Over the Top 6 Teacher's Manual Sample

Leader’s manual OT6 Go and tell From Acts and Matthew

Contents

How it works

4

Unit introduction

6

1

Telling the world about Jesus

Acts 1:1–11

9

2

The Spirit comes

Acts 2:1–41

17

3

In the name of Jesus

Acts 3:1–4:22

25

4

Stephen – faithful to the end

Acts 6–7

33

5

Philip tells about Jesus

Acts 8:26–40

41

6

Saul’s conversion

Acts 9

47

7

Paul sent to tell about Jesus

Acts 11:19–30; 13:1–12

57

8

Paul at Philippi

Acts 16:1–5,11–40

65

9

Unity and love

Ephesians 4:1–16

73

Giving to those in need

2 Corinthians 9:1–15; Matthew 25:31–40

79

10

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Over The Top

How it works How the sessions are structured Bible passage: All sessions are Bible-focused

Aim This is the ‘big idea’ to be taught during this session. It is child-oriented.

Outcomes These statements break down the aim into ‘do-able’ chunks. There are generally only three, so that the leader can keep them in mind and check up later whether or not they were achieved. They are broken up into: • knowledge – information, concepts, beliefs • understanding – more personal ways of grasping the concepts in the session • life application – ways of making links between knowledge and children’s lives, and reflecting on what kind of change might happen in response to God’s word.

Memory verse This verse will be based on the CEV Bible and will be taught during the session.

Notes These notes for the leader give Bible context and background. There are hints regarding the theology of the passage, where it fits in salvation history and how it may properly be applied to both leader and child.

There might also be comments about the management of the session content and special comments when needed about visual aids and activities.

Leader’s prayer This section links to the aim and outcomes, mentioning the way this session will actually call for a response from the child and make a difference in their lives.

Gear A list is given at the beginning of the session including all the equipment needed by the leader and when it will be used. Some items will be given as optional.

Start up During this time activities occur that introduce the theme, aim and ideas of the session. There may be a few activities to choose from. Each activity has a specified purpose.

Chat time This short section is when the activities are over and the leader and children reflect on what the activities were about and how they lead into the Bible focus time.

This will often involve a few open-ended questions.

NOTE: Sometimes during Bible focus time there will be a special comment to the leader about an issue that may come up during the session.

Get ready This section gives hints about important preparation to be done before the session starts.

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Bible focus

of the stage of their faith, they can be called on to respond and encouraged to know how God’s word challenges them to change. Application should always be ‘grace-oriented’ and ‘gospel-based’.

Links ?

Links are made with previous learning which may involve the Memory verse or a previous session.

This icon shows you where in the session the children will be reading, listening to and interacting with the Bible.

Links with life will also happen at this introductory part of the session. Connections with life are raised and the children are encouraged to discuss ‘real life’ situations they face. We will raise the issue here and it will be drawn to a conclusion during Bringing it together.

Digging deeper This section has suggested extension learning activities for older or more able children.

It still seeks to be directed by the aim and outcomes. It will usually be Bible-based.

Teaching time This is the body of the session. It involves teaching and learning activities. Activities are usually integrated into this time rather than having them as an add-on later. During this time the aim and the outcomes of the session are directing the activities.

What the leader actually says to the children is presented in bold text. Directions to the leader are in normal type.

In this part of the session we aim to have the children interacting with the Bible themselves. We seek to unpack the Bible passage in its context and place it in the big picture of salvation history.

Concepts and activities are designed to be ageappropriate and not too abstract. It is understood that such a wide age-range is a great challenge, so in many ways we aim for the middle group of nine and ten year olds. Older or more able children will be challenged by the Digging deeper activities.

Application is an important part of this section and it is done carefully, while being true to the passage and to the developmental needs of the children. There must be a ‘crunch’ for the child – a place where ‘the rubber hits the road’ in their lives. They are called to respond to the challenge of the passage, without ever being manipulated or inappropriately pushed into an uncomfortable situation. Regardless

Music spot Various songs, on readily available CDs, are suggested to link into the session and to provide a high-interest flow to the activities.

Bringing it together This section is really important. The leader is encouraged to allow enough time for this as connections are discussed that impact the children’s lives.

There may be open-ended questions that encourage children to respond in their own terms. We are aiming for honest responses from the children.

