unit 7: paul the apostle nt7.16 paul is shipwrecked · 2018-12-24 · shipwreck on his way to rome....

1

NT7.16 Paul is Shipwrecked © Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7: Paul the Apostle

NT7.16 Paul is Shipwrecked

Scripture: Acts 27-28:10

Lesson Goal: 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! In this lesson we will see how Paul who was a prisoner escaped a shipwreck on his way to Rome.

Introduction: This is the sixteenth lesson in Unit 7: Paul the Apostle. 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. In this lesson we will see how Paul who was a prisoner escaped a shipwreck on his way to Rome. This lesson comes from the book of Acts. Acts is the fifth book in the New Testament. This book was written by Luke. 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 and the life of Paul the Apostle. Let's say the first five books of the New Testament together: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.

Attention Getter: “Sea Sickness” Have you ever been out in a boat on the lake or the ocean? How does it feel? Did the boat rock back and forth in the water? Just think how the boat would rock if there was a storm or a strong wind! You might get sea sick! People who get sea sick have a very nauseated stomach and are so dizzy they can’t stand up. They feel very uneasy from rocking back and forth. Sailing in a boat on the ocean in a storm can be very scary! In this lesson we will see how Paul was in a terrible storm at sea. He was a prisoner who escaped a shipwreck on his way to Rome. God showed Paul that He loves and protects His children.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for this lesson about Paul’s faith in you during difficult situations like the storm at sea. He boldly encouraged others to trust in you. Help us to tell others about God’s salvation like Paul did. Thank you for your promise to protect and care for us during hard times. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: Our memory verses are Psalm 91:14-15 ”Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/mi04rdaFm1E Paul was an Apostle chosen by God to take the gospel to the world. Jesus had appeared to him on the Road to Damascus and revealed that He was really the Son of God. Paul believed in Jesus that day and he was a changed man. God called Paul to be the Apostle who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name. He became the first missionary and the greatest preacher of all time. Paul made three Missionary Journeys to Greece and Syria. Despite much opposition they preached the gospel and several new churches were established in Asia Minor and Macedonia. The gospel spread throughout the region and many Gentiles believed in Jesus as their Savior. It was not easy to start churches. Some Jews who were jealous and did not believe in Jesus

https://youtu.be/mi04rdaFm1E

2


would stir up riots and try to stop them. Paul and his traveling companions were thrown into prison and run out of towns but they kept on preaching about Jesus. During this time Paul wrote several letters to the churches he had started. These letters gave instructions in how to live the Christian life and would later become part of our New Testament. They were Galatians, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. After returning from the three missionary journeys the Holy Spirit led Paul to go to Jerusalem where he faced false accusations from the Jewish leaders. These lies ended in mob riots which caused Paul to be imprisoned by the Roman rulers. Each time God protected Paul from the Jewish leaders’ plots to kill him. Paul defended himself in several trials before the Roman rulers-- Governor Felix, Festus, King Agrippa, and his sister Bernice. Each time Paul boldly testified about his conversion on the Road to Damascus and his belief in Jesus as the Way to heaven. Although these rulers could not find a reason to convict Paul they held him in prison for over two years. Because Paul was a Roman citizen he appealed his case and was sent to Rome. God had revealed to him that he would preach the gospel in Rome and Paul saw this appeal as a way to give him this opportunity! When the time came for Paul to face trial in Rome, he and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. Luke and Aristarchus from the church in Thessalonica also accompanied Paul on this journey. They set sail and the next day docked in Sidon. Sidon was a seacoast city just north of Caesarea in Syria. The Roman centurion Julius who was assigned to guard Paul kindly let him go ashore to visit friends who provided for his needs. Obviously Julius had learned to trust and respect Paul or he would not have let him go ashore unguarded. Just as Paul had promised he returned to the ship and they set sail again. But soon they encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course. Passing by the island of Cyprus they sailed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia and landed at Myra. There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship that was bound for Italy and put Paul and the other prisoners on board. After several days of slow and difficult sailing they finally got near the seaport city of Cnidus. However the wind blew hard against them and they could not land. So they sailed south to the island of Crete and finally arrived at the harbor of Fair Havens. The ship had lost a lot of time by being blown off course and this made the ship captain very upset. Ships in ancient times had no compasses and they navigated by the stars. Because the winter weather was becoming overcast it made sea travel very dangerous. The sailors could not see the stars in the sky clearly and so they had trouble navigating the ship. Paul warned the ship’s officers: “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” But the ship’s captain wanted to set sail, anyway. Since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor and not a good place to spend the winter, most of the crew wanted to sail up the coast to Phoenix, which was more sheltered and spend the winter there. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. But the weather changed abruptly, and a ‘northeaster’ –a wind of typhoon strength—swept across the island and blew them out to sea. The ship was caught by the storm. Because the sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, they gave up and let it be driven by the winds of the storm. They bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They also lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship down. The next day as the gale force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. But the wind continued to blow! The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars. No one had eaten for a long time. Everyone finally gave up all hope of being saved. Finally Paul stood up and called the crew together. He said, “Men you should have listened to me and not left Crete. You would have spared yourselves and all this cargo… but take courage! None of you will lose

