unit 7: paul the apostle nt7.4 paul’s first missionary journey...for a year barnabas and paul...

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NT7.4 Paul’s First Missionary Journey © Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7: Paul the Apostle

NT7.4 Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Scripture: Acts 13-14:7

Lesson Goal: Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. He was the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. God called Paul to be the one who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name. This lesson is about how God gave Paul the Apostle great power to preach the gospel through the Holy Spirit.

Introduction: This is the fourth lesson in Unit 7: Paul the Apostle. Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. He was the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. This lesson is about a type of power that we can always rely on--God's power! We will see how God gave Paul the Apostle great power to preach the gospel through the Holy Spirit. God's power worked by changing people's hearts and lives, healing sick people; and overcoming the evil power of sorcerers and false gods. This lesson comes from the book of Acts. Acts is the fifth book in the New Testament. This book was written by Luke. The first four books of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-- tell about the life of Christ. The fifth book--Acts--tells about the beginning of the church. Let's say the first five books of the New Testament together--Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.

Attention Getter: “Power” This lesson is about power! We use many kinds of power every day. Cars use gas power to move down the road. Gas power heats and cools our homes and cooks our food. We use electric power to turn on the lights, use a hair dryer, or make toast in a toaster! Sometimes when that power fails we have to find ways to live without it.

This lesson is about a type of power that we can always rely on--God's power! We will see how God gave Paul the Apostle great power to preach the gospel through the Holy Spirit. God's power worked by changing people's hearts and lives, healing sick people; and overcoming the evil power of sorcerers and false gods

Opening Prayer: Dear Father in heaven. Thank you that you are a powerful God who can do all things. Help us to trust in you in every situation. Help us to tell others about your love for us and how Christ has died for our sins. We want to be bold like Paul and Barnabas. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

Memory Verse: Our memory verse is Psalm 86: 8 "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/HEv71PV00Yw

Paul was a man who had been miraculously changed by God. Before his conversion he was called Saul. He had been a very religious Pharisee who did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. He thought that Christians were dangerous to Judaism so he hated them and tried to kill them.

On the road to Damascus as he was going there to capture the believers and arrest them, Jesus appeared to him in a great shining light. A voice from heaven spoke to him and said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" Saul fell to the ground and answered back, "Lord, who are you?"

"I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting," the voice replied.

https://youtu.be/HEv71PV00Yw

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Paul then asked, "What shall I do, Lord?”

"Get up," the Lord said, "and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do."

There on that dirty road to Damascus Saul personally met Jesus and his life was never the same again. He now knew that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and he was God. Three days later God sent Ananias to heal his blindness and to tell him that he had been chosen by God to be the messenger of the gospel of Christ to the whole world--to the Jews and the Gentiles.

Saul had been changed by the power of God and he was full of the Holy Spirit. He began to preach in the local synagogue. Now he very powerfully proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God! Everyone who heard him realized that Saul was truly a follower of Christ! They knew what he taught was real because they could see the change in Saul's life.

However, not everyone in Damascus was happy about Saul becoming a believer. The Jews in Damascus were angry that Saul had been converted. They thought he had become a traitor to Judaism so they decided that they would kill him. The Jews had set up a guard at the city gate. Night and day they watched for Saul to leave the city. The followers of Jesus realized that these guards were going to capture Saul if they didn't do something to help him. One late dark night the believers took Saul to the top of the city wall. They put Saul in a basket and lowered him over the wall down to the ground. The followers of Jesus helped Paul escape!

After escaping from Damascus, Saul traveled out to the wilderness of Arabia. Saul stayed there for three years. Saul wanted to be alone with God and study His Word. During these three years God showed Saul His great power by revealing Jesus Christ to him personally. Saul was taught by Jesus the plan for the redemption of man. In this way Paul's ministry and authority as an apostle was established.

After being in the desert for three years Paul thought that it was important for him to go to Jerusalem and meet with the church leaders. He wanted to join them. But when he got to Jerusalem, the disciples were all afraid of him. They did not really believe that he had been changed by God!

