Philip and the Ethiopian

Art Workshop

Lesson Objectives:

• Children will learn about Philip and the Ethiopian.
• Children will make “Good News tellers” and practice telling the good news about Christ.

For scripture and summaries, see above.

Supplies:

• Chairs for practicing sharing the good news
• Good News Teller page
• Scissors
• Markers or colored pencils
• “Wordless” Scroll

Lesson Plan

Opening:

As students arrive, review the activity we did for the “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (which was sandals that told the gospel story - like a “wordless book").

Open with a prayer.

Dig:

Make a scroll of the “wordless book.”

Pass out scroll paper. Have students glue on the colored squares in order.

As the students make the book, discuss what each color represents.

Black – represents the darkness of sin. Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Red – represents the blood of Christ which he shed for us. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

White – represents being made clean in the water of baptism. Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Green – represents growth as a Christian. 1 Peter 2:1-3 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Yellow/Gold – represents living in heaven with God forever. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-17 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

When completed have students put their scroll under their chair to be used later.

[Review the Armor of God passage from Ephesians 6:10-18. Remind kids that this month we are studying the helmet of salvation.]

[Ask questions to see what kids think about salvation. What does salvation mean? How are we saved? Etc.]

[Have your cake mix and shampoo bottle where students can see them.]
Why is it important to follow instructions? (Allow answers.)
This cake mix has instructions on it. It even has pictures to help us understand even better what we should do. (Discuss several different outcomes by skipping certain instructions on the box. Not turning on the oven-raw cake, using motor oil instead of cooking oil, etc.)
Even shampoo bottles have instructions on them. What would happen if we lathered up our hair and didn’t rinse?

In our daily life if we make a mistake and don’t follow a cake recipe correctly we may have to throw it away. As believers, if we don’t follow God’s instructions for our lives, we miss out on something more important than eating a piece of cake. We miss out on His best for us and the blessing we receive as a result of our obedience. We could even miss out on salvation.

How do we know what God’s instructions to us are? (He gave us His instructions to us in the Bible. "The Bible is the guide for our life.") We can know what we are supposed to do to please Him and we can know what doesn’t please Him. We can know how to have eternal life by reading His Word. We can also know what our purpose on this earth is by reading God’s Word and spending time with Him.

The Bible is THE guide for YOUR life.

In order to be able to do God’s Work we need to be obedient to His voice and direction every day of our lives. In this month’s story, we have an example of someone who heard God’s instructions and immediately obeyed. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Acts 8:26. [Read or have children read. Stop as indicated to direct discussion.]

[Show a map of where Philip is and where the angel told him to go.]
Notice that Philip received instructions and didn’t hesitate to obey. He didn’t ask questions or argue with God. He didn’t tell God he would do it later, he went immediately where God told him to go.

Who did Philip meet on the road? (The man from Ethiopia.) [Show Ethiopia the map.]

This man had travelled all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship God. This man was not yet a believer in Jesus but he was a man who was seeking God and wanted to do what pleased Him. Did you know that not everyone who comes to church has been saved? Many people come to church because they have a desire to know God and want to please Him and they come to church because that’s the place they hope to learn more about Him. Sometimes people come to church because they know it’s the right thing to do but they have never placed their faith in Jesus.

What is the Ethiopian doing while he travelled? (Reading Scripture.)

What did Philip ask in Acts 8:30? (“Do you understand what you are reading")

Philip is such an exciting example as an obedient follower of Jesus! Philip has the opportunity to share Jesus when the Ethiopian says, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?”

What was the man’s response to what Philip taught? (He saw some water and said, “Why shouldn’t I be baptized?")

The Ethiopian gave orders for the chariot to stop. He and Philip climbed out. Philip took the Ethiopian man down to the water and baptized him.

This Ethiopian man’s life was changed forever because he believed in the Lord Jesus. He now understood what God had written in Isaiah about Jesus. He believed in Jesus and his sins were forgiven. To show that he truly believed and was a believer in Jesus he was immediately baptized.

