Unit 7: Paul the Apostle NT7.10 Paul Preaches in Athens … · 2018-09-26 · daily in the public...

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NT7.10 Paul Preaches in Athens © Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7: Paul the Apostle

NT7.10 Paul Preaches in Athens

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

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 Paul’s Second Missionary Journey and how he preached the gospel throughout area of Macedonia and in the city of Athens. In this lesson we will learn that God is the only One who deserves our worship.

Introduction: This is the tenth 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 Second Missionary Journey and how he preached the gospel throughout area of Macedonia and the city of Athens. 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: “Famous Cities” Have you ever visited a big city with beautiful buildings, statues, and artwork? (Have students share large cities they have visited and tell about any famous buildings or statues that are in that city.) “One of the favorite places for Americans to visit is Washington DC. It has lots of famous buildings and statues. An important building in Washington DC is the Capitol Building. This is where the Senators and Congressmen meet to make the laws of our country. Near the Capitol Building is the Lincoln Memorial. Sitting on the porch of this big monument is a statue of President Abraham Lincoln. Lots of museums and government buildings surround the Capitol. Not far away is the White House where our President and His family live.” In this lesson we will learn about a time when Paul went to Athens, the main city of Ancient Greece. He saw many idols of worship there. He used these idols as a starting place to speak with the important philosophers of his day. He boldly told them about Jesus and the gospel of salvation. God is the only One who deserves our worship. Optional: Before class cut five small pieces of paper for each student. In class ask the students to use the papers to write down their five of their most favorite things in the whole world. After everyone has done this then ask them to put the cards in order with the most important thing first. Lead the discussion so that the children will see how that the most important things seem to take the most time, money, etc. Hopefully some of the children will have put “God” on one of their papers. I f they haven’t then give them an extra card so that they can do so now (without embarrassing them). “In today’s story we are going to learn about a city that thought that their idols were the most important things in the world. (Idol- anything that is worshipped above God -often a statue or carving)”

Opening Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, Thank you for the example of Paul and how he shared the gospel with the people of Athens. Help us to be like him and not let anything or anyone stop us from telling others about the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior. Lord help us to not have any idols come between us and our devotion for You. You love us and want us to worship only You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

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Memory Verse: Our memory verse is 1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/NtpwiE1Al3c

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. He became 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.

On his first Missionary Journey Paul and his companion Barnabas visited the major cities in Cyprus and Galatia. Despite much opposition they continued to preach the gospel and several new churches were established in Antioch of Psidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The gospel was spreading throughout the region and many Gentiles believed in Jesus as their Savior.

Paul often thought about the new believers in Galatia that had come to Christ. He wrote them a letter. This letter is the book of Galatians in our Bible. He knew that they would need encouragement and instruction in how to live the new Christian life.

Later Paul chose Silas as his partner to revisit these churches on his Second Missionary Journey. Both men taught God’s Word to help the churches grow stronger in faith. Paul encouraged everyone to keep living for God. They traveled over land through Syria and into the region of Cilicia. They then moved onto Derbe and the other nearby places that Paul had visited on his first trip.

At Lystra they met a young man named Timothy who loved the Lord. His mother was Eunice a Jewish believer and his grandmother was Lois. They had faithfully taught Timothy the Scriptures from his birth. Paul asked Timothy to join them on the Second Missionary Journey. From Lystra Paul, Silas and Timothy traveled to Iconium then to Antioch and ended up in Troas. They had visited all the churches that Paul and Barnabas had started in the area of Phrygia and Galatia on the First Missionary Journey.

One night Paul had a vision from the Holy Spirit. A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul knew that God was calling them to go to Macedonia in Greece. They boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to Neapolis. From there they reached Philippi, a major city of the district of Macedonia which was a Roman colony.

On the Sabbath they went outside the city of Philippi to a riverbank where they spoke with Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshipped God. As she listed to Paul share the good news about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart, and Lydia became the first believer in that city.

One day as Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi Paul healed a slave girl from a demon spirit. Her owners became angry and had Paul and Silas beaten and put in prison. As they were singing in jail at midnight God used an earthquake to free them so they could preach to the jailer. When the jailer asked what he could do to be saved, Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He too became a believer along with his whole house.