Barnabas knew that he needed to defend Paul so he told the Apostles how the Lord had spoken to Paul on his journey to Damascus. Then Barnabas explained how Paul had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. He was finally able to convince Peter and James to meet with Paul.

Paul only stayed in Jerusalem for 15 days. While he was there, he began to preach to everyone about Jesus. God gave Paul great power to preach boldly. Soon Paul was arguing with the Grecian Jews who had come to Jerusalem. Because Paul was so bold he stirred up a great deal of controversy. These Jewish men got so angry at Paul they tried to kill him! Because of the controversy the believers in Jerusalem decided to get Paul out of town by taking him down to Caesarea. Here Paul boarded a ship to return to his home town of Tarsus.

After talking to Paul and Barnabas, the apostles in Jerusalem were greatly encouraged that the gospel of Christ was spreading to many parts of the world. Believers who had fled the city because of persecution had gone to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. While most of the believers were from Jewish background, the apostles had heard that there were many Gentiles believers at Antioch. Antioch was north of Jerusalem in Syria. So they decided to send Barnabas to check up on this new church. John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, also went along with him.

When Barnabas got to Antioch he was thrilled to meet the new Christians and encouraged them to obey God. The Jewish and the Greek believers were both demonstrating that they had God's gift of salvation. Barnabas was a man full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He began to preach there and even more people came to believe in Jesus as their Savior.

The ministry of the church was growing so rapidly that Barnabas needed help. He went to Tarsus to get Saul to come help him preach in the church. For a year Barnabas and Paul worked together and led many more people to believe in Jesus.

A great church was started in Antioch and it was there that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. God's power was at work in saving many people and establishing the church. This was the first Gentile church.

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One day as these men were worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I want them to do.” So after more fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on Saul and Barnabas and sent them on their way. A cousin of Barnabas called John Mark joined them on their travels. From this time on Saul became known as Paul which was his Greek name.

The men travelled east to the seaport town of Seleucia. They boarded a ship sailing for Cyprus. This was the island on which Barnabas had owned land so he knew this area. It was also the place where some of the persecuted Christians had fled to after the trouble in Jerusalem. The missionaries landed at the port of Salamis on the west coast. They began teaching in the Jewish synagogues telling people about Jesus and encouraging the new Christians.

Paul and Barnabas traveled from place to place throughout the island teaching in the synagogues and encouraging Christians. Eventually they arrived at Paohos where the mayor or Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus lived and ruled. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. Working for the mayor was a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

This sorcer was also called Elymas. He opposed what Paul and Barnabas were telling the Proconsul. He tried to convince the mayor not to even listen to Paul and Barnabas. This sorcerer was challenging God's power!

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas. “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!” Paul declared. “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. The Lord is going to make you blind for a time, unable to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he blindly groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the Proconsul saw what had happened, he believed in the Lord. Once again God showed that He has great power! He is more powerful than Satan's magic or sorcery.

From Paphos in Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas and Mark boarded a ship towards the port of Perga to continue their travels. Perga was a Greek city and capital of a region known as Pamphyllia. The region is now part of modern day Turkey.

When they landed in Perga, John Mark decided to leave Paul and Barnabas and return to Jerusalem. This was very discouraging to Paul because HE knew that John Mark was not being faithful to God. When God calls us to a job, we need to finish it, not quit!

From Perga Paul and Barnabas headed inland to a region known as Psidia to the capital city of Antioch. Pisidian Antioch was an important city where several trade routes met. Paul wanted to preach in this city because it was a place where people from many different places could come to hear the gospel.

When Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement come and give it.”

Paul spoke to them explaining how God had delivered the Jews from Egypt and promised a Messiah who would be a descendant of King David. Paul then went on to explain that Jesus, who had been crucified and raised from the dead, was God’s chosen Savior, the Messiah. When Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue, the people begged them to return the following week to speak further about these matters.