What would you say if someone asked you to explain Jesus to them? (Allow discussion. Hopefully they will remember the wordless book!)

We are going to practice sharing the Good News like Philip did. [Act out the story. Use a couple of chairs for the chariot. Have one person be in the chariot and hold up their wordless scroll. Have the other person be Philip and use the wordless scroll to explain the Gospel.]

Do not force a child to act out the story, but greatly encourage them to at least be the Ethiopian. After everyone has been able to be both roles as desired, bring the kids back to the tables to close.

[Optional project – Make Helmets. See resources for ideas.]

Reflection:

Review Questions:

• Where can a believer find God’s instructions for his/her life? (The Bible)
• Who gave Philip a message to travel to Gaza? (An angel of the Lord)
• What did Philip see when he was traveling on the desert road? (An Ethiopian riding in a chariot reading the Book of Isaiah)
• What was the Ethiopian’s job? (He was treasurer for the Queen)
• Who told Philip to stay near the chariot? (The Holy Spirit)
• How did Philip help the Ethiopian man? (He explained the Bible to him and how Jesus is the Promised Savior that was written about in Isaiah.)
• Why did the Ethiopian want to be baptized? (He believed in the Lord Jesus.)
• Who took Philip away so the Ethiopian didn’t see him anymore? (The Spirit)
• Why was it important for Philip to immediately obey the Lord’s instructions? (The Ethiopian man may not have heard the Good News and been saved)

Close in prayer.

Resources:

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch Sunday School Lesson, June 3, 2010 by Kelly Henderson link is http://ministry-to-children.co...he-ethiopian-lesson/

Links to Ideas - How to Make a Roman Helmet

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?...op&v=7_UI-yHlako
• https://www.firstpalette.com/c...imperial-helmet.html
• https://www.pinterest.ca/dkatc...oman-soldier-helmet/

A lesson from Staci Woodruff from: Jenks Church of Christ
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Philip and the Ethipian

Storytelling Workshop

Lesson Objectives:

• Children will learn about Philip and the Ethiopian through a modern day version of the story (Phil and the Foreigner).
• Children will discuss baptism and its role in salvation.

For scripture and summaries - see above.

Supplies:

• Costume pieces for Phil and the Foreigner
• Bible
• Towels
• “Witness” paper
• Pencils or pens

Lesson Plan

Opening:

[Before kids arrive, “Phil” and “the Foreigner” should get ready. They remain outside the classroom until later.]

[As kids arrive, review the Armor of God passage from Ephesians 6:10-18. Remind kids that this month we are studying the helmet of salvation.]

[Ask questions to see what kids think about salvation.] What does salvation mean? How are we saved?
[Look up Salvation in a Bible dictionary. Read or have a volunteer read the definition to the class. It should be something like: “deliverance from the power and penalty of sin.”]

God has given us instructions for gaining salvation. How do we know what God’s instructions to us are? He gave us His instructions to us in the Bible. We can know what we are supposed to do to please Him and we can know what doesn’t please Him. We can know how to have eternal life by reading His Word. The Bible is THE guide for OUR life. If we will get into his word daily, God will direct us in our everyday lives.

In this month’s story, we have an example of someone who heard God’s instructions and immediately obeyed even though the man didn’t know why he was being asked to do it.

• Do you ever have trouble obeying your parents or teachers when you don’t know why they have asked you to do something? (Allow any answers.)

Storytelling Script

“Phil” should be waiting outside the door and enter during the discussion. Feel free to make this story “your own.”

PHIL: Hello! I am Phil. God spoke to me and told me to come by this way. Would you like to walk with me?

[As you say this next part, walk toward Fireplace Room where you meet “the Foreigner”.]
PHIL: I came here from another country. I had to move because in my old country there were people who didn’t like what I do. You see, as often as I can, I tell people about Jesus. Do you know about Jesus?

[You should be near enough to “the foreigner” that he can hear you ask that last question. He looks up as you get near. You notice he is reading a Bible.]

