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 called Paul to be the one who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name. This lesson is about how the early church met to resolve the problem about the gospel.
Introduction: This is the fifth 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 how the early church met to resolve the problem about the gospel. 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: “Birthday Gifts” When is your birthday? Let’s say that your birthday is today and this is your birthday gift from me! Would you like to have a gift for your birthday? But wait! What if I said that before you could receive this gift that you must walk all around the building with this heavy basket of fruit on your head! What would you say? That might not work out too well, right? How did you feel when I offered a free birthday gift to you? Did that make you excited? How did you feel when I added some other ridiculous step to do in order to receive the gift? Did that make you feel frustrated? In this lesson we are going to find out how some people in the early church wanted to add things to the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Paul the Apostle went to a meeting in Jerusalem to discuss this important decision as to what God wanted.
Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to be our Savior. We know that we have done many things wrong. We cannot live a perfect life and we need you to be our Savior. Forgive us for our sins. Give to us your gift of eternal life. We believe that you are the Son of God and that you came to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Help us to show our love and gratitude to you by obeying your Word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Memory Verse: Our memory verse is Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/Z0gBWF6_DyU Just before Jesus went back to heaven he told the disciples that they should “Go into all the world and preach the good news about Jesus.” Jesus promised that after He left He would send the Holy Spirit to help the disciples tell others about Jesus. Ten days after Jesus left for heaven the Holy Spirit came like tongues of fire on the disciples. Miraculously the disciples had the ability to speak many different languages. Peter and John and the other apostles began to preach in the temple at Jerusalem.
All the people heard in their own language about how Jesus had come from heaven to bring them the gift of salvation! Many people believed in Jesus as their Savior. They were baptized. One day there was three thousand that believed. Another day there was five thousand people! The early church had begun!
The believers were commanded to preach the gospel to the people in Jerusalem first, then in Judea and Samaria, and finally to the whole world. At first Peter and John were the main preachers in Jerusalem but when persecution came the early believers began to move into Judea and Samaria. As they went the believers began to tell others about the good news of salvation through Jesus. Soon Peter and John were traveling to other cities in Judea and Samaria to teach these people about Christ. At first most of the believers in the early church were Jews. But God wanted both Gentiles and Jews to be a part of the church.
One of the new believers in the church was Saul. He was Jew who had been miraculously changed by God. On the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him in a great shining light and told him that He was resurrected from the dead and was God. That day Saul learned that Jesus was the Messiah the Promised One who would save people from their sins.
God told Saul that he had been chosen to be an Apostle. He was to be the messenger of the gospel of Christ to the whole world--to the Jews and the Gentiles. God also told Saul that he would suffer much for the sake of the name of Christ. He would boldly preach Christ as the Savior of the world. Saul spent the next three years of his life in the wilderness of Arabia where God revealed Jesus to him. He was taught by God Himself the plan for the redemption of man. In this way Saul became Paul the Apostle.
At first Paul along with Barnabas was one of the five pastors at the church in Antioch. This was the largest Gentile church in the Roman Empire. Led by the Holy Spirit the leaders of this church chose Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel westward to the island of Cyprus and then into Galatia. On this trip Paul and Barnabas saw many Gentiles believe in Jesus as their Savior. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region and several new churches began in the cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
Just as the Lord had said Paul and Barnabas suffered much hardship for the sake of the gospel. They were opposed by Satan, criticized by the Jewish leaders, run out of cities by the officials, and even beaten and left for dead but they did not let anything stop them from telling others the good news of salvation.
When Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary trip they spent time with the Christians at Antioch teaching and encouraging them to obey God. When the church gathered together, Paul and Barnabas reported to them everything that God had done through them and how the Gentiles had become followers of Jesus. They then stayed in Antioch for a long time encouraging the believers.
After completing his first missionary journey Paul probably wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia. Galatians was a letter that was circulated among the churches of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
Then some men from Judea arrived at the church in Antioch. They began teaching the Gentile Christians that unless they became Jews first and obeyed the laws of Moses that they could not be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed strongly with what they said. Paul knew that keeping the Old Testament Law was important but it was NOT the way to salvation. Nobody could be saved by obeying the Law. The only way a person could be saved was by grace through faith in Christ and His death on the cross. It was not by works or being obedient to the Law! We are all sinners and that’s why we need a Savior!
