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The story of Creation from Genesis 1: Day 1 - God created the heavens and the earth. He created light and darkness, day and night. Day 2 - God separated the waters and created the sky. Day 3 - God created the land and the sea and seed-bearing plants and trees. Day 4 - God created...
God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. He became a living being. This is Adam. (You might have some dry dirt to show as you teach this part of the story.) Adam lived in the garden that God planted. The garden was full of all kinds of trees and 4 rivers. There...
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth because their hearts were full of evil. He decided to wipe mankind, animals and other creatures from the face of the earth. Noah was a righteous man, in whom God found favor. He gave Noah very specific directions to build an ark. He...
Genesis 10 gives us an account of Noah's 3 sons that were in the ark with him and their lineage. "Those are the tribes of Noah's sons. They are listed by their family lines within their nations. From them the nations spread out over the earth after the flood." (Genesis...
Abram was a descendant of Shem (Noah's son). His father was Terah. For many years, Abram lived in Haran with many of his relatives. Haran is in modern-day Turkey. Canaan is in the area of modern-day Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. God called Abram to leave his country and his people and...
This story has two basic parts - the birth of Isaac and Abraham's test. Keep in mind that the testing of Abraham is a hard concept for young kids to understand. That part of the story may be better suited for the later elementary students. At this point, Abraham and Sarah had...
God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. God kept his promise by giving Abraham a son named Isaac. After Sarah (Isaac's mother) died, he buried her in a cave among Canaanites (near the trees of Mamre, where the Lord appeared to him and promised Isaac). Abraham decided it...
Isaac and Rebekah had twins named Esau and Jacob. Isaac was close to Esau, but Rebekah was closer to Jacob. Esau was the oldest and was supposed to inherit all the birthrights from his father. "The boys grew up. Esau became a skillful hunter. He was a man who liked the open country. But...
Joseph was the second youngest son of Jacob and his favorite. His father, Jacob, made him richly ornamented robe (the "coat of many colors"). Joseph's brothers were jealous of Jacob's love for Joseph and offended by Joseph's dreams. First, Joseph dreamed that they were out binding...
Joseph was sold as a slave to some Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt (see the last lesson). They then sold him to one of Pharaoh's officials, Potiphar. God was pleased with Joseph. He was put in charge of Potiphar’s house. Potiphar's wife came on to Joseph, but Joseph refused her advances. (You...
Joseph's family was called Israelites or Hebrews. (Remember, Jacob's 12 sons made up the different tribes of Israel.) They moved to Egypt during the famine after Joseph had saved food during the years of plenty. The Israelites had children and then their children had children. Soon there...
It is important for students to learn the connections between one story and another. Remind the children that Moses was raised in Pharaoh's palace by Pharaoh's daughter (the princess). The story (in Exodus 2) fast-forwards to when Moses was a grown man. (Exodus 2:11 says "Moses grew up.") Moses...
The Hebrews (Israelites) had been enslaved by the Egyptians for about 400 years. God sent Moses to demand for their release, but Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he refused to let them go. Each time, Moses went before Pharaoh with God's message: "This is what the Lord, the God of the...
Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II. The plagues of the firstborn is a difficult one for young children to understand. The idea of all the baby boys being killed by...
The Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians. They appealed to God for deliverance. He heard their appeal and sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. Pharaoh refused and God sent ten plagues to convince Pharaoh. After the Pharaoh realized that God will not stop until the Hebrews were...
The Israelites had left Egypt and God led them safely across the Red Sea. For the next three months, the Israelites were in the desert heading eastward toward the land the Lord promised. During this time, they defended themselves against people in this region that did not appreciate the...
This story comes as Moses and the Israelites are in the desert. They have been unhappy with their situation. God has provided manna and quail for food and water from the rock at Horeb (also known as Sinai). Refer back to Exodus 4, where God turned Moses' shepherd staff into a snake. This...
Shortly after God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, they traveled through the desert to Sinai where they camped in front of Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai, also called Mount Horeb, is a very significant place. There God met and spoke with Moses, telling him why he had rescued Israel from...
God called Moses to the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time he gave him instructions for the tabernacle and the offerings. When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of stone inscribed by the very finger of God. They contained the Ten...
While Moses was on Mount Sinai, God gave him the 10 Commandments and he gave him specific instructions for all sorts of things. Two of the instructions he gave to Moses were for the people to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. Tabernacle means “tent,”...
The book of Numbers begins with the Israelites preparing for their journey and entry into the promised land. This is the same land that was promised to Abraham back in Genesis. Moses began by taking a census of all the tribes, mainly to see how many men were available for military...