Prayer This will normally follow Bringing it together and allows for the issues highlighted by the children to be prayed about. Leaders will model prayer and also teach children how to pray – both for themselves and for others, and for issues in the wider world.

Think about it

Think ahead

Here the leader is encouraged to think through issues that occurred in the session and reflect on possible strategies for the future.

This is a very brief indication of what the leader will need to plan ahead for next session. It may involve equipment, people and so on.

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Unit introduction

Go and tell From Acts and Matthew

Unit aim To help the children understand the difference the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit made in the lives of the early followers of Jesus as they sought to spread the good news about him.

Unit outcomes By the end of this unit the children will: • know about the events in the lives of some of the earliest followers of Jesus • understand the enormous difference that both the resurrection and the Holy Spirit made to these people • be encouraged by the example of the apostles in their unswerving commitment to Jesus as the king of their lives.

Memory verses Sessions 1–2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.

Romans 8:2 (CEV) Session 3 Only Jesus has the power to save! Acts 4:12a (CEV) Sessions 4–5 Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 8:39b (CEV) Sessions 6–8 Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, as you hold firmly to the message that gives life.

Philippians 2:15b–16a (CEV)

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Where this fits in God’s plan of salvation

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Sessions 9–10 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

Colossians 3:14 (CEV)

We pray that the Holy Spirit would be powerfully present in the sessions, and that he would touch the hearts of the children as they learn.

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Notes

they can be challenged to respond in faith to God and in obedience to the way he wants them to live.

Bible background The book of Acts provides most of the material for this unit. It provides a confronting and exciting picture of the lives of the followers of Jesus after he returned to heaven. As they wrestled with the implications of all they had witnessed in the life of Jesus, those who were responsible for his death might have expected the former motley crew of frightened and confused disciples to disband without much fuss.

If that had been their expectation they must have been more than a little surprised when the disciples took up the challenge to spread the word of Jesus into the world. That they did this with such confident determination was due in no small part to the things they had witnessed and experienced in the days following the crucifixion. The resurrection of Jesus and especially the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower and inform the followers is a key element of the unit.

We touch on some great moments of New Testament history here. The day of Pentecost, the inspiring speeches of Peter and Stephen in the face of real threat, the power of the disciples to heal the sick, the astonishing conversion of Saul, the feared persecutor of Christians, are high points. The movement of the word of Jesus moving out into the Gentile world with the Spirit leading people to Jesus is captured in the stories of Paul and his associates and their missionary efforts. That they face danger, hardship and death with such optimism and praise is a powerful reminder of the work of the Spirit in their hearts. Many people saw truth in their message and in the way they delivered it, and responded by committing their lives to Jesus. This should be an encouragement as we seek to pass on the same message to the children.

The stories are exciting, but even more so is the message that drives them, that the Kingdom of God is now open to all who seek it because of what Jesus came to do on earth. The last two sessions focus on how the community of followers is to look. Love for each other and generosity are the emphases of the passages elected from Ephesians and 2 Corinthians.

Faith development Children grow and develop physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually at different rates and in different ways. This unit aims to encourage growth in faith for each child at their own pace. No matter where each child is at in their faith development,

Faith has been described as having four aspects: believing, imagining, trusting and doing. (See Children finding faith by Francis Bridger, SU, England, 2000, available from CEP.) Believing involves having faith in the truth of the gospel and a reliance on the promises of God in Christ. Imagining involves creatively exploring our beliefs. Trusting involves the relational side of faith. Doing is the way we act as an outworking of our faith. Children, like adults, benefit from learning approaches that involve exploring faith from each of these four aspects.

These sessions have been written with this in mind.

Special features Visual aids The Leader’s pack includes: a Leader’s manual with ten sessions six full-colour A3 Leader’s posters four full-colour A3 Memory verse posters a sample children’s Spy logbook. Extra logbooks may be purchased from CEP so every child can complete the pages associated with the sessions.

• a set of photocopiable masters to cover the topic of each session.

• a variety of Visual aids and activities for each session.

