savior. It was not easy to start churches. Some Jews who were jealous and did not believe in Jesus would stir up riots and try to stop them. Paul and Barnabas were thrown into prison and run out of towns but they kept on preaching about Jesus. On his Second Missionary Journey Paul and his companions Silas, Timothy and Luke visited the churches in Galatia before moving into Macedonia. Led by Paul these men taught God’s Word. Many Jews and Gentiles were saved and churches were established in Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth and Ephesus. Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. A trustworthy follower of Jesus T- teaches the Word of God. One of the problems these new churches faced was their lack of understanding of the message of salvation. The New Testament had not yet been written. The new Gentile believers had never been taught the Old Testament promises about the coming of Jesus so the people in the churches had to depend on the preachers to teach them. After giving a report to his home church in Antioch, Paul knew it was time again to check back on the churches that had been started. So once again he headed back to Galatia and Macedonia to encourage the new believers. This is a map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey. He left his home church in Antioch, and once again visited the churches in Galatia that were begun on his first trip. He preached in every church and encouraged all the believers. Then he was led by the Holy Spirit to preach in Ephesus. Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire, with a population of over 250,000. Paul preached in Ephesus for over two years. Every day he would preach in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, He was very persuasive in getting people to believe the message about Jesus. Some people were very stubborn though. They did not believe in Jesus and they criticized Paul and those who believed in the Way of Salvation. The Lord blessed Paul’s ministry in that city and many people were healed. Paul had the Holy Spirit’s gift of healing. He called the people to repent of their sins of idolatry and even led them to burn their books of sorcery and magic. Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. Paul helped people come to Christ by seeing their need for a Savior. A trustworthy follower of Jesus R-reaches out and helps those in need. When the idol makers led by Demetrius caused a mob riot and almost killed two of Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, Gaius and Aristarchus, by dragging them into the amphitheatre, Paul knew that he must leave the city. After the riot in Ephesus Paul made his way to Troas and then sailed to Macedonia. Wherever he went, he encouraged the Christians in each place he visited and told people about Jesus. He then moved south into Greece and the region of Achaia. He was there for three months. While he was in Greece Paul spent much of his time in Corinth. From there he wrote the letter to the Romans. Although Paul had not yet been to Rome, believers had already started a church there. Paul wrote to tell the church that he planned to visit the Roman believers. This letter explains that salvation is for all people and that it comes as a free gift from God through our faith in Christ. In the book Paul also explains the relationship of the Jews and Gentiles to Christ and how they were to be united together in the church. As Paul travelled throughout the area of Macedonia he encouraged the believers wherever he went. Paul was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia by travelling on land. Paul then headed north for Philippi. Some
men were traveling with Paul. They were Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundua from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus from Asia. They went on ahead and waited for Paul at Troas. Each of these men was carrying an offering from their home church to be given to the believers in Jerusalem. After the Passover ended, Paul boarded a ship at Philippi heading for Troas. After a five day trip Paul joined the other men in Troas where they stayed for a week. Paul had been in Troas for six days and he was planning to leave for Jerusalem in the morning. On the last evening of Paul’s stay he and the other believers had come together to eat. It was on the first day of the week, so Paul began to share in the communion of breaking bread together. Paul was preaching to them and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. The believers were meeting in a large room on the third floor of a house. The upstairs room was lit with many flickering lamps and the air was probably very stuffy with all the people gathered together in the place. A young man named Eutychus was sitting on the window sill listening to Paul. As Paul spoke on and on, Eutychus became very drowsy. Finally he fell sound asleep and fell out of the window onto the ground three stories below to his death. The people ran downstairs and found that Eutychus was dead. They were very sad. Paul went down, bent over him and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” Paul used the power of the Holy Spirit to ask God to bring Eutychus back to life. God worked a true miracle at midnight! After this they all returned upstairs and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. Meanwhile, Eutychus was taken home unhurt. The people were very glad that Eutychus was alive and “were greatly comforted.” Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. He understood that Eutychus was a young man who fell asleep. He was a man full of compassion and prayed for Eutychus to be raised from the dead. A trusted follower of Jesus U—Understands and prays for others. Paul and his companions went over land to Assos, where they boarded a ship for Mitylene. The next day they sailed past the island of Kios. The following day they crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later they arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to not stop at Ephesus, as he was hurrying to get to Jerusalem in time for the Festival of Pentecost. But when he landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him. When they arrived he told them, “You know that from the day I arrived in Asia, I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have no regrets for any of my preaching. I have endured many trials and plots by the Jews. I have proclaimed to you the whole will of God. I have taught you publicly from house to house.” “I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike. They need to repent from sin and turn to God. They must have faith in our Lord Jesus. “I am led by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem no knowing what will happen to me there. The Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lay ahead of me. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work of telling others the Good News about Jesus and the wonderful grace of God.” Paul told the elders at Ephesus, “I know that you will not see me again. So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with His blood. Watch out: false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come to distort the truth. Remember my care for you for three years and my many tears for you.” Paul reminded them that he had not desired money or fine clothes but had worked to supply his own needs. They should work hard as he had done and remember the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
When Paul finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They all cried and embraced him. They were sad because Paul had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship and waved him goodbye as he set off. Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. He shared the message of salvation with the people of Ephesus. He shared love and concern for them as believers. A trusted follower of Jesus S—Shares the gospel with love. After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders Paul sailed straight to the island of Kos. The next day they reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. Here Paul and his companions boarded a ship heading for the coast of Phoenicia. They sighted the island of Cyprus, passing it on their left, then headed for the harbor of Tyre in Syria. The ship docked for a while to unload its cargo. Paul and his companions went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. When they returned to the ship the entire congregation, including the women and children, left the city and came to the shore with them. There they knelt, prayed and said their farewells. The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where they greeted the Christians there and stayed for one day before sailing on to Caesarea. At Caesarea Paul stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to be deacons and distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Seven days later, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. He took Paul’s belt, and tied his own feet and hands with it. He then said, “The Holy Spirit declares that the owner of this belt will be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.” When Paul’s traveling companions and the local believers heard this, they begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. But Paul replied, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” Paul refused to be persuaded so they gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. He turned his life over to the Lord and wanted His will to be done. A trustworthy follower of Jesus T-turns His life over to God’s will. Paul and his friends then packed up and went to Jerusalem accompanied by some of the believers in Caesarea. When they arrived in Jerusalem they got a warm welcome from the Christians there. The next day Paul met with James and all the elders of the Jerusalem church and gave a detailed account of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. In this lesson we see that Paul did not face an easy road as a Christian yet he served humbly and with tears. He was a trustworthy follower of Christ. When he left the believers in Ephesus he warned them about difficulties that they would face. His strong character was a good example to the leaders of the church in Ephesus who would also suffer for Christ. Sometimes we too will face difficulties in our Christian life. Being a Christian does not solve or remove all problems. If we have faith in Him, God will never leave us or forsake us. He will give us the strength to be faithful to him and to complete the task He has given us to do. No matter what happens we should be ready to tell others the good things God has done for us. His blessings will far outweigh life’s difficulties. The Holy Spirit showed Paul that he would be imprisoned and experience suffering. Even knowing this Paul did not stop fulfilling His mission. He never quit nor did he ever give up. Paul was a trustworthy follower of Christ. Paul was very single-minded and committed to obeying God’s commands. Single mindedness means that we focus on one thing at a time. Being single minded is a quality that is needed by anyone who wishes to do God’s work. God is looking for people who can focus on the one great task
of sharing the gospel with everyone! Are you willing to share the gospel with others no matter what it takes? Remember let’s be trustworthy followers of Christ.
Review Questions: (Grades K-5) Preparation: Print the “Paul’s Missionary Trip” Game board. You will need one dice. Print the itinerary of Paul’s third missionary trip and review the return trip to Jerusalem. Procedure: Divide class into groups of 3-4 students and provide each group with a game board and one dice. Have the students make a paper token. (Cut small squares of colored paper for tokens). Take turns throwing the dice and answering the following review questions. Students may move around the game board to see who arrives back in Antioch first.