After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas and Timothy travelled to Thessalonica and Berea. In both cities Paul began by sharing the good news of Jesus to the Jewish people in the local synagogues. He used the Old Testament scriptures to prove that Jesus was really the Messiah, the Son of God. Many Jews and Gentiles believed in Jesus and became Christians. However Paul and Silas also faced lots of opposition. Some Jews who were jealous and did not believe began to stir up riots and in both cities they tried to stop Paul and Silas. The new believers had to help Paul and Silas leave those cities for their own safety.

This lesson begins with Paul waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy to arrive from Berea to join him. As Paul was waiting he became deeply troubled by all the idols he saw in the city. Athens was the major city in Ancient Greece. It was a seaport town on the southern side of the country.

This is a 3D reconstruction of ancient Athens. Toward the front is the market place called Agora. In the background is Mars Hill or Areopagus. It is the long flat surface on the right. The judges of Arepagus met there. The judges in Greece were like philosophers who loved to talk about things in the world. The Areopagus was located a big rocky hill. Sitting on the high hill across from the Areopagus was a building

https://youtu.be/NtpwiE1Al3c

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called the Acropolis. The entrance to this building was the Propylaea and it had a gigantic bronze statue of the goddess Athena.

This was the goddess that the city was named after and many worshipped. The base of this statue was about 5 feet high and it stood 30 feet in the air! The goddess held a shiny shield whose reflection could be seen by the ships coming into its harbor! She was a god of war and supposedly wisdom. Another statue shows her holding Nike, the goddess of victory. Here on this high hill the Greeks would later build a famous temple called the Parthenon. It too was dedicated to the goddess Athena. It had beautiful columns and lots of sculptures. It was used as a place to bring offerings to the goddess. On the south side of the rocky hill was the Theatre of Dionysus, the god of wine and pleasure.

The ancient Greeks would pray with their hand up to the sky while they were praising Zeus and the other heavenly gods. To worship Hades the king of the underworld or other deities of Satan they would kneel down and hit the ground with their hands so they could be heard! How sad that they were really worshipping Satan the devil! The Athenians also worshipped Zeus, who was thought to be the god of sky and thunder. The statue of Zeus was over 30 feet tall and was made of ivory and gold. Zeus had a robe, crown, and carried his mighty thunderbolt in one hand. This statue was magnificent and was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Greeks worshipped other Olympian gods like Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hephaistos, and Dionysos, There were about 30,000 idol gods in Athens. That was more gods than there were people!

When Paul saw all these idols and false gods, he was very disturbed. He knew that all these idols were just man made. They were made of stone and metal. They did not have any power compared to the one true God! How could Paul tell these people about Jesus and the gospel? How could he get them to listen to the message of salvation? They were not Jews. They knew nothing about the coming Messiah. Paul needed a way to make them understand that the one true God loved them too!

First Paul went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles and he spoke daily in the public square to all who were there. The Athenians like to spend time discussing the latest ideas. He also debated with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The Epicureans believed that seeking happiness or pleasure was the main goal of life. The Stoics however believed that a person should value thinking more than feeling so they lived very disciplined lives.

When Paul told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler saying with these strange ideas?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.” So they took Paul to the high council of the city who asked, “Tell us about these strange things and new teaching.”

Standing on this high hill above the city of Athens everyone could look down and see the many idols they worshipped. Here Paul stood and addressed the council. Very wisely Paul started his speech with something they all knew and understood. “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines.”

“One of your altars had this inscription on it: To an Unknown God. You worship a god that you do not know. This is the God I want to tell you about.” The one true God is not like the idols in Athens. He is not made of gold, silver, or stone.

“This is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples.” Paul explained that God does not need anything and is not far away. God is the Creator and Judge!

Paul said, “He gives life to everything. From one man He created all the nations. He controls when nations rise and fall.” This meant that God is not trapped in his creation. God is sovereign and in control! God is self-sufficient!

Paul went on to say, “God wants us to seek and find him. It is in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” God is not an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. He is the Giver of Life!