• • • •

Spy logbooks Each week a number of activities for the children are included in the Spy logbooks. This carries through the theme of being part of the Roman spy agency reporting on the activities of this new group within the Empire – the followers of Jesus. Children explore different aspects of the lessons, and are reminded of key Bible teachings. The logbooks are handed out by the teacher each week, and collected again. The children can take home their logbooks at the end of the unit, as a full record of what they have learned about Jesus’ return and how to live while waiting for it.

Bibles It is intended that during each session the children will read the Bible for themselves and think about how they can respond to its message. It is strongly recommended that children begin to handle the Bible for themselves, learn their way around it and discuss what it means. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is recommended as it uses everyday language that should be easy for the children in this age group to understand.

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Relationships As children of this age grow in faith, their relationships with other Christians will be very important. You have an important role as an example to them. Be warm and genuine in your relationships with the children. Pray for them and their concerns. Invite other Christians of various ages to visit and meet the group. It would be especially helpful for young people, a few years older than the children in your group, to meet them. Help the children see where they are heading as part of the community of God’s people.

A Memory verse activity is included in each session and presented in an interactive way so that the children will begin to build their own personal store of Bible verses.

Photocopiable masters The set of photocopiable masters include Memory verse ideas and worksheets.

Encourage the children to take home the appropriate photocopiable each week as this helps parents and carers to know what is being treated in the sessions.

Purchase of the Leader’s pack entitles you to make one copy for each member of your group.

Music spot Digging deeper

Music spot is used in each session as a way of changing pace, adding interest and reinforcing the concepts of the session. The recommended CDs are:

This section is designed for more able children who want to dig deeper into the session content. These activities are usually Bible-focused and involve good reading skills and literacy. If you have a multi-aged group, these ideas can be used to challenge children who feel they have ‘heard it all before’.

• Promises, promises, CEP • Tomb breaker, CEP • Practise being godly, Colin Buchanan • Follow the Saviour, Colin Buchanan • Jesus rocks the world, Colin Buchanan • Remember the Lord, Colin Buchanan

Activities

• The king the snake the promise, Emu Music

Each session contains many suggested activities, either to begin the session in Start up or to reinforce the Teaching time. When choosing the activities you will include in each session, consider the number of children in your group, their individual skills, as well as the time and space you have available.

Try to encourage a wide range of activities so that the different learning skills of the children will be catered for.

• How cool is that!, Johnny Burns • Praise crazy, Johnny Burns These CDs are available from CEP.

The cut-outs from Leader’s poster 3 are attached to Leader’s poster 2 as shown here.

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1

Telling the world

about Jesus

Acts 1:1–11

Aim To help the children understand that the Holy Spirit gives power to the followers of Jesus.

Outcomes By the end of the session the children will: • know that when Jesus returned to heaven he promised the Holy Spirit would come to give his disciples power • understand the role of the Spirit to strengthen Christians and enable them to tell others about Jesus • be challenged to consider who the Spirit is, and how he helps Christians.

Memory verse The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.

Romans 8:2 (CEV)

Notes Read Acts 1:1–11.

Luke takes up the story of Jesus and his followers where he left off in his Gospel account. Jesus had risen triumphantly from the grave. He had spent 40 days appearing to the disciples and teaching them about God’s kingdom. Although given only brief treatment by Luke, these appearances of Jesus set the scene for all that would follow. The difference that these days made in the lives of the disciples could hardly be overstated. This group of formerly timid, confused, frightened and bumbling friends of Jesus, became courageous, clear thinking, resolute carriers of the good news about Jesus to all who would listen.

They were suddenly bold before the authorities and unbending in the face of real threat. The resurrection of Jesus made all the difference in the world to them.

The promise of the Holy Spirit to give the disciples the power to live the life ahead of them, is a major emphasis of Luke in Acts. In this first chapter, as Jesus prepares to leave them, he shows that he can be confident in those he is leaving behind to live and tell the Gospel because the Holy Spirit will come and stay with them. This promise is for all who put their trust in Jesus.

This promise was clearly a great encouragement to the disciples as they watched their Lord being taken back to heaven before their eyes. That they went on to live the lives they did is testament to the power of the Spirit and the conviction they had once they saw the resurrected Jesus.

