unit 7 paul the apostle nt7.1 conversion of saul (paul)...what a strange twist of fate for saul who...

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NT7.1 Conversion of Saul (Paul) © Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7 Paul the Apostle

NT7.1 Conversion of Saul (Paul)

Scripture: Acts 9:1-25

Lesson Goal: This lesson is about Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. He was the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time! This lesson is about how Paul saw God's power and acknowledged that Jesus was God's Son.

Introduction: This is the first lesson in Unit 7: Paul the Apostle. This unit covers 9; 13-28 and tells the story of the life and ministry of Paul the Apostle. In this lesson we will see how Paul saw God's power and acknowledged that Jesus was God's Son. This lesson comes from the book of Acts. Acts is the fifth book in the New Testament. This book was written by Luke the Apostle. The first four books of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-- tell about the life of Christ. The fifth book--Acts--tells about the beginning of the church. Let's say the first five books of the New Testament together--Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.

Attention Getter: “Getting Attention” When you want to get someone's attention, what do you say or do? Would you use a spotlight? Would you use a bullhorn or a megaphone?

Today we are going to find out what God used to get one man's attention. The man was Saul of Tarsus. He was chosen by God to become the first missionary of the gospel to the whole world. This lesson is about how Paul saw God's power and acknowledged that Jesus was God's Son.

Opening Prayer: Father, You are so good and so full of mercy and grace. You took this man, Saul, who was persecuting and even killing people who believed in You, and you changed him from the inside out. You loved him, even when he was a murderer and a hater, and you used him in a mighty way to teach people about your grace. Help us to be as loving and forgiving of others as You are with us! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: Our memory verse is Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/HEM4eKZgtwo

Just before Jesus went back to heaven he told the disciples that they should “Go into all the world and preach the good news about Jesus.”. Jesus promised that after He left He would send the Holy Spirit to help the disciples tell others about Jesus. Ten days after Jesus left for heaven the Holy Spirit came like tongues of fire on the disciples. Miraculously the disciples had the ability to speak many different languages. All the people heard about Jesus in their own language!

Many people believed in Jesus as their Savior and were baptized. One day there was three thousand that believed. Another day there were five thousand people! The church grew and grew! The believers were to tell people in Jerusalem first, then in Samarian and the Judea, and finally to the whole world.

But not everyone was happy with the growth of the church especially the Jewish people living in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was ruled by a very wicked king named King Herod Agrippa. He began arresting the early church believers.

One of the men arrested was Stephen a deacon in the early church who was also preaching the gospel. The Holy Spirit gave Stephen the power to do many great miracles in the name of Jesus.

https://youtu.be/HEM4eKZgtwo

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But not everyone was impressed by Stephen! Some Jews from North Africa, who did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, began to argue with Stephen.

Then the men had Stephen seized and arrested. They took Stephen to stand before the leaders of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin were the rulers of the Jews in Jerusalem. One of the men who was a part of the Sanhedrin was Saul.

Stephen began to explain to the Jewish Council that they had rejected Jesus as God’s Son and had beaten Him and crucified Him on a cross. The Jewish leaders became so angry at Stephen’s words that they began to pick up stones and throw them at Stephen. They took off their coats and put them at the feet of a young man called Saul. Then they started hurling large stones at Stephen so they could kill him!

As Stephen was talking, he was full of the Holy Spirit. He began looking up to heaven and he saw the glory of God. "Look," he said, "heaven is open and I can see Jesus standing at the right hand of God." While they were stoning him Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Listening and watching all these events was a young man named Saul. He had been trained by Gamaliel one of the most famous teachers in Israel. He was a Pharisee who lived strictly according to the Law. He was a very zealous man and he hated the Christians! He thought he was pleasing God by trying to eliminate Christians. He did not believe that Jesus is God or that He had risen from the dead. He did not know the truth about God.

Wherever Saul went he uttered murderous threats against the followers of Jesus. How he hated them! From house to house he went, dragging out the believers and having them thrown into jail and put to death without good cause. Hundreds of Christians fled from the city of Jerusalem and went to live in the city of Damascus which was 150 miles away. Saul was determined to track them down. He wanted to kill them too.

Saul went to the High Priest and asked for papers giving him permission to go to Damascus and arrest anyone belonging to “The Way” as Christians were known. He wanted to arrest the Christians and take them back to Jerusalem and put them in prison.

