Philip and the Ethiopian Sunday School Lesson
Check out our FREE Philip and the Ethiopian Sunday School Lesson! Teach kids that God wants us to share Jesus with others, And by the end of this lesson, kids will learn that when we know Jesus, we should share it with others. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School! Dolphins are very social animals talking with one another through vocal clicks and non-verbal behaviors. Kids will learn that when we know Jesus, we should be vocal about it  talking about Jesus with others. Dolphins are chatty creatures. So are humans. We love to talk and let's face it, we do it well. My prayer is that we will take the time to talk about something that truly matters. Ask God to give you the opportunity to share Jesus with others, and let's use our gift for gab to spread the gospel every chance we get. Take a look at our Finding Jesus Under the Sea 12-Week Children's Ministry CurriculumAnd, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids!

Philip and the Ethiopian Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

God wants us to share Jesus with other people.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn that when we know Jesus, we should share Jesus with others.

KEY PASSAGE:

Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian

MEMORY VERSE:

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:39 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

Dolphins are very social animals talking with one another through vocal clicks and non-verbal behaviors. Kids will learn that when we know Jesus, we should be vocal about it talking about Jesus with others.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Help us to be talkative about Jesus and share his love with others.

In Jesusname,

Amen

 

MEMORY VERSE

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:39 (NIV)

Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from Gods love, because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.Romans 8:39 (NIRV)

LARGE GROUP:

Put the verse on the big screen and read it aloud with the kids.

SMALL GROUP:

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to todays story.

 

SKIT

LISTEN TO THE DOLPHINS

ITEMS NEEDED:

A pair of binoculars

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

2 Men

CHARACTERS:

Captain Nemo - The ships captain

Gil - The ships pilot

Sea faring music plays as Gil walks on stage with the binoculars. He peers out over the audience, as if looking out to sea.

GIL: Wow. Listen to them. Can you hear em? Talkinand jabberin. I could listen to those guys talk all day.

NEMO: (off) Gil!!

GIL: Sometimes I listen and I think I can understand what theyre saying.

NEMO: (off) Gil!!!

GIL: You know, like, Hey, I saw some tuna over there,and If that shark gets too close, Im gonna break his ribs.

NEMO: (off) Gil, where are you?

GIL: Or Gil, where are you?

Nemo enters.

NEMO: Why arent you steering the boat?

GIL: Huh. If I didnt know better, Id say the dolphins are asking why Im not steering the boat.

NEMO: Dolphins! Im asking you!

GIL: Captain Nemo, hi! I didnt see you there.

NEMO: Gil, youre supposed to be manning the wheel! What are you doing down here?

GIL: Im listening to the dolphins, sir.

NEMO: Oh yeah? Are the dolphins saying you need to steer the ship so we dont crash?

GIL: No, sir, I dont think the dolphins care.

NEMO: I care!

GIL: I know and Im sorry, sir. Its just, well, look at them. Look out there. Do you know what I see?

NEMO: Something that would taste good with lemon butter?

GIL: I see creatures who can talk, just the same as us. And I bet if they knew what I knew, theyd be telling everyone the same thing. That Jesus loves you.

NEMO: He does?

GIL: You bet he does, Captain.

NEMO: Huh. I didnt know that.

GIL: Maybe you need to listen to the dolphins.

NEMO: Maybe you need to go man your post. Then when youre off duty, you can tell me more about Jesus.

GIL: Aye aye, captain!

Gil exits.

NEMO: Huh. Jesus loves me. Never heard that. I wonder why more people dont share that good news.

Nemo exits.

 

OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

A football

Can someone tell me what kind of dolphin likes to play with a football?

Okay, its a trick question. The Dolphins who play football are actually people. But just like real dolphins, the Miami Dolphins of the NFL are always talking. If you dont believe me, listen closely next time a game is on. Listen to the quarterback calling plays. Watch the coaches talking to their players and sending signals. And listen for the defense, barking out play calls and pointing out assignments, as they get ready to stop their opponents.

Communication is important to real dolphins and Miami Dolphins. Its important for Christians, too. God has given us the awesome task of sharing the good news of Jesus with the world. He wants us to tell friends, classmates, anyone who will listen that Jesus loves us.

If the Miami Dolphins stopped communicating, theyd lose the game. If we stop communicating, people we know may lose a whole lot more. Dont be quiet. Dont be shy. Tell someone you know that Jesus loves them.

 

LARGE GROUP GAME

WALKING ON EGG SHELLS

ITEMS NEEDED:

Raw eggs, or egg shells

A blindfold

INSTRUCTIONS:

Lay out the raw eggs or shells across the stage. Choose two players. Have each one stand on opposite sides of the stage. Blindfold one of the players.

The player with the blindfold must cross from one side of the stage to the other without stepping on any of the eggs. It is the other players job to guide them, telling them when to stop, turn, take a big step, take a small step, etc., as they cross the stage. If they can successfully navigate the stage without stepping on an egg, they win.

VARIATION:

To make this challenge harder, take off the blindfolded players shoes, or make this a timed, beat the clock contest.

WHATS THE POINT?

We need to let our voices be heard so people will know the good news about Jesus.

 

LARGE GROUP LESSON

BOTTOM LINE:

God wants us to share Jesus with other people.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn that when we know Jesus, we should share Jesus with others.