3


your lives, even though the ship will go down.” Paul said this so they would trust that God was guiding Paul in what they should do. Paul continued, “Last night an angel of God stood beside me, and said, “Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will stand trial before Caesar! God in His goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you. So take courage! We will be shipwrecked on an island!” For two whole weeks the storm raged on! Finally about midnight on the fourteenth day of the storm the sailors sensed that land was near. They dropped a weight line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. A little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep. Because the water was shallower they knew that they were getting close to land! However, they were afraid they would be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight. In an attempt to escape from the ship, some of the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending to lower some anchors from the bow. They thought they had a better plan than God’s way so they were going to abandon the ship! Seeing them Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away. The soldiers and sailors were beginning to show their trust in God. Remember God’s plan for deliverance is the only way to be saved! Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “Please eat something now for your own good. I urge you to eat. You will need it to survive. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” Paul had total confidence in the Lord to keep them all safe! Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God, and broke off a piece and ate it. All 276 people on board were encouraged and began to eat. The crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard. When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline. It was the coast of Malta. When they saw a bay with a sandy beach they wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. So they cut off the anchors and they untied the ropes to lower the rudders. They raised the foresail into the wind, and headed toward the shore. But they hit a sandbar and ran the ship aground too soon. The front or bow of the ship stuck fast and would not move, while the back or stern of the ship was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart. The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. However the commanding officer wanted to save Paul’s life and stopped them. Actually it was God who caused the centurion to see the value of saving Paul’s life and spare the prisoners. Then the centurion or officer ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship and floated ashore. In this way everyone was allowed to escape the sinking ship. Just as the angel had said, everyone made it safely to the shore. As Paul predicted the ship was lost but no one perished. We should have courage and never lose heart because God is faithful to love and protect His children. Once Paul and the 276 people who had been shipwrecked were safely on shore they learned they were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind and hospitable toward them. Because it was cold and rainy, they built a fire on the shore to welcome them. As Paul was putting an armful of sticks on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, came out and bit him on the hand. Those who saw the snake hanging from his hand said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; although he escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live!” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. When Paul did not swell up or suddenly drop dead, the local people decided he was a god. A man named Publius who was the chief officer of the island, welcomed Paul to his house for three days. He provided food and shelter for the all the shipwrecked victims as well. What a great encouragement it must have been for Paul and the others to receive such kindness and honor. Once again God had faithfully provided for them. Then Publius’s father became ill with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to see

4


him and after prayer and laying his hands on him, the man was healed. Other sick people were brought to Paul and were healed also. After living on the island for three months the ship’s captain found another ship from Alexandria that had wintered at the island to sail. The people of the island honored Paul again by furnishing the ship with the supplies they would need to sail. So once again Paul was on his way to Rome. In this lesson we see that God had promised Paul that he would have safe passage to Rome and that He would not let anything stop His servant. God spoke words of encouragement to Paul as they were going through the difficult storm. Paul trusted God and knew that He would keep His promise. In the storm, many of the sailors wanted to abandon the ship. They thought there was no way they would survive, but God promised to keep them safe if they stayed on the ship. When the ship began to break apart, I bet it was difficult to believe God was still in control. But God is always in control! Even when a poisonous snake bit Paul God did not allow the poison to harm Paul. He protected him from death. God still had work for Paul to do in Rome. Paul had complete trust in God’s protection for him. When we go through hard times, we may be tempted to think that God does not care about our suffering. That’s not true! That is a lie that our enemy wants us to believe so that we lose hope. The truth is that we belong to God. God has promised to provide for us. He doesn’t always provide for us in the way we expect Him to, but His plans are good. Paul probably didn’t expect to face a shipwreck on his journey to Rome, but even in the midst of the dangerous storm, Paul was reminded that our God is good and He is trustworthy. God protected Paul in the shipwreck so he could stand before Caesar. God asks us to trust Him just like the people in the boat had to do. God helped the people see that they would be safe. God helps and cares for us too! We can live and act with love and courage because God is always with us! Paul continued to minister to others even as a shipwrecked prisoner. On this trip Paul was able to witness to his guards, to the chief officer of Malta, and the sailors on the ship. Paul used a very difficult situation to encourage people to trust in the one true God. God calls us to trust in His Son Jesus, who died on the cross to rescue us from sin and death. God sent Jesus to make a way for us to get to Heaven. We must believe and trust in Him as the Son of God and accept what He did for us on the cross as payment for our sins in order for us to get to heaven. When we believe in Jesus, we will spend time with Him just like Paul did. We are to read and study God’s Word and pray every day. We are to tell others about the good news of salvation even when it is difficult. God will show us things and encourage us just like He helped Paul through the hard situations. Remember God is always with us and helps us to share the gospel with others. Review Questions: “Race to the Shore!” Preparation: You will need carpet squares and two ropes. Procedure: Choose one side of the room to be the shipwreck and the other side to be the island. Mark the shipwreck with one rope and the island shore with the other. The children will gather at the shipwreck. Divide the class into two teams, including children of all ages on each team. Say: Your goal is to get from the shipwreck to the island. But not everyone in your group can swim, so you must use the “planks” (carpet squares) to get everyone across safely. To get to the island you must step on each of the carpet squares. To step to the next carpet square you must answer one of the following review questions correctly. The first team to successfully cross is the winning team.