Because this was causing such a problem the church leaders decided to meet in Jerusalem to talk about whether or not the Gentiles needed to obey the Law of Moses. The church in Antioch agreed to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem accompanied by some local believers, to talk about this matter with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
On the way Paul and Barnabas stopped to tell Christians living in Phoenicia and Samaria that many Gentiles were now followers of Jesus. This news made all the brothers very glad. When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them.
Then some of the believers who were Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must become Jews and follow the Law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.
After much discussion Peter stood and addressed them, “Brothers, God chose me some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God accepted them and gave them the Holy Spirit as He did for us.
Peter was reminding them about the time he had preached to the house of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit had come upon them just like it had when the disciples had first believed on the day of Pentecost. “Why are you trying to make salvation harder for them? We know that we cannot obey God’s laws perfectly. No, we believe that the Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way—by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Peter must have remembered how God had used the clean and unclean animals to show him that God makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. God loves all men and desires to make their hearts clean through faith. “Everyone is saved the same way!” Peter said.
Then everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told them the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles. Paul must have told them about the ruler of the island of Cyprus who had come to faith in Christ when Paul had told his sorcerer that God was more powerful than Satan. Through the Holy Spirit the sorcerer had become blind! Surely God had shown His power and glory in that miracle. Then Paul and Barnabas told the church leaders about the crippled man in Lystra who had faith in Christ and was healed! Many Gentile people had come to believe in Jesus after seeing him praise God. Despite this amazing sign others in that city had become angry at Paul and Barnabas and had stoned Paul leaving him for dead. Paul and Barnabas must have also told them how there were now four churches with new believers in Galatia –one in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The first missionary trip had been a great success.
When they finished, James the leader of the church in Jerusalem, stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. Peter has described to us how God showed us that the Gentiles would be saved. We have heard the reports of Paul and Barnabas. Even the prophet Amos wrote that the Gentiles would seek the Lord and be called into His family. So the Old Testament prophets agree with Peter! (Amos 9:11-12) I think that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who have trusted in Jesus. Instead let’s write them a letter telling them the things they should not do. We should tell them to not eat food that was offered to idols or drink any blood from strangled animals. They should live holy lives.”
So a letter was written to the Gentile Christians in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Two men were chosen to deliver the letter, Judas who was also called Barsabbas and Silas. The letter said:
“Greetings, We have heard that some Jewish Christians came to visit you without our approval. They upset all of you by what they said. So we are sending to you Judas and Silas to confirm what we are writing to you. After consulting with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we believe that it is good if we do not burden you with undue requirements to be saved. The only things we ask is that you do not eat food that has been sacrificed to idols, or drink blood from dead animals and live moral lives. Just avoid those things. Farewell.”
Judas, Silas, Paul, and Barnabas went at once back to the church in Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter. There was great joy throughout the church that day as they read the encouraging message. Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.
Judas and Silas then went back home to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch and taught the believers and told other people the good news about Jesus.
This meeting in Jerusalem was very important because it answered a very tough question. The question is still one that people ask today: Can a person be saved by faith alone or was something more needed? The early church agreed that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, He alone is all we need to be saved.
The purpose of the Old Testament Law was to show us our need for a Savior. The Jews were given laws from God such as the Ten Commandments. He gave them these laws so they would become His people. There were also many other laws that the Jews were to keep.
These laws were like heavy stones. They had to be obeyed every day. They were commands not optional. They were like a yoke that an oxen has to wear around their neck when it is plowing the field. But when Jesus came to earth he said for us to give him our yoke and we were to take His. Jesus said that He came to fulfill or keep the law. He was perfect and never did anything wrong. He lived a Perfect Life. But we cannot keep the Law perfectly every day like He did. That is why we need grace or God’s favor. All we have to do is to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then we are considered righteous! God gives us His grace or forgiveness so we receive the gift of eternal life.