The following week huge crowds gathered to hear Paul speak. Some of the Jews, jealous of the attention Paul was commanding, started slandering Paul and argued against whatever he said. Paul then said that because the Jews had rejected the message about Jesus, they would tell it to the Gentiles. Many Gentiles became Christians and were full of joy and the Holy Spirit.

The Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. Although they were being run out of town Paul and Barnabas knew that they were leaving behind many new believers!

After Paul and Barnabas were thrown out of Antioch, they descended the mountains and went east. The next town they came to was Iconium which was one of the chief commercial cities in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia.

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Just as they had done in Antioch Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. They stayed in the town for some time and God gave Paul great power to do miraculous signs and wonders. Many sick people were healed.

Some of the Jews, however, rejected God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. Opinion was divided. Some sided with the Jews and some with Paul and Barnabas. A mob of Gentiles and Jews along with their leaders plotted to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.

Paul and Barnabas heard about the plot and fled from Iconium. They headed into the nearby region of Lycaonia and toward the town of Lystra.

Paul and Barnabas were totally committed to preaching Christ. They did not let anything stop them from telling others the good news of salvation—not being run out of town, not having lies told about them, not even being threatened with stoning! They were willing to suffer for Him. They understood the importance of telling people about Jesus. God gave them great power and courage to accomplish great things for the sake of the gospel.

Today God's power has not changed at all. He is the one true God and He loves each of us. He has promised to care for us. We can trust His power in every situation. When we feel afraid, we can trust God to be with us and to care for us.

When we have the opportunity to tell a friend about Jesus, we can trust God's power to help us know what to say about Him. God has the power to save people from their sins. There is no situation that is too difficult for God's great power.

Let’s pray. “Dear Father in heaven. Thank you that you are a powerful God who can do all things. Help us to trust in you in every situation. Help us to tell others about your love for us and how Christ has died for our sins. We want to be bold like Paul and Barnabas. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

Let's show God's power and tell others about Jesus!

Review Questions: “Paul’s First Missionary Trip” Game Board (Grades K-5) Preparation: Print the “Paul’s First Missionary Trip” Game board. You will need one dice. Procedure: Divide class into groups of 3-4 students and provide each group with a game board and one dice. Have the students make a paper token. (Cut small squares of colored paper for tokens). Take turns throwing the dice and answering the following review questions. Students may move around the game board to see who arrives back in Antioch first.

1. Who was one of the biggest persecutors of believers? (Saul who hated the followers of the Way and even got special permission to go to Damascus to arrest them and put them in prison.)

2. What happened to Saul as he was traveling to Damascus? (Jesus appeared to him in a bright light and spoke to him from heaven. He recognized that Jesus was the Son of God.)

3. How do we know Saul was changed? (He began preaching boldly that Jesus is the Son of God.) 4. How did the believers in Damascus help Paul when the Jews wanted to kill him? (They devised a

secret plan to lower him over the walls of the city in a basket so he could escape being arrested.) 5. Where did Paul go after he left Damascus? Why? (He went to Arabia where he was taught by

Jesus Himself the message of salvation in a vision.) 6. How did Paul finally get to meet the apostles? (Barnabas stood up for Paul and told the apostles

how Paul was saved on the Road to Damascus and had boldly preached in the synagogue there.)

7. Why did Saul only stay in Jerusalem a short time? (He began arguing with the Grecian Jews and they wanted to kill him.)

8. Who did the leaders of the Jerusalem church send to help the church in Antioch? (They sent Barnabas.)

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9. Why did Barnabas go get Saul to help with the church in Antioch? (They needed more help in teaching the people the scripture and how to live a godly life.)

10. What new name were the believers in Antioch called? (They were called Christians which means “Christ-like.”

11. Why did the church in Antioch become so important in the spread of the gospel? (They were the first Gentile church. They were very large and located in an important city. They became the base for the missionary journeys of Paul.)

