Next Steps

February 6, 2011

Help the Kids Understand:

 The story of when Paul’s nephew saved his life.

 The young man had an important job to do and was used by God.
 The kids can be used by God.

After 20 minutes of play and activity in individual classrooms, gather all the children from classrooms D,
E, and F into a large group in classroom F and begin with a time of worship and this week’s Bible story.

Large Group Time Killer – Until large group leader is ready to read story/lead activity

Lead the children in a fun game of duck-duck-goose. After a few rounds, allow the children to come up
with their own animals, shapes, colors, etc. to call out while playing.

Worship – 5 minutes

Bible Story, Led by Large Group Leader –5 Minutes

You will need: No extra props needed.

Say: “We are going to hear about a man named Paul. He was a very good man and traveled all over to
tell other people about Jesus. He would tell others about how Jesus changed his life. This was great news
to many people. However, there were some people who got very angry at Paul for telling other people
about Jesus. (Ask the children to look at their friend sitting next to them and growl like a mean person,
“grr.”)

Some people were so angry at Paul that they came up with a plan to kill him! Their plan was to go to the
guard in charge of the prison and ask him to bring Paul out of prison so they could talk to him. Then
while Paul was out of his prison cell, the men would surround him and kill him!” (Ask the children to look
at a friend sitting next to them, put both hands on their cheeks, and scream.)

Luckily, Paul’s nephew was nearby and he overheard the men talking about their plan to kill Paul. He
went to Paul and told him all about the men and their evil plan. (Ask the children to lean over to
someone next to them and pretend to tell them a secret.) Paul’s nephew went to the guard in charge of
the prison and told him about the men’s evil plan to kill his uncle. What do you think happened next?
(Allow children to share their ideas.)

The man in charge of the prison came up with a plan to protect Paul from harm. Whenever Paul would
leave his prison cell, he was surrounded by soldiers with horses and weapons! Paul was safe and the men
were not able to harm him.

You see, even though he may have been scared, Paul’s nephew had a good attitude and did the right
thing. God used him to help Paul. Just like God used Paul’s nephew, He can use you to do something
great also. (Ask the children to look at someone sitting near them and say, “God can use you!”)”

Small Group Game/Activity: Lifesaver craft– 10 minutes

You will need: Lifesaver candy, pipe cleaners, and wooden skewers or dowel rods.

Give each child a wooden skewer or dowel rod about six inches long, a small handful of lifesavers, and
two pipe cleaners.

Say: “Each of you have been given lifesaver candies for this activity. You are going to use them to make a
special treat that will help you remember today’s story. When you see the lifesaver, you can remember
that God used Paul’s nephew to save his life.”

First, each child will wrap one of their pipe cleaners about an inch from the end of their skewer/dowel
rod. Then, each child will place the lifesavers over the skewer/dowel rod. Lastly, they will wrap the other
pipe cleaner around the other end of the stick to help keep the candies on their skewer/dowel rod until
later in the week. Whenever they want to eat a candy, they will have a little reminder of today’s story.

Small Group: Snack – 10 minutes

Small Group Game/Activity:Community Helper – 10 minutes

You will need: Community helper game pieces.

Have children sit in a circle on the floor.  Show them one of each matching card with a picture of a
helper in our community.  Name each helper and then put all of the cards face down on the floor in the
middle of the circle.  Have children each take a turn trying to find the matches.  Play until all of the
matches are made.  After the game, ask the children what they would like to be when they grow up. 
After the children answer, say:  "You don't have to wait until you are older to do something special for
God.  You can do something this week.  You can help your family clean dishes, clean up your house, tell
your friends about Jesus and church, etc.  Just like Paul's' nephew, God can use you to do an important
job."

Closing Prayer

Gather the children and their prayer requests. Take time to pray with the children and remember to
emphasize the main point from the lesson, “God can use you!”