PHIL: Hello there!

FOREIGNER: Hi!

PHIL: I can see you are reading a Bible. Do you understand what you are reading?

FOREIGNER: No, not really. I wish someone would explain it to me. I’m reading here in Isaiah
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

• Who is this passage speaking of? The author himself or someone else?

PHIL: This passage was written by David. He was not deprived of justice and was not killed. No, this passage speaks of someone else. This is about Jesus.

Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life. He was the only person who never, ever did anything wrong. Now, sir, turn to Romans 3:23.

FOREIGNER: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

PHIL: All the rest of us, you and me and everyone else who has ever lived – we’ve all done things wrong. We call that sin. And if we’ve sinned, we can’t live in heaven with God when we die – because God can’t be with sin. That is pretty sad for us. But there is good news!

We’ve all sinned, but Jesus never did. Now read Romans 5:8 for us.

FOREIGNER: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

PHIL: He gave himself as a sacrifice for us, and fulfilled the requirements to be our savior. But it wasn’t just that he died for us. That is pretty awesome, but he rose up from the dead! Death could not hold him because he was perfect. Death had no power over him. And he offers that to us. He offers to pay for our sin. Because he was perfect, his sacrifice takes away our sin. It is like we have never sinned. That means he made a way for us to get to go to heaven when we die. Jesus did this for us because he loved us. He offers us a gift – to be made clean so our sin doesn’t count against us.

FOREIGNER: How can we get this gift? How can we be made clean again?

PHIL: The Bible tells you in Acts 2:38

FOREIGNER: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

• What does that mean? What is baptism?

[Slowly walk toward baptistery area.]

PHIL: Baptism is like a burial; as if the person has died and then is alive again, literally a new man. You are buried to sin, dead to your old life. Then you, like Jesus, are raised again to live a new life.

FOREIGNER: That is so wonderful! What a wonderful gift to give us. [Notices bapistry.] Look, here is water! Why shouldn’t I be baptized?

PHIL: Do you believe Jesus is the son of God? That he was perfect? That only he can make you clean?

FOREIGNER: Yes! I believe!

PHIL: Then yes, I will baptize you.

[Phil baptizes Foreigner. After the baptism, they both go to bathroom. “The Foreigner” comes out alone.]

FOREIGNER: Did you see Phil? I can’t find him anywhere. (Class answers no.)

Oh well! I’m so happy I don’t even care! Praise be to God! I’ll be on my way now. Blessings to you all!

[He leaves. Children follow teacher back to class.]

Wow! Wasn’t that exciting! What story in the Bible is that like? (Philip and the Ethiopian.) [Read the story from Acts 8:26-40 if needed. Discuss how it is similar and how it is different.]

In both stories, someone was an evangelist. That is a fancy name for a person who shares the good news about Christ. It isn’t a job, it is a lifestyle. It is being open to God’s leading, and being willing to speak the Word everywhere you are and in every difficult place God may put you.

We are always speaking – always giving a message. Whether we use words, our actions, our simply our expressions, we send a message. The message we send is very important!
In our story, what message did Phil and Philip tell? (The Word of God – the story of Christ.)

It came naturally – out of the happiness they felt from their own salvation. It becomes easier to tell others as you experience it yourself. It is easiest when it is second-nature. You can’t help it. One key to that happening is filling yourself up so very much with the Word of God that it spills out into your everyday life – in your conversations and your actions.

Reflection:

[Pass out Witness paper. Walk children through each question.]

• Who should be a witness?
  We are all called to be like Phil and Philip. No matter where we are, we should speak of Jesus.
• What can you do?
  Answers will vary. Children can talk to their friends, family and anyone hey meet. They can write to Juan and other children. They can share with visitors who come to church, etc.
• Where can you be a witness?
  Answers will vary. School, Home, Church, Clubs, Sports Games and other events, etc.
• When does God want you to be a witness?
  Always
• Why does God want you to be a witness?
  Because you love God. Because you have been given a great gift, and he wants you to share it.
• How can you be a witness?
  Praying for the person, giving to mission work, talking to the people you meet.

