Phillip and the Ethiopian- Sunday February 7, 2021

Sunday February 7, 2021 (Vol 10, Unit 30, Session 1)

Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20).  

Parent Devotional: This week’s lesson is based on the story of Phillip sharing the gospel with the Ethiopian found in Acts 8.

The believers in the early church faced intense persecution. After Stephen was killed, Jesus’ followers at the church in Jerusalem scattered; however, they did not stop talking about Jesus. They continued to share the good news. One man, Philip, took the gospel to Samaria. The crowds there listened and believed, and they had great joy.

In today’s Bible story, Philip was instructed by an angel of the Lord to go to a certain road in the desert. Philip obeyed. The Spirit led Philip to a chariot, where an Ethiopian official was reading the Scriptures from the prophet Isaiah. The Ethiopian man did not understand what he was reading, so Philip explained it to him.

The man was reading from the prophet Isaiah: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter … In his humiliation, justice was denied to him … For his life is taken from the earth” (Acts 8:32-33). The official wondered if Isaiah was speaking about himself or another person. Philip told the official that Isaiah’s words weren’t about Isaiah; they were about the Messiah—Jesus! The official believed in Jesus and was baptized.

Guide kids to consider the role of the Holy Spirit in this interaction between Philip and the Ethiopian official. Who was responsible for Philip’s going to the desert? Who helped Philip explain the Scriptures? Who changed the heart of the official so he would believe?

After his interaction with the Ethiopian official, Philip continued sharing the gospel in all the towns on his way to the town of Caesarea.

In our mission of making disciples, believers must be willing instruments to be used in the hands of the Lord. Philip didn’t go into the desert today with a strategy for converting another man; the Holy Spirit led Philip, and he obeyed. As believers, we can be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and willing to follow His lead. He will go with us.

As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 says: "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you don't have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or maybe your children are too young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day to day. Be blessed this week my friends!  

Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson so you can read directly from it or change it up to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) also to review the lesson so you can make adjustments as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you'd like or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the course of the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you!

So, let's get started. I like to begin each week with Blessings and Bummers. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges? 

Parents share your blessings and bummers and encourage the kids to do the same. 

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you for our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe in Him. Help us to be thankful of all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! 

Prompt kids to share about a time they made a new friend.

Say • Meeting new friends is a great experience. If you meet someone who doesn’t know Jesus, sharing the gospel with them is a great way to show them you care about them. Today we will learn about a man named Philip, who went to meet a new friend and help that friend understand the gospel. Let's start with an activity or two to get things moving...

Optional Session Starter Activity Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party. These are found in the activity pages attached below.

As we get into these new Bible stories, I want to get you thinking about a new big picture question. Why does the church exist? Remember that the church isn’t a building, it’s the people; believers who gather to glorify God. But why? Why does God unite believers into the church? Let’s think on that question. I’ll give you the answer after we hear the story.

The early church definitely had some struggles. Some members were selfish, like Ananias and Sapphira. Other members were arrested, mistreated, hurt, or even killed because of their faith. But through it all, God was using the struggles to strengthen and grow the church in various ways. All of this was done by the Holy Spirit’s power. Today, we will learn about a time one man led another to Jesus. Our story is called “Philip and the Ethiopian.” Let's watch...

Sometimes I wish that every opportunity to share the gospel was as easy as walking up to a person and them asking me to help them understand the Bible. The Holy Spirit really set up an incredible situation for Philip. And because Philip obeyed joyfully, the Ethiopian official became a believer! 

This story has a lot to teach us about immediate obedience. Philip didn’t make excuses about how far away the desert road was, or how uncomfortable he would feel running up to a stranger’s chariot to talk. Instead, he just obeyed. Jesus’ final command to His disciples was to make disciples and baptize them. The early church took that command very seriously! 

As soon as the Ethiopian man believed, he asked to be baptized to show his new faith. His obedience was immediate too. When Philip was carried away by the Spirit, the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing. He was headed home, so we can know that he carried the truth of Jesus with him to Ethiopia! All along God’s plan has been to glorify His name through the church. So, why does the church exist? The church exists to glorify God by worshiping Him, showing His love, and telling others about Jesus.

The Ethiopian official knew what the Old Testament prophets said, but he did not understand that they spoke about Jesus. The Holy Spirit led Philip to help the official understand the good news about Jesus: Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead, just like the Old Testament prophets said.

Bible Time! 

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help them find Acts 8. Discuss which division of the Bible Acts is a part of. (New Testament History) Explain that Luke wrote the Book of Acts, and it serves almost as a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Consider using the New Testament Israel Map to point out Jerusalem and Gaza. (H5, I2) Remind kids that Philip met the Ethiopian man on a road between the two places.

Ask the following questions. Lead the kids to discuss:

Why did Philip travel to the spot where he met the Ethiopian official? (The Holy Spirit told him to, Acts 8:26)

Which prophet’s writings was the Ethiopian official reading? (Isaiah’s, Acts 8:30)

How did the Ethiopian react to the gospel? (he believed it and was baptized, Acts 8:36-39)

How can we share the gospel with others? Guide kids to think about the importance of being prepared to speak about God. Stress the importance of studying God’s Word and praying for God to give us opportunities to share. Remind them that the Holy Spirit will guide us and give us wisdom to know what to say. Encourage them to look for ways to speak about the gospel in their everyday lives.

What should we do if someone rejects the gospel? Help the kids think about how to deal with rejection. Remind them that anyone who rejects the gospel is rejecting God, not us. We should be respectful and kind towards everyone, even those who reject the gospel. God doesn’t want us to be discouraged by rejection, but encouraged by His power so that we continue sharing.

Other than sharing the gospel, how can we show God’s love to others? Guide kids to think practically. They could help a classmate with homework, sit with someone new at lunch, share a cool toy with a sibling, or volunteer with their families to serve in a shelter or food bank. Help them see that there are many ways to show love, and all of them can lead to sharing the gospel.

Say • The Holy Spirit led Philip to tell the Ethiopian man about Jesus. We can share about Jesus too!

Read the new memory verse together 

Paul wrote this as part of his letter to believers in a city called Colossae. Paul wanted them to be sure they gave Jesus the respect and glory He deserves. He is our greatest treasure, and we exist as a church to tell people about Him.

Memory Verse Activity:

Say the key passage together as a group multiple times, using different voices each time. Use the suggested voices below or come up with your own.

Suggested voices: high-pitched mouse voice, low-pitched giant voice, pirate voice, robot voice, and so forth.

Say • Paul often talked about the church as the body. Jesus is the head of the church body! That means He is the most important. He leads and guides us. He is the greatest treasure, and the reason we can be saved. Why does the church exist? The church exists to glorify God by worshiping Him, showing His love, and telling others about Jesus.

That wraps it up for this week!

Let's pray:

Jesus, thank You for Your amazing love for us. Thank You that You allow us to be part of Your plan to share Your love with other people. Help us to be obedient like Philip, trusting You with each next step as You reveal them to us. Amen.

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!

Additional Activities and Information