“God commands everyone to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day when the world will be judged by Jesus whom He has raised from the dead.” God wants everyone in the world to repent,

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to turn away from their sin and turn to Him. God has sent His Son Jesus as the Savior and Messiah! Paul did not hold back the truth, no matter what they might think of it!

“When the men of Athens heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt. Most of the Greeks preferred to worship many gods instead of just one so this was offensive to them. Paul knew they did not like the message but that did not stop him from telling them the truth! A few of them did say, “We want to hear more about this later.” At that Paul left the Council.

A few men later became followers of Paul and believed in Jesus. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Aerppagus council, a woman named Damaris and a number of others. Paul did not let the majority who mocked him keep him from telling everyone about Jesus. It was worth his effort even when only a few accepted Jesus as their Savior.

In this lesson the men of Athens worshipped a false god who they did not know. Paul explained to them God’s plan of salvation. He said that God is not like the Greek idols. Only God deserves our worship!

We probably don’t worship idols of wood or stone today, but anything or anyone we treat as more important than God is an idol. What are some of the idols we might worship today? Maybe we “worship” our IPads or tablets by spending so much time on them that we do not have time to read God’s Word. Maybe we allow sports to take the place of time that we need to be at church activities. Whatever takes the place of time to read God’s Word, sing praises to Him, and pray becomes an idol to us.

Our memory verse is 1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.” We worship Jesus the only Son of God. He is holy and deserves our complete undivided worship. We are not to let anything or anyone else take His rightful place of our devotion and praise. Let’s say our verse again together. 1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.”

Paul boldly talked to the men of Athens about Jesus and the resurrection. Paul knew God intimately and he was filled with the Holy Spirit so he could confidently share the gospel with everyone! We too are to be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can tell others about Him. God loves everyone and He has sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior. All people can know God because Jesus took the punishment for sin that separates people from God.

Remember only God deserves our worship.

Review Questions: "Spoons" Preparation: You will need plastic spoons, black markers, and song. Procedure: Number plastic spoons with a permanent black marker. Be sure to have enough spoons so that each child can have one. Sit with the children in a circle with the numbered spoons in the center. Play a song on a cassette or CD and stop the music after several seconds. When the music stops have the children grab a spoon. Randomly call out a number. The child holding that number answers one of the review questions below. Repeat several times to answer all the questions.

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 what churches did Paul and Barnabas establish? (They led Gentiles to believe in Cyprus and Galatia and 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. Who was the first convert to Christ in Macedonia? (Paul and his friends went to Ephesus and preached to Lydia and she believed.)

5. What did Paul do to the evil spirit in the slave girl? (Paul commanded the evil spirit to come out of the girl in the name of Jesus Christ.)

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6. What happened to Paul and Silas after they healed the slave girl and her master realized his business was ruined? (He seized them and took them to the authorities to have them beaten and whipped and sent into prison.)

7. What did Paul tell the jailer to do to be saved? (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.)

8. What did Paul see in Athens that made him upset? (The people there worshipped many idols; Acts 17:16)

9. Who were some of the Greek gods that the Athenians worshipped? (They worshipped Athena, Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hephaistos, and Dionysos, There were about 30,000 idol gods in Athens.)

10. What did Paul point out was written on one of the Athenians’ altars (The inscription was “To An Unknown God; Acts 17: 23)

11. What are some things Paul said are true about God? (God made everything; He is bigger than man-made temples’ He is not made of gold, silver, or stone; He does not need anything; He is not far away; He is the Creator and Judge, and the Life-Giver; God is sovereign and in control. Acts 17:24-29)

12. What commandment did Paul tell the Athenians that God wanted them to know? (God commands everyone to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day when the world will be judged by Jesus whom He has raised from the dead. God wants everyone in the world to repent, to turn away from their sin and turn to Him. God has sent His Son Jesus as the Savior and Messiah!)

13. How did the majority of the men of Athens respond when they heard the gospel? (The majority did not believe and made fun of Paul. They just wanted to worship their many gods instead of the one true God.)

14. Who did believe Paul’s message of salvation in Athens? (A few men later became followers of Paul and believed in Jesus. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Aerppagus council, a woman named Damaris and a number of others.)