1. What special mission did God give to the Apostle Paul? (God chose him to be the first missionary to the world and to be the one who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name.)
2. On the first Missionary Journey who traveled with Paul and what churches did they establish? (Paul traveled with Barnabas and led Gentiles to believe in Cyprus and Galatia. Churches were established in Antioch of Psidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.)
3. Who traveled with Paul on the Second Missionary Journey and to what places did they first go to visit? (Silas traveled with Paul to the churches that were first established in Galatia on the First Missionary Journey.)
4. How was the third Missionary trip different from the first two that Paul made? (The first two trips were about establishing new churches. The third was about revisiting the churches he had already started and strengthening and encouraging the new believers.)
5. During the third Missionary trip in what city did Paul preach for over two years? (Paul preached in Ephesus for over two years.)
6. What caused Paul to decide to leave the city of Ephesus? (Demetrius and his silver-makers caused a mob riot in the amphitheatre and almost killed two of Paul’s companions in the church. The Holy Spirit led him to go on to the churches in Macedonia.)
7. What city in Greece did Paul spend a lot of time preaching? (Paul preached at the city of Corinth.)
8. While Paul was preaching in Corinth, what letter did he write? (Paul wrote the letter to the Romans to tell the church that he planned to visit the Roman believers. This letter explains that salvation is for all people and that it comes as a free gift from God through our faith in Christ. In the book Paul also explains the relationship of the Jews and Gentiles to Christ and how they were to be united together in the church.)
9. When Paul was on his return trip to Jerusalem what happened in Troas while Paul was preaching? (Paul was preaching very late into the night and a young man named Eutychus fell asleep and fell out of a third floor window.)
10. What happened to Eutychus when he fell from the window? (Eutychus died from his injuries.) 11. What miracle happened to Eutychus? (Paul prayed in the power of the Holy Spirit and God
performed a miracle and raised Eutychus back to life.) 12. How did the church react to this miracle? (They all rejoiced and were greatly comforted. They
returned upstairs to eat the meal and listen to Paul continue to preach to them until dawn.) 13. Who did Paul visit with at Miletus on his return trip to Jerusalem? (Paul sent a message to the
elders of Ephesus to come and visit with him.) 14. What message did Paul have for the elders of the church at Ephesus? (Paul told them that they
would see him again and they were to carefully teach the people of the church so they would not fall into false teaching. He told them to work hard and to be generous with others. He said to remember the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”)
15. How did the church in Ephesus feel about Paul leaving? (They all cried and embraced him. They were sad because Paul had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship and waved him goodbye as he set off.)
16. At whose home did Paul visit in the city of Caesarea on his way to Jerusalem? (At Caesarea Paul stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to be deacons and distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.)
17. What warning did the prophet Agabus have for Paul? (Agagus took Paul’s belt, and tied his own feet and hands with it. He then said, “The Holy Spirit declares that the owner of this belt will be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.”)
18. What was Paul’s response to the warning of going to Jerusalem and facing arrest and imprisonment? (Paul said that his life was worthless if he did not use it for finishing the work of telling others the Good News about Jesus and the wonderful grace of God.)
19. In what ways was Paul an example of being a trust worthy follower of God? (T- teaches the Word of God; R-reaches out and helps those in need; U—Understands and prays for others; S—Shares the gospel with love; and T-turns His life over to God’s will.)
20. What lessons can we learn from the example of Paul the Apostle? (We should lead trustworthy lives like Paul. We should not expect the Christian life to be easy but we should focus on the purpose that God has given to us to tell everyone about Jesus.)
21. What is the memory verse? (Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”)
Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Jigsaw Puzzle” The memory verse is Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it orally together several times. Say: “In this verse Paul says that he considered his life worth nothing unless he used it for God’s work. The most important goal of his life was to tell others about Christ.” Preparation: Print out the Jigsaw Puzzle template of the memory verse below on cardstock. You will need one copy for each student. You will need scissors and crayons for students to use. Procedure: Distribute the copies of the Memory Verse Jigsaw puzzle to each student. Have students color the puzzle as desired. You can work in small groups of two or three students if desired. When the memory verse is colored, have students cut the puzzle apart on the solid lines. Divide the class into groups and have them compete to put the puzzle together first. Have student turns the pieces over and take turns assembling the memory verse.