So Saul set off for Damascus with troops to drag the Christians back in chains to Jerusalem. He was determined to wipe out Jesus’ followers there too. But God had other plans for him! As Saul and his men got near to the city of Damascus, something incredible happened.

Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground. He heard a voice from heaven saying: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “

Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the voice replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

In that dramatic moment Saul believed that Jesus is the Christ, the one God had promised in the scriptures to save everyone from their sins.

God wanted Saul to see that Jesus had truly risen from the dead and now was meeting him on the road in this spectacular way. Jesus was not dead. He was alive! God wants everyone to believe in Him even Saul the great persecutor of Christians!

The men traveling with Saul stood speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. Saul was blinded by the light.

So they led Saul like a blind man by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Then God sent Saul some help.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes Lord, here am I.” he answered.

“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man named Saul. He is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place hands on him to restore his sight.”

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“Lord,” Ananias answered. “this man has named your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” Ananias had heard about Saul and he was probably afraid to face a man who was persecuting Christians!

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul to proclaim my Name not only to Jews but Gentiles (non-Jews) and their kings. I will also show him how much he must suffer for me.”

So Ananias obeyed the Lord went to the house and placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus—who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see.

That day Saul’s body received a healing. His blind eyes could now see. But his mind was healed as well. Now Saul was able to see both physically and spiritually. Saul got up and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

As a sign of his conversion, Saul was baptized. Being baptized was a sign that Saul had begun a new life in Christ. Saul was a believer! He would now begin his calling as God’s chosen Apostle preaching the good news not only to the Jews but to Gentiles or non-Jews and their kings.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus—the very people he had come to arrest. The very people Saul had come to kill were now accepting him as a member of the family of God. What love they showed to Saul!

Immediately Saul began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. He was full of the Holy Spirit and he began to boldly preach the good news about Jesus. He preached that Jesus had died for our sins, was resurrected, and had ascended into heaven.

Those listening were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who caused so much trouble for Christians in Jerusalem and came here to arrest them?”

Saul powerfully explained to them that Jesus is the Messiah. The people knew that what Saul taught was real because they could see it in the way that he lived. He had a changed life.

What a strange twist of fate for Saul who set out to destroy Christianity, to suddenly become the most well-known of all God’s apostles. Later his Saul’s name was changed to Paul. Paul spent the rest of his life telling people about Jesus. He traveled to many places and told kings, government leaders, rich people, poor people, and even jailers and prisoners the good news that Jesus is God’s Son.

Did you know that most of the New Testament was written by this same man? Paul wrote Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon and probably Hebrews. In his sovereignty God can take even the most hated of all people and turn him around for His own good purposes.

Paul is a wonderful example of how God so mercifully saves us. We do not deserve the wonderful gift of eternal life because of the bad things we have done. But God loves us and wants us to live with Him eternally.

We can receive the gift of eternal life by first admitting that we are sinners and that we cannot save ourselves. That means we have done things that are wrong and have gone against God and His Word. We do not deserve to go to heaven.

Next we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came from heaven to earth to die on the cross for our sins. His death was the payment for our sins.

And finally we need to confess our sins to God and ask Jesus to be our Savior. If we believe that is Jesus our Lord and Savior, God promises to give us the gift of eternal life.

Just like Saul, Jesus wants us to be a part of God’s family and tell others about Him. We can tell our friends and family members what we have learned about Jesus. We can pray and ask God to help others learn to love Jesus, too. Every day we can choose to be kind to others and show Jesus’ love to them.

Remember God loves you and wants to give you the gift of eternal life!

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Review Questions: “Damascus Road” Preparation: You will need black construction paper, red construction paper, markers, tape, and a numbered cube. Write the following instructions on the pieces of red construction paper. Two spaces Forward; Back to Start; One Space Forward; Two Spaces Backward; Pick a Friend to Move Forward One Space; Pick a friend to Move Back One Space; and Answer Correctly for a Bonus Roll. Procedure: Create a Damascus Road by taping down pieces of black construction paper onto the floor with the red instruction pieces put at various points along the way. Make the road with curves for a more interesting walk. Stand at the end of the road, and ask the following review questions. Say: “You are going to take a journey on the Damascus Road and review our story along the way. When it is your turn, you will have the change to answer a review question. If you answer correctly, you get to roll the numbered cube and move forward that many spaces. If you land on a space with words, follow the instructions. The first person to reach the end of the road wins.”