12. Why did the church in Antioch send Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey? (They were praying and fasting and the Holy Spirit spoke to them and told them to dedicate Paul and Barnabas for the journey.)

13. Where did Paul and Barnabas first go on the First Missionary Journey? (They went to the island of Cyprus.)

14. When Paul and Barnabas first entered a city where did they always preach first? (They went to the local synagogue and preached to the Jews first.)

15. Who was an important Gentile who believed the gospel on the island of Cyprus? (The Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus was the mayor or ruler of the island and he believed in Jesus.)

16. Who tried to stop Paul and Barnabas from speaking to the Roman proconsul? (A sorcerer named Elymas tried to stop Paul and Barnabas and argued against them.)

17. What happened to the sorcerer? (Through God’s power Paul said that he would become blind and he did! As a result the proconsul believed in the power of God not Satan.)

18. After preaching on the island of Cyprus, where did Paul and Barnabas go to next? (They sailed to the seaport of Perga which was a Greek city and capital of a region known as Pamphyllia.)

19. What happened in Perga to discourage Paul? (John Mark left them and returned to Antioch in Syria. He quit in the middle of the task.)

20. From Perga where did Paul and Barnabas go next? (They went to the city of Antioch of Psidia.) 21. What happened in the city of Antioch? (At first the Jews were interested and a whole crowd of

people want to hear more of Paul’s preaching. But some Jews turned the mob against Paul and run them out of town.)

22. From Antioch where did Paul and Barnabas then go to preach? (They went to Iconium.) 23. What happened in Iconium to Paul and Barnabas? (Once again they faced opposition from the

Grecian Jews when they preached to the Gentiles. After many people believed they were had to leave because there was a plot to stone them.)

24. What characterized Paul’s preaching? (He preached very powerful sermons that really stirred up the people. He faced great opposition and usually faced being run out of town.)

25. What is the memory verse? (Psalm 86: 8 "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Scroll” Verse Our memory verse is Psalm 86: 8 "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read orally together several times.

Say: "God’s great power was shown in the life of Paul and Barnabas. His power was shown to be far greater than Satan's attempt to challenge God through magic, sorcery, and evil men. But the important thing is that God can powerfully change lives!”

Preparation: You will need a large brown paper bag or some brown paper wrapping paper. Each sheet needs to be about 15" X 20". You will also need a candle lighter and two wooden dowel rod sticks about 18” long each. Procedure: Students will make a scroll and print the verse Psalm 86:8 on the scroll. Give child a large brown paper sheet. Instruct the students to crumple the paper into a large ball. Then unwrap the paper and smooth out with their hand. This gives the paper an "old" look. Teacher can then use a candle lighter to singe the edges of the paper to give it a parchment rough edge. Give each child two dowel rods and let the wrap the ends of the scroll onto the dowel rods. Glue or tape the ends of your scroll to the dowel rods. Have student use black marker to print the words of Psalm 86: 8 onto the center of the scroll. Roll up the scroll and tie with cord or twine to hold the wooden scroll handles together.

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Group Learning Activity: Reenact: “Paul Told Others” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need two adult male Bible times costumes. Enlist two adult males to play the parts of Paul and Barnabas. Print the “Paul Told Others” script. Say: “When something exciting happens to you, do you want to tell other people about it? How do people respond to your news?” (Answers will vary.) “We are learning about the early church. Today we will learn something else the early church did. To help us learn we have two special guests. Help me welcome Saul and Tarsus.” (Enter the actors). Procedure: Dramatize the Bible story in the skit as actors read the script. Say: “Whom did Saul and Barnabas tell about Jesus? (They told Sergius Paulus who was the Roman proconsul of Cyprus.) How did he respond? (He believed.) How did the people in Antioch respond to the gospel? (The Jews did not believe and the Gentiles did.) Where are some places we can tell people about Jesus? (We can tell others at home, school, play, and work.) Whom can we tell? (We can tell those who are willing to listen.) What can we tell? (We can tell them about God’s great love for us, the gift of His Son Jesus who died on the cross, and the promise of salvation to all who believe.” Review the “ABCs of Becoming a Christian. Say: “Just like Saul and Barnabas not everyone we want to tell about Jesus will want to listen. God wants us to try to tell people, but He does not want us to force people to accept what we say. We can tell people and then pray for them. Most people use their mouths to tell people about Jesus. Sometimes how people act tell others what they believe about Jesus.” Discuss how people’s actions tell what they believe about Jesus.