Encourage the kids to be a witness this week.

Close in prayer.

Resources:
D6 Curriculum Adventure Kids: Love One Another, Summer 2011

A lesson by Staci Woodruff from Jenks Church of Christ
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Philip and the Ethiopian

Bible Skills and Games Workshop

Lesson Objectives:

Children will learn about Philip through an interactive game like “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego”.

For scripture and objectives - see above.

Supplies:  

• Concordance
• Who’s Who book of Bible people
• Bible Dictionary
• Map
• Giant floor map or signs for individual cities as indicated in lesson
  (Moderator adds: in the post following this lesson Staci notes that the large map she made was created on the back of a canvas labyrinth--4 canvases sewn together.)

Spy pack

• Small notebook for each child
• Pencil or pen for each child
• Certificate for completing training

Costumes

• Widow: black clothes/shawl, picture of “husband”, tissues
• Spy (1 or 2): Fedoras and long trench coats
• Simon (Magician): Top hat, magic wand?
• Queen (Candace): Crown, robe, cape, gold belt, etc.
• Philip: Bible Times Costume
• Ethiopian: “Ethiopian crochet hat with ‘dreadlocks’”
• Angel: white robe, gold belt

Teacher Prep:

(Helpers can play more than one role as needed.)

Make a giant map on the floor. Be sure to have Jerusalem, Gaza (the desert road), Samaria, Azotus and Ethiopia on the map along with other cities. (A person should be standing/sitting on the Azotus tag, or it should be hidden until later in the lesson.)

Lesson Plan

Story:

Hello. Please come in and have a seat. I am Agent M (the first letter of your name). I am the head of a super-secret spy agency called BIBLE, Brilliant Investigators (of) Bible Land Events. I’ve called you here today to ask you to join my team of top-notch investigators. I’ve heard about you. My sources tell me that just over a year ago you investigated prophecies about a very famous birth and discovered truths about the one called the Messiah. My sources tell me you were great! Well, today we’ll see just how good your investigative skills are.

Your mission is to figure out who the person is that we are investigating, and then figure out where he or she is. You will gather clues from informants and fellow spies. You will need to use some reference tools to figure out the answer to the clues. You will work together to see if you can find the person before time is up.

[Be sure to watch the time. If it gets late, please give the answers to the children. Be sure to allow time for the “wrap up” portion of the lesson.]

I have just received a hot tip from a friend of my grandmother. Her husband just died. That makes her a widow. I’ll go see if I can find her. [M goes to get Widow. Widow should be in black, crying or looking at a picture or in some way making it obvious that she is a widow. M greets her and encourages her to tell the kids what she knows.]

WIDOW: (sniffles, sobs) I know the person you are looking for. He was Greek, like me. I met him in the same city where Solomon built the temple. Look up “temple” in A Dictionary of the Bible & Christian Doctrine to learn the name of the city. [Say the clue, then hand the clue card to one of the kids. Widow can then leave.]

Which book should we use to figure out this clue? [Help kids find A Dictionary of the Bible & Christian Doctrine if they need it.] This Bible dictionary works like a regular dictionary. The words are in alphabetical order. [Help kids find clue in the Dictionary as needed. Ask one of the older kids to read the definition.]

Where was the temple built? Where do you need to go? (Jerusalem)

Outside, you will see a map on the floor. Find Jerusalem on the map and you will find an informant who has another clue. Come see me if you have any trouble. And remember, STAY TOGETHER!

[If kids go to wrong person, the person should direct them back to HQ by saying something like, “I don’t know what you are talking about. Perhaps you had better go to M for help.”]

(In Jerusalem) SPY #1: Welcome to the city! You’ll have to be careful here. Most of the Christians are being forced out of the city by Saul’s persecution. I saw the man you are looking for, though. He left Jerusalem already. He was the first man to preach the Good News to non-Jews. He went to a place north of Judea, South of Nazareth, East of the Mediterranean Sea and West of the Jordan River. [Say the clue, then hand the clue card to one of the kids.]