1. What command did Jesus give to his disciples as he ascended back into heaven? (“Go into all the world and preach the good news about Jesus.”)

2. Why did Jesus tell the disciples to return to Jerusalem and wait and pray? (He was going to send them the gift of the Holy Spirit.)

3. What special ability did the disciples have as a result of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit? (They could speak in many different languages and preach so people from all lands could hear the gospel in their own language.)

4. How did the early church first grow? (One day 3,000 received Christ and on another day 5,000 received Christ. It grew very fast.)

5. Why did the early Christians leave Jerusalem? (King Herod Agrippa began to arrest and kill early believers.)

6. Who was the first person to be martyred for being a Christian? (Stephen the deacon was the first person to be martyred for preaching the gospel.)

7. Who was holding the coats and garments of the Jews who were stoning Stephen? (Saul the young man who was a Pharisee was holding the coats of those who were stoning Stephen.)

8. What did young Saul think about Jesus? (He did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He did not know that Jesus was resurrected from the grave and was the Savior of all who believe.)

9. What did Saul do as a result of hating the believers? (He went from house to house, dragging out the believers and having them thrown into jail and put to death without good cause.)

10. Why was Saul going to Damascus? (He wanted to arrest believers there, Acts 9:1-2) 11. How did Saul get permission to go on this mission of killing Christians? (Saul went to the High

Priest and asked for papers giving him permission to go to Damascus and arrest anyone belonging to “The Way” as Christians were known. He wanted to arrest the Christians and take them back to Jerusalem and put them in prison.)

12. What happened to Saul as he was traveling to Damascus? (Jesus appeared to him in a bright light and spoke to him from heaven.)

13. What did Jesus say to Saul? (A bright light shone from heaven and Saul fell to the ground. Jesus spoke to Saul and asked him why he was persecuting Jesus.)

14. What happened to Saul when the light from heaven was gone? (He recognized that Jesus was the Son of God and he believed in him. He was made blind.)

15. What did the men who were with Saul see and do? (The men traveling with Saul stood speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone. They had to lead Saul to Damascus as a blind man.)

16. What did the Lord tell Ananias to do? (“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man named Saul. He is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place hands on him to restore his sight.”)

17. What did Ananias first tell the Lord about going to see Saul? (“Lord,” Ananias answered. “This man has named your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”)

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18. What special mission did God say that He had for Saul to do? (God said, “I have chosen Saul to proclaim my Name not only to Jews but Gentiles (non-Jews) and their kings. I will also show him how much he must suffer for me.”)

19. What happened to Saul’s eyes when Ananias touched him? (Scales fell from his eyes and he could see.)

20. What did Saul do to show that he had received Christ as his Savior? (Ananias baptized him.) 21. How do we know Saul was changed? (He began preaching boldly that Jesus is the Son of

God.) 22. How did the other Christians feel about Saul as a new Christian? (They were amazed at the

change in his life.) 23. What part of the New Testament did Paul later write? (Paul wrote Romans, Galatians,

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon and probably Hebrews.)

24. What does the conversion of Saul tell us about God? (Paul is a wonderful example of how God so mercifully saves us.)

25. How are we like Saul when we accept Jesus as our Savior? (We do not deserve the wonderful gift of eternal life because of the bad things we have done. But God loves us and wants us to live with Him eternally.)

26. How do people hear about Jesus? (God uses Christians to tell others about Jesus so they may repent and be saved.)

27. What is our memory verse? (Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Graphic Verse” Our memory verse is Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read orally together several times.