15. What is an idol of worship? (An idol is anything or anyone that is more important to us than our worship of God.)

16. What are some idols of worship that we might have today? (We might worship our IPADs or sports. Other things might be money, clothes, or toys or popularity.)

17. What is our memory verse? (1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Surprise Box” Our memory verse is 1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.” Have students locate verse in scripture and read it aloud several times together.

Say: “We worship Jesus the only Son of God. He is holy and deserves our complete undivided worship. We are not to let anything or anyone else take His rightful place of our devotion and praise. God is the only One who deserves our worship.” Preparation: You will need a box or container with an opening in top (large enough for your hand to freely move in and out with the memory verse words). Decorate the box. Write each word of the memory verse on separate sheets of construction paper.

Procedure: Place the construction paper words in order in the front of the class. Have the entire class say the verse a few times with all the words, then ask for a volunteer to take away a word and put it in the “Surprise Box”. Ask the class if they can say the verse with the missing word. Continue until all words are in the box. Then ask for volunteers to pick one word out of the box and see if they can put it back, continuing until the verse has been reconstructed.

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Group Learning Activity: “Red Light/Green Light” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a red, yellow, and green 3” X 5” flag made from construction paper for each child. Make a set of situation cards and place in a basket in the front of the classroom. Say: “Has anyone ever asked you to worship something that isn’t God? Other gods come in many forms. Sometimes we don’t even recognize them. What would you do if you found yourself in situation in which someone or something besides God was worshipped? Let’s decide if God is being worshipped or if another god is being worshipped in some situations. Procedure: Give each child a set of red, yellow, and green flags. Say: “If the situation would help you to worship God, raise the green flag. If the situation would encourage you to worship someone or something besides God, raise the red flag. But if it’s a situation you aren’t sure if it’s wrong, raise your yellow flag.” Have one child at a time come to the front of the class, pick a situation card to read to the rest of the class and have the class vote by raising one of their “flags.”

Say: “Have you ever found yourself in a situation like one of these? God is serious about asking us to worship Him alone. God chose you to be His special treasures and to worship only Him. He wants you to be good examples to your friends. He wants you to show others what it means to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Do you know people who may not worship God alone? What can you do when you are invited to their homes? It isn’t easy to stand up for God. But He wants us to be His messengers out in the world. And, we need to learn to do that just like Jesus did it, with love and compassion. It would be wrong for us to be rude or hurtful to others that don’t know Him. We need to love and respect every person we meet. But we don’t need to accept what they believe if it goes against the Bible. God said, “I am the Lord, and there is no others” (Isaiah 45:5a). For example, what would you do if you were asked to come to a “sleep-over” party where the other kids were lighting candles and trying to talk to ghosts?” (Encourage children to learn to say, “No, thank you” and quietly refuse to participate.)”

Group Learning Activity: “Step It Up” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need ten brown sheets of construction paper. Write one of the Ten Commandments on each of ten construction paper “stepping” stones. You will also need a ladder or a stair case. Place #1 as the first step. (Note: this exercise actually works better if you have a staircase available to you.) Procedure: Have students stand at the bottom of the staircase or the bottom of a stepladder. Read the following Ten Commandments and have students move up the step if they have completely obeyed the commandment. Say: “A lot of people think that the way to Heaven is to keep all of His commandments. Let’s see how well we keep them.”

• Commandment #1 “Do not have any gods but me.”— If you have never worshipped any other God besides the one true God, you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #2 “Do not worship idols.” — If you have never made an idol, you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #3 “Keep God’s name holy.” — If you have always kept God’s name holy, (never used His name in a dishonorable way, never done anything that would bring dishonor to His name), you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #4 “Set aside a special day for God.” — If you have always set aside a special day for God each week, you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #5 “Honor your father and mother.” — If you have always honored your father and mother by obeying them, you may stand on this step.

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• Commandment #6 “Do not murder.” — If you have never killed anyone, you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #8 “Do not steal.” — If you have never stolen anything, you may stand on this step.

