This weekend we continued our journey with Paul as he says goodbye to the church leaders at Ephesus. He reminded them of all that had been accomplished in the forming of the church. He encouraged them to continue with the work that had been started. As he said his goodbyes, Paul warned the leaders of the hard times that would come to them as Christians, and he told them to be faithful. Paul left Ephesus with words of encouragement. As Christians we are called to be encouragers in the faith. We are called to lift one another up with kind words, service, and prayer.

As we have been teaching the kids about Paul’s journeys, we have been helping them to see themselves as missioanries. Even though children and most adults do not have the flexibility Paul had to travel anywhere, all of us can share the love of God and the truth about Jesus wherever we go. As you spend time with your children this week, encourage them, support and edify them, pray for them. The work that you are doing in raising them is important, and most important your children see you as examples of what God wants them to be.

“I am proud of the good news” Romans 1:16

Once again this weekend, we journeyed with Paul as he continues to share the good news about Jesus with everyone he meets. This weekend we focused on Paul’s second missionary journey. Paul began this journey from Jerusalem, and he had Barnabas as his traveling companion. They first went to the church in Antioch to let them know the decisions that the Jerusalem council had taken regarding Gentiles who had come to believe and follow Jesus.

The journey then takes Paul to revisit places he had been previously. In each of these places, Paul visits with the believers and encourages them to keep the faith. Paul then travels to new places, guided by the Holy Spirit, who keeps him out of Asia and shows him in a vision someone in Macedonia asking for help.

Everywhere that Paul went, he searched for opportunities to preach and share the good news about Jesus. Often this meant searching out places where people prayed and meeting with them. Sometimes Paul was thrown in jail for speaking about Jesus, but even there, he used that opportunity to talk to the jailer about Jesus. Through Paul’s travels and his efforts to share the good news about Jesus with everyone he met, the Word of God spread and the early church continued to grow. If Paul had stayed home we might not be having this lesson this weekend.

We might be tempted to applaud Paul for his efforts and then just sit back and do nothing thinking that the work of spreading the good news about Jesus is done. However, there are still people today who need to hear about Jesus, that He is alive and loves them. This week spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you see opportunities to share the good news. Also encourage your children to do the same. In doing this you are following Paul’s example and spreading the good news.

“For I am not ashame of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” Romans 1:16

Last week we learned about Paul’s conversion, this weekend we learned about Paul’s first missionary journey. We helped the kids discover how God can use even the most unlikely people to go other places and tell others about Jesus. We explored with the children ways they can share the accounts about Jesus with others wherever they go, like Paul did.

Paul is famous for letters he wrote to churches. Thirteen of these letters were included in the Bible. However, none of these letters would have been written had it not been for Paul’s willingness to share about Jesus. Paul went to many places and everywhere he went he shared about Jesus, especially with Gentiles who didn’t know God. This weekend we learned about Paul’s trip when he traveled through modern day Turkey to share the gospel.

Paul took with him his trusted friend Barnabas, they encountered people who were open to the gospel and they also encountered people that were opposed to it. But no matter how people reacted, no matter what the situation was, Paul and Barnabas continued to tell everyone about Jesus. They spoke boldly about Jesus!

This week as you spend time with your children, remind them that no matter where we go and no matter how people react to us, our job is to share the truth we have learned about Jesus. Pray for God to give you and your children courage like that of Barnabas and Paul.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” Romans 1:16

This week we learned about the most famous conversion in the Bible, Paul’s conversion. Paul always considered himself a man of God. He was born in the city of Tarsus to Jewish parents who were also Roman citizens. Because of this, Paul used two different names: his Jewish name Saul when he was among the Jews, and his Roman name Paul when he was among the Gentiles. When time came for Paul to choose what to do in life, he moved from Tarsus to Jerusalem to become a Pharisee. By the time of Stephen’s death, Paul was one of the religious leaders in the Temple. After Stephen’s death, Paul decided to further his career by seeking out followers of Jesus to arrest them, try them, and sometimes even kill them.

One day Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus when he encountered the risen Jesus. That day Paul changed completely. Paul no longer worried about what other people thought about what he said and did. Instead, Paul devoted his life to going wherever God sent him and to sharing the message of Jesus’ love with anyone that would listen. Prior to meeting the risen Jesus, Paul’s focus was on what he needed to impress others and gain popularity and power. After meeting the risen Jesus, Pauls’s focus was on being humble and doing whatever was needed to teach others about God’s love.

Sharing what we believe as a Christian is not always easy. In fact it can be very hard. It is natural to worry about how people wil react when we start to talk about Jesus. However, Paul’s story shows that when we put our focus on what other people think, we are likely to take the wrong path.

Your children may be at an age where peer pressure is a major factor in their lives. No one wants to feel singled out or different. This week try modeling ways for your children to share their faith without being ashamed. It is not about pushing your children to be traveling evangelists, but instead to encourage your children not to be ashamed of what they believe and to be willing to tell others. Once they do this they will build self-confidence.

“For I a not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” Romans 1:16

If you have been following us this past quarter you know that we have been learning about the Fruit of the Spirit and it’s attributes. The quarter culminated this weekend when we learned about the day of Pentecost. Pentecost marks the arrival of the Holy Spirit and what we celebrate as the “birthday” of the Church. Jesus was crucified during Passover, He rose on Resurrection Sunday, and ascended into heaven several days later. The disciples were instructed to go to a place and wait for the comforter, the Holy spirit to come. The day that the Spirit finally came to them was on the day of a Jewish festival called Pentecost.

Pentecost, or the Festival of Weeks, takes place about fifty days after Passover, and marks the end of the harvest season. Jews would have traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate. The streets were filled with many different people and many different languages being spoken. On this particular day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit entered with a rushing wind and “tongues of fire” appeared and touched each of the disciples. From that moment on, the disciples stopped being afraid, instead they became bold witnesses of Jesus.

The Bible says that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and were able to speak in other languages. This would be critical to spreading the good news and fulfilling the Great Commission; to reach those of all nations, the ability to speak their languages was necessary. Children may have questions about speaking in tongues, but the facts of this Biblical account are that the Holy Spirit really did enabled the disciples to speak in other languages, and those that heard them understood what was being said.

This week as you interact with your children, remind them that the Holy Spirit continues to be with us in the world today, guiding us and teaching us how to live as faithful disciples and how to share God’s love with others.