Say: “This is an amazing verse because it tells us that God sent His Son Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough but because He loved us! Even when we were rebels God loved us so now we can love him in return. ”

Preparation: Make a copy of the graphic memory verse puzzle for each student. Cut the following graph on solid lines to form puzzle pieces. Place puzzle pieces in an envelope. Prepare one puzzle for each student. Procedure: Distribute the graphic puzzle in the envelope to each student. Say: “Each of you has a puzzle of our memory verse. Let’s see who can solve the puzzle first.” Group Learning Activity: Special Effects: “Blinding Light” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To reenact or retell the story of the Conversion of Saul Preparation: You will need flashlights or spotlights and a bullhorn or megaphone. Procedure: Choose a volunteer to act the part of Saul. Have class stand in a circle. Have student who is portraying Saul stand in the middle of the circle with his or her eyes closed. When you reach the part of the story in which Saul meets the Lord on the road to Damascus, students with flashlights or spotlights shine lights together on Saul or on one spot on the wall to create a bright light. Student with bullhorn or megaphone reads God’s part of the discussion--Acts 9:4-6. Have Saul fall to ground or floor and cover his eyes.

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Say: “When did Saul see God’s power? (He was on the road to Damascus.) How did Saul act before he saw Jesus’ power on the road to Damascus? (He was angry, proud, and arrogant.) How did he act after he knew the truth about who Jesus was? (He was humble and prayed to God for mercy.) What happens when someone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God? (They become a child of God or a believer.) What does this event teach us about God? (He loves us and merciful to us even while we are sinners and in rebellion to Him.) Does everyone have an experience like Saul when they become a Christian? (Very few people have a dramatic experience when they ask Jesus to be their Savior.) Does this mean that if you don’t have a dramatic experience that you are not a Christian when you ask Jesus to be your Savior? (No) How do we know that we are saved? (God’s Word promises salvation to all who believe. We have a changed life.) How did the people who were Christians in Damascus know that Saul was a true believer? (He made a great change in His life and began to boldly preach about Jesus. His behavior changed from hating Christians to loving them and being one of them.)

Group Learning Activity: “Lighting the Darkness” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a selection of light sources such as lamps, different sized candles, flashlights, etc, paper and pencils. In advance set all the light sources on a table. Set up a bright lamp so that it will shine on a blank wall creating a spotlight effect. Say: “In this lesson God used a blinding light from heaven to get Saul’s attention so He could give him an important message and show Himself as Jesus to help him believe. Today we are going to look at the lights I have placed on the table and see what we can learn from them.” Procedure: Allow the children to look at the lights and explore how they work. Ask the children to look at the lights and rank them, the strongest first, and the weakest last. If possible darken the room and shine the flashlight/lamps/candles. Say: “What do we use this for? (Hold up flashlight). How does its light compare with this? (Hold up a birthday cake candle.) Two different lights are used for two different purposes. People are like lights. We all shine at different levels but we all have work to do for Jesus. Jesus had work for Saul, but Saul wasn’t interested. But Jesus loved him anyway and helped him see what was important. And that’s what our message is about. God’s love is like a light in darkness. Say that with me again. God’s love is like a light in darkness. (Move to the light that is acting like a spotlight). Invite each of the children to stand in the spotlight and answer a simple question. For example, “What did you have for breakfast?” Do not force them if they do not want to participate. Say: “How does it feel to stand in the spotlight? Is it possible to hide when you are in the spotlight? (No there is nowhere to go.) Saul’s life came under God’s spotlight, and God did not like what Saul was doing. But He didn’t stop loving Saul. God knew Saul’s heart and He helped him see what was important in life. And that’s what is important. God’s love is like a light in darkness. Say that with me again. God’s love is like a light in darkness.” Say: “What was Saul planning to do in Damascus? How did God stop him? Who did Saul see in the light? What was Jesus trying to tell Saul? (He loved him. When Saul hurt others, he was hurting Jesus.) No matter what Saul did, God never stopped loving him. And he will never stop loving us.” Procedure: In advance write the following verses: 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 1:18, Romans 8:38, 39 and Ephesians 2:8 with glow-in-the-dark crayons or on fluorescent paper, if possible, and place them where they can be seen in the darkest part of the room. Turn out the lights and turn on the flashlight so the children can spot the verses. Say: “Saul did many bad things. What were some of the things we learned about today? (He hunted Christians and put them in prison or had them killed. He tried to stop people who believed in Jesus.)