• Commandment #9 “Do not lie.”— If you have never lied, you may stand on this step. • Commandment #10 “Do not want what others have.”— If you have never wanted what others

have, you may stand on this step. When the leader gets to the point no children are stepping forward, read the following verses:

• Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Does this mean our situation is hopeless? No! Not at all, let’s read on.

• Romans 3:24-25a “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Gather the ten “stepping stones” and turn them over on the floor, shaping them into a cross—six down and four across. Say: “God uses His laws to show us our sin. This brings us to Jesus. At the cross of Jesus we say, “Help! I can’t do this!” and He will help us. His death on the cross paid for your sins. That’s the kind of God we have—the only one worth worshipping.”

Group Learning Activity: “May I Help You?” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need as many small mirrors as half the number of your class, white shoe polish, paper towels, and glass cleaner. Procedure: Divide your class into pairs. Give one child in each pair a small mirror that has been covered with white shoe polish. Give the other child a paper towel. Ask the students if they can see what’s in the mirror (the answer of course will be “no”). Go around the room and spray a bit of glass cleaner on each mirror and ask the children with the paper towels to be good helpers. The children holding the paper towel should try to wipe the mirrors clean. Ask who cleaned the mirrors. Ask the students who had the paper towels why they wanted to wipe the mirrors.” Explain that when we see a need and we have the power to meet it, the natural inclination is to try to do so. Say: "This activity shows that we all naturally want to be good helpers. When your partner was given a mirror covered in polish, and you had the paper towel you wanted to help them by cleaning the mirror. When we see a need and we have the power to meet, the natural inclination is to try to do so. Sharing our faith should be like that. Believers of the truth should share it with those who are deceived. Jesus wants us to love other people enough to help them go to heaven. We are to share our faith easily and naturally with others."

Group Learning Game Activity: “Only One” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need 100 pennies and a small sticker. Procedure: Place a sticker on one of the pennies and mix well. Have the students look for the penny that has the sticker. Say: “Lots of pennies are in the jar but only one is the winner.” Explain that many people may choose to worship other things, but there is

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only one true God who deserves our worship. Congratulate the child who finds the penny with the sticker. Play again as time remains. Say: “Who deserves our worship? Only the Lord—the one true God—deserves our worship. There may be lots of things that we could worship, but there is only one true God and he deserves our worship. In this lesson Paul helped the people understand that God is the only One who deserves our worship.”

Group Learning Game Activity: “Retelling the Story” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a stepladder or something stable to stand upon; brown material or crumpled brown paper bags; boxes or large rocks; and a sign that reads “unknown god.” You will also need an adult man dressed in Biblical costume to portray the Apostle Paul. Procedure: Prepare a small “hill” with the step-ladder or something stable to stand upon. Cover it with brown material or crumpled paper bags. Beside the “hill,” construct a small “altar” by stacking boxes or large rocks on top of each other. Place a sign on the front of the “altar” that reads “unknown god.” Have an adult dressed in Bible-times costume speak the boldfaced words as Paul spoke to the Athenians. Characters: Paul, Paul’s friends from Berea, scoffers at the Areopagus, those who want to hear more from Paul Props: Bible-times costumes, Mars’ Hill, altar and sign “Paul” reads or says his part as the narrator reads the story. [Paul gestures to his friends from Berea.] “Thank you so much for coming with me to Athens!” Paul said to his friends from the city of Berea who had come with him. “Please send Silas and Timothy this way just as soon as you can!” [Paul waves to his friends as they walk away.] He waved as his friends, people who had just recently learned about Jesus, left to go back home to Berea. Paul was lonely in Athens. There was not a single person there who knew or believed in Jesus. [Paul kneels down and may have prayed something like this.] “Dear Jesus, You are the only one who can show me how to share Your love with the people of this city!” [Paul gets up and walks around as if sightseeing.] Beautiful statues, buildings, and artwork surrounded the people of Athens. Expensive temples filled with all kinds of idols seemed to be everywhere. Athens was known as a city overflowing with very intelligent people. But as Paul walked around, he felt sorry for these people. They knew so very much, but they really didn’t know the most important thing. They didn’t know Jesus. Paul started talking to people. It wasn’t long until his words began to make people think and ask questions. They wanted to hear what he had to say about Jesus. One day someone invited Paul to speak to them on top of Mars’ Hill at a place called the Areopagus. This was a special place where the philosophers, men who were considered to be very intelligent and wise, came to talk and listen to the lat-est ideas. (Paul climbs the ladder “hill.”) “Friends, I can see that you are very religious. Everywhere I look I see statues and altars to different gods. (Paul points to the “altar.”) “On one statue I noticed ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ I’m here today to tell you about Him!” Carefully Paul began to speak. “The true God made the world and everything in it. It is God in heaven who gives life and breath to everyone.” As he continued speaking, many of the people listened carefully. Then Paul told them about the resurrection of Jesus. Some of the people said, “You’re crazy! But there were a few who said, “We want to hear from you again about this.”