Background: Balaam was a magician, a false prophet. He was not one of God's chosen people (Israelites), nor was he a believer. He put curses on people for money. He was representing God, but in reality was using the Lord's name in vain. He was pretending to represent the Lord. Any...
The story of Rahab begins in this lesson and will finish in two weeks, during the lesson on Jericho. The next three lessons are intertwined (Rahab, Joshua and the crossing of the Jordan, and Jericho). After being in the desert for 40 years, it was time for the Israelites to enter the land...
When Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the Israelites. In Joshua 1, God reaffirmed his promises to give the promised land to the Israelites. God told Joshua to be strong and brave three times between verses 6 through 9 just in chapter 1 of Joshua. God promised to be with Joshua, as He...
This story connects directly to the two previous stories: Rahab and Joshua & Crossing the Jordan . Remember that Joshua sent two spies across the Jordan River and told them to check out the land, especially Jericho. Rahab hid them in her house to keep them safe, and in return the...
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the period of the Israelite Judges and to teach the children about one of those judges: Deborah. The book of Judges began as the Israelites settled into the promised land. Judges 1 describes how some of the tribes drove the Canaanites out of...
Just as we learned in last week's lesson, the Israelites fell into their familiar pattern after Deborah ruled Israel. They forgot everything the Lord had done for them and began to do evil. As a result, God allowed the Midianites to begin to take over Israel. The Midianites also descended...
The Samson story is a very popular Bible story, but it is actually very complex and fraught with land mines when teaching it to children! The Egermeier's Bible Story Book does a very nice job of telling this story in a safe and age-relevant way. Below is a summary that you can use to guide...
There wasn't enough food in the land of Judah. So a man went to live in the country of Moab for a while. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. His wife and two sons went with him. The man's name was Elimelech. His wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and...
This story begins with Hannah, Samuel's mother. Hannah was unable to have children, and in Old Testament times, that was like having a curse on you if you were a woman. She was down and out, and very distressed. Whenever she would go to the Lord's house in Shiloh, where she...
In the last lesson, we learned about how Samuel was set apart by his mother, Hannah, to the Lord's service. Samuel continued to hear from God and became a trusted leader of the Israelites because of his relationship with God. But as Samuel got older, the people were not as...
Remember that in the last story, we learned that Saul had been anointed as the first king of Israel. But Saul began to disobey the Lord and so God took the kingdom of Israel away from him. Once again, the task of anointing a king of Israel fell to Samuel. God told Samuel to fill up...
We have been learning about David for several lessons now. We learned how he was anointed as King of Israel by Samuel after Saul began to disobey God. We learned how David defeated Goliath and the Philistines. We learned about how David wrote songs (called Psalms). David was also a very...
David's son Solomon became the next King of Israel. The Lord promised David that he would give him rest from his enemies, and that came true. By the time Solomon became King, Israel was not at war. David passed along to Solomon his dream of building a permanent house for the Lord - a...
In this lesson, we are going to learn about the next major phase of Israelite history - the divided kingdom. Journeying through the Old Testament, we have been through several major periods in the life of the Israelites: The Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons Egyptian...
Elijah was the first major prophet after the kingdom of Israel had divided. Remember that 10 tribes split off to become the Northern Kingdom and were known as Israel. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained together as the Southern Kingdom known as Judah. Elijah prophesied to the Northern...
It is important to make the connection between previous stories and this one. Israel had divided into two: Israel (Northern Kingdom, 10 tribes, bad kings) and Judah (Southern Kingdom, 2 tribes, good and bad kings). Elijah was called to be a prophet and tell the people of Israel (the Northern...
Elijah had a full life of ministry. He was God's chosen prophet who brought God's word the evil kings of the Northern Kingdom. Right after the altar contest on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, Elijah had to flee. You see, Ahab's wife Jezebel was a very evil woman. She was none too...
Josiah was one of the kings of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). The kings of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) were pretty much universally evil kings and we will learn about how God judged them because of their sin. Josiah's father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) were kings before him and were...
Elijah had a full life of ministry. He was God's chosen prophet who brought God's word the evil kings of the Northern Kingdom. Right after the altar contest on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, Elijah had to flee. You see, Ahab's wife Jezebel was a very evil woman. She was none too...
This lesson focuses on Elisha's ministry as a prophet to Israel. We will focus on 3 events in his ministry, but will list several more. Feel free to include any or all of these stories as you teach the children - based on their age and developmental level. You will most likely not find these in...