In this unit based on the Acts of the Apostles, we will explore the teaching and the lives of the first followers of Jesus. As the disciples spread the word about the king of the world who had come to save us, they were empowered by the Spirit to do and say remarkable things. Pray for the same Spirit to touch the lives of all those in your group, showing them the truth, and inspiring them to live lives of trust in the saviour of the world. May you and the members of your group be encouraged by the stories of the apostles as they sought to take the news of Jesus out into the world.

Leader’s prayer Pray that the children would be inspired by the example of the early followers of Jesus to make him the most important person in their lives, and to come to trust in him in all that they do.

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Gear q A sheet of paper and a pencil for each child q A CEV Bible marked at Acts 1:8–10a q A copy of the Jesus ascension Visual aid (page 14) q A copy of the Newspaper photocopiable (page 15) for each child q A Spy logbook for each child q CD player and CD of choice q Memory verse poster 1 (Romans 8:2) q The Memory verse written onto cardboard and cut into jigsaw pieces q CEV Bibles for the children q Gear for chosen activities in Start up

Start up Choose one or more of these activities for the time you have available. These are fun and interesting activities designed to introduce the topic or theme of the session. Please note that Chat time is an important component of the session and should be completed immediately before moving into Bible focus.

Around the world Purpose: To introduce each member of the group and begin to get to know any new children.

Gear q A sheet of paper and pencil for each child.

Get ready Photocopy the Jesus ascension Visual aid (page 14), and enlarge and colour it if desired. Photocopy the Newspaper photocopiable (page 15) for each child.

Write the Memory verse onto a sheet of cardboard.

Cut the cardboard into jigsaw pieces and shuffle the pieces in preparation for the children to reassemble them.

Set up your ‘time machine’ (see Spy time).

Ask the children to write three facts about themselves on the paper, such as their favourite hobby, food or colour, the best thing they did in the holidays, or what they would like to be when they grow up. The children should not write their names on the paper.

Collect the paper then redistribute the pages to the children. Each child must interview the other children to find out who matches the clues they have. After all of the children have been found, each child could introduce the other to the rest of the group.

Me too Purpose: To find out about each person in the group and develop a sense of each person being important.

Note: The Holy Spirit is a difficult concept even for adults to grasp. Perhaps the best way to explain this to children is to say that Jesus promised that he would be with us forever.

After he rose from the dead he went back to heaven to be with the Father. He sent the Spirit of God to live in us. Anyone who believes in Jesus has the Spirit in them.

This game can be played in pairs or trios depending on the number of children in your group. Each pair or trio has one minute to find five things they have in common. Join each pair or trio with another and give them another minute to find something they all have in common. Each group can report to the rest of the children what it is they have in common.

Other parts of the Bible tell us that the Holy Spirit not only gives power, but that He gives comfort, helps us to know the truth, guides us in how to live, and protects us in our friendship with God. Children demand a verdict, by Josh McDowell (Tyndale 2003) provides some good suggestions for answering children’s questions about the Holy Spirit.

Chain tag Purpose: To begin thinking about the early disciples’ excitement in telling others the good news about Jesus.

NOTE: This is best played outdoors in a large space. Make sure the bigger children do not get too rough.

Two children hold hands and try to catch the others by tagging them. The children who are caught must hold hands with the original pair, forming a chain, until everyone has been tagged.

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Chat time

they couldn’t wait to tell everyone, and nothing could stop them doing it.

Lead the following discussion.

In the final game today, there was the excitement of getting everyone into the same team. It was a bit like that for the first followers of Jesus. Once they had seen that he had risen from the dead, they couldn’t wait to do what he said and go and tell everyone. They wanted other people to know about the good news of Jesus.

Teaching time

Bible focus

How do you think they felt when he left them again? (Accept responses – try to help the children to see that this might have been a sad and frightening thing for them to know that Jesus was going to go away.)

Links ?

We are going to be spending time over the weeks ahead looking at the what happened to the first Christians. We know what happened from the Bible in the book of Acts.

It was an exciting time. The people who knew Jesus before he was put to death on the cross saw him alive again. For forty days after his resurrection many people saw him. Other people started to hear about Jesus as the word spread about this man.

Not everyone was happy about the news of Jesus.

Why do you think some people did not want to hear about Jesus? (Accept responses. Some people hated Jesus. That’s why he was killed.)

For the disciples, life could never be the same again after they saw Jesus had come back to life. There would be trouble for the first Christians. They threatened to upset things, just as Jesus had.