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Not very many people in the city of Athens believed in Jesus. They thought their own wisdom was better than God’s wisdom. But there were some people who did become Christians. Dionysius, an important man in the city government, and a woman named Damaris gave their hearts to Jesus. Paul was able to talk boldly to the intelligent people of Athens because he knew God’s message so well himself. What can you do to get to know Jesus better? Remember, we really want to know Jesus so we can tell others about Him.

Group Learning Activity: Bible Study “How to Know Jesus” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a pencil and Bible and their spiritual notebook. Say: “In this lesson Paul was able to debate the philosophers of Greece by using their own logic and knowledge. He was able to understand how to share the gospel because he knew Jesus personally.” Say: “Paul knew Jesus very well. What are some ways that he told others about Him? Have someone read Acts 17:16-18 “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.” Say: “According to this scripture what are some ways that Paul told others about Jesus? (He reasoned with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue, and with anyone who would listen in the marketplace. He preached the good news about Jesus and His resurrection.) What does the scripture say about ways that we can tell others about Jesus? If we are going to tell others about Jesus we must know Him ourselves in a personal way. We are going to look up scriptures and find the ways the Bible says are ways to know Jesus better.” Have students locate the following scriptures and summarize the ways that each one says to know Jesus:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually,” Prayer is talking to God. As we talk to Him, His Spirit moves in our hearts to help us understand what He desires for us. Through prayer we can know what God desires for us.

• Psalm 96:2 “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” God desires that we praise Him. We bring glory to His name by sharing the gospel with others. Obedience is a way that draws us closer to Him.

• 2 Timothy 3:14-17 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” When we study God’s Word it causes us to not allow false teaching to distort our understanding of truth. Scripture points us to Christ and is completely trustworthy for our faith and life. We should let God’s Word guide our conduct.

• Proverbs 1:33 “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Listening to God means being obedient to Him. Obedience to God provides the great benefit of God’s protection and help. As we know God’s Word and obey it, we begin to know Him in a more intimate way.

• Psalm 37:3, 5, 7 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture…Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:… Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Our faith and trust in God comes as a result of hearing and obeying God’s Word. We can be confident in the future and in God’s protection as we rest in His will. We will not become distracted by the wicked and their prosperity.

Have students record what they have learned in their spiritual journals.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Big Foam Finger—God is” Preparation: You will need a foam finger shape for each student. Foam fingers can be ordered online and have personalized message imprinted or you can simply cut the shape from craft foam. Or you can print the finger shape below on heavy cardstock one for each child. You will also need crayons or black permanent marker, glue and a large craft or popsicle stick. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was upset when he saw all the idols that the people of Athens worshipped. He wanted them to know the one true God. He preached to them about Jesus as the Son of God. He told them about God and pointed them to the way to Him. Today we are going to make a craft the we can use to point people to worshipping God.” Procedure: Give each child a handprint out of cardstock or foam. You can write “God is…” or have the students write the sentence themselves. Have students write what they believe God is on the blank space. For example: God is love, God is the Creator; God is Just, God is the Life Giver; God is Just; God is holy; God is our Salvation; etc.) If the finger shape is on cardstock have them color the rest of the hand. Have students glue a popsicle or large craft stick at the bottom. Encourage students to use these foam fingers to tell others about Jesus.