Group Learning Activity: “Trust” Balancing Exercises (Grades K-5) Preparation: No materials are needed for the following balancing exercises. Say: “Paul was a trustworthy follower of Jesus. The word Trust gives us an example to know what being a faithful follower of Jesus is like. T- teaches the Word of God; R-reaches out and helps those in need; U—Understands and prays for others; S—Shares the gospel with love; and T-turns His life over to God’s will. In this lesson we learned how important it is to lead a trustworthy life. In this activity we are going to learn what trust is like by doing some balancing exercises.” Procedure: Direct students to perform each of the following exercises:
Palm Lean: Partners lean toward each other, hands together to keep from falling. Push into a standing position without moving the feet. If this is fairly easy, repeat the activity with each partner taking small steps backwards until both are leaning forward to hold the other up. Let go of one hand at a time.
Back to Back: Partners sit on the floor back to back. They attempt to push each other up to a standing position.
Toe Lean: Partners stand facing each other, toes together and holding hands. Both lean back until their arms are straight out, then rock gently back and forth.
Form a circle, holding hands. Number off by twos. On a signal, all Ones lean slowly forward while Twos slowly lean backwards. Hold this position for a few seconds. Relax. Reverse roles and try again.
Trust Walk: Younger children might enjoy a simple trust walk with one child directing a blindfolded partner through an obstacle course or around the play area. Reverse roles and play again.
Conclusion: Talk about how important it is to be able to trust and depend on others. Ask how it felt to trust others to work with you in completing the activities. Emphasize that you could not do the activity alone.
Say: “When we think about who we can trust the only One who can be fully trusted is God Himself. He wants His children to completely trust or believe in Him. God also wants to be able to depend on His children to live their lives in a way that honors Him. As followers of Christ we are to lead trust worthy lives.”
Group Learning Activity: “Acts of Worship” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a pencil and Bible and their spiritual notebook. Each child will also need a plain sheet of paper and crayons or colored markers. Procedure: Distribute to each child their spiritual notebook journal. Have the students lay their hand down on the plain sheet of paper and draw an outline of their hand. Number the fingers on the hand to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Say: “Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was preaching to the church that had gathered in a large room on the third floor of a house. They were enjoying eating a meal together and having communion. Paul’s sermon was very long and lasted until midnight.” “Wherever Paul went he told the people about the gospel message. He preached to the people and led them in worship. Paul also taught the people how to worship God. There are five specific parts of worship that God commands. Paul wrote about these ways to worship in his letters. We are going to look at some scriptures and find out what these ways are.” As each scripture is read have the students write the way to worship on one of the fingers of their drawing.
1. Take communion: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Communion is a visible representation of the gospel. It reminds us of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and his payment for our sins by his death on the cross. Partaking of the Lord’s supper is an important way to worship God.
2. Sing songs of Praise: Ephesians 5:19 “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,” Music is an important way to worship God. We show our thanks and praise to Him for our salvation and the many blessings He has given to us.
3. Preach the Word of God: 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” An important part of worship is hearing and learning the Word of God. Our faith in God is strengthened as we hear and believe the promises of God. Preaching the Word or the gospel is the most important responsibility that we have as believers and as a part of the church.
4. Give offerings: 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” An important part of worship is giving to the support of the ministry of the church. God wants us to give generously and willingly. This giving is an act of worship and thanksgiving to God.
5. Prayer: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually,” Prayer is simply talking to God. God wants us to fellowship with Him. We are to have a prayerful attitude all the time. Prayer shows our dependence on God; it recognizes God’s presence with us; and it shows our willingness to be obedient to Him. We should pray not only during our worship services but throughout the day.