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When he met Jesus, all that changed. Why? (God had a special work for him to do. He really saw Jesus for the first time and knew that He had truly resurrected from the dead. He finally understood everything he had learned about the Scriptures and Jesus.) “What are some of the things we do wrong? (Accept all answers.) What should we do about it? (Ask God and the person concerned to forgive us and help us to change our behavior.) How can we be sure that God will forgive us? Let’s look at the light of God’s love and see what He says.” (Turn off the lights and shine the flashlight on the scripture texts you wrote earlier. Have the text read aloud and discuss the meaning of each.) “How does it feel to know that nothing can separate you from God? (good) When you feel sad because you have something wrong or someone has hurt you, what can you think about? (The gift of God’s grace and His love; God will forgive me if I am truly sorry; I need to forgive those who do wrong to me.) Remember that God’s love is like a light in darkness.”

Group Learning Activity: “Calling All Voices” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need an audio recording device with speakers for playback Say: “In this lesson we learned that Saul heard God’s voice on the Road to Damascus. God said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the voice replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Today we are going to learn how Paul recognized God’s voice.”

Procedure: Set out a recorder such as a digital recorder with speakers, or a cassette recorder. Let children record cheerful messages. After several children have had a turn, replay the recordings and have the children guess who is speaking. Say: “Were you able to recognize the voices on the recorder? What clues did you use to guess the identity? Sometimes we use voice tone to recognize who is talking. Other times we can tell who it is by what they say. Which way do you think that Saul recognized God’s voice? (He recognized God’s voice by what He said.) Do we hear God speak verbally today? (We do not hear voices from heaven.) How does God speak to us today? (God uses His Word to speak to us.) Why do you think it is important to study God’s Word? (We need to know what God is saying to us!)

Group Learning Activity: Scripture: “Paul’s Conversion” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible Procedure: Distribute Bibles to every student. Have students look up these scriptures and read aloud. Use the questions as points of discussion. Say: "Paul’s conversion story is told three times in the book of Acts. First it is told by his friend Luke in Acts 9:1-9. Then Saul tells it himself in Acts 22:3-11 when he was arrested by the Roman guards and again in Acts 26:1-20 when he witnessed to King Agrippa. Let’s read Acts 9:1-18 and Acts 22:3-16 together and list any differences we find. Read and compare the following verses: Acts 9:1-2 and Acts 22:3-5

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found

any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”

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“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women

and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I

even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.” Say: “Paul gave more information in his account about where he was born, his family, and his education than Luke. Both accounts say Saul was zealous, wanted to kill and imprison Christians, and even sought legal letters to extend his search.”

Acts 9: 3,4 and Acts 22: 6, 7 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

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fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.”

Say: “Luke gave more information about Saul falling to the ground and the words that God spoke to Saul from heaven.”

Acts 9: 5-8 and Acts 22:8-16 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied

. 6 “Now get

up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul

stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.” “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.

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My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There

you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11

My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

12 “A man named Ananias came to

see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13

He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and

to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15

You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 1

6 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be

baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ Say: “Luke tells how the men were speechless. They heard sound but did not see anyone. Saul tells how they saw the light but did not understand who was talking. Saul adds the whole part of the story about Ananias coming to heal him and telling him the mission God had called him to do.”

Say: “Why do you think Saul persecuted the Christians? (He believed he was doing the right thing.) Do you think Saul was happy persecuting and killing Christians? (Murder never brings satisfaction.) Even if someone doesn’t believe as you do, is it right to hurt that person? (Never.) Why? (God wants us to be known by our love.) Why do you think that seeing Jesus in a vision caused Saul to believe in Him? (He recognized that Jesus was really alive and He was God.) Why do you think Saul was willing to tell his story to other people? (So they would understand God’s grace and forgiveness.) Have students record what they have learned in their spiritual journals.