1. What special mission did God give to the Apostle Paul? (God chose him to be the first missionary to the world and to be the one who would bring the gospel to the Gentiles and to suffer much for His name.)

5


2. How did Paul share the gospel with the Gentiles? (Paul made three Missionary Journeys to Greece and Syria. Despite much opposition they preached the gospel and several new churches were established in Asia Minor and Macedonia.)

3. What did Paul do to help the new churches that he had established in Greece and Syria? (During this time Paul wrote several letters to the churches he had started. These letters which gave instruction in how to live the Christian life would later become part of our New Testament.)

4. What books in the New Testament were letters that Paul wrote to churches he had established on his missionary journeys? (The letters Paul wrote to churches were Galatians, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.)

5. How did Paul get in prison? (The Jewish leaders falsely accused him and caused mob riots in the city. The Romans rulers imprisoned Paul to keep the Jews happy and to prevent him from being killed.)

6. How did Paul defend himself before the Roman rulers? (He witnessed to them by telling them the message of salvation and the gospel. He told them that he obeyed the Jewish Law.)

7. What verdict did the Roman rulers have about Paul? (They could not find anything worthy of imprisonment and felt that the only problem was that the Jewish leaders hated him. According to Roman law they felt that Paul was part of the Jewish religion and therefore was not guilty of any crime.)

8. Why were the Romans sending Paul to Rome? (Paul was a Roman citizen and he had appealed his case to Rome. This was a right that all Roman citizens had so the Roman rulers were sending him to Rome for trial.)

9. How did the Paul’s Roman guard feel about him? (Paul was placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment He respected Paul and allowed him to visit his friends. He also prevented the soldiers from killing Paul and allowed him to swim safely ashore after the shipwreck.)

10. What warning did Paul give the ship captain when he wanted to sail from Fair Havens to Phoenix? (Paul warned the ship’s officers: “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”)

11. What things did the crew do to try to save the ship during the storm? (Because the sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, they gave up and let it be driven by the winds of the storm. They bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They also lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship down. The next day as the gale force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard.)

12. How did Paul encourage the crew? (He told them that an angel had appeared to him and told him that the ship would be lost but everyone on board would be saved. He told them to eat food because they would need their strength. He even offered up bread to bless it and to ask them to trust in the Lord.)

13. When the crew saw the shore and they knew that the boat was breaking apart, what did they want to do with the prisoners? (The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. However God caused the commanding officer to want to save Paul’s life and stopped them.)

14. How did the people on the island of Malta treat the shipwrecked men as they swam ashore? (They welcomed them by starting a fire. The leader of the island offered them a place to stay for three days and some food and supplies.)

15. What happened to Paul when he was putting sticks on the fire on the sandy beach? (A poisonous snake came out of the wood and bit Paul on the hand. Paul shook off the snake and threw it into the fire. God protected Paul from the poison and kept him from swelling up and dying.)

16. What did the people on the island think about Paul? (At first they thought that he would die but when he didn’t they believed that he was a god.)

17. When the Publius’s father became ill with a fever and dysentery what did Paul do? (Paul went to see him and after prayer and laying his hands on him, the man was healed. Other sick people were brought to Paul and were healed also.)

18. What did the people of the island do for Paul as they prepared to leave on another ship? (They provided supplies for Paul as he traveled aboard the ship to Rome.)

6


19. What lessons can we learn from this story of Paul’s shipwreck? (When we go through hard times, we may be tempted to think that God does not care about our suffering. That’s not true! That is a lie that our enemy wants us to believe so that we lose hope. The truth is that we belong to God. God has promised to provide for us. He doesn’t always provide for us in the way we expect Him to, but His plans are good. God is always with us and helps us to share the gospel with others.)