Group Learning Activity: Interactive Storytelling “Paul and Barnabas” (Gr, K-3) Preparation: Print the following names of places on signs and hang around the room on the walls. Each of these places will be where the group moves and the story progresses. The signs should be the following: Antioch, Seleucia, Salamis, Paphos, Perga, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Attalia. Say: In this lesson two men traveled to different places to tell people about Jesus. The names of those places are displayed around the room. We will travel to each place as I retell the story.” Gather the students at the Antioch sign.

Paul and Barnabas Told About Jesus

God chose Paul and Barnabas to travel and to tell people about Jesus. The men left Antioch and walked to Seleucia. (Go to Seleucia sign.) From Seleucia Paul and Barnabas sailed to the island of Cyprus. (Direct students to stand close together. Guide the children on the outside edges of the group to pretend to paddle while the whole groups sails (walks slowly) to Cyprus.) Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue (church) and told the people of Salamis about Jesus. The men then walked across the island telling everyone about Jesus’ love. (walk to Paphps) Once they reached Paphos (start going to Perga sign) a town on the other side of the island, Paul and Barnabas set said for the town of Perga. (sail again allowing for different children to row this time.) (start walking toward Antioch) The men walked from Perga to another town named Antioch. Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue and preached. The town was happy to hear about Jesus. The people asked Paul and Barnabas to stay and preach the next week. Almost the whole town

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came to hear the men preach. The men told the people the good news of Jesus and that he is for all people. Some of the people did not like hearing this and caused trouble for Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas left Antioch and walked to Iconium. (Start walking). (Walk kids to Iconium.) The same thing happened in Iconium. The same thing happened in Iconium. Many people believed the good news about Jesus but some people caused problems. When Paul and Barnabas learned of a plan to stone (throw rocks at) them, they traveled to Lystra (walk to Lystra sign) and Derbe (walk to Derbe sign) telling people about Jesus. (Walk to both cities.) After many people in Derbe believed, Paul and Barnabas headed back to where they began. (Walk students back through Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, and Salamis.) The men encourage people who believed in Jesus. From Perga, Paul and Barnabas walked to Attalia (next sign) (Walk through the path of signs) From Attalia, they sailed back to Seleucia (sail). Then they walked to Antioch (walk to Antioch sign). Paul and Barnabas gathered the church people together and told what God did.

Say: “Paul and Barnabs went to many places to tell people about Jesus. Sometimes God asks people to move away from their homes and go places to tell people about Jesus. What do we call people who leave and go tell about Jesus? (missionaries) Paul and Barnabas were some of the first missionaries to go tell people who were not Jews about Jesus. They demonstrated the power of God in witnessing to others.”

Group Learning Activity: “Paul Preaches about God’s Plan” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Print out the “Key Facts” God’s Plan sheet one per student. Each student will need a pencil and Bible. Say: “In Acts 13:14-50 we have the account of how Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and listened to what the rulers had to say. When the rulers were finished with their readings, they always chose a rabbi or important person to speak. That day, the rulers said, “If there were any men that had anything to say, then to talk.” “Paul stood up. He started with “Men of Israel and you who fear God, Listen.” Then Paul talked about important Old Testament men who had proclaimed that God was going to send the Promised One to bring salvation. Today we are going to read these scriptures and record some key facts that we learn about each man.” Procedure: Have students read the following scripture and record the key facts on their ‘God’s Plan” sheets. Say: “Paul’s message to the Jews in the synagogue in Antioch began with an emphasis on God’s covenant with Israel. The Jews agreed that God had chosen them to be the messengers of His plan.”