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Group Learning Activity: “Experiment: Balloon and Nickel” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need the following: Bibles, balloons, nickels, flat toothpicks, and clear plastic cups. Practice the experiment using the following steps below. Say: “In our lesson today we saw God’s power in the shining light and speaking from heaven to Saul. God miraculously changed Saul when he believed in Jesus as the Son of God. Today we are going to do an experiment to see God’s power in the way He created things.” Procedure: Have a volunteer inflate a balloon to be a little larger than his or her hand and then tie the balloon. Meanwhile have another volunteer stand a nickel on its edge and then balance a flat toothpick across the top of the nickel. A third volunteer should carefully cover the coin and toothpick with a clear plastic cup. (See drawing.) The volunteer who inflated the balloon should rub it back and forth on his or her hair a few times. (Clean hair works best!) Have student hold the balloon near the plastic cup and slowly move the balloon around the cup. The toothpick will move with the balloon. Explanation: The reason the toothpick moves without being touched is because all matter is made up of tiny parts called atoms. Each atom has a positive and negative charge like the opposite ends of magnets. Rubbing the balloon on our hair increases the amount of negative charges in the balloon so that it will attract the positive charge of the tooth pick, causing it to move. God in His power thought of this amazing way for matter to exist. Say: “How did Saul see God’s power in our lesson? (He heard God’s voice. His eyesight was restored when one of Jesus’ followers placed his hands on Saul.) “What are some ways we see God’s power? (In the things He created.). “How did Jesus’ life demonstrate God’s power? (He healed miraculously healed people from diseases. He rose from the dead. He saves us from sin.) “How do we see God’s power in the way He cares for us? (He answers our prayers. He helps us be patient with others.) “How can we see God’s power in our life?” (We can believe in Jesus as our Savior and we will become part of God’s family!)

Group Learning Activity: “Blind Transformation” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You’ll need a blindfold and a noisemaker and any other items you wish to use to change the scenery or make the blindfolded student guess. Say: “This lesson was about Saul and how God transformed him on the Road to Damascus. God appeared to him and showed him that he was persecuting Jesus His Son. Saul was blinded by the light from heaven when the voice of God spoke so he could hear. Today we are going to play a little game that will help us understand a little bit of how Saul must have felt when the Lord caused him to go blind.” Procedure: Have one student at a time be blindfolded (or have them close their eyes or leave the room). Have the rest of the students sit in a circle or line. The purpose of the game is for the blindfolded person to guess what has happened while he or she was gone from the room or was blindfolded. It might be people switching spots (if it is a large group.) Or maybe one person removes a jacket or puts hair up. It could also be handing one child a noisemaker and have him or her shake it for a few seconds, and then hide it. Once the guesser’s eyes are opened again, have them guess who had the noisemaker or what changed within the circle. Say: “How did it feel to be blind? (helpless, challenging) Were you able to see or tell what was changed? How do you think Saul felt when suddenly he became blind on the Road to Damascus? (stunned, amazed) Why do you think God caused Saul’s blindness? (a dramatic way to get his attention.) How was Saul changed after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus?

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“In our lesson God got Saul’s attention by shining a bright light down upon him and by speaking to him. God caused Saul to become blind. Becoming blind is a life changing experience in itself. For three days Saul did not eat or sleep. He just prayed. God used this time in Saul’s life to help him come to the realization that .he must depend on God. It was also a time for Saul to repent of all the wrong things he had done. Saul had been educated by Gamaliel one of the most famous teachers of the Law in Israel. Saul probably thought much about what he had learned and how Jesus was really the promised Messiah. When God sent Ananias to heal Saul he must have been very glad. But now he was a changed man! He was sorry for the sins he had committed against God’s people and now was willingly to be obedient to God in telling others about him.”

Group Learning Activity: “Blind Faith Game” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a chair opposite each team at the other end of the room. Procedure: Form two teams and have each team line up in pairs at one end of the room. Place a chair opposite each team at the other end of the room. Have partners stand back to back and link elbows. Instruct the sighted children—the ones facing forward—to lead their partners across the room to the chairs. Upon reaching the chair, the other child will become “sighted” and must lead the partner back to the start. Continue until every pair has had a turn. Say: “How did it feel to be the “leader” and take your partner to the chair? (Sometimes frustrating because you had to wait and be patient for your partner to follow.) How did it feel to the follower? (It was hard to know where to go. You might have stumbled several times.” “This game is a lot like following God. God is patient with us when we are trying to follow His lead. He loves us and wants us to succeed. We often are like the “blind” person when we follow Jesus. Sometimes we do not know where God is leading us. We have to trust Him even when we cannot see the outcome. When we follow God, he may lead us to exciting places we never knew was possible.” Conclude by praying the children will follow Jesus even when they do not know the direction.