20. What are the memory verses? (Our memory verses are Psalm 91:14-15 ”Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Life Savers” Say: “Our memory verses are Psalm 91:14-15 ”Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it orally together several times. Say: “These verses tell us that God watches over us even in times of stress and fear. God is has promised to help us through difficult situations. Our memory verse activity will help us remember that we can trust in God’s faithfulness.” Preparation: Each team will need an inflatable pool ring and a rolling skate board. Procedure: Two members from each team will play in each round. One person will put the inflatable ring around their waist and then sit on the rolling board. The other person will be the one who pushes his partner. At the signal, a pair from each team will move toward a designated point across the room to safety. The first pair to reach the point takes the floatation ring off, and then stands together to lead their team in saying the scripture that’s being memorized. Continue having the races until everyone’s had a chance.

Group Learning Activity: Interactive Storytelling “Sailing in a Boat” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need items to create an outdoor scene. These are some items that would be appropriate—trees, flowers, rocks, bushes, etc. A small boat (plastic, inflatable, small rowboat, etc.) helps make the scene. You can also create a ship with large pieces of cardboard or just put tape on the floor in a boat shape. This boat will be used in experiencing the story. A blue sheet or cloth can be put around the boat to represent water. Say: “Paul and Luke told many people about Jesus. But not everyone wanted to hear about Jesus. Now soldiers were taking Paul and Luke to the city of Rome. They had to travel in a big ship. The ship got in a big storm but God protected them.” Procedure: Retell and enact the events in the Bible lesson. Select from these activities to help children experience the lesson:

Rock-a-bye Baby: Place a child on a blanket or sheet while two adults gently swing him or her back and forth. Talk or sing about boats on stormy waves.

Waves: Students can hold up waves cut out of blue construction paper or raise their arms in the motion of waves and make sound effects at the proper time in the telling of the story. At the point of the story where the passengers eat you can share some granola or cereal. Have props that represent things that get thrown overboard.

Ships: Fill the bottom of a large plastic container or small wading pool with a few inches of water. Supply small plastic containers, nutshells, matchboxes, Styrofoam trays, or other floating objects as ships. Allow the children to blow through a straw to try to move the “boats” across the water.

7


Sailboat: Place the chairs close together, side by side, facing each other with one at each end facing in. The seats may touch if the kids are young enough to enjoy scrunching up in the boat, otherwise leave room for their legs. Tell them they are passengers on a ship on the Adriatic Sea.

Sailing: Use real row boat in your classroom. Invite a few children at a time to sit in the boat while adults gently rock it. If you do not have access to a boat, seat the children one or two at a time on the sheet or blanket and have two adults gently rock it back and forth. Repeat until all the children have had a turn. You can sing “Row, row, your Boat.”

Storm at Sea: Spray the children gently with the water using a spray bottle. Play a recording of storm sounds or ask a helper to beat a drum. Turn the room lights off and on repeatedly or turn out the lights and turn a flashlight off and on. Pretend that the waves got higher and higher and the children are in a terrible storm! Distribute the toy drums and cymbals to the children, if desired, and allow them to make storm sounds while you sing. Turn on an electric fan so they can feel the wind blowing. You may also invite a few children at a time to sit in the boat while adults rock it harder. If you wish, continue to spray the children. (Be sensitive to children who may be reluctant to participate in this activity and do not force them to participate.)

Ropes and Cargo boxes: Place boxes and ropes in the boat. Have students throw the ropes and cargo boxes overboard. Count the fourteen days without food, drop the anchors, cut off the skiff and eat the bread (crackers).

Safe on Shore: Review the Bible lesson that Paul and the men on the ship saw an island with a sandy beach. The ship ran into the sand but the waves began to beat it into pieces. All the men on board were able to swim to shore or grab a piece of wood and hold on until they got to land. (Invite the children to crawl out of the boat and go to shore!)

Story telling with objects: Bring a blue bed-sheet or blue plastic tarp to class. Use a toy ship (if you have one) or a small cardboard box (like a shoe box) to represent Paul’s ship. As you tell the story the blue sheet will represent the sea and the box the ship. Before you begin, guide the children in holding the edges of the sheet to practice creating first a “calm sea” and then a “storm” by lifting and shuffling the edges of the sheet around. Then, as you begin to tell the story gently slide the box into the calm “sea”. The children will gently move the sheet so Paul’s ship will “sail” from place to place as you tell the story. At the point in the story when you talk about the storm be sure to remind the children that Paul’s ship was tossed around but did not turn over (this should keep things from getting too wild).

God’s protection: Use the same “sea” (bed-sheet or tarp) and “ship” (shoe box) above but place ping-pong balls or scrunched-up pieces of newspaper to represent the people in the boat. Children will enjoy creating a “storm” by lifting and shuffling the sheet and moving Paul’s ship around but not letting any of the “people” on board the ship fall overboard. Of course the ship must crash in the end but all of the “people” will “swim” to shore (off one edge of the sheet).

