TRANSFORMED
The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach your family that The Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to tell others about Jesus. When Elymas tries to stop them, the Holy Spirit gives Paul and Barnabas power to carry out their mission.
MEMORY VERSE:
Don’t copy the ways of the world. Let God transform you. Romans 12:2
Learn the Memory Verse together and say it throughout the week to help your family remember and apply what they have learned.
STEP 1. GATHER!
- Set-up: Provide a variety of transportation toys for the kids to play with and explore. Consider adding a shallow container of water for toy boats and have a towel nearby for drying up spills.
- Play: Invite kids to play with the transportation toys and think about all the places they can go. Ask kids to share different ways people travel.
STEP 2. READ THE BIBLE AND WORSHIP
STEP 3. DISCUSSION !
Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story.
REVIEW THE BIBLE STORY
- What are the names of the two men who went on a trip to tell others about Jesus? (Paul and Barnabas)
- Who told them to go tell others about Jesus? (the Holy Spirit)
- How did they get to the island of Cyprus? (on a boat)
- What things did Elymas do that weren’t good? (magic, lying, telling Paulus not to listen to Paul and Barnabas)
- What did Paulus discover about Paul and Barnabas? (The Holy Spirit was with them.)
- • The Holy Spirit gave Paul power and courage to speak the truth. What are some other things the Holy Spirit can help God’s people do?
Just as the Holy Spirit gave Paul and Barnabas power to speak the truth to Elymas, He gives us power too.
Mission Moment
Hannah More
(1745-1833)
Have you ever been in a play or a show? What did you do? Was it fun?
When Hannah More was young she wrote lots of plays. Famous people in London liked her plays, so Hannah became famous too. Everyone thought Hannah was very clever, very funny and very wise.
Then Hannah met people who were Jesus* friends - people like Willam Wilberforce and John Newton, who you can find out about in this book. Hannah became Jesus’ friend too. She still wrote plays - but now she didn't write plays so that people thought she was clever, or to make her famous. Now she also wrote little books to help people find out about Jesus and how to live for him - and, because she was famous for being clever, people read them. Now she also wrote poems about how wrong it was to buy and sell people as slaves - and, because she was famous for being clever, people read them.
But Hannah knew that a lot of people couldn't read at all. They couldn't read her books. They couldn't read the Bible. So Hannah started schools to teach them - and, because she was famous for being clever, other people copied her and set up schools too.
Hannah was famous and she was clever - but she knew it was far more important to be Jesus’ friend.
STEP 5. Pray!