2 god wants us to always help...

18Hands-On Bible MAX

God Wants Us to Always Help Others2

BIBLE BASIS

What a day it must have

been! In just that single

day in Philippi, Paul

and Silas encountered

political intrigue, a

brush with the occult,

false imprisonment, an

earthquake, and fi nally

the overwhelming joy of

the gospel message and

an opportunity to help

someone else! Use this

amazing and exciting

narrative to help kids

see the role they might

play in helping others no

matter what, following

the example set by Paul

and Silas.

Bible Focus: Acts 16:16-40

Discovery Point: God wants us to always help others.

Worship Response: Children will serve God by fi nding ways to help others.

Key Verse: “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

A Look at the SessionMix and match to meet your needs. For more ideas, see “For-Extra-Time Activities” on page 26.

Session Sequence

What Kids Will Do Supplies

Welcome!(up to

15 minutes)

Make encouragement cards for one person they like and one person they don’t get along with.

Putting God First: Serving CD and DVD, CD player and TV/DVD player, card stock, markers, craft supplies

Let’s Explore!(up to

20 minutes)

Create action shots of Paul and Silas’ situation, experience a “sticky situation,” and think about helping even when it’s diffi cult.

Hands-On Bibles, jumbo marshmallows, individually wrapped hand wipes, resealable plastic bags, playing cards, paper cups, pennies

Let’s Praise!(up to

15 minutes)

Do a “praise walk” through a door to thank God for opportunities to always help others.

Putting God First: Serving CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player

Let’s Pray!(up to

10 minutes)

Use prayer reminders to ask God to help them always help others.

Pennies from Let’s Explore!

19Session 2 | God Wants Us to Always Help Others

Before This Session

o Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): one Hands-On Bible and one of the following per child: individually wrapped hand wipe, paper cup, playing card, penny, and resealable plastic bag with two jumbo marshmallows.

o Review the “Stayin’ Put” next to Acts 15 in the Hands-On Bible.

o CD/DVD Cue the Putting God First: Serving CD (1) or DVD (1).

o Huddle briefl y with volunteers before the session. Answer questions they have. Encourage them, and pray for the session, the volunteers, and the kids.

TEACHER TIPBible Exploration

Kits are an easy way

to give each group

supplies. The Jabber Mat

from Group Publishing

is a great tool that

can be used as a Bible

Exploration Kit and as a

space for a Bible Crew to

gather. Check it out at

group.com/jabbermat.

can be used as a Bible


Welcome!

Supplies: CD player | TV/DVD player | card stock | markers | craft supplies

1. Play CD/DVD “Into the Bible” (1) as kids arrive.

2. As kids arrive, have them think of someone they’d like to encourage this week—someone going through a hard time, a good friend, or a parent or grandparent. Then have kids make an encouragement card for the people they thought of.

3. When everyone has arrived and made an encouragement card, start the DVD “Storm Countdown” (2) on the DVD, and lead kids in counting along. Then SAY: Today we’re going to explore what it means that GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS. One way we help others is by encouraging them. You all made some great cards to encourage people you like. Now I want you to make the same type of card for someone you don’t get along with. Maybe you have a neighbor who always picks on you, or maybe you always fi ght with your brother. Even if you don’t think the person would appreciate the card, spend as much time and energy on it as you spent on your fi rst card.

4. Allow time for kids to work on their cards. Then ASK:

• What did you think when I told you to make a nice card for someone you don’t get along with?

• Why would I ask you to do something like that?

SAY: GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS. That means we should even help people we don’t get along with or we don’t necessarily like. Paul and Silas, two men who were in prison, learned that lesson, too. Let’s see how they responded to the opportunity to help someone who wasn’t exactly a friend.

DVDDVDCDCD


Let’s Explore!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 19)

1. Have kids form Bible Crews of four, and give each crew a Bible Exploration Kit. Direct kids to fi nd the Hands-On Bibles in their kits and turn to Acts 16:16-40. SAY: There’s a lot of action in the story of Paul and Silas, so we’re going to create action shots of different parts of the story. But instead of photographing or drawing the shots, you’re going to be the action! After each section I tell you to read, you’ll talk in your group about what that scene might look like if someone took a picture of it, and then you’ll pose yourselves in that scene.

See page 15.


Make sure everyone understands how to do the action shots, and then have kids read Acts 16:16-17. After kids read, give them a minute to create their action shots. Then have crews share their shots with everyone else.

Continue in this manner for the following verses:

• Acts 16:18

• Acts 16:19-21

• Acts 16:23-24

• Acts 16:25

• Acts 16:26

• Acts 16:27

• Acts 16:28-30

• Acts 16:31-32

• Acts 16:33-34

• Acts 16:35-40

2. SAY: Great acting, everyone! But the people in this story weren’t actors. This really happened, and it gave Paul and Silas a chance to help someone in a special way. GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS, even when it’s diffi cult and the “others” aren’t nice to us. God worked through Paul and Silas to help the jailer, who had found himself in a pretty sticky situation. Let’s look at that situation closer.

Instruct crews to use the hand wipes in their kits to clean their hands. Then have kids each take marshmallows and begin pulling them apart, back and forth between their thumbs and index fi ngers. Encourage them to keep pulling, no matter how sticky. Kids will soon fi nd that the marshmallows are getting less sticky.

SAY: If you keep pulling, pretty soon your “sticky situation” will turn into a yummy taffy treat.

Allow kids to pull until their marshmallows are taffy-like, and then SAY: The jailer was in a sticky situation, but that’s not the way the story ended. Instead, the jailer received the greatest gift of all—salvation!


ASK:

• Why would Paul and Silas help the person who locked them up?

• When have you had an opportunity to help someone you didn’t get along with?