Edible Activity: Make blue jelly (jello) in a clear plastic cup before class. Make enough so each child can have one. As you review the story distribute the cups to the children. Give them each a small piece of chocolate (or another appropriate food item) to represent the boat. In the review, when you get to the part about the storm clouds building up before the storm, dollop whipped cream on the top of the “water”. When it is time for the storm have the children stir it all together.

Group Learning Game: “Ship Race!” Purpose: To introduce subject of God’s plan as well as the names of the ports in today’s Bible story. Preparation: You will need a rope, colored paper (four different colors), and tape. For each crew (team of five children), cut a length of rope long enough for five children to fit comfortably inside when the ends of the rope are tied together. Another option would be to have a small circle for the five children on each crew to hold onto. Write Sidon, Myra, Fair Havens, and Malta each on a different sheet of colored paper. Display the signs around the play area. For each crew, make a set of matching paper cards. Option: For added fun, spray the ships with water bottles or water guns to simulate a storm.

8


Say: “Let’s have a ship race! We will choose a captain and crew for each ship. The captain will receive the plan for your ship’s journey. Follow your captain to know which way to go. At each port you will “dock” by leaving a matching colored paper card below the port’s sign.” Procedure:

1. Form a crew of five children for each ship. Each crew chooses one child to be the ship’s captain and a name for their ship.

2. Help each ship’s crew stand inside a rope circle (their ship) or grasp a small rope circle (a life preserver). The crew should hold the rope at waist level with the captain standing in the front. Ships should begin in the center of the play area (the sea).

3. Give a plan to each captain by giving them a set of the four color cards. Shuffle the cards so each ship has a different plan to follow.

4. On your signal, the captains lead their crews to each port according to the order of their colored cards. At each port, the crew leaves the matching color card behind.

5. Ship captains and crews must work together to walk without falling or letting go of the rope. If anyone falls or releases the rope, the ship must return to the center of the sea before continuing on their course.

6. The first ship to visit each port in order, return to the center of the play area, and sit down wins.

Say: “Who had your ship’s plan? (Our captain) You had to trust your captain to lead you to the right ports. Paul knew God had a plan for his life. He trusted God no matter what happened. In this lesson we learned what happened when Paul traveled to Rome by ship. The ports we visited in our race were the same ones Paul visited on his way to Rome.”

Group Learning Game Activity: “Human Battleship” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Use chairs, clothespins, and a bed sheet to divide the room in half at chest height. You will also need a large supply of beach balls or foam balls for each team. Procedure: Form two teams of students. Each team will lie down on one side of the divider. Before playing the game, make sure the divider will not fall on the kids if it is hit or jostled. Students will toss beach balls or foam balls back and forth over the divider. Students may not get up or move around on the floor. If a student catches a beach ball, the student who threw it is out. If the ball hits a player who is unable to catch it, she is “hit.” After two hits, a kid is “sunk” and out of the game. Say: “In this lesson we learned about Paul’s shipwreck. His ship wasn’t pelted by beach balls. Instead, his ship was in a huge storm. How would you feel if you were on a ship in a bad storm? (You would be frightened or scared) The sailors thought that if the ship would hold out, they would be safe. But Paul helped them see that God would protect them! “Even though Paul faced hard times because he told people the truth about Jesus, God continued to give Paul opportunities to share the gospel everywhere he went. Even when he was in chains! Just as God used Paul, He chooses to use all believers to share the good news of Jesus with others. When we trust God, we know that even our difficult circumstances can be used for His glory and our good.”

Group Learning Game Activity: “Obstacles” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need bandanas and items to set up the obstacle course. Set up some items that will become obstacles to be crawled under, squeezed around, climbed over, or gone through. Just look around at what you have in the building and you’ll be able to configure a great obstacle course. Consider using these: hula hoops, chairs, traffic cones, large cardboard boxes, garbage cans, artificial trees. Procedure: Using a bandana, tie a child’s hands behind their back. Say: “Prisoners may have been restrained like this in Paul’s day.”

9


Give instructions on how each item in the obstacle course has to be addressed. Then, with hands secured behind him, the child goes through the obstacle course as quickly as he can. As soon as the first child gets about one-third the way through, start another child. Keep doing this with as many children as you want to play or demonstrate. Say: “Do you think you did a pretty good job going through the course? What made running this course more difficult? What adjustments did you have to make? Say: “We each have obstacles in our lives that change our perfect plans. In the game at the beginning of our time, the best way to get across the room was to walk in a straight line. But, there were obstacles—things that kept us from doing that. And, the other obstacle was that our hands were tied.” “Paul had all kinds of obstacles. All he wanted to do was to tell people about Jesus. But, those who didn’t agree with him kept getting in the way. Instead of meeting with some of the people who had started a church in their homes where they could worship God and talk about Jesus, Paul found himself sailing to Rome to face his trial. Things get in our way and change our plans. People react in different ways to rough times in their lives. When obstacles come, when plans are changed, when things don’t go the way we want them to or the way we thought they would, we have choices about the way we react. We can choose how we’re going to face our obstacles.” “When we go through hard times, we may be tempted to think that God does not care about our suffering. That’s not true! That is a lie that our enemy wants us to believe so that we lose hope. The truth is that we belong to God. God has promised to provide for us. He doesn’t always provide for us in the way we expect Him to, but His plans are good. Paul probably didn’t expect to face a shipwreck on his journey to Rome, but even in the midst of the dangerous storm, Paul was reminded that our God is good and He is trustworthy.”

