Bible lesson hour

 Christ is preached to an Ethiopian 

1.    Opening – Welcome children, congratulate the ones who had their birthdays the previous
             week.

2.   Prayer:  -  Praise and worship God for His love and grace and that He helps us in everything
             situation.

3.   Songs: 

3.1         Praise Him, Praise Him all ye little children.

3.2         My God is so big

3.3         God is so good

4.    Memory verse from the Bible with ipear method of CEF:  Acts 16:31 “Believe on
             the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  

4.1         Introduction - you can tell children about somebody who was saved from drowning in the sea or in a house that was burning and how glad they were afterwards.

4.2         Present the verse by reading from the Bible and let them read verse from a visual.

4.3         Explain difficult words like “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”.

4.4         Apply the verse to the saved and the unsaved child. The saved child who know the Lord and believe in Him can praise God and help other people by showing them how to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The unsaved child who do not know the Lord can be invited to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

4.5         Repetition:  Repeat the verse by using one of the following methods: 

             1.  Echo-mountain:  you say one word and children repeat word. Until the end of the verse.
             2.  Radio – Children say verse a few times with the reference and you control the radio! 

                 When your hand is low, they say the verse softly, when you raise your hand they say it
                  louder, and when you lower your hand, they say it softer again,  Until the end of the
                   verse.
            3. Playing tennis – You say one word and children next word, repeat like that until the end
                of  the verse.
            4. Washing line – Cut clothes from paper and write verse on them.  Hang “clothes” on

                            washing line with pegs.  As children repeat the verse, you hang washing on washing line. 

                             Let them take pieces from line and repeat until line is empty.
                        5. Crazy stand ups – Children with shoes stand up and say the verse, those 
                           who  brushed their teeth the morning, stand and say the verse, those with red garments,
                            white garments, etc.    

5.             Bible lesson:  The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8 v25-40)  

Central truth—Only Jesus Christ can save a sinner and help him to know God.  

Personal application to unsaved: If you put your trust in Jesus Christ you will be saved and you will start to know God.  

I. Introduction to Bible lesson:  start with a question:   Have you ever been really disappointed? Is there something you hoped would happen—and it didn’t.

II. Progression of Events

A.  An important man from Ethiopia went to Jerusalem to worship God.

B.  He was returning home in his chariot— Central Truth he is disappointed because

     he still did not know God.  He did not yet know that there is only one way to know God.

C.  As he rode he read—still searching for God.

D. The book he was reading was the Bible—in the first part of it (the Old Testament). He

      was disappointed again because he could not understand what he was reading.

E.  God saw him, He saw he was seeking Him and He wanted him to know Him.

Central Truth applied to the unsaved child - Do you want to know God? God wants people to find the one and only way to Him and He wants people, including you, to know Him.

F. God spoke to Philip and told him to go to a road south of Jerusalem.

G. Philip obeyed.

H. God told Philip to go to the Ethiopian’s chariot.

I. Philip obeyed and heard what the Ethiopian was reading.

J. He was reading a passage in the Old Testament which spoke about a Lamb dying for sinners.

Central truth:  Do you know who that Lamb is? He was the Lord Jesus Christ—God’s Lamb. It is He Who died for sinners and can save them. It is He and He alone who can help sinners to know God. He said, “I am the way, …….. no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14 v6).)

K. Philip asked him if he understood.

L. He said no—but he asked Philip to help him understand.

M. Philip got into the chariot and started to explain.

N. Philip explained that this Lamb was the Lord Jesus the Lamb of God.

O. He explained that He was the Son of God and that He had come to die for people’s sins—including this man from Ethiopia’s sins.

Central Truth. And Philip explained that because He died He could and would save those who trusted in Him, and that through Him people could know God.

Central Truth for the unsaved child:    He came to die for your sins also. He is the only way to God. Have you trusted Jesus Christ to save you? If not, you can do so today. You will then be saved and you will start to know God.

III. Climax

The Ethiopian believed in his heart what he had heard and trusted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He was no longer disappointed. He wanted others to know what he had done so he asked Philip to baptize him publicly.

IV. Conclusion  Do you realise that Jesus Christ is the only way to God? Remember His words, “I am the way, …….. no one comes to the Father except through Me”. Have you trusted Him? Are your sins forgiven?

Have you started to know and worship God? Trust Jesus Christ today, and you will, like this Ethiopian, start a new life).   

6.    Song:  What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus   

7.    Quizz or Review Game – see methods under “review games”

7.1         Why was the man from Ethiopia disappointed? He still did not know God

7.2         How was he travelling back to his home? In a chariot

7.3         What was he reading and could he understand what he was reading? The Bible – he could not understand what he was reading

7.4         Who did God send to this man? Philip

7.5         What did Philip do? He ran to him and got into the chariot and explained the Bible to him

7.6         What did Philip say who was the Lamb?  The Lamb was the Lord Jesus Christ

7.7         What did Jesus do for your sins? He died on the cross for them

7.8         What can you do today if you are not saved? You can pray and ask Jesus to save you

7.9         What did the Ethiopian asked Philip to do after he trusted Jesus Christ as his Saviour? He asked him to baptise him publicly

7.10       Can you repeat our memory verse for today? Acts 16:31

 

8.    End with prayer and an invitation to children who want to talk to you about assurance of salvation.