Acts 13: 16-17 Moses—God gave Moses great power to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses was able to perform many miracles/ plagues that finally forced the Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt.

Acts 13: 18 Judges—God gave strength and power to the judges to lead the Israelites in many successful battles against their enemies so they could possess the Promised Land. With God’s strength forty nations were driven from the land of Canaan.

Acts 13:19 Samuel—Samuel the prophet was chosen by God to judge Israel and to give God”s message to the people but Israel rejected God and ask God to give them a king like their surrounding neighbors. God told Samuel to anoint first Saul as their king.

Acts 13: 20-21 Saul—At first God was pleased with Saul and gave him many victories over the enemies of Israel in battles. He ruled for forty years. Later Saul disobeyed God and lost the throne as a result.

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Acts 13: 22-23 David—After removing Saul God chose David to be king. David was pleasing to God and was a man after God’s own heart. He did everything God told him to do. It was from King David’s descendants that the Messiah would come.

Acts 13: 24-25 John the Baptist—John preached that God had sent His Son Jesus to be the Messiah. He preached that men should repent of their sins and be baptized. John said that he was not the Messiah and that he was unworthy to even untie his sandal.

Acts 13: 26-31 Jesus—Jesus was the Messiah that God had promised. The Jews had not believed that He was the Promised One. They had condemned Him, and called for his death. Pilate had crucified Jesus on the cross but God had raised Him from the dead. Jesus proved that He was God by His resurrection and appearance for many days.

Acts 13:32-41 Salvation—God kept His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by sending His Son Jesus. God raised Jesus from the dead. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection salvation is now available to all who believe.

Say: “The Jews refused to obey Paul’s message when explained that the gospel fulfilled the promise that God had given to the Old Testament fathers. Some Jews did not believe this part of Paul’s message.”

Have students record what they have learned from these verses on the Bible Facts page.

Group Learning Activity: “Tell the World” Ball Toss Game (Grades K-3) Preparation: You can use a beach ball or use an inflatable globe instead of beach ball. World map or globe is needed to show location of continents. Say: “This is a map of our world. We live here. (Display and point on map,) The world has seven continents. Continents are large pieces of land. (Point to and name the seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.) The Bible says we are to tell people about Jesus. God wants people to go to every continent to tell about Jesus. Let’s pretend to be the continents. We’ll toss the ball to each continent. Procedure: Divide the class into seven groups and give each group a continent name. Lead student to say the following as the ball is tossed to each group: “We can tell people about Jesus in (continent name). Make sure every group is included in the ball toss. Say: “We learned we are to tell about Jesus. Paul and Barnabas were the first missionaries to the Gentile world. We can tell others about Jesus boldly like they did.”

Group Learning Activity: “Volleyball” Game (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a beach ball, painters tape, masking tape, marking pen, and scissors. With marking pen write the following words on short pieces of tape:

People: doctor, farmer, helper, preacher, beach resort missionary, and teacher.

Places: Madagascar, Texas, Canada, Asia, Mexico, Africa, Spain, France, Germany, and Poland.

Attach the words that name people and places to the beach ball. You can also write the words directly on the beach ball with a marking pen if desired. Use painter’s to make boundaries. Tape a line dividing the playing area into two playing fields. Procedure: Divide the students into two teams. One team will be the “people” and the other team with be the “places.” Have students stand in rows on their sides of the play area. Each team is to sit on opposite sides of the playing area. Say: “A missionary is someone who goes to places and tells people about Jesus. Who were the missionaries in this lesson? (Paul and Barnabas) Missionaries do all kinds of jobs. Some missionaries