Group Learning Game Activity: “The Winds Blew” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need Styrofoam cups, ping pong balls, a toy golf putter and an electric fan. You can use a real golf putter if desired. Cut the bottom out of all 3 Styrofoam cups. Procedure: Divide the kids into teams of 5 kids each. Place each cup on its side with the top of the cup toward the kids, 15-20 feet away from the teams. Then, give each team 5 ping-pong balls and a toy golf putter or a real golf putter. Set up a fan so that it blows across at least part of the area where players will be moving ping-pong balls. Say: “Remember in our story, the winds blew! There were 276 men on the ship and they all made it to shore safely. Each of these ping-pong balls represents a man on the ship. Each team will try to get all of their men safely to shore.” Procedure: At the signal, the first person on each team will use the putter to get one man (ping-pong ball) to go through their Styrofoam cup. As soon as it does, they return to their team, give the putter to the next player, who will get another man to shore and through the cup. The first team to get all 5 of their men (ping-pong balls) to shore and through the cup gets the chance to score 1,000 points by successfully completing a fill in-the-blank question (below). If you have lots of kids and plenty of room, you can run more teams. Or, you can rotate teams through. Post the following words where everyone can see them: escape, piece of wood, 25, prisoner, cut, lifeboat, Rome, kill, overboard, 276, tied, Crete, commander, have a party, whip. Fill-in-the-Blank Questions: Paul was a ____________________ on a ship. Paul was being taken to ___________ to stand trial. To lighten the ship, the crew threw cargo ________________. Some of the crew planned to _______________.

10


The soldiers wanted to _____________ the prisoners. Those who could not swim grabbed a __________________. All _______ men made it safely to shore. The commander ______ the ropes that held the lifeboat.

Group Learning Activity: “Ship’s Log Book” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a pencil and Bible and their spiritual notebook. Say: “How many of you keep a journal or a diary? What kinds of things do you write in it? Do you ever wonder what other people write in their journals? Did you know that a ship captain has to keep a record of important events that happen every day at while the ship is sailing at sea. The journal is called a log book.” “Today, I want you to pretend that you are Paul on this voyage to Rome. We’re going to write entries in our log book as if we were Paul. It was a long trip, so choose any day on the voyage to write about. It could be the day when he waved good-bye to his friends on the shore as the ship set sail. Or, the day he reported to the captain about some of the crew planning to mutiny. Or, how about the day when he told them to eat up, because it was time to head to shore. As you write, think about how Paul must have felt and what was going on around him. Feel free to sketch a picture to go along with your journal entry.” Procedure: Have students locate and read orally the following scriptures. Use the discussion questions to reinforce the major ideas.

Read Acts 27:1-5 and Proverbs 16:7—Who was placed in charge of Paul as he was taken as a prisoner to Rome? (Julius) Who accompanied Paul on this journey? (Jesus, Aristarchus and Luke) How did Julius treat Paul? (He showed him kindness and let him go ashore to visit friends.) When believers lead an upright life, what will others see in them? (They will see the Lord and will even be at peace with him.) If you were writing a journal entry about Paul going ashore, what would you say?

Acts 27:6-12—What happened to the ship that Paul was on while it was sailing toward Cnidus? (The winds began to blow the ship off course and it landed at a place called Fair Havens.) What warning did Paul give to the captain and the centurion? (He warned them that if they continued to sail that they would have a shipwreck and loose the cargo and perhaps even their own lives.) Why did they not follow Paul’s advice? (They thought they knew better about sailing. They wanted to get to a safer harbor in order to spend the winter months.) If you were writing a journal entry about Paul’s warning, what would you say?

Acts 27: 13-20—What happened when they were sailing along the shore of Crete? (A vicious northeaster storm swept the ship out to sea.) What did the sailors do to try to save the ship? (They tied ropes around the body of the ship to hold it together. They threw the cargo overboard. They threw the ship’s tackle overboard. Everyone gave up hope of being saved. If you were writing a journal entry about the storm at sea, what would you say?

Acts 27: 21-26—What did Paul do to encourage the sailors? ( He told them that an angel had appeared to him in the night and told them that everyone would survive if they stayed aboard the ship.) What did Paul tell the sailors to do? (He told them to faith in God.) If you were writing a journal entry about Paul’s encouraging the sailors, what would you say?

