Going the Distance

Scripture: Acts 20:1-21:26

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn Paul traveled to many countries to teach about Jesus.
  • Students will learn Paul continued to preach about Jesus even though he was in danger most of the time.
  • Students will learn God wants them to share their faith wherever He sends them, even if it is difficult or scary.
  • Students will practice using scales to find distances between various cities.

Guiding Question: How does sharing our faith bring us to different places around the world?

Materials: Paper maps with scales, rulers (if needed), paper, pencils

Procedure: Review the story of Paul’s Missionary Journey. Remind students that throughout this journey, Paul traveled to many countries so that He could share Jesus with the people there. During his travels, Paul faced dangerous situations where sharing His faith may have caused Him harm or to be put in jail. Even in danger, Paul still shared His faith because He knew that was what God wanted him to do and trusted God would keep Him safe because He was being obedient. Have students share why they think God would send us to places all over the world to share even if it is not comfortable or safe. Explain that God wants his name spread all over the world so people can come to know Him. He relies on Christians to share the message and may call us to travel to new and unfamiliar places to do so. Even if it seems scary, it’s important to obey God so you can serve Him and make His name known.

Introduce the activity. Provide students with paper maps and point out the scale at the bottom. Explain that the scale is used to find the distance between two cities. Have the students pick at least five pairs of cities to find the distances between on their paper maps and record the distance. Have a peer check when they are done.

Additional Questions: How can students use scales to help plan a road trip in their state?

Supplemental Activity: Provide students of a paper map of their state (or region of the state) and have them plan a trip to various cities but the total distance can be no more than 500 miles.

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