Last week, we learned about many miracles Elisha performed as a prophet in Israel. This lesson is about another one of those miracles. There was a man named Naaman, who was an important army commander for Aram (part of the Syrian kingdom). He was a brave soldier, but he had a skin...
Before we start this story, let's retrace our steps back to the beginning of the Kings age in Israel. Saul was Israel's first king, but was removed by God when he became disobedient. David was the second king of Israel and built the Kingdom of Israel into a powerhouse nation, established...
At this point in their history, the Jews are still in captivity to the Persians (who overtook the Babylonians that originally forced them into exile). The book of Ezra covers the rebuilding of the temple and the book of Nehemiah covers the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Rebuilding...
At this point in their history, the Jews are still in captivity to the Persians (who overtook the Babylonians that originally forced them into exile). The book of Ezra covers the rebuilding of the temple and the book of Nehemiah covers the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Rebuilding...
The story of Esther is a true picture of what a princess should be. It has all of the elements of the princess stories that our girls watch and dream about becoming. Esther is a brave, beautiful woman. This lesson allows us to bring forth a Godly woman worthy of our daughters' enchantment....
The Psalms had several different authors, but we are going to focus on those written by David. In addition to being a great warrior and a man after God's own heart, David was a great musician and a prolific song-writer. Do you remember how David served Saul by playing his harp? The...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This is a very famous story and is also relatively short (mostly contained in Daniel 3). Therefore, refer to the scripture to get a summary of the story. There are a couple of items to note about the story: In the last lesson, we learned that Nebuchadnezzar is the King of Babylon...
In the last lesson, we learned about 3 Israelites (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) who served in King Nebuchadnezzar's court during the Babylonian captivity. Today, we're going to learn about another Israelite named Daniel who was there with him. Daniel Sets Himself Apart...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. What did they have in common? They were people chosen by God to speak his message to the people (mostly to Israel and...
This story combines angels foretelling the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist. Angels actually appear 3 times in the scriptures to foretell the events leading up to Jesus' birth: To Zechariah (to foretell John the Baptist's birth) in Luke 1:5-25 To Mary (to foretell Jesus' birth) in Luke...
The wise men were also known as Magi or kings from the East. It is not clear where they came from exactly - the Bible just says from the east. Some believe they came from Persia (modern day Iran), others from Arabia and others Babylon, since they were noted astronomers. The Bible...
These next lessons provide a good opportunity to share the salvation message with your children. This story is often depicted with a dove above Jesus. Note that the Bible does not say there was actually a dove. The author uses a simile, a comparison using like or as, to describe the...
(note: this story also occurs in Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13 ) This is a short story and is best read directly from the scripture. Jesus was tempted 3 times by Satan, and gave 3 rebuttals from scripture. The main points of emphasis for this lesson are: Knowing scripture helped Jesus...
This is the first lesson in the Parables unit. We aren't going strictly chronologically in this section. We're studying several of the most popular parables of Jesus together. What are Parables? Take this opportunity to teach your children what parables are. They are...
What are Parables? Take this opportunity to teach your children what parables are. They are little stories Jesus told that teach us about the Kingdom of God. They are similar to fables in that they are stories with a deeper meaning. But fables give moral or ethical lessons. For example,...
Jesus walked on the water directly after the feeding of the 5000. If you remember, Jesus was trying to get to a solitary place after the death of John the Baptist when the crowd descended on him in Bethsaida. So, after he taught them and fed them, he went away to a solitary place to pray and...
Jesus took his 3 closest disciples (Peter, James, and John) with him to a high mountain. There is not a lot of detail in this story about what exactly happened, but we know that Jesus' appearance changed in two ways. One, his face was extremely bright (it shone like the sun). Two, his clothes...
In this lesson, we are going to learn about a time when Jesus taught a great crowd of people. In fact, Jesus spent a great deal of his time teaching people about the Kingdom of God (remember those parables we learned about?). But there was one famous sermon that is a great example of Jesus'...
How did they get to a point where Jesus declared the holy temple a den of robbers? Let's go back to the establishment of the temple and some of the rules from the Old Testament. Reading through Leviticus and Deuteronomy, there were many different reasons for the Hebrew people to bring an...
Jesus praying in Gethsemane is another story within the Holy Week stories that occurs in all 4 gospel accounts. We chose to use the Matthew version as the basis of the story, but we strongly encourage you to read all four versions to get a complete picture. This story happens right after the...