Acts 27: 27-32—How did the sailors know that they were nearing land? (They measured the depth of the water and it was getting shallower.) What did some sailors attempt to do? (They tried to lower the lifeboat and go into the storm and row ashore.) Why did Paul warn them not to do this? (God had said that they must stay on board and run the ship ashore.) If you were writing a journal entry about the ship nearing land, what would you say?

Acts 27: 33-38—What did Paul say the sailors should do to prepare to take the ship ashore? (Paul told them to eat and regain their strength.) What did Paul do to help the sailors trust in God? (He offered up some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.) If you were writing a journal entry about Paul instructing the crew, what would you say?

Act 27: 39-44—What happened when the sailors tried to run the ship aground? (They cut the anchors and untied the rudders. They hoisted the sail and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck

11


and the stern was broken into pieces.) What did the soldiers want to do with the prisoners? (They wanted to kill them but Justus prevented them from killing Paul.) How did the sailors, prisoners, and soldiers get ashore? (They swam or floated ashore by hanging onto the pieces of the broken vessel.) If you were writing a journal entry about the shipwreck, what would you say?

Acts 28:1-6—When the passengers swam ashore what did they encounter? (The people of the island welcomed them with a warm fire, food, and clothes.) What unusual thing happened to Paul? (He was snake bit but did not die of the poison.) What did the people on the island think about Paul? (They thought he was a god.) If you were writing a journal entry about the welcome on the shore, what would you say?

Acts 28:7-10—Who was especially kind to Paul and the other passengers of the shipwreck? (Publius the chief official of the island welcomed them and provided for their needs.) What did Paul do for the official’s father? (Paul healed his father as well as several others on the island who were sick.) If you were writing a journal entry about Paul’s ministry on the island of Malta, what would you say?

Say: “While many things happened on Paul’s journey to Rome, God was not surprised by any of them. God protected Paul in the shipwreck so he could stand before Caesar. Paul trusted God to keep His promise to rescue everyone from the storm. He encouraged sailors to trust God, too.” Challenge: Contrast Paul’s shipwreck with the story of Jonah in the Bible. Share how there are different ship stories. Talk about how much Paul loved God and wanted the people on the boat to believe in Jesus. Optional: Print the outline picture of Paul the Apostle below. As you go through the scriptures above, guide the children to write descriptive words or events around the picture of Paul. These phrases or words will serve to summarize Paul’s faith in God and his witness of the gospel message to others.

Craft Learning Activity: “Whistling Wind” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need Bible, paper plates, scissors, crepe-paper streamers, ruler, markers, and tape. For each child cut a hole in the center of a paper plate approximately ½ inch (1.3 cm) wide. For each child, cut three or four crepe-paper strips, 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20.5 cm) long. Say: “In today’s Bible story, a strong wind blew Paul’s boat out to sea. Then a big storm sent rain down on the little boat. The people on the boat were scared, but Paul helped them and prayed to God for help. Let’s make something to remind us about wind.” Procedure: Children use markers to draw clouds and skies on paper plates. Assist children as they tape crepe paper strips above the hole in paper plate. (Note: Make sure hole is not blocked by tape.) Children can glue cotton balls to paper plates to make clouds and blow through hole to make streamers move Holding plates up to their faces, children blow through holes to make crepe-paper strips move. Optional: Older children can tape lengths of tinsel or silver ribbon to bottom edge of paper plate to represent rain.

Craft Learning Activity: “Rocking Paper Plate Ship” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need one paper plate per student. You will need paper for the sail. Cut paper triangles ahead of time if desired. You will need crafting sticks, star hole paper punch (optional), coloring pens, scissors, and tape. Procedure: Fold your paper plates in half and decorate. If the children wish, the “rim” of the paper plate can be the “sea” and the centre of the