Conclude by praying that the Holy Spirit will help us to worship and love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Group Learning Game Activity: “God is Trustworthy” (Grades K-4) Preparation: No supplies needed. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was a trustworthy follower of God. He was an example to the saints at
Ephesus and to us today. A trustworthy follower of God T- teaches the Word of God; R-reaches out and helps those in need; U—Understands and prays for others; S—Shares the gospel with love; and T-turns His life over to God’s will.” “When we think about who we can trust the only One who can be fully trusted is God Himself. He wants His children to completely trust or believe in Him. God also wants to be able to depend on His children to live their lives in a way that honors Him. As followers of Christ we are to lead trust worthy lives. We are going to play a game that will help us remember about trusting God.”
Procedure: Guide kids to stand in a circle. Explain that each kid will say one word of the phrase “God is, God is, God is trustworthy!” around the circle. Kids should look at the person on their right as they say it. The child who says “trustworthy” must quickly switch places with someone else in the circle and then they start the phrase again. Variation: Every time students switch they also switch directions they are looking. Challenge students to go as fast as they can, or have students make silly faces as they say it. Optional: Let children write a poem or a cheer to remind them to “trust.” Example: “Who do we trust? Who do we trust? Who do we trust? Trust is a must! Trust is a must! We’ll trust in Jesus! Loving is the key; we’ll trust on our bended knee.”
Craft Learning Activity: “Eutychus is Alive” (Grades K-2) Preparation: Print the figures of Eutychus and the label below so that each child in your class has a figure and label. Each child will also need an 8 ounce paper cup and a craft stick. You will also need cellophane tape, crayons, colored markers, and scissors. Say: “In this lesson Paul showed great love and understanding to a young boy named Eutychus. Eutychus had fallen asleep during one of Paul’s long sermons that lasted until midnight. He was sitting in a window and fell to the ground and died. When Paul prayed for him, God performed a miracle and raised the boy from the dead. We are going to make a craft that will help us remember this story and tell it to others.” Procedure: Distribute the figures of Eutychus, the labels, and paper cups to each child. Have the children color the figure of Eutychus and the label for their cup. When the children have finished coloring Eutychus, have them tape their figures to a craft stick and set aside. Demonstrate how to cut a small slit in the bottom of the paper cup for the craft stick to be inserted. (You may wish to prepare the cups ahead for the younger children.) Have children glue the label to the side of the cup. Tell them that the label says, “Praise God!” Help the children push their craft stick through the hole in the bottom of the up with Eutychus inside the cup. Show the children how to move Eutychus up and down. Retell the story. When Eutychus falls asleep, indicate the Eutychus falls into the cup. When Paul prays, have the children pop Eutychus and say, “Praise God!” Have children practice retelling the story. Encourage them to share it with their family and friends.
Craft Learning Activity: “Orange Oil Lamps” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: Each child will need an orange, a knife, and some olive oil. (Teacher should cut the oranges in advance for younger students and provide direct supervision for older students attempting this project.) Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was preaching to the church that had gathered in a large room on the third floor of a house. They were enjoying eating a meal together and having communion. Paul’s sermon was very long and lasted until midnight. The room was lit by oil burning lamps. We are going to make some oil lamps from orange peels to help us experience what being in the room was like.” Procedure: Have students first create a vessel to hold the oil that will be burning off by carefully cutting the orange peel around the circumference or center of the orange. Be sure to only cut the peeling. Using your finger carefully remove the center pulp leaving the center stem of the orange intact. (See photo.) Fill the orange peel container about half full of olive oil. Be sure to pour the olive oil over the center stem of the orange making sure it is soaked. Light the lamp with a candle lighter. (It will take 20-30 seconds to light the wick.) Enjoy the glow of the orange peel lamp.
Have students light their lamps and turn off the lights in the room. Say: “How does the room feel as you see the glow of the lights of the lamp flickering against the walls? Do you think that you would feel sleepy if you were Eutychus? Why do you think everyone understood how Eutychus a young boy could fall asleep in church? Have you ever fell asleep in church? Why should you try to stay
awake in church? What things can you do to help you listen to what the pastor is saying?” (Take notes or draw pictures of what the pastor is talking about. Sit up straight and concentrate on listening. Read your Bible from the scripture that the pastor is using to preach. Sing songs with the congregation and pray when the pastor asks everyone to participate.)