Remember Salvation is a free gift from God!
Review Questions: “Balls in the Barrel” Preparation: You will need 3-4 soft cloth balls and a small wastebasket as a goal. Procedure: After correctly answering one of the following review questions correctly the student may take a turn at attempting to throw the soft cloth balls into the wastebasket. Each ball that goes into the goal is worth one point. The student with the most points wins. 1. What command did Jesus give just before He returned back into heaven?
(“Go into all the world and preach the good news about Jesus.”) 2. What special power did Jesus send to help the disciples carry out this
command? (God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit who came like tongues of fire on the disciples. Miraculously the disciples had the ability to speak many different languages. )
3. What did happened after the Apostles Peter and John received the Holy Spirit? (They went into the temple and preached. All the people heard in their own language about how Jesus had come from heaven to bring them the gift of salvation!)
4. What special mission did God call Saul to do? (God called Saul to become Paul the Apostle who would bring the gospel to both the Jews and the Gentiles.)
5. Who did the church in Antioch send to spread the gospel in Galatia and Cyprus? (The church laid hands on Paul and Barnabas and they became the first missionaries.)
6. How did the Gentiles in Galatia and Cyprus respond to the news of salvation? (Many believed and there were five churches established on the first missionary journey. Others rejected the message that Paul and Barnabas brought and as a result these men suffered much for the sake of the gospel.)
7. Some people in the early church began to teach the Gentiles that they had to follow the Law of Moses in order to do what? (They had to follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved.)
8. How did Paul and Barnabas respond to these Jewish teachers? (They disagreed with them loudly and a great problem arose within the church.)
9. Why was the trip to meet with the church leaders planned? (Many in Antioch were confused by the teaching that Gentiles must become Jews before being saved. It was causing a great problem in the church and the Apostles in Jerusalem would be the ones to help clarify the issue.)
10. In what city did Paul and Barnabas meet with the church leaders? (The church leaders met in the city of Jerusalem.)
11. Peter said that God had given whom to both Jews and Gentiles? (God had given the Holy Spirit to both the Jews and the Gentiles.)
12. When did Peter see that the Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles? (Peter saw the Holy Spirit come upon the family of Cornelius when they believed and were baptized.)
13. What vision did God use to show Peter that the gospel was for all men? (God sent the vision of the clean and unclean animals to teach Peter that He wanted everyone—both Jew and Gentile to be in His kingdom.)
14. Who told about all the things that God had done among the Gentiles living in Cyprus and in Galatia? (Paul and Barnabas reported about all the Gentiles coming to Christ when they were on their first missionary journey to Cyprus and Galatia.)
15. Which apostle pointed out that the prophets showed that God wanted to save both Jews and Gentiles? (James pointed out that the Old Testament prophet Amos had written that both Jews and Gentiles would be saved.)
16. Who guided the Council in Jerusalem to make a decision? (The Holy Spirit guided the early church leaders to know what God wanted them to do.)
17. What was the conclusion that the Council in Jerusalem reached about salvation? (Gentiles did not have to keep the Jewish Law to be saved. Salvation was by faith alone and not through works. Works did not save because no one was perfect and could keep all the Law. Salvation was by faith in Christ alone.)
18. What was the purpose of the Old Testament Law? (The Law was to show us our need for a Savior. It was not meant to save us but to bring us to the point that we would believe in Christ and what He did for us on the cross.)
19. Why is faith in Jesus enough to receive salvation? (Jesus was the Perfect Son of God who came to fulfill the Law. He died on the cross for our sins and paid the price of our redemption. He overcame death because He was God. He was resurrected from the grave. Only He and He alone is worthy and able to save us from our sins.)
20. Who went back to Antioch to share the letter from the leaders in Jerusalem? (Judas, Silas, Paul and Barnabas went back to Antioch to read the letter from the church leaders.)
21. What warning did the letter that the church leaders in Jerusalem have for the Gentile believers? (They did not have to become Jews to be saved but they should not eat food that has been sacrificed to idols, or drink blood from dead animals and live moral lives.)