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work at resorts or hotels on the beach and tell people about Jesus. The missionaries plan activities and hold worship services on the beach. Let’s play volleyball and learn more about the different places missionaries serve and the types of jobs they do.” Say: “The ball will start on one side. The team is to keep the ball in the air without letting it touch the ground. The first person will hit the ball into the air. Another person will hit it again. A third person will gently hit the ball to the other team. If the ball touches the ground, the person closest to the ball will pick it up and choose a word on the ball. If you are on the people team you find a word of a person and guess what kind of job he does as a missionary. If you are on the places team, find a word that names the place the missionary serves.” Play volleyball, alternating teams starting each play. Say: “God calls people to go different places and do different jobs to tell about Jesus. We can tell people about Jesus wherever we are.” Close game in prayer. Optional: Set up and use badminton net. Tie the rope between 2 chairs placed facing each other at center line. Drape a sheet over the rope. Provide a globe to locate different places or use an inflatable globe as a volleyball.

Craft Learning Activity: “Passport” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a printed photo of each child, copies of the passport example and 6 blank pages for each child. You will also need a real passport to show students. Say: “Our lesson was about Paul’s First Missionary Journey. As we study the life of Paul in the book of Acts we will see that he went on three missionary journeys. He visited several different cities as he preached the gospel to the Gentiles. When a person travels to foreign cities, they have to carry a passport for identification. The passport tells where the person is a citizen and what cities or countries they are visiting. (Show a real passport to students). Today we are going to make a passport for ourselves as we travel with Paul on these trips.” Procedure: Assemble the printed pictures of your students to use on the passport. Make copies of the passport example and make sure that each child has 6 blank pages for their passport. Be sure to include the pages of maps for the passport. Fold the sheets in half to form a book. On the cover they can glue on the illustration that is found in the following pages. On the cover of the passport make sure they write the name of the country they are from. They can make up their own passport number. On the second page they will glue their picture and they will sign their name. On the third page they can fill out the corresponding information. You can use a hole punch in the corners of the binder and tie with short pieces of yarn. When they’ve finished, collect the passports to use later.

Craft Learning Activity: “Luminaries” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Make a cardboard pattern for the name “Jesus” and cut out the inside of the letters. You will need at least one pattern for every 2 or 3 children. Each student will need brown paper lunch sack, a letter stencil pattern, pencils, scissors, and a votive candle or flashlight. Make a sample luminary. Say: “In John 8: 12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Many times Jesus referred to Himself as Light. In this verse Jesus says, He is the Light of the world. How does light affect our lives? (Light enables us to see and work and go about life.) What happens when there is no light? (Activity stops or is greatly hindered.) Why do you think Jesus referred to Himself as the Light?” (He wanted to bring light or life to our lives. He loved us and wanted us to receive the gift of salvation.) How

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do you think Paul was a great “light” to the Jews and Gentiles? (He boldly told them about Jesus and the plan of salvation).” Briefly review the events in the Bible lesson. Procedure: Place the sample luminary on the table. Say: “This is a luminary. What purpose do you think luminaries serve?” (They provide light usually along a path so people can see where they are going.) “This luminary is a bag with a message cut in the side of it. I can light a candle and place it in the bag. The light from the candle will help me read the words. Let’s create some luminaries with messages to remind us to tell people about Jesus.” Distribute the supplies. Directions: Select the “Jesus” name stencil pattern. Place the pattern on top of the paper bag. Trace around the outer lines of the pattern. Cut out the areas of the bag being careful to only cut the top layer of the bag. Stand the bag upright. Place a votive candle or a flashlight in the bag to reveal the cut out word or message.

