Scripture: Acts 8:1-40
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God opened the Church to Samaritans after the Jews.
- Students will learn God does not want us to become Christians so we can get what we want in life.
- Students will learn God wants the good news about Jesus to be told to everyone in the world.
- Students will learn ways to read the Bible and learn about what God is telling them.
Guiding Question: How can students learn to read and study the Bible?
Materials: Blank journals, decorating materials, pencils, pens
Procedure: Review the story of Philip and how the Ethiopian Eunuch came to be saved. Discuss how Philip shared his faith with the Eunuch and the importance of baptism in the conversion process. Explain that people called missionaries go around the world to help people and share God with them in hopes of converting them to Chrsitianity. Even if our job is not to go around the world, we can still be missionaries in our school and other places we go with people. We can share God through our words and actions. God desires that all people know about Him and become Christians.
Introduce the activity. Remind students that the Ethiopian Eunuch studied the scriptures and tried to do what they said. Help students develop a Bible reading plan with realistic amounts of scripture to read each day and ways to record what they think that passage is telling them God wants them to know. Consider using Proverbs, a Gospel, Acts or James to make it easier and practical. Don’t chastise students who forget, rather encourage them to start. Try to continue the activity for several weeks to start good habits. Be careful not to assign too much scripture or kids will get overwhelmed and stop reading. A few verses or at most a chapter is probably enough for kids who aren’t currently reading their Bible every day.
Have students create an attractive Bible journal to record the passages they are to read, what they learned and questions they have about what they read.
Additional Questions: How can students learn to work together to study the Bible?
Supplemental Activity: Have the students work with a friend to create a plan for studying the Bible together. The students can plan ways to hold each other accountable, how to meet and read together, etc.