22. How did the church in Antioch respond when they heard the letter? (They were happy and rejoiced.) 23. What is the memory verse? (Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”)
Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Wrapped Gifts” The memory verse is Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it orally several times together.
Say: “This verse says that salvation is a free gift from God. When someone gives you a gift you don’t have to earn it or ask ‘How much do I owe you?’ We just say ‘thank you.’ That is the same way with God’s gift of salvation.”
Preparation: You will need Bibles and a small wrapped box for each student. Write the verse Ephesians 2:8-9 on a slip of paper. Put the paper with the verse inside the wrapped gift box. Include a small toy in the box. Wrap the gift with birthday wrapping paper. Procedure: Distribute a wrapped gift to each person in your class. Have them open the gift to find the memory verse and the small toy. Say: “Each of you received a gift from me today. Did you have to do anything to receive this gift? (No) You just had to accept what I told you as a fact. You had to trust that I was giving you a gift with no strings attached. Your gift is like God’s gift of salvation. He offers it to you as a free gift. But you must accept the gift by trusting in Jesus as your Savior. We receive the gift of salvation by simply trusting and believing in Jesus as our Savior. We accept His gracious gift to us without earning or deserving it!” Repeat the memory verse together several times.
Group Learning Activity: “Going on a Journey” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need a large world map or globe for students to use as a reference. Display the map or globe so all the class can see it. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul and Barnabas were called by the Holy Spirit to take the gospel into the Gentile world. Jesus wanted everyone to know about the plan of salvation because God loves everyone and wants them to go to heaven to be with Him. Today we are going to pretend that we are going on a journey around the world. Just like Paul and Barnabas we will visit different countries in the world to tell them about Jesus and His death on the cross.
Let’s use these maps and globe to imagine a place around the world that you would like to go.” Procedure: Choose one volunteer to come to the front of the class and choose a destination on the map or globe that they would like to visit. (For example: Egypt.) Ask another volunteer to tell how they will get there. (For example, they might say “running.”) Lead all the other class members to act out the mode of transportation for a few seconds before reaching the destination. (The class members will run in place.) Announce that you have arrived. Ask two or three other students what they would like to do in that location. Act out those activities such as climb the pyramids, lie in the sand, and so on. Play multiple rounds, giving each student an opportunity to provide some input into the journey. Say: “There are many countries in the world. Each of the countries has special places that we could visit. The most important thing is that there are different cultures of people living in different parts of the world. God loves all of these people and He has provided a way for everyone to come to Him in salvation. That is why we have been instructed to tell the gospel around the world and to everyone everywhere. Let’s remember to obey Jesus’ command and tell someone about Him this week.”
Group Learning Activity: “Faith Equation” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a pencil and Bible and their spiritual notebook. Say: “In this lesson we learned how Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles. They discussed how some of the Jewish teachers were attempting to confuse the new Gentile believers by saying that they must keep the Old Testament Law in order to be saved. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit the early church leaders said the salvation is by faith and not works.” Preparation: Make some “Math Flash Cards” with the following words on the cards: “Faith + 0 = Salvation;” “Faith + Reading my Bible = Salvation;” “Faith + Going to Church = Salvation;” “Faith + Praying= Salvation;” “Faith + Tithing= Salvation;” “Faith + Helping the Poor= Salvation;” “Faith + Sharing the Gospel= Salvation.” Lay all these Math Flash Cards face up on the table or floor so that all students can see. Say: “Here are some ways that people believe that a person can go to heaven. We are calling these our Salvation Equation Cards but only one of these equations is correct. All the rest are wrong. People who are trusting in these wrong ways will be disappointed. We are going to read some scriptures to find out which of the equations is correct.” Procedure: Have students look up the following verses in scripture about God’s gift of salvation and lead students to choose the correct formula: “Faith + 0 = Salvation.” Discuss the wrong equations and tell why each is a form of “works.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” When someone gives you a gift you do not say, “how much do I owe you?” No, the appropriate answer is “thank you.” Sometimes Christians may falsely feel that because they have been given the gift of salvation that they are obligated to work their way to heaven. But that is not true! Because our salvation and even our faith is a gift we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.
