Sunday - Peter and John Speak Up for Jesus - Acts 4:1-22 - Children's Sunday School Lesson - 5/20/18

Peter and John Are Taken to the Sanhedrin. Peter and John Arrested. Threat and Release.

Peter and John were speaking to the people. The priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came to the apostles. They were very upset by what the apostles were teaching the people.

The apostles were saying that people can be raised from the dead. They said this can happen because Jesus rose from the dead.

So the temple authorities arrested Peter and John. They said this can happen because Jesus rose from the dead.

So the temple authorities arrested Peter and John. It was already evening, so they put them in prison until the next day.

But many who heard the message believed. The number of men who grew to about 5,000.

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.

They had Peter and John brought to them. They wanted to question, "By what power did Peter and John do this?" they asked. "And through whose name?"

Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them "Rulers and Elders of the people, are you asking us to explain our actions today?" Do you want to know why we are kind to a man who could not walk?

Are you asking how he was healed? Then listen to this, you and all the people of Israel! You nailed Jesus Christ of Nazareth to the Cross.

But God raised Him from the dead. It is through Jesus' name that this man stands healed in front of you.

Scripture says that Jesus is "the stone you builders did not accept." But it has become the most important of all.

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing, they had nothing to say in reply.

But when they had ordered them to go aside of the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men?

For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is all who live in Jerusalem, and they could not deny it.

But in order that it may not spread any further among the people, they warned Peter and John to speak no more to any man in Jesus name.

For the man was more than 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

When they had been released, they went to their own companions, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

Reference Scripture used from the NIrV May the Faith Be With You Holy Bible @ Zondervan 2017

Sunday - The Church Gets Busy - Children's Sunday School Lesson - Acts 2:42-47 - 5/13/18

The Believers Share Their Lives Together. The Fellowship of the Believers. Spiritual unity finds practical expression in readiness to share money and possession.

What things do people do at Church?

The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared their lives together. They ate and prayed together.

Everyone was amazed at what God was doing. They were amazed when the apostles performed many wonders and signs.

All the believers were together. They shared everything they had.

They sold property and other things they owned. They gave to anyone who needed something.

Everyday they met together in the temple courtyard. They ate meals together in their homes. Their hearts were glad and sincere.

They praised God. They were respected by all the people. Every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

What things do people do at Church? When the Church first started the people were excited. They like spending time together. They wanted to learn more about Jesus. They wanted to praise God for doing such wonderful things for them.

Reference Scripture used from The NIrV May the Faith Be With You Holy Bible @ Zondervan 2017

Sunday - Called To Witness - Acts 6:1-7 - 8/6/17

When we read the descriptions of the early church - the miracles, the sharing and generosity - we may wish we could have been a part of this "perfect" church. No church has ever been or will ever be perfect until Christ and his followers are united at his Second Coming. All churches have problems. Do what you can to make your church better.

The twelve are the original disciples and Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:26).

As the early church increased in size, so did their needs. One was to organize the distribution of food to the poor. Each person has a necessary part to play in the life of the church (1 Corinthians 12). If you are not in leadership, you have gifts that can be used by God in various areas of the church's mission. Offer these gifts in service to him.

This administrative task was not to be taken lightly. Notice the requirements for the men who were to handle the feeding program: (1) good, with reputations for being honest, (2) full of the Holy Spirit, and (3) wise. We must look for honest, spiritually mature, d wise men and women to lead our churches.

Pastors should never try, or be expected, to do everything. Instead, the work of the church should be spread out among its members.

Spiritual leadership is serious business and must not be taken lightly by the church or the leaders. In the early church, the chosen men were commissioned (set apart by prayer and laying on of hands) by the apostles.

1 Timothy 4:14 (Instructions for elders. Paul gives guidelines for teaching). Timothy was a young pastor. Timothy's commission as a church leader was confirmed by prophecy (1 Timothy 1:18) and by laying on of hands by the elders of the church.

1 Timothy 3:10-13 ... Deacons means "one who serves." This position was begun by the apostles in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-6) to care for the physical needs of the congregation, especially the needs of the Greek-speaking widows. Deacons were leaders in the church and their qualifications resemble those of the elders (bishops) in some churches today. Paul says men are to be tested with lesser responsibilities before being made deacons.

Some have translated wives as "women helpers" or "deaconesses." Paul expects the behavior of prominent women in the church to be just as responsible and blameless as that of prominent men. Phebe, the deaconess was mentioned in Romans !6:1.

Jesus had told the apostles that they were to witness first in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). In a short time, their message had infiltrated the entire city and all levels of society.

Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible, KJV; Tyndale Publishers, Inc.,; Wheaton, IL