This story is one of the most important stories out of the entire Bible. It is the foundation of our faith. Yes, Jesus was sent to earth in the form of a baby. He lived on the earth, performed miracles and healed people. The Jews had him crucified at the hands of the Romans. Those are all...
Jesus spent forty days on the earth after he was raised from the dead. In our Jesus Appears to His Disciples lesson, we learned about when Jesus initially appeared to his disciples. In this story, we're going to focus on three things Jesus did at the end of those forty days. Jesus gave them...
(this story can also be found in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26 ) This story is short enough that it does not need a summary. Simply read it from the Bible. Here are some highlights, though: This occurred in Capernaum, which was a home-base for Jesus during his ministry. It...
Here are some highlights and context of the time when Jesus calmed the storm: Take note that this story happens after a day of much preaching. He was tired which is why he was able to sleep through such a storm! This story happens on the Sea of Galilee, which is known for having sudden storms...
This is the story most commonly celebrated on Palm Sunday and is usually referred to as the "Triumphal Entry". We refer to this as the "Entry into Jerusalem" to give children easy words to use, but you can certainly teach them the traditional title of this story. We strongly...
The story of the widow's offering (or widow's mite) is short and can be read directly from the Bible. Here are some highlights: It is important to note the context of this. The actual story of the widow's offering begins in Mark 12:41, but we began this story with the previous section where...
The Last Supper occurs in all 4 gospels with varying degrees of details. We are choosing the Mark version as the basis for this lesson because it is the most concise and contains most of the elements of this story. We strongly encourage you to read all 4 gospel accounts in your preparation....
This story of Jesus' crucifixion occurs in all 4 gospel accounts, with only minor variations of which details each gospel writer included. We chose to use the Mark telling as the basis for the story in this lesson, but you should read all 4 accounts in your study for this lesson. Some teachers...
This story combines angels foretelling the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist. Angels actually appear 3 times in the scriptures to foretell the events leading up to Jesus' birth: To Zechariah (to foretell John the Baptist's birth) in Luke 1:5-25 To Mary (to foretell Jesus' birth) in Luke...
The Angel Appears to Zechariah Zechariah was a priest who worked in the temple and was married to a woman named Elizabeth (who was a relative of Mary). Zechariah and Elizabeth did not have any children because they were well along in years (meaning "really old"). The angel Gabriel...
Since this story is so short, a summary is not needed. Simply read the Bible verses! Here are some interesting facts: During the Roman Empire, censuses were taken for assessing taxes and drafting men into the military. Since the Jews were exempt from serving, the only reason for...
The shepherds were considered to be among the lowest levels of society, so why did God choose them to be the first to know of the birth of the messiah? There are approximately 1,500 years between the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the establishment of the Passover...
When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents took him to the temple to begin his Jewish education. Although this is a short story, there are several important keys: Jesus stayed behind when his family had left to go back home. This is actually a difficult little detail for kids to understand,...
In addition to the story recorded in Luke 5, the other three Gospels also record various aspects of Jesus calling and appointing his disciples. We encourage you to read these accounts as well: Matthew 4:18-22 (calling of the first disciples), 10:1-4 (Jesus sends the Twelve out)...
What are Parables? Take this opportunity to teach your children what parables are. They are little stories Jesus told that teach us about the Kingdom of God. They are similar to fables in that they are stories with a deeper meaning. But fables give moral or ethical lessons. For example,...
These 2 parables are the first 2 of a trilogy of parables found in Luke 15. We highly encourage you to go ahead and read the whole chapter as you prepare for these two lessons. Lost Sheep Lost Coin Lost Son (commonly known as the Prodigal Son) What are Parables?...
This is the third of the "Lost" trilogy in Luke 15. It is sometimes referred to as the “Prodigal Son.” The first two were the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. This parable is a "gospel parable." The Good News is wrapped up in this little story in a beautiful and powerful way....
This story is short, but here are a couple things to note. Jesus entered a town on the border of Galilee and Samaria. Remind the children about the origin of Samaria - it was the area of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the kingdoms divided after Solomon. The Northern Kingdom was taken over...
In this lesson, we are going to learn about a time when Jesus taught a great crowd of people. In fact, Jesus spent a great deal of his time teaching people about the Kingdom of God (remember those parables we learned about?). But there was one famous sermon that is a great example of Jesus'...
This story involves the same Mary and Martha we learned about in the Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead lesson. We learned in that story that Mary and Martha were good friends of Jesus, along with their brother Lazarus. He would stay at their house frequently as he was traveling around...