Titus 3:4-5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” Paul tells us in this verse that out of the love and kindness of God all of our sins have been forgiven. When we believe in Jesus we are recognizing that He saved us and He continually renews us through His Holy Spirit. Salvation is for keeps!
Galatians 2:16 “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in
not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” Paul was clearly stating that Gentiles are not justified or saved by keeping the Jewish Law and customs. We are saved by faith and faith alone in the work of Christ on the cross. Keeping the Law cannot justify a person. We are declared to be right only by our faith in Christ.
Romans 9:30-33 “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law
as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32
Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.
33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Doing good works is not the way to heaven. God’s plan is not for those who try to earn His favor by being good. It is for those who do not feel they are good enough and must depend on Christ. We can be saved by only putting our faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The Jews failed to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Instead they attempted to have righteousness by keeping the Law. The Gentiles have accepted the gift of salvation by faith.
Say: “We just read scriptures that tell us the equation for being saved from our sins. When we add anything to faith in Christ we create an unbiblical equation. When we share the gospel with others we want to present the Truth from God’s Word and nothing else. Adding anything to faith in Jesus Christ alone will always equal a wrong answer just as 2 + 3 = 4.” Have students summarize what they have learned in their spiritual journals.
Group Learning Activity: “Blocks Object Lesson” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need 13-15 heavy pieces of wood, bricks or heavy metal pieces and a silk scarf. Write a Jewish commandment or Law on each block. (See sample of Jewish Commandments below). (These laws come from the List of 613 Jewish commandments. You can use them to write a command on each block).
To know that God exists
Not to blaspheme His holy name
To fear God reverently.
To honor the old and the wise
To learn the Old Testament Law and to teach it
Not to take away from the commandments of the Law
Every person shall write a scroll of the Law for himself
To put fringes on the corners of your garments
To wear a four cornered shawl
To recite grace after meals
Not to stand idly by when a human life is in danger
Not to carry tales or gossip
Not to bear a grudge
Not to curse another Jew or Israelite or put them to shame
Not to afflict an orphan or widow
Not to gather the ears that have fallen to the ground when reaping the grain
To leave the single grapes of the vineyard for the poor
To give charity according to one’s means
To love the stranger
Not to wrong the stranger
Not to marry Gentiles
Not to lend to Gentiles without charging them interest
To honor your father and mother
Not to hit your father or mother
Not to curse your father or mother
Not to work on the Sabbath or Saturday
To celebrate all the festivals
Not to travel outside your house on the Sabbath
Do not eat meat from animals with cloven hooves or chew the cud such as camels, badgers, hares, and the pig
Do not eat birds that are birds of prey such as hawks or eagles
Not to do wrong in buying or selling
Not to delay the payment of a hired man’s wages
To keep your word no matter what it is you have promised
Not to sow different kinds of seeds together in one field
A man shall not wear women’s clothing.
Women are not to wear man’s clothing.
Not to build any altar of hewn stone/
Not to climb the altar by steps
To offer a sacrifice of a lamb
Not to go up the sanctuary for a festival without a sin offering
Procedure: Have a student come to the front of the group. Say: “Remember that the Jews were given laws from God such as the Ten Commandments. He gave them these laws so they would become His nation and be different from the surrounding nations. There were also many other laws that the Jews were to keep.” Read the Jewish Commandment as you stack them in the arms of the student.
Say: “The Jews were to obey these rules every day or whenever God had told them to do a particular law, such as the festivals. These were commands, not options. (Tell the student to stand and hold the laws while you tell the story. You will find that the “laws” become “heavy”.)
Review the story with the following narrative:
“Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch after their first missionary journey. While they were there, a man began to preach in the area of Judea. He told the people that they must do some of the laws of the Jews in order to be saved. This really bothered Paul and Barnabas, and they attempted to argue with this man. All of those involved decided that they should go up to Jerusalem and take the matter before the apostles and elders. When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, they told the council about their travels and what they experienced. Everyone was overjoyed until a few followers of Jesus, who were also Pharisees, rose up and exclaimed that the Gentiles must follow the Law of Moses.