Craft Learning Activity: “Paul’s Sailboat in a Bottle” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: Print the template below of Paul’s Sailboat onto brown construction paper. You will need a paper straw, white cloth or white paper, blue paper confetti for water, and glue, scissors, and a clean clear 2 liter soda bottle for each student. Say: “Paul and Barnabas sailed on a boat several times during their missionary journeys. What cities did they sail to? (Seleucia to Salamis, Cyprus; Pafos; Cyprus to Perga; and Attalia back to Seleucia.) Today we are going to make a ship in a bottle to help us remember the events in our lesson.” (Review story as children work on craft). Procedure: Wash and clean the 2 liter soda bottle. Cut a square “window” in the side of the liter bottle. (Teacher may do this in advance for younger students.) Fill the side of the bottle with blue paper confetti to simulate the water. Distribute the printed copies of the sailboat to students. Have students cut the ship out of the brown construction paper. Fold along the bottom edge of the boat to form a 3 dimensional boat. Insert a paper straw as the mast. Cover the sails with white paper or white cloth and glue to the pattern. Attach the white sail to the paper straw mast. Insert the finished boat into the 2 liter plastic bottle.
Group Learning Activity: “Passport: Third Missionary Journey” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a printed photo of each child, copies of the passport example and 6 blank pages for each child. You will also need a real passport to show students. (Use passports created in earlier lesson.) Say: “Our lesson was about Paul’s Third Missionary Journey. As we study the life of Paul in the book of Acts we will see that he went on three missionary journeys. He visited several different cities as he preached the gospel to the Gentiles. When a person travels to foreign cities, they have to carry a passport for identification. The passport tells where the person is a citizen and what cities or countries they are visiting. (Show a real passport to students). Today we are going to make a passport for ourselves as we travel with Paul on these trips.” Procedure: Assemble the printed pictures of your students to use on the passport. Make copies of the passport example and make sure that each child has 6 blank pages for their passport. Be sure to include the pages of maps for the passport. Fold the sheets in half to form a book. On the cover they can glue on the illustration that is found in the following pages. On the cover of the passport make sure they write the name of the country they are from. They can make up their own passport number. On the second page they will glue their picture and they will sign their name. On the third page they can fill out the corresponding information. You can use a hole punch in the corners of the binder and tie with short pieces of yarn. When they’ve finished, collect the passports to use later.
In their passports, allow them time to work on the itinerary of the third missionary journey. Have them trace the route in the map. Say: “Paul’s purpose in this new journey is to visit some of the churches that have been started. Even though Paul knew that something bad could potentially happen, he was faithful and continued forward. Before leaving Jerusalem he said good-bye, because he knew that the possibility existed that he might not return. “Paul had both good and bad experiences on his missionary journey. Take time for each group to share their findings with everyone. Paul was a faithful disciple, who lived out Jesus’ great commission. His life is an example for us. Who else in your lives is an example of faithfulness? What are the ways God asks us to be faithful in God’s mission? Have the children share their ideas. What are ways that we show our faithfulness at church? What responsibilities do we have within the family of God? What responsibilities do we have to share the good news of Jesus?”
Life Application Challenge: “Trust God” Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was a trustworthy follower of Christ. God wants us to be faithful followers of Him too. Will you trust in God to be with you in hard times, to keep you from sinning, to protect you, and to save you from the enemy? God is calling us right now to be obedient to Him. Have you ask Jesus to be your Savior? Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sins? If you do that, then one day you will be in heaven with Him, and He is going to put his arms around you, because you will be with Him forever. Let’s pray: “Dear Jesus, today I make a decision that when the hard times come, I will put my trust in You to protect me, to save me and to keep me from sinning. I give you my heart and my life. Today, I want to commit my life to being a faithful follower of you. Help me to never look back. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