Group Learning Activity: Object Lesson “Popcorn” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need some unpopped popcorn kernels, the big book “Saul’s Surprise on the Road to Damacus” and a marble covered by aluminum foil. Say: “Who would like some popcorn?” (Give each child an unpopped popcorn kernel and prepare for a few groans.) Say: “What’s wrong?” Show the children the popped popcorn kernels and ask, “How does a kernel become a fluffy, tasty piece of popcorn?” (Allow for a few responses). Explain that today’s lesson was about a man who started off with a hard heart, like the popcorn kernels they are each holding, but later, Jesus changes his heart, just as a popcorn kernel changes when it’s heated up.” Procedure: Review the main points of the lesson OR Read aloud the big book “Saul’s Surprise on the Road to Damascus” from Group publishing. After reading the first page, reiterate that Saul was like the unpopped kernels that they are holding. After reading the second page, place a drop of glue in each child’s palm. Have them spread the glue out into a thin layer on their palm. Tell them to hold their hand out to let the glue dry and explain that they’ll learn later why they have glue on their hands.

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After reading the fourth page, have the children peel the dried glue off their hands. Explain that this is like the scales that fell off of Saul’s eyes after Ananias prayed for him. After reading the fifth page, talk about how Saul, now Paul, was like a popped piece of popcorn. He was still a piece of popcorn, but he had been completely transformed from the inside out! Explain that God forgave Paul for all the wrong things that he did and that was really hard for some of the Christians to accept. After all, Paul had done some terrible things to Christians before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Give each child a marble covered by aluminum foil. Say: “Hold the marble and think of the wrong things you have done this week. Ask God to forgive you and take away the foil as a sign that your sins have been removed.

Group Learning Activity: “Opposition to the Faith” Game (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You’ll need several colors of sidewalk chalk, marbles, two basketballs, and Bibles. In the church parking lot, use the sidewalk chalk to draw two large targets with at least four rings. Make the targets 10 to 20 feet in diameter and label each bull’s eye "Jerusalem." Then label each circle outside of Jerusalem with a point value, increasing as they go farther out (10 points between Jerusalem and the first ring, 20 points between the first and second rings, and so on). Procedure: Form two teams and have each team stand near a target. Give each team a basketball and 20 marbles to place on its bull’s eye. Team members will take turns throwing the basketball on Jerusalem, scattering the marbles throughout the target. After each turn, add points up based on where in the target the marbles are have rolled. Then the marbles are gathered and returned to the center of the target for the next person to scatter. Say: “The object of this game is to have as many marbles as possible land outside of Jerusalem.” Add up the points for each person on a team. Marbles landing outside the target count for 50 points each. After tallying the scores, declare the winning team. Next have kids each choose a partner from the opposing team to form pairs. Have one partner in each pair read aloud Acts 8:1-4 and the other summarize it in one sentence. Say: “How was the persecution of the early church like this game? (People in Jerusalem scattered all over Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world when persecution came.) In what way did the persecution help to spread the news of Jesus to remote areas of the earth? (The early Christians shared their faith in Christ as they moved throughout the earth and this allowed Christianity to spread throughout the known world.) How do you think the early Christians felt about their persecution? (They probably were very discouraged by all the persecution and feared being put to death.) What can we learn about how God works from this example of the early church?” (God uses difficulties and trials to accomplish His perfect will of spreading the gospel throughout all the earth.)

Craft Learning Activity: “Power Mural” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a large sheet of poster paper, masking tape, colored markers, and crayons for each group of three to four children. Draw one or more of the following on one sheet of poster paper: a lightning bolt, a rainbow, an empty cross, and a stick figure at the top of the large sheet of paper. Cover tabletops with paper. Students will draw murals while sitting in chairs. Procedure: Divide class into groups of three or four children. Give each group a large sheet of poster paper and drawing and coloring supplies. Show the poster paper with the figures that has been previously prepared:

