LEADERS HUB
Year 1, Term 3, Week 8: Ideas for Middle Group
Week 8: God is Powerful - To Save
Lesson Objective:
God is powerful to show himself to us and save us from our sin.
Bible Passage:
Acts 9: 1-18 (Conversion of Saul/Paul)
Memory Verse:
Acts: 9:17 - Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, “Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Story Idea: Science Experiment & Watch It!
Before the lesson:
- Gather full fat milk, several colours of food dye, cotton buds, bowls and detergent
- Either run the demonstration in one bowl with all of the kids watching or give each kid their own bowl to experiment with!
Introductory Experiment:
- Fill a bowl with milk and allow it to settle
- Drop a couple of drops of each food dye colour into the milk in different locations, but do not stir or move them
- Put some detergent on the end of the cotton bud
- Ask the kids what will happen when you put the cotton bud in the milk and let them guess
- Hold the detergent cotton bud in the surface of the milk near the food dye spots and watch the food dye move quickly around the bowl!
Discuss:
- What does the detergent do to the colour? Changes it - moves it
- Why? The detergent reacts with the milk (specifically, the fat)
Introduction:
Today's story talks about a man who had a big reaction to Jesus which changed his life!
NB: For an example of how the experiment works, see the following vide
Have the kids watch the following youtube video, but pause it at 2:14 - that part is covered next week!
Quiz Questions:
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1. What was Saul doing at the beginning of the story? Being mean to people who followed Jesus - putting them in jail, murdering them
2. What strange thing happened to Saul when he was walking along the road? A bright light shone on him and Jesus spoke to him
3. What did Jesus say to Saul? Why are you persecuting me? Go to the city and you'll be told what to do
5. What couldn't Saul do for three days? See
6. What radical change happened in Saul's life after Jesus spoke to him? He started telling others about Jesus instead of hurting Christians!
7. What did Saul change his name to? Paul
8. Does Jesus want us to follow Him too? Yes
9. What radical thing did God send Jesus to do, so that we could be His followers? Die on the cross
10. What should we do if we want to decide to follow Jesus, just like Paul did? Pray to God - tell Him we want to follow Him and start following Him!
Game Idea: Stop, Slow, Go!
- Before the lesson, download and print the stop, slow, turn around and go signs
- Make a circle with markers and have the kids walk around to music
- Hold up one of the signs and call the direction; eg. 'STOP!'
- All the kids must change according to your direction:
* Go = Walk normally
* Slow = Walk in slow motion
* Stop = Freeze
* Turn around = Turn and walk in the opposite direction
- The last person to do the correct direction is out!
Remind the kids that Jesus changed Sauls direction - He was against Jesus and then he became a follower of Jesus!
Activity Idea: Lego Building!
- Put out a pile of lego for all of the kids to use
- Give them the name of something to build (eg. an animal or a house)
- Then ask them to change what they built into something very different, but using the same pieces that they used the first time!
Remind the kids that Jesus completely changed Saul - He was now Paul a new man who LOVED Jesus instead of HATING Jesus
Craft Idea: Saul/Paul Story Spinner
Before the lesson:
- Download and print the Saul/Paul Story Spinner template on yellow card (or yellow paper and attach it to the back of a paper plate for stability
- Cut circles of black card the same size as the yellow circles
- Use a knife to make a small slit in the centre of the two card circles
- Cut a wedge out of the black circles large enough to cover the story segments
- Gather split pins and colouring pencils from the cupboard
Have the kids:
- Colour their pictures
- Attach their circles together with the split pins (younger kids will need help)
- Spin the black card to reveal the story in the light section!
