Saul's Conversion Sunday School Lesson
Saul's Conversion Sunday School Lesson for Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
It's possible for God to change lives.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn how God uses missionaries to change people's lives.
KEY PASSAGE:
Acts 9:1-19. Saul's conversion
MEMORY VERSE:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. " - Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
SUMMARY:
With God all things are possible. When a man named Saul was hunting down Christians to arrest them, he had an encounter with God that changed his life. He would become the greatest missionary in the church's history. Today, God continues to use missionaries in countries like Haiti to change people's lives.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
With you, all things are possible. Thank you for using missionaries to bring people into your kingdom.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
MEMORY VERSE
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. " - Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.” - Matthew 28:19-20 (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP:
Put the verse on the big screen and read it aloud several times 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 today’s story.
SKIT
IN DEPTH: CHANGED LIVES
ITEMS NEEDED:
2 Chairs
Note cards
SFX – Music
SFX – Applause
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
2M
CHARACTERS:
Dirk Dirkson – Talk show host
Paul – That guy from the Bible
Two chairs are on the stage in an interview set up. Theme music plays. Dirk comes out onto the stage. He is all cheesy smile.
DIRK: Welcome to “In Depth with Dirk Dirkson,” the talk show where we have in depth conversations with the greatest figures in history. I'm your host Dirk Dirkson.
Applause.
DIRK: Thank you. On today's show we have an extra special guest. He is one of the greatest figures of all time and I can't wait for you all to meet him. Let's bring him out. Please welcome to the show, all the way from the first century AD; scholar, prolific letter writer, and missionary extraordinaire… Saul!
Applause. Paul enters. The two men shake hands and then sit down. Dirk consults note cards throughout the interview.
DIRK: Welcome to the show, Saul. It's a pleasure to have you here.
PAUL: Thank you for having me. But you can call me Paul.
DIRK: It says here that your name is Saul.
PAUL: Well, it is technically. But I prefer to be called Paul.
DIRK: That's weird. Whatever. Now Saul-
PAUL: Paul.
DIRK: That's right, I forgot. Now Paul, first I want to commend you on how well you move around.
PAUL: (confused) Why. . . thank you. . . Dirk.
DIRK: I mean the way you walked right in here shook my hand and sat right down there in the chair, I'd have never have guessed that you're blind.
PAUL: I'm not blind.
DIRK: You're not. Are you sure?
PAUL: Pretty sure.
DIRK: It says on this card right here that you went blind while you were traveling to Damascus.
PAUL: Yes, that's true. I saw a light from heaven and heard the voice of Jesus calling to me. After that I could no longer see.
DIRK: I knew it. You are blind. See, the cards never lie.
PAUL: I was blind, but I'm not anymore. Three days after I went blind, a Christian in Damascus named Ananias came to me and said that Jesus had sent him to restore my sight. At that very moment, something like scales fell from my eyes and I could see again. I became a Christian, accepted Jesus into my heart, and I got baptized that day.
DIRK: Interesting that you mention Christians, because that leads me to my next question. Paul, why do you hate Christians so much?
PAUL: What? I don't hate Christians. I am a Christian!
DIRK: The card says that Saul goes around from town to town looking for Christians to arrest. Saul wants to stop them from telling others about Jesus.
PAUL: Yes, that's true.
DIRK: See, the cards. . .
PAUL: Saul wanted to stop the Christians, but Paul doesn't.
DIRK: Wait a minute. Saul and Paul are the same person. You.
PAUL: But don't you see, I'm not the same person. When I met Jesus out there on the road to Damascus I became a different person. God is all about changing lives. And that's what God did for me. I went from being Saul who goes from town to town arresting Christians to being Paul who goes from town to town telling people about how great Jesus is.
DIRK: Okay, I'll have to take your word for it, because none of that is on the cards.
PAUL: I don't see how you're so surprised by this. After all, you already said that I was a missionary.
