Acts
1
Joinme says get a group of friends together and read Acts 1. Then test your knowledge! Write each of the following words from Acts 1 on separate cards or pieces of paper.
Jerusalem, Holy Spirit, Mount of Olives, power, taken to heaven, white clothing, come back, Mary, Judas Iscariot, Peter, Matthias, Jesus, heaven, forty days, cloud, payment, apostles.
Put the cards or papers in a bag. Take turns to choose a card. What do you know about the word on your card? Give your card to the next person if you don’t know.
2:37–47
After Peter’s first sermon, thousands of people became believers. They followed Jesus’ teachings. Their lives changed and they lived in new ways. They were like one big family and they often ate and prayed together.
4:13–20
Peter and John saw Jesus do many signs and wonders. They couldn’t keep quiet about the wonderful things they had seen and heard. Talky knows that Jesus still does wonderful things today.
What’s the best thing that Jesus does for each one of us?
Like Peter and John, Talky also wants to tell others about the things Jesus does today. Share with your friends the wonderful things Jesus does that you have seen or heard about.
6:8
Stephen was one of the leaders chosen to distribute food to the poor members of the church.
Everywhere Stephen went, he told people that Jesus was God’s Son. This is why his enemies stoned him to death. Stephen was the first martyr. A martyr is someone who is killed because of their faith.
After his death, the Christians were persecuted and many fled from Jerusalem. But the people who fled shared the good news about Jesus. So people all over the country heard the good news and believed.
8:1–4
When the Christians were first persecuted, they fled from Jerusalem. Wherever they went, they told people about Jesus.
Arty wants to show you how to create a secret alphabet. Then you can write a secret message. Write down the letters of the alphabet. Then write your secret code next to each letter.
For example, the letter A = # and so on for each letter.
Or you could use numbers for example A = 1, B = 2 and so on.
Write a message in your secret code that would encourage Christians who suffer.
9:9
Thinky was wondering if you know the answers to these questions.
Who was in the belly of a fish for three days?
Who was dead for three days?
How long was Paul blind?
During the time the Bible was written, the time period of three days was important. People thought it was the perfect time to prepare for a big task.
The Lord gave Paul an important task. Do you know what his task was?
Read Romans 1:5 to see how Paul described it.
9:1–31
Paul studied with Gamaliel who was an educated and famous rabbi. Paul was very clever. He was a Pharisee and knew the Old Testament very well. At first, Paul thought that the Christians who were teaching about God were false teachers. So he hunted them to put them in prison. But after Jesus appeared to him, he became a follower of Jesus. He told thousands of people about Jesus.
9:32–41
Talky discovered that Peter, Jesus’ disciple, could do the same kind of miracles that Jesus did. Jesus promised that his followers would have the same power that he has.
Choose one of the apostles’ miracles and role-play it with a friend.
Then thank the Lord that we know the good news about Jesus. Ask the Lord to bless you as you share the good news about Jesus.
10:1–48
This is an important chapter. It tells us that Jesus came to earth to save everyone and not only the Jews.
God gathers people from every nation into his church. They become one big family. The members of the church love one another and care for one another.
13 – 14
Here you can read about Paul’s first missionary journey. The large church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to tell people in other regions about Jesus. They first went to the island of Cyprus. Then they went to different cities in Asia Minor. Today the region is called Turkey.
Paul went on three missionary journeys and travelled more than 16,000 kilometres, mostly on foot. See the map at page 1820.
13 – 14
Crafty discovered that Paul visited lots of different places on his missionary journeys. Crafty wanted to make a note of all of them.
Read Acts 13 – 14 and underline all the places that Paul visited.
You don’t have to read both chapters at once! Then find the places on the map on page 1820. Why not make your own map of Paul’s routes? Then when you read all of Paul’s letters, you can follow his routes.
15
People from different nations became Christians. Soon they were arguing about the right way to live their lives. So they had a meeting in Jerusalem. There they talked about their problems until they found a solution.
Why did they argue? They wanted to know whether the Gentiles were supposed to follow the Jewish ways. In the end, they decided that Gentiles didn’t have to follow Jewish traditions and customs. There was only one important thing the Gentiles had to believe. It was that they were saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.
16:11–15
Lydia was a rich businesswoman in Philippi. She was one of the first people in Europe to believe in Jesus. After she got to know Paul, she invited him and his friends to stay in her house.
The Christians of that time always opened their homes to other Christians. Today it’s still important for Christians to welcome people into their homes. Because God welcomed us into his kingdom, we should welcome other people into our homes.
16:30–34
After the jailer was saved, he took Paul and Silas to his home. There he washed their wounds and gave them a meal. He immediately began welcoming other Christians into his home. How can you be kind and welcoming to other people? Being caring and welcoming is important for Christians.
Hearty wants you to think about how you feel when someone asks you to come over. Then think about how you can be kind and welcoming to other people.
Remember that you can be kind and welcoming in other places besides your home!
17:22–23, 30–34
Not all the people in your neighborhood are Christians.
Hearty would like to know how you feel about that.
Paul often talked to people who didn’t believe in Jesus.
He was always polite and respectful when he talked to them about Jesus. Sometimes they listened to him but sometimes they made fun of him.
How did Paul feel when that happened?
How do you think Paul felt when people wanted to know more about Jesus?
18 – 21
Thinky is learning all about Paul’s third missionary journey. He traveled through Asia Minor or Turkey and Greece. He visited the places where he had started churches. On the way back, he stayed in Ephesus for three years. He taught the Christians and wrote letters to the church in Corinth.
Write a letter to your friends telling them to keep on faithfully following Jesus. Share with them how much God loves them and what Jesus did for them. Then either read it to your friends or give each friend a copy.
27:13–44
Greeny likes the sea and she likes this Bible story. She discovered that the strong north-easterly wind mentioned in the story was called the Euryaclydon.
This wind caused many storms at sea and many ships to sink. It swept Paul’s ship across the sea for 14 days.
But God is more powerful than the most powerful storm at sea. He made sure everyone from this ship made it safely to shore.
That’s because God had more work for Paul to do.
28:30–31
Luke began his story with Jesus saying this to his followers. He said they would take the gospel from one end of the earth to the other. Luke ends his story where Paul had done just that. Luke thought that Rome was very far away. It seemed like it was at the end of the earth.
Paul was imprisoned in a house. He wasn’t allowed to leave but people could visit him there. He told his visitors and also his guards about Jesus. The good news about Jesus continued spreading all over the world.