Craft Learning Activity: “ABC’s Booklet” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: Print the ABC’s Booklet template below on cardstock or heavy drawing paper. You will need one copy for each child, crayons or colored markers, and scissors. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was the first missionary. God called him to preach the gospel to all the world—to the Jews and the Gentiles. Paul suffered much to spread the good news about Jesus. God loves everyone and wants them to receive the gift of eternal life. That is why He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Just before Jesus went back into heaven He commanded His followers to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Just like Paul we are to tell others about the good news of salvation. Today we are going to make an ABC Booklets to use to share the gospel with others.” Procedure: Have students cut out the booklet template on all dotted lines. Fold the template into a booklet by folding the half top down toward the bottom with text on the inside. Fold the side panels over the front of the booklet. (See picture of completed booklet at right.) Have students add colored marker diagrams such as the cross or heart or empty tomb to the outside and inside of the booklet. Decorate outside as desired. Demonstrate how to use the booklet: First, read the flap on the left side: Admit to God that you are a sinner. Repent turning away from your sin. Sin separates you from God. Sin is choosing your own way instead of God’s way. Second, read the center section: Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and accept God’s gift of forgiveness from sin. Romans 5:8 God sent Jesus so you would not have to die for your sins. Jesus died on a cross, He was buried, and He rose from the dead. Third, read the flap on the right side: Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (Romans 10:9-10) Confessing means you “tell people you believe Jesus is Lord. Finally: read the prayer of confession on the bottom flap and ask if the person really means these things in their heart, then they can pray this prayer.

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Dear God, I know I have sinned and that my sin separates me from You. I am sorry for my sin. I believe Jesus died on the cross for me so my sins could be forgiven. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. God, please forgive me. I ask Jesus to come into my life and be my Savior and Lord. I will obey You and live for You the rest of my life. Thank You, Amen.

Say: “Let’s pray and ask God to help us share the gospel with our friends.” In the prayer ask for boldness to share the gospel and opportunities with friends.

Craft Learning Activity: “Praise Trumpets” (Grades K-2) Preparation: You will need a toilet tissue or paper towel cardboard tube for each child, stickers (optional), and colored markers. You will also need a picture of a person you know but the children don’t. Procedure: Welcome the children, but instead of talking to the children, mime: “Good morning, welcome, I’m so happy to see you, please have a seat” by just moving your mouth and gesturing. Say: “How did you feel when I did not talk to you out loud? Did you wonder what was going on? Which is easier to understand, when someone talks or can’t talk? (It is easier when someone talks and uses their voice.) All of us here can talk. We have a wonderful God, and He wants us to tell others about Him. Many times we are silent, just as I was when you came in. We serve God when we know Him and tell others about Him. Now we are going to use our voices to praise God.” Procedure: Distribute toilet tissue tubes to the seated children. Let the children decorate their tube with markers and stickers. Explain to the class that these are Praise Trumpets and can be used only to praise God. Hold your trumpet to the ear of the first child and whisper a praise such as “Praise the Lord, Jesus lives, God loves you!” That child turns to the next child and repeats the phrase, and so on around the circle. When everyone has heard the praise, say it loudly in unison through the trumpets. Say: “Did you like praising the Lord this way? We serve God when we tell others about Him. Have you told someone about Him this past week? (yes, no) Whom did you tell about Him? What did you say? Let us remember to tell others of our wonderful God. Paul praised God by telling the people of Athens about God. Let’s be like Paul and tell others about Jesus.” . Show the picture. Ask the class to tell you different things about the person in the picture. Say: “What is (name’s) favorite food? What do you like best about (name)? How long have you known (name)? Why would anyone want to be (name’s) friend?” When the students say that they don’t know the person, describe your friend. Say: “How did you feel when I asked you to tell about a person that you did not know? (It wasn’t fair; I couldn’t do it.) Who can answer those questions about a person that you know? (Children raise hands.) Pick a child and have him/her tell about a person that he/she knows, answering the questions. Then ask: How can you know Jesus? (By reading the Bible, going to church, spending time with Him in prayer, etc.) Do you know Jesus well enough to tell others about Him? (yes, no)

Say: “To tell about someone, you must know them. Today we learned how Paul told others about God’s Son and what He did on the cross to forgive us our sin. Paul knew his friend Jesus so well that he could easily tell others about Him. Let’s be like Paul and learn about Jesus so we can tell others.”