3. SAY: Let’s look a little more at why Paul and Silas stayed to help.Have kids fi nd the “Stayin’ Put” activity in their Hands-On Bibles. Instruct crews to read the text and use the cards, cups, and pennies in their kits to do the experience. When they fi nish, have them set their pennies aside for later.

Then ASK:

• What might have happened if Paul and Silas had made a different choice in this situation?

• What does it mean to you that GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS?

• When is that diffi cult?

SAY: Even though it was probably really hard for Paul and Silas to just stay put when they could taste freedom, they made this diffi cult choice because they knew it was what God wanted them to do. GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS, even when it’s diffi cult. And because Paul and Silas made the diffi cult choice, they helped the jailer—and his whole family—get to know Jesus!


Let’s Praise!

Supplies: CD player or TV/DVD player

1. SAY: Paul and Silas chose to ignore the open door of their prison cell. Instead of doing the easy thing and walking to freedom, they stayed put and helped someone they might not have liked. And because they ignored that door, they opened a door for the jailer to know Jesus.

As kids praise God for giving opportunities to help others, let kids walk through the door to your meeting area. As they do, encourage them to thank God for providing those opportunities and to ask God to help them always help others.

2. PLAY: CD/DVD• “Be Thou My Vision” (3)

• “Go and Make Disciples” (Matthew 28:19) (6)

• “Get Up!” (Romans 12:11) (4)

Let’s Pray!

Supplies: pennies from Let’s Explore!

1. Have kids retrieve their pennies from the “Stayin’ Put” activity, and ask them to spread out around the room. SAY: GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS, even when it’s tough. Paul and Silas gave us an amazing example of dealing with a very diffi cult situation and making a tough choice, all in order to help someone else.

DVDDVDCDCD


Have kids hold their pennies in the palms of their hands. SAY: Think about the experiment we did a few minutes ago. Your penny stayed put. Paul and Silas stayed put when they could have taken the easy way out. As you hold your penny, think about a time it would be easier to ignore someone who needs help.

2. Allow time. Then ask kids to pray for that situation, asking God to help them remember to always help others. Have kids place their pennies in their pockets or their shoes to remind them to always help others.

High Fives

Supplies: none

Have kids encourage each other as they go out to help others this week, even when it’s diffi cult, by linking arms to represent Paul and Silas’ chains. Have kids quickly link arms with at least three other people before they leave.


Have kids encourage each other as they go out to help others this week, even when it’s diffi cult, by linking arms to represent Paul and Silas’ chains. Have kids quickly link arms with at least three other people before they leave.


For-Extra-Time Activities

THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Supplies: CD player

Ask kids to read the intro page for any book of the Bible and create a motion for that book. For example, kids could make a motion for rain for Genesis or do a beauty pageant wave for Esther. Play CD “The Books of the Bible Song” (8), and have kids do all the motions they have learned.

SING IT OUT!Supplies: hymn lyrics

When Paul and Silas were feeling scared and alone in jail, they sang songs to help keep their spirits up. Help kids connect to some of their musical heritage by sharing with them both the lyrics and the stories behind some of the older, familiar hymns sung in your church.

WORKING TOGETHERSupplies: none

Have kids form pairs and sit back to back with their arms linked. Tell them to each try to stand up by themselves. Then have them work together to stand up. Point out how we can do great things when we work with God and with each other.

HIDING IT IN YOUR HEARTSupplies: newsprint | markers

Make a chart with your kids to show ways to do good instead of evil in different situations. On a sheet of newsprint, make three columns: Situation, Evil Act, Good Act. Have kids fi ll in the “Situation” column with mean or bad things kids their age do. Then have them list in the “Evil Act” column ways we sometimes try to “get back” at people for each situation. In the “Good Act” column, list alternative good things kids can do instead of the evil things. Then have kids fi nd and read the Key Verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, and discuss how GOD WANTS US TO ALWAYS HELP OTHERS, even if they’re mean to us.

FOCUS

CREATE A BIBLE DICTIONARYSupplies: paper | markers | dictionary

Ask kids to create one or more new pages, each with a new word, for the Bible Dictionary. Ask for ideas of new words from today’s session—help and evil are two suggestions. Have them write the word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a defi nition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Add each page to a three-ring binder and watch the dictionary grow!


Family Devotion

Bible Focus: Acts 16:16-40

Discovery Point: God wants us to always help

others.

Key Verse: “See that no one pays back

evil for evil, but always try

to do good to each other and

to all people”

(1 Thessalonians 5:15).

Give everyone in the

family a penny to keep in

his or her shoe during the

coming week as a reminder

to help others. At the end

of the week, talk about

what it was like to help

others more. Then pray

together and thank God for

helping you help others.

FAMILY CHALLENGE

What happens when you trust God even if you’re unsu

re of what

might happen?

Why do you think God wants us to trust him?

Have you ever been afraid to help someone?

How can our family help others more?

Stayin’ PutIf you were in a tight spot and had the chance to get out of it, would you? Read Acts 16:16-40 to see what two guys in the Bible did! Would you have stayed put like Paul and Silas did? Here’s an experiment all about staying put!

Lay a playing card across

the opening of a foam or

paper cup.

Place a penny on top of the card.

God Wants Us to Always Help Others

Quickly pull the playing card from under the penny.

3

The penny didn’t follow the card—it stayed put and dropped in the cup! That’s kind of like what Paul and Silas did when they could have escaped. They stayed put and told the jailer about Jesus!

What happened?

Have everyone in your family take a close look at the penny you used in the activity. Notice the words “In God We Trust.” Then have your family members each tell about a time they trusted God.

Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible MAX™ granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. group.com/BibleMAX

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