This is a well-known and short Bible story. It can be easily read straight from the Bible. Here are some highlights to cover with the students for background: The setting of this story is in Jericho. Help your students remember when they have learned about Jericho in the past. Jericho was the...
After Jesus raised from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and many people to prove that he was indeed alive, and these stories are recorded in several places in the Bible. His first appearance was to 3 women (which we included in the Jesus is Alive! lesson), but we've...
This is a short story and is best read directly from the scripture. This is widely recognized as the first miracle Jesus performed as he began his ministry. Also, it is important to note to the students that wedding feasts in this culture were not like the wedding receptions we have today that...
Jesus fed the 5,000 directly after John the Baptist was beheaded (we learn this in the Matthew and Mark versions of the story). You can use your discretion on whether to tell this part of the story to your students. Jesus' plan was to take his disciples away to a desolate place to recover from...
This particular miracle of Jesus healing the man blind from birth is only recorded in John. This miracle is notable for several reasons: The theological question that preceded the miracle: Jesus' disciples assumed that someone's sin caused this man to be blind. They weren't asking ...
This is a famous story, and is a good conclusion to this series of lessons on Jesus' miracles. In this story, we clearly see both the divinity and humanity of Jesus. He has the power over death, communicates directly with the Father, and we see a clear confession of Christ as the Messiah from...
The story of Jesus teaching Nicodemus contains the most famous Bible verse of them all, John 3:16. Let's look at this person named Nicodemus who approached Jesus at night to speak with him. Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council, so he was a very important person in Israel at the...
The story of Mary anointing Jesus with perfume is short and can be read directly from the Bible to your students. Here are some highlights and context: According to most chronologies, this event occurs just before Holy Week (which begins on the Sunday before the Crucifixion with the Triumphal...
Unlike most of the Holy Week stories, the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet is only told in the Gospel of John. This story happens alongside the Last Supper . If you did not teach that lesson, or are unfamiliar with it, you can review it beforehand . This story is...
After Jesus raised from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and many people to prove that he was indeed alive, and these stories are recorded in several places in the Bible. His first appearance was to 3 women (which we included in the Jesus is Alive! lesson), but we've...
Jesus spent forty days on the earth after he was raised from the dead. In our Jesus Appears to His Disciples lesson, we learned about when Jesus initially appeared to his disciples. In this story, we're going to focus on three things Jesus did at the end of those forty days. Jesus gave them...
This story (the giving of the Holy Spirit to the first disciples at the Festival of Pentecost) serves as a transition point from the Gospels (the stories of Jesus as he walked on the earth) and the rest of the New Testament, which tells the story of how the early church was established and still...
The story of Peter and John healing the crippled beggar is a relatively straightforward story that is best just read directly from the Scripture. Here are some highlights and context: We learned in the previous story that the disciples began meeting in the temple courts and in their homes...
This story is a continuation from the previous story ( Peter and John Heal a Crippled Beggar ). Be sure to review that story if you did not teach last week. Peter and John Put in Prison and Threatened the First Time Peter and John were relentless about making sure everyone around...
In the previous stories we learned about how the group of disciples that were with Jesus before he died received the Holy Spirit and began preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem, how the early church grew by thousands and thousands of people very quickly, and how the religious leaders in Jerusalem...
After Stephen was stoned , the believers scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. In this story, we learn more about one of the 7 original deacons that were set apart, named Philip. Philip went to a town in Samaria (where the Northern Kingdom was) and ministered there. An angel...
This story picks up after Stephen was stoned . Saul (see note below on "Saul vs Paul") was continuing to persecute the church. He even went to the High Priest and had him send letters to the synagogues in Damascus warning them that any followers of Christ (or "the Way" as it was referred to...
The Book of Acts begins with the story of the resurrected Christ giving final instructions to his disciples, culminating with this promise: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea...
This lesson will be a summary of Paul's journeys. After his conversion, he spent time in Damascus, Jerusalem and Antioch. Then, he set out on what are now called his "missionary journeys." During this time, Paul preached to many Jews and Gentiles and helped establish churches....
This story happens during Paul's Second Missionary Journey. (See Paul's Mission for a summary of all three journeys). Paul ran into opposition during his missionary journeys from two main sources. First, the Jews in these towns that did not come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah promised in...
The Book of Revelation is one of the most interesting, complex, and debated books in the Bible. Our purpose for this lesson is not to handle it theologically, but rather as a story. We will cover what happened to John, what he saw and what he wrote rather than the interpretation of those...