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Craft Learning Activity: “One True God” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need white paper, white crayons, markers, and hand wipes or paper towels. Procedure: Use a white crayon to draw the number 1 largely and boldly on a sheet of whit paper for each child. Give each child one of the sheets and guide them to draw all over it using washable markers. Then take a hand wipe and remove the marker over the number. As the students color the picture, talk about what it means to worship. Explain that worshipping something or someone means that we make it the most important thing in our life. We care more about that thing or that person than we do about anything else. What do some people worship? Say: “No one is like our God. Our God created the world and everything in it, including us, and He is in control of all things. He cares deeply for people, even though we sin and choose to live in a way that does not honor Him. Sometimes we allow other things to become more important than God, and we forget that He should be the most important (like coloring over the number 1). Our sin separates us from God, but God sent Jesus to make a way for us to have a right relationship with God. When we trust Jesus, He helps us make God most important again (like when the number 1 was revealed.) Say: “Who deserves our worship? Only the Lord—the one true God—deserves our worship. He is the One who sent His Son to take our place and our punishment so that we could have His righteousness before God.”

Life Application Challenge: “Domino Chain Reaction” Preparation: Set up the dominoes in a long line on a table ahead of time, then topple them during the challenge time. Say: “Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. What does Matthew 28:19-20 tell us to do? (Make disciples, or tell people about Jesus.) What does "making disciples" mean? (Making disciples means to help people know Jesus and want to obey Him. The disciples were to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The disciples were few, so how could they take the story of Jesus to the whole world? Well, it is the same as it is with the dominoes. It starts with one person. One person tells another and he tells another, and another, and another until the whole world has heard that Jesus is risen from the dead and he is Lord.” Say: “What are some things you could tell other people about Jesus? (Jesus loves everyone and wants them to go to heaven with him. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins or to pay for what we have done that is wrong. Jesus wants us to believe in Him or trust Him.) Say: “Who could you talk to about Jesus this week? What do you think is important for people to know about Jesus? Volunteers can tell the names of the people they want to talk to. Tell group that we need to pray for those people that are mentioned that they will want to learn about Jesus. Close by leading children in prayer, thanking Jesus for His love for us and asking for His help to tell others that He loves them, too.

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Paul Preaches in Athens

1 John 5:21 “So dear children keep yourselves from idols.”

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God is…

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Red Light/ Green Light Situation Cards

Your friend plays a CD. You like the music. When you listen to the words, they are praising God. (green flag)

Read aloud Psalm 149:3 “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.”

In studying about American Indians, you learned about the shamans, or medicine men. Your teacher asks you to make a drum to beat while a medicine man chants to cure a sickness. (red flag)

Read aloud Exodus 15:26 “He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

You are swimming in your Muslim friend’s new pool, telling her how great it is. She says her family praises Allah for it. (yellow flag)- tell her that your family thanks God for things He has given.)

Read aloud Deuteronomy 4:39 “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”

You are at a slumber party. After midnight the kids gather around a candle to talk to ghosts. (red flag)

Read aloud Deuteronomy 18:12 “Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.”

The movie you’ve just seen was awesome. The hero, a little boy, was called the Chosen One and had the power of the Force. (yellow flag)

Read aloud Matthew 12:18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.”

Your gym teacher is making you run a mile, and you aren’t sure you can finish. You ask your grandma in heaven to give you the strength to finish. (red flag)

Read aloud Isaiah 8:19 ‘When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Just for fun, you let your cousin read your horoscope for today. (yellow flag)

Read aloud Isaiah 47:13-14 “All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. 14 Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by.”

Your class is studying the gods of ancient Egypt. Some kids think it’s cool that the Egyptians believed a cat was a god. (red flag)

Read aloud Isaiah 19:1 A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

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Unit 7: Paul the Apostle NT7.10 Paul Preaches in Athens … · 2018-09-26 · daily in the public...

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Transcript of Unit 7: Paul the Apostle NT7.10 Paul Preaches in Athens … · 2018-09-26 · daily in the public...