(Check on the student to see if the laws are heavy. Have him continue standing and holding the blocks.}
“Peter stood up before the group and explained that the Gentiles received grace just as the Jews had. Remember his vision and experience with Cornelius?) He explained that God knows the heart and asked why the leaders would want to put the same yoke upon the Gentiles as the Jews had, even when the Jews themselves could not bear the laws? Then Paul and Barnabas spoke about their experiences with God and the Gentiles. Then James answered that the Gentiles should not be bothered with the Jewish law. He went on to explain that a letter should be written explaining what they should do though. Gentiles were to stay away from anything having to do with idols, things that were strangled, blood, and they were to remain pure. A letter was written. Paul and Barnabas, along with a few friends, Judas and Silas, took the letter to Antioch to read it to the brethren. All rejoiced. They stayed there for some time, and then Judas went back to Jerusalem, but Silas stayed. The men taught and encouraged the people of the church.
(Check on the student again. Have him continue holding the blocks.) Say: “Are those blocks of the law heavy? (Yes) Do you think you could hold them every day as you go about your daily business? (No) The law is heavy. The yoke that oxen wear around their necks when plowing is heavy. But Jesus said for us to give him our yoke and take His. (Take the blocks from the student and put the scarf in his hands, or over the shoulders.} Say: “God’s grace. Is it lighter? (Yes) Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law. Is there any way we can keep the law perfectly every day? (No) That is why we need grace. God knows we cannot follow the law perfectly. We make mistakes. Sometimes we choose to disobey the law. The law was given by God to the Jews so they could be a people set apart, holy, for Him. The law was to help us understand the need for a Savior. Jesus can keep the law though. And all we have to do is believe in Jesus and then we are
considered righteous. Does that mean we can go and break all of the Ten Commandments? Oh no. (Point to the scarf.) Remember grace? When we are covered by grace, it helps us to want to obey God. When we remember that Jesus died on the cross for us, we should want to obey God and his commandments. Do we obey all of them? No. Remember what the Jerusalem Council said? We are to 1) stay away from idols, 2) stay away from strangled things, 3) stay away from blood, and 4) remain pure.”
Group Learning Activity: “Law vs. Grace” Game (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need two baskets and a large assortment of wooden blocks or plastic blocks. Say: “Our lesson was about the decision that the Jerusalem Council made to solve a question about whether a Gentile had to obey the Jewish Law in order to be saved. This game will help us to understand the difference between Grace and Law.” Procedure: Divide your class into two teams: (1) Law and (2) Grace. Have each team line up in a vertical line. Give the first person in each team line an empty basket. Choose one member from each team to go to the opposite side of the room where the assortment of wooden or plastic blocks is stacked. This team member will be the dispenser for the blocks. Each team should have the same number of blocks for the “dispenser” to give. Each member of the team must walk to the dispenser for his team and get a block to put in the team’s basket. The Law team must first bow to the dispenser, then hop three times, then turn around one time, and then ask for a block. The Grace team only has to ask for the block. The object of the game is to see which team can get all their blocks in the basket first. (Obviously the Grace team should win!) Say: “How did you on the Law team feel during the game? (We had to do a lot of things that the other team did not have to do. It seemed unfair to have to go through all those other things. It took us longer and we could not win.) How did you on the Grace team feel? (We had it easy. All we had to do was ask and we received the block. We did not have to wait. We won the game easily.)” “This game helps us to understand the difference between Law and Grace when it comes to salvation. The yoke of the Law makes it impossible to win! God’s Grace is different. He gives to us the gift of salvation even though we don’t deserve it. His salvation comes from the mercy of God. He loves us and wants us to go to heaven to be with Him. We should thank Him and want to obey Him because He has given to us the victory over death.”