DIRK: Wait. Is that what a missionary is? Someone who goes around telling other people about Jesus?
PAUL: Yes. A missionary is just an ordinary person whose life has been changed by God, and who wants to go out and tell other people so that their lives can be changed.
DIRK: I see. Well this is all very interesting, but we have to take a commercial break now. Don't change your channel folks, we'll be back later with more of my interview with the missionary Saul.
PAUL: Paul.
DIRK: Paul.
Music plays. If you're able, dim the lights slightly to indicate a change from show to commercial.
DIRK: So let me ask you. If a missionary goes around telling others about Jesus, then what do you call a blind guy who goes around arresting people?
PAUL: I don't think there's a word for that.
DIRK: Yeah, there must not be. Otherwise, it would be on my card.
End.
OBJECT LESSON
ITEMS NEEDED:
Roll of quarters
Loose quarter
Show the kids the quarter.
I've got a quarter here. Can anyone tell me something that you can buy for just a quarter?
Give the kids the chance to answer.
You can't buy much with just a quarter these days. So, should I just get rid of the quarter? Why not? Because if we take this quarter and add others to it, then this little quarter can do more.
Show the roll of quarters.
This is a roll of quarters. The quarters here are worth $10. There are a lot more things that you can buy with this. For the next couple of months, we are going to be collecting an offering that we are going to give to missionaries***. Even if we don't have much to spare, when we combine our little bit with everyone else's bit, it can become a great big bit.
God uses missionaries to change the lives of people around the world. And God can use us to help those missionaries do their work. With God all things are possible.
***The offering collected throughout the Missions series can be used to help out missionaries that your congregation already supports or could be a one-time gift to new mission projects. For those looking for missionaries to support, we encourage you to consider the work that Brad and Susan Hammond are doing in Haiti. (www.hammondsinhaiti.com)
LARGE GROUP GAME
ROCKS AND BONES
ITEMS NEEDED:
Set of jacks with ball
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose 5 players. Scatter the jacks. In the first round, players take turns tossing the ball into the air, gathering a jack and catching the ball before it hits the ground.
In the second round, players must gather two jacks while the ball is in the air. Three jacks in round three and so forth. Any player who cannot successfully complete a round is out. The last remaining player is the winner.
VARIATION:
For younger kids, ignore the progression, and have kids gather one jack each round.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
A variation of jacks – called “Rocks and Bones” – is a popular children's game in Haiti.
LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
It's possible for God to change lives.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn how God uses missionaries to change people's lives.
KEY PASSAGE:
Acts 9:1-19. Saul's conversion.
INTRO
Before Jesus went up to heaven, he commanded his followers to go into all of the world and make disciples of every nation. That's something all of us can do. We can share Jesus with our friends and family right here in this city.
God leads some people to travel to other places to share the truth about Jesus. We call these people missionaries. Today, there are missionaries everywhere – men and women who go wherever God calls them to tell people about Jesus.
In some of these places, the people are eager to hear the good news. In some of these places, the people or the government are hostile. They don't want people speaking the name of Jesus. The missionaries in these places face great hardships because of their faith in Jesus.
This is nothing new. The first Christians faced persecution because they were speaking the name of Jesus. Many were forced from their homes. They were threatened. But they kept sharing the good news of who Jesus was and what he had done.
One man named Saul was determined to stop these Christians. He started out on a trip to find Christians and arrest them. But while he was on the road, Saul had an encounter with Jesus that changed his life.
READ Acts 9:1-19.
MAIN POINT
When this story takes place, the church was still very young. It hadn't been that long since Jesus had gone back up to heaven. The once timid disciples were preaching boldly about who Jesus was and how salvation came only through him. The church grew very quickly.
The religious leaders didn't believe and they wanted to put a stop to this new church. One of the people bound and determined to arrest the Christians and even kill them was a man named Saul.
Considering Saul's hatred of the Christians, he seems an unlikely person to become a missionary for Jesus. But with God all things are possible. God changes lives and he changed Saul's life on that road to Damascus.