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Say: “What examples of God’s power do you see on this paper?” (We see God’s power in things He has made like lightning, rainbows, and people. We also see God’s power and love in sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross and come back to life again.) Continue discussing God’s power. Say: “What are some other ways we see God’s power? (Waterfalls, mountains, stories that tell what God has done in the past are ways we see God’s power. Answers to our prayers in ways that are best for us are another way we see God’s power.) List student’s ideas under your drawings. Say: “What does seeing God’s power help you know about Him?” (He is powerful enough to forgive our sins. He can help us. He is more powerful than anyone and anything.) “How was God’s power shown in today’s lesson?” (He made Saul blind. He used Ananias to heal Saul. He helped Saul understand who Jesus is.) Say: “Hundreds of years ago an artist named Michelangelo drew beautiful pictures on the ceiling of a chapel in Rome to show God’s power in creation. Michelangelo laid on his back for four years to paint the ceiling! We’re going to make some murals showing God’s power!” Have students use their creativity to show ways that God shows His power. Optional: For added interest tape the poster paper murals to the bottoms of tables with masking tape. Have students lay on their backs under the table to paint their murals illustrating ways God shows His power. Play soft music in background as students work. If the tables in the classroom have braces underneath them that make it difficult to find flat areas to work on, cover tabletop with paper and turn table over placing ends on other tables or chairs.

Craft Learning Activity: “Paul’s Face” Paper Plate (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need two printed copies of Paul’s face below, crayons, a paper plate, glue, and scissors. Procedure: Give each child two print outs of the face and have them color them. Have the students cut out the faces and features of Saul’s face. Distribute the paper plates. Have children glue one face to the paper plate with the eyes open. Have them glue the other face to the other side of the paper plate with the eyes closed. The students should be able to flip their paper plate face back and forth between the closed eyes and the opened eyes. Say: “In this lesson Saul was on the road to Damascus to kill the Christians. God miraculously appeared to him on the way. Jesus showed himself to him in a blinding light and spoke to him from heaven. He asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” From this question and seeing the light from heaven, Saul was able to know that Jesus was truly resurrected from the grave. At that moment Saul believed in Jesus as His Savior. He became blind from the light and his men led him into Damascus. While Saul was praying God told him that a man named Ananias would come and heal him. God then sent Ananias to heal Saul. Saul was a changed man! He began to boldly preach Christ and the gospel.”

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Craft Learning Activity: “Saul becomes Paul Stick Puppet” Preparation: You will need two printed copies of Paul’s face below, crayons, a large Popsicle stick, glue, and scissors. Procedure: Give each child two print outs of the face and have them color them. Have the students cut out the faces. Have children glue one face to the popsicle stick and the other face to the other side of the stick. The students should be able to flip the popsicle stick to each side to move the face back and forth between the closed eyes and the opened eyes.

Say: “In this lesson Saul was on the road to Damascus to kill the Christians. God miraculously appeared to him on the way. Jesus showed himself to him in a blinding light and spoke to him from heaven. He asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” From this question and seeing the light from heaven, Saul was able to know that Jesus was truly resurrected from the grave. At that moment Saul believed in Jesus as His Savior. He became blind from the light and his men led him into Damascus. While Saul was praying God told him that a man named Ananias would come and heal him. God then sent Ananias to heal Saul. Saul was a changed man! He began to boldly preach Christ and the gospel.”

Life Application Challenge: “God’s Love and Mercy” Procedure: Have the children draw a picture of some wrong thing they have done and are sorry for. Give them a clear plastic sheet of transparency or clear food wrap to cover their picture and help them draw a cross and a heart on the plastic. Then write at the top or bottom: “God’s love changes people.” Say: “Put the clear food wrap over your picture. What do you see? (The cross and heart covers the images in the picture.) “Everything lies behind the cross. God has taken care of all the things we have done. His love can change us so we no longer want to do those things. Just ask Him to help you and He will. “Is it easy to love someone when they do something mean to us? Why? (Allow discussion time.) What do you think about knowing that God can help a mean person change? And that God can change our hearts to love them anyway? How can that happen? (It happens when we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior.) Remember that God’s love changes people. This week pray that you will show kindness and love to others like Christ has shown to us.”

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Conversion of Saul (Paul)

Romans 5:8

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

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Graphic Memory Verse

Make a copy of the puzzle below for each student. Cut the following graph on solid lines to form puzzle pieces.

B U T G 0 D

D E M O N S T R A T E S

H I S O W N L O V E

F O R U S I N T H I S

W H I L E W E W E R E

S T I L L S I N N E R S

C H R I S T D I E D

F O R U S.

R O M A N S 5 : 8

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unit 7 paul the apostle nt7.1 conversion of saul (paul)...what a strange twist of fate for saul who...

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