Craft Learning Activity: “Flip Books” (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To understand and summarize the scriptures about God’s plan of salvation. Preparation: You will need 4-5 pages of heavy weight paper. You can use either plain white drawing paper or colored construction paper for each child. You will also need colored marking pens, crayons, or drawing pencils. You will also need a stapler. You will also need a printed copy of the “Plan of Salvation” template below for each student. Procedure: Students will create a flip book by folding a stack of paper that has been laid in a stair step fashion. See photo. Staple the pages together along the fold line so they form the “flip book.” Each page of the book will show along the edge. The flip book can be turned so the pages are horizontal or vertical depending on preference. Say: “What did Peter and Paul say about people and salvation? (God loves every nationality and people from every country. God makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. God loves all men and desires to make their hearts clean through faith. “Everyone is saved the same way! We are saved by faith not by
keeping the Law.”) Today we are going to make flip books about the scriptures that tell about God’s plan of salvation.”
Distribute the “Flip Books” supplies and art supplies. On each page students are to glue one of the strips of Bible verse references. Have students locate the verse in scripture and copy the scripture verse on the page with the reference. Have students draw a symbol of that verse. Ex. Draw an ear for Romans 10:17 to HEAR the word; John 8:24 for a heart to BELIEVE; Luke 13:3,5 for praying hands to REPENT; Romans 10:9-10 for a conversation balloon for CONFESS; 1 Peter 3:21 or a Dove for BAPTISM; Revelation 2:10 or FISH or CROSS for living faithfully. (Symbols may vary.) Review the Bible lesson as the students design their flip books. Say: “God loves everyone. He wants all people to have a relationship with Him. Anyone can repent of his sin and trust Jesus as his Lord and Savior.” Pray for each child to know how much God loves them and wants them to accept Jesus as their Savior.
Craft Learning Activity: “Gospel Kites” Preparation: You need 12 × 18-inch poster board cut into a kite shape, glue, crayons or markers, people stickers (various races and ethnicities), construction-paper scraps, yarn, and a stapler. Procedure: Cut poster board into a kite shape for each child. Cut the yarn or tissue paper into 12-inch lengths. Print “Tell the Good News” on paper or the board for the children to copy. Purchase multi-ethnic people stickers from a school supply store or a Christian bookstore. Set out glue, crayons or markers, construction paper, yarn, and a stapler. Make a sample kite to show the children. Say: “In this lesson we learned that the Holy Spirit helped the early church leaders to decide a very difficult question about the relationship of Law and Faith in the salvation of Gentiles. The Holy Spirit is one person in the Trinity of God. He is God the Spirit who comes to dwell in the hearts of believers. The coming of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles was one of the signs that God was pleased with the faith of non-Jews. God loves everyone and wants them to be a part of His kingdom. “Today we are going to make a gospel kite. The gospel kite is carried by the wind. Wind is often used as a way of describing the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We do not see the wind but we know it is present by the effects it has. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. He brings great change to the lives of believers. He secures our salvation and proves that God has accepted us into his kingdom.” What does a kite need to fly? (Wind) The Holy Spirit is like the wind. Why did God send the Holy Spirit to us when we believe? (God the Holy Spirit has come to be our helper. He makes Jesus’ disciples brave to tell others about Him.) What did the Holy Spirit help Jesus’ friends do? (They told the good news of Jesus’ dying for the sins of the world.) The Holy Spirit came to live inside you when you believed in Jesus. He helps you to live as God’s child and tell others about Jesus too. Let’s make a kite you can hang at home to remind you that the Holy Spirit is your helper.” Procedure: Have children print, “Tell the Good News” in large letters on the center of the kite. Give them people stickers and markers to decorate the kite. Make a tail for the kite by gluing small scraps of construction paper to yarn. Staple the tail to the bottom of the kite.
Life Application Challenge: “Share Your Faith” Procedure: Challenge your students to share their faith with a friend this week. They might use the flip book with the scripture references to guide them in telling others about how a person comes to faith in Christ. If you made the gospel kites, they might share their faith by asking a friend to go “fly a kite” with them. Be sure to encourage the students to tell what the words on the kite mean “Gospel” or go tell others the good news about Christ.
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