After Saul was blinded, God gave him a vision of a man named Ananias coming to restore his sight. At first Ananias was frightened to go to Saul – he knew who Saul was and that Ananias could be arrested and killed if he went to Saul. But Ananias also knew how Jesus can change lives. He trusted God and went.
Saul received a few things that day. He got his sight back. He also accepted Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he also received a completely changed life. No longer would he be Saul, the man who hunted down the Christians. He would be Paul, a Christ-follower and the first great missionary of the Christian faith.
For the next several weeks, we are going to look at Paul's missionary journeys. How God can use anyone to help change the lives of people. And we're also going to look at some of the places where God has missionaries serving today.
DRIVE IT HOME:
LEADERS NOTE: This could be a great time to show pictures of the Hammonds' work, as well as pictures of Haiti and the devastation of the earthquake. These pictures could be inserted during the following section of teaching. You can find pictures on www.hammondsinhaiti.com
Today's trip is to Haiti, a country of about 9 million people, located in the Caribbean . Many of the people in Haiti practice a false religion called voodoo. They don't know that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to be saved. Missionaries like Brad and Susan Hammond are in Haiti to teach and share the love of Jesus with the people of Haiti.
In 2010, a huge earthquake hit Haiti and devastated the country. Buildings were destroyed. Power was lost. Over 300,000 people died. Even now, the nation is struggling to rebuild and restore.
Christian missionaries in Haiti are not only telling people about Jesus, they are building new houses for people who lost homes in the earthquake. They are feeding the hungry. They are forming schools and educating people. Missionaries are sharing the love of Jesus not just with their tongues, but with their hands and feet too.
And God is moving through them to change lives forever.
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
With you, all things are possible. Thank you for using missionaries to bring people into your kingdom.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER
What country would you most like to travel to?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Matthew 28:19-20
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 today’s story.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
On a world map (which you will use throughout this series) see who can be the first to locate Haiti. Then choose one child to be a "missionary." Take them off to the side and tell them to whisper "Jesus loves you" into each of the other kids ears. Tell the other children that they are going to get a message from the missionary and that you will time them to see how long it takes for everyone to get the message. Then do it again, but the second time, tell the children receiving the message to go tell another kid as soon as they hear the message. See how much faster God's love spreads when we all share the Good News.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read Act 9:1-19.
Why was Saul on his way to Damascus?
Who did Saul meet on the road?
For how long was Saul blind?
Why was Ananias afraid to go to see Saul?
What happened when Ananias spoke to Saul?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
We thank you for the missionaries that you use to change people's lives all over the world. Guide them and keep them safe.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER
What country would you most like to travel to?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Matthew 28:19-20
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 today’s story.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
On a world map (which you will use throughout this series) see who can be the first to locate Haiti. Then choose one child to be a "missionary." Take them off to the side and tell them to whisper "Jesus loves you" into each of the other kids ears. Tell the other children that they are going to get a message from the missionary and that you will time them to see how long it takes for everyone to get the message. Then do it again, but the second time, tell the children receiving the message to go tell another kid as soon as they hear the message. See how much faster God's love spreads when we all share the Good News.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read Act 9:1-19.
Why was Saul on his way to Damascus?
What happened to Saul on the road?
What do you think was going on in the minds of the men traveling with Saul?
Why was Ananias afraid to go to see Saul?
If you were Ananias, what would you have been thinking? What if you were Saul?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
We thank you for the missionaries that you use to change people's lives all over the world. Guide them and keep them safe.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Saul's Conversion 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 Saul's Conversion.
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Saul's Conversion Sunday School Lesson:
Paul's Conversion Sunday School Lesson - Ministry-To-Children.com
Lesson: Conversion Saul and Ananias Prayer (Acts 9:1-22)
Saul's Conversion ~ Acts 9 Object Lesson - Future Flying Saucers
The Big Change - a story about Saul on the road to Damascus