[Kids should use the giant floor map to find Samaria. If not, when they come to HQ, look at the wall map and help them by finding the 4 places listed in the clue. You may need to help them know which way is North, South, etc.]

(In Samaria) SIMON THE MAGICIAN: I’m Simon. I used to be a magician. I was baptized when I learned about Jesus from the person you are looking for. I saw the apostles perform miracles. I wanted to be able to do them, too, so I tried to buy the power from Peter. You will need to go back to HQ to figure this clue out. The last time I saw the man you are looking for, he was off to meet a man from the country of Queen Candace. Be sure to look in the NEW TESTAMENT part of Who’s Who in the Bible to find out where she is from.

[Back at HQ, help the kids find the book and look up Candace to find out Candace is the name for queens of Ethiopia. Show them Ethiopia (in Africa) on the wall map and send them out to find Queen Candace in Ethiopia.]

(In Ethiopia) CANDACE: Greetings, travelers. I do not know the man whom you seek, but I have heard that he met with my official recently. My official is in charge of my entire treasury, and I have utmost esteem for him. He wanted very desperately to celebrate the Feast of the Passover as Jews do every year. I allowed him to make a pilgrimage, but I would not allow him to take any children. There is a story that a boy named Jesus went one year with his family and got lost. By the time they found him, everyone there was amazed at this boy’s understanding and answers to the priest’s questions. Find the place where he got lost and you will probably find where my official went. A Concordance will help you.

[Back at HQ, help the kids find the concordance and look up the story of boy Jesus in the temple. You may need to suggest key words to look up such as priests, Passover, etc. Help the children understand they need to go to Jerusalem.]

(In Jerusalem) ANGEL: Hello followers of God. God has revealed to me the man you seek. I directed him to follow the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza to meet a man who had been to Jerusalem to worship the Most High God. If you hurry, you will find the man whom he met in Gaza.

(In Gaza) ETHIOPIAN: (Seems in his own world.) I am SO happy! I have just learned about the Christ! I am saved! I am a new creation! (Notices children.) Hello! Hello! Forgive me, I am little overwhelmed with joy today! But you are looking for the man who taught me aren’t you? Perhaps he will share with you this same Good News he shared with me. But I do not know where he is. A traveler who passed me just before you came along said they had seen him in Azotus, but I do not know where that is either.

[If children return to HQ, help children find Azotus on the small map, then go to where it should be on the floor map.]

(In Azotus) SPY: Greetings, fellow Christ followers! I hear you are looking for the Evangelist. He is travelling around preaching, but I have encouraged him to buy a home and settle down in the same city where Herod died. A Concordance or Who’s Who book will help you find this final city.

[Have children look up Herod and find out he died in Caesarea.]

(In Caesarea) Philip: Hello, my name is Philip the Evangelist. You did a great job finding me! Go back to headquarters to claim your reward.

[When kids return to HQ, have certificates and prize packs ready. Have everyone sit down.]

Great job! Who can tell me something about Philip the evangelist? (Allow discussion, be able to ask questions to help bring out details as needed.)

You all did a great job finding him! You now have the ability to use many different tools to study the Bible. You can look things up in a concordance and a dictionary. You can look up people in a Who’s Who reference book, and you can find places on maps! WOW!

Because you have learned to use all these investigative tools, you have passed your training. I have a certificate for you and a package of tools you can use whenever you start investigating another Bible story.

[Pass out prize packs and certificates with adequate ceremony for each child.]

Close in prayer.

Modifications for Younger Students:
Younger students (especially non-readers) will need more help with the clues and reference tools. Be prepared to move with them from place to place, a nd really direct the steps.
Modifications for Older Students:
Older students should be able to use the tools with little help. The biggest task will be to keep one or two persons from doing everything. Try to help the shy or less knowledgeable students stay engaged.

A lesson by Staci Woodruff from: Jenks Church of Christ
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.