KEY PASSAGE:

Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian

INTRO:

How many of you guys have seen dolphins in real life? Have you ever been to a zoo or an aquarium and seen what a dolphin can do? Dolphins are the smartest creatures in the sea. In fact some people, based on what we know about a dolphin's brain, say dolphins may be smarter than us! Dolphins can do some amazing things. They can learn tricks. They respond to commands very well - especially if there's fish treats involved. And dolphins, better than almost any other animal, can communicate. They don't use words like we do, but they use squeaks and chirps and clicks and all sorts of other sounds to talk to us - and to one another.

Out in the wild, dolphins are always chattering with one another. Their ability to communicate helps them to hunt and to avoid danger. And dolphins love to talk! If you ever see them in the wild, they are always talking. Makes you wonder just what they're all saying. "Hey, Larry, look up on the boat. It's people again! Let's do a flip and splash them!"

Dolphins are social creatures, and they love to talk. It's one thing we love about dolphins because we have that in common. People are always talking. They talk about school, about family, about sports, about music, about what's on TV. A lot of that talk is just chatter, and there's nothing wrong with that. But today, I want to challenge you to become believers who talk about something truly important - Jesus.

When Jesus left Earth, he gave his followers a challenge, to take the good news about his resurrection to the world. Jesus is counting on us to share that good news with our family, our friends, our classmates, and with everyone we meet.

One of the disciples we don't talk about much is a man named Philip. Philip wasn't one of the "big three," Peter, James, and John, who knew Jesus best. But Philip is remembered for one thing: he was always bringing people to Jesus. One day, after Jesus had ascended into Heaven, God led Philip out to meet a man he had never seen before. Philip went, and what happened next caused the good news of Jesus to spread farther than ever before.

READ ACTS 8:26-40

MAIN POINT:

Philip wasn't a shy man, was he? How many of you would go up to a new kid on the playground and say, "Hey, did you know Jesus loves you?" But that's sort of what Philip did! He introduced himself, he saw what the man was reading and he used it to share the good news of Jesus. Because he did, the gospel was taught to the man from Ethiopia, and that man took the good news back to Africa with him.

Humans are social creatures like dolphins. We love to talk, and we spend a lot of our day talking. Jesus wants us to talk to others about him so that the people we meet can know Jesus too.

DRIVE IT HOME:

It's not always easy to strike up a conversation about God, especially when most of the world seems so anti-God these days. But I want to share with you a few things from this story that I hope will encourage you.

First, God was the one who led Philip to the eunuch. It was God who made sure that Philip was at the right place at the right time to meet this man. We don't think of God working so actively in our world today, but he is still working. Every day he puts people in our paths, hoping that through words or actions, we'll show the person Jesus loves them. If we ask God to put people in our lives so we can share the gospel, he will answer and he will give us that opportunity.

Second, Philip used what the man was reading to share the good news. The man happened to be reading the Old Testament, which made things easy for Philip, but if we are wise, we can use almost anything to share Jesus with someone. We can look for Christian themes in movies and in music. We can listen to someone's troubles and offer them hope by telling them Jesus loves them, no matter what they've been through. There's always a way, and God will help you find that way if you pray and listen.

The third thing I want you to remember is how the eunuch responded to the gospel. He was so excited, he wanted to be baptized. Right away. "Look! Here's some water!" There's nothing more exciting for a believer than seeing someone accept Jesus for the first time. And once you lead one person, you will want to bring more to Jesus.

Dolphins are chatty creatures. So are humans. We love to talk and let's face it, we do it well. My prayer is that we will take the time to talk about something that truly matters. Ask God to give you the opportunity to share Jesus with others, and let's use our gift for gab to spread the gospel every chance we get.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Help us to be talkative about Jesus and share his love with others.

In Jesusname,

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER:

Whats the coolest sea creature you have ever seen in real life?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Romans 8:39

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to todays story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:

See if you have the skills of a dolphin. Stand in a circle and toss a beach ball in the air. How long can you keep it aloft just bouncing it with your heads or noses?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read Acts 8:26-40

Who was Philip?

How did Philip meet the Ethiopian?

What was the Ethiopian reading?

What did Philip teach the Ethiopian?

What did the Ethiopian want to do after he learned about Jesus?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Give us the words to share with others so we can tell other people Jesus loves them.

In Jesusname,                                                                       

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER:

Whats the coolest sea creature you have ever seen in real life?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Romans 8:39

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to todays story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:

See if you have the skills of a dolphin. Stand in a circle and toss a beach ball in the air. How long can you keep it aloft just bouncing it with your heads or noses?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read Acts 8:26-40

How did Philip meet the Ethiopian?

What was the Ethiopian reading?

How did Philip use the Old Testament to teach the Ethiopian about Jesus?

Whose job is it to tell other people about Jesus?

How can we become more talkativeabout our faith?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Give us the words to share with others so we can tell other people Jesus loves them.

In Jesusname,

Amen

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Philip and the Ethiopian Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Here's a video from Saddleback kids that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Philip and the Ethiopian. 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Philip and the Ethiopian Sunday School Lesson: 

 

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch: Sunday School Lesson

 

 

Philip and the Ethiopian Bible Activities on Sunday School Zone

 

 

Philip Teaches the Man from Ethiopia – Mission Bible Class