Say: “Talk with your parents about using your luminaries at home. You may place candles inside them or even small flashlights.” Pray: “God, thank you that Jesus is the Light of the world. Help us to be willing to tell people about Jesus.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Tin Can Phones” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need empty tin cans (2 for each phone you make), kite string or other small cotton string, nail, hammer, masking tape, and scissors. Create more tin can phones for a large group. Paper and plastic cups work but not as well as the cans. Procedure: Check open ends of cans for sharp edges. Cover sharp places with tape. Turn cans open side down. Use the nail and hammer to punch a small hole in the bottom center of each tin can. Make the hole large enough to fit the string through. Cut an 8-10 foot piece of string. Thread one end of the string through the hole in the bottom of one can. (Thread from the outside to the inside.) Tie knots to the ends of the string until the string is too big to fit back through the hole. Pull the string firmly to check that the string will stay in place. Enlist a helper and test the phone. Stand with the string pulled taut. Say: “Let’s practice telling people about Jesus.” Display the can phone and explain how it works. Invite two children to use the phones. “Take turns saying, “Jesus Loves you” into the can.” Assist students with pulling string taut and talking into the cans. Repeat until each child gets a turn.

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Life Application Challenge: Salvation Talk to your students to see if they have asked Jesus to be their Savior. If they have accepted Christ, then encourage them to share how they can tell others about their faith in Christ just like Paul and Barnabas did. If any have not trusted Christ, then use this opportunity to share your testimony with them. Use a simple presentation like the ABC’s of salvation to teach children the plan of salvation. A—Admit you are a sinner; B—believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior; C—Confess your sins and believe that Jesus died on the cross in order to give you the gift of salvation. Be sensitive to each child. Try to make sure each one understands that Jesus died on the cross to pay for sins. Be sure each child understands but do not pressure anyone into trusting in Jesus. Suggest they talk to you privately or to their parents if they have questions.

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Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Psalm 86: 8 "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;

no deeds can compare with yours.”

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Skit: “Paul Told Others” Saul: Barnabas, myself, and a few other men taught in the Antioch church. The Holy Spirit told the church to set Barnabas and myself apart for a special work. The people fasted, prayed, and laid hands on us, and sent us off to fulfill God’s plan.

Barnabas: First we sailed to the island of Cyprus. We traveled to the city of Salamis and told the people about Jesus. Before long we met a man named Bar-Jesus. This man was a sorcerer, or a Jewish false prophet. Bar-Jesus was with a man named Sergius Paulus who was a very intelligent man who wanted to hear God’s message. Bar-Jesus was jealous and he tried to oppose Saul and me and keep Sergius Paulus from hearing what we had to say.

Saul: I stared straight at Bar-Jesus and told him he was full of dishonesty and evil ways. I told him God was against him and that he would go blind for awhile. Suddenly Bar-Jesus was blind and needed someone to lead him. Sergius Paulus was amazed at what we said about Jesus. He believed what we said.

Barnabas: Saul and I continued our travels to other cities teaching about God. When we arrived in the city of Antioch in Pisidia we received word from the leaders of the synagogue that said if we had encouraging words to say, we could speak.

Saul: I began by reminding the people of how God had led the Israelites out of Egypt and how they had wandered in the desert for 40 years. Also I recalled how God provided the judges and prophets to lead them, and when they had asked for a king, how God provided. I even told them about John the Baptist and how he told about the coming of Jesus.

Barnabas: Saul continued to teach the people about Jesus. Saul told them how Jesus died on a cross and was buried, but God raised Him from the dead. Saul even told them that Jesus had appeared to people after His death and resurrection.

Saul: I told the people the only way to receive forgiveness of their sins was to believe in Jesus.

Barnabas: As we were leaving the people begged us to tell them more. Many of the people followed us and encouraged us to continue telling people about Jesus.

Saul: The following Sabbath, almost everyone in the city came to hear what we said about Jesus. However, the Jewish leaders were jealous of us and began opposing what we said by insulting us.

Barnabas: We told the people that it is necessary for us to tell them about Jesus. However, since the Jewish people did not believe, we would now tell the Gentile people. This made the Gentile people happy.

Paul: As a result, the message of Jesus spread throughout the whole region.

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Passport

Name:

Address:

Age:

Birth Date:

Itinerary:

Countries/cities Visited:

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Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

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Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

Paul’s Trip to Rome

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Paul’s First Missionary Trip Information Sheet

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unit 7: paul the apostle nt7.4 paul’s first missionary journey...for a year barnabas and paul...

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