12


plate can be the “boat”… but it really doesn’t matter! It is totally up to them. The kids can also draw little fish “In the sea” or use “fish stickers” to add details (if they wish). You can really make this activity as simple or complicated as you wish. Cut out your triangular yacht sail and again decorate. Use pens, paint, tape and hole punches as much or as little as you like. Now tape your yacht craft sail to the wooden stick. You may want to use two sticks. One can go down the center of the sail and another along the bottom of the sail to give it a little structure. You can also add a little fold or wrinkle to your sail if you wish! Next, you can either tape the “stem” of the sail to the back of your boat or you can make a small hole in the paper plate crease, feed the stick through and tape it to the inside of your boat. If your boat doesn’t stay upright fully, you can add a little glue/ or rolled up tape to the inside of the paper plate halves to keep them together and really turn this into a fabulous rocking paper plate craft for kids! Have students write the memory verses on the side of the boat. Psalm 91:14-15 ”Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Say: “In this lesson we learned that Paul was taken prisoner and was sent to Rome by ship. The ship we made today reminds us of the journey that Paul made and how he became shipwrecked. On this journey Paul showed his trust in God’s faithfulness and protection. Use this sailboat to retell the story to a friend.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Sailing Ship” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Each child will need a copy of the “Sailing Ship” template printed on card stock. You will also need tape, scissors, paper punch, straws, and play dough. Say: “The boat in today’s story was a big sailing ship that crossed the sea, until it got caught in a terrible storm. It made it safely in the storm, only to sink as it almost reached safety. God kept Paul safe from the storm in the boat.” Procedure: Provide each child with a copy of “Sailing Ship”, scissors, crayons, and a straw. Have the children decorate the ship’s hull and sail with crayons. The heavier the crayon wax on the bottom and sides of the hull, the more waterproof the craft. Have the children cut out the hull on the solid lines and fold up along the dotted lines. Have them connect the flaps together with tape. Have the children color a design on the sail. Have them cut out the sail. Using a paper punch, have them make a hole in the top and the bottom of the sail. Have the children slide a straw through the two holes. Have the children attach the straw mast to the bottom of the ship with a small bit of play dough.

Craft Learning Activity: “Chenille Snakes” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need red or black chenille stems, googly eyes, glue, and pony beads. Procedure: Give each student a chenille stem and pony beads. Help students curl one end of the chenille stem into a little loop to make the tongue of the snake and keep the beads from sliding off. Guide the students to add beads to their chenille stem until about an inch remains. Demonstrate to students how to bend the beaded stem to make a “head” near the tongue loop and curving the remining stem to make the “body” of the snake. Loop the end to keep beads from sliding off. Allow the students to glue eyes onto the head of the snake.” Say: “Who was bitten by the snake in the bible lesson? What did all the people think would happen to Paul? What happened? How did that show that God was always with Paul enabling him to boldly share the gospel with others?”

13


“No matter where Paul traveled, God was with him. Our snake is a fun way for us to remember that God will be with us as we share the gospel too.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Boat Float” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need pool noodles or sponges, straws, foam sheets, scissors, pan of water and glue. Cut the pool noodle into 1 ½ “ wide pieces. If you do not have access to a pool noodle give each kid a sponge. Say: “To help us remember our lesson about Paul’s shipwreck we are going to make boats that will float.” Procedure: Have each student cut a triangle from foam and glue it to the side of the top of the straw to form a sail. Have each student take the pool noodle piece and cut a notch in the top of the noodle to slide the bottom of the straw into it. They can then add some glue to help the straw stay inside the notch. Allow the glue to dry for a minute or so as you review the Bible lesson. Say: “In this lesson we learned that God was always with Paul enabling him to boldly share the gospel, Paul faced unusual situations as he traveled to share the gospel--being arrested, the shipwreck, the snake and more. What would it have been like to be with him during some of those experiences? (It was probably very frightening.) Whenever we experience difficult situation we should remember that God is always in control of every detail. He has promised to be with us during those experiences.” As time allows guide the students to take turns allowing their boats to float in the pan of water. You may even opt to have students “race” their boats to get Paul to Rome.

Life Application Challenge: “Tongue Depressors” Preparation: You will need a tongue depressor for each student and ball point pens for writing. Procedure: Give each child a tongue depressor. Ask each child to write down an obstacle or difficult situation that they are facing in telling others about Jesus or in obeying Christ in their daily lives. The obstacle may be something small or it could be something huge. Say: “Prayer is one of the main ways God gives us to help us get through the difficult times. It’s one of the resources we have available to us as children of God. What is your rough place? What are you having a difficult time handling or getting around right now? Write that on the tongue depressor stick.” Say: “Everyone on the ship grabbed hold of pieces of the boat. Let this tongue depressor stick remind you of a piece of the boat. It’s going to be your prayer stick, so hold onto prayer to get you through your difficult time.” Pray: “We all have difficult times, Lord. We know that. We know that You want us to be survivors. So, we want to bring to You the obstacles we have right now and ask for Your help in getting through them. You have promised to never leave us and to strengthen us when we are facing difficult times. Please help us with ____________. (Ask the kids to say altogether what they have written on their tongue depressors.) We don’t want to bargain with you, or quit, or run away, or panic. We want to be survivors with Your help. Amen.” Say: “Use your prayer stick to remind you to pray about your obstacle. Ask God to help you be a Survivor. Then, when you realize that your obstacle is behind you, break the stick in half and celebrate.”

14


Paul is Shipwrecked

Psalm 91:14-15

”Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him

in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

15


16


17


Hidden Pictures

18


19


20


21


unit 7: paul the apostle nt7.16 paul is shipwrecked · 2018-12-24 · shipwreck on his way to rome....

Documents