Can you remember a time when you received good news? (Accept responses – share some examples from your own experience.)

Jesus’ disciples were so excited when he was raised from the dead. It is hard to imagine just how happy they must have been to have him back.

But it wasn’t long before he would leave them again, this time he was going back to heaven to be with the Father.

But there was a very important promise Jesus made before he left. He promised that the Holy Spirit would come to be with them.

Read Acts 1:8–10a.

Display the Jesus ascension Visual aid (page 14).

What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would do? (Accept responses – he said he would give them power.)

Jesus knew that when he left the disciples, they would not be alone. The Holy Spirit would come to be with them. This meant that Jesus would always be with them, through his Spirit in them.

So when Jesus left to return to heaven, it was not the end of the story but the beginning of something new!

What did Jesus say the disciples would do once he was gone? (Accept responses – they would tell everyone about him in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and everywhere in the world.)

How do you feel when you get good news?

What do you do? (Accept responses – you usually want to tell people about it – to share the good news.)

The disciples were fully committed to the task Jesus had given them. They thought the news about Jesus was the best news ever. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at what happened when they started telling others about Jesus.

Why do you think good news makes people want to share it? (Accept responses – you are excited, you think it would be good for other people to know what you know, you don’t want to keep it all to yourself.)

Hand out the copies of the Newspaper photocopiable (page 15), ‘Jesus leaves but Holy Spirit to arrive’. Ask the children to read the article and to use the code-breaker to fill in the blank spaces. Older children could help younger ones with this task.

When the first Christians came to understand who Jesus was and what he had done for them,

Once you have completed this exercise move on to the following.

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Spy time At this point in the session, we need to set up the theme for rest of the unit’s activities. It is important to give significant emphasis to this for the subsequent activities to make sense.

Digging deeper Older or more capable children could read Matthew 28:16–20.

Explain to the children that they are going to be going back in time to the 1st century, where they will be working as spies. You need to find a physical way of entering a ‘time machine’, that will allow the children to associate a movement into and out of the 1st century. This can be done simply. For example – you could walk the group across the room and through a hoop, or through a tunnel made of chairs.

Even just walking to the other side of the room could work. Also a simple prop like a pair of sunglasses and/or hat could be a helpful way of reverting to ‘spy mode.’ Whatever method you choose, you need to use it consistently whenever the activities involve the change.

You are going to pretend to be spies for the RCIA – the Roman Central Intelligence Agency – working for the Roman Empire. At the time of Jesus the Roman Empire controlled huge parts of the world. Places like Palestine where Jesus lived were under the control of Rome.

There were Roman soldiers around as well. This was the strongest army in the world, and they didn’t like anyone challenging them.

Your role as spies will be to report back to Rome on the activities of this new group of people called Christians. The task will be to find out things like:

Ask the children to identify: 1.The instruction to the disciples: (Go to the people of all nations making them disciples of Jesus.

Baptise them in the name of the Father, son and Holy Spirit.

Teach them everything Jesus had told them.)

2. The comfort for the disciples as they set about their work: (That Jesus would be with them always.)

Some of the children could find out what your church is doing to help carry out the instruction to tell others about Jesus. This could be reported back to the group in a later session.

Music spot Choose from the following songs.

God’s mega plan, track 2 of CEP’s Promises promises CD. Jesus rocks the world, track 2 of Colin Buchanan’s Jesus rocks the world CD. I will be with you, track 14 of CEP’s , Promises promises CD.

• What are these Christians doing?

• What do they believe in?

Memory verse

• What are their leaders saying?

Gear

• Who has become a Christian and joined their group?

• Are Christians a threat to the Roman Empire?

Hand out the children’s Spy logbooks. Ask the ‘spies’ to fill in their personal details on page 1 of the book.

Children can complete page 2. For the first part of the page they can get help from Acts 1:7–10.

At the end, collect the Spy logbooks for next session.

q Memory verse poster 1 (Romans 8:2) q The Memory verse written on cardboard and cut into pieces The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. Romans 8:2 (CEV) Have the poster displayed, but take it down if you like while the children do the jigsaw.

Write the words of the Memory verse onto a sheet of thick cardboard, and then cut it into pieces so that the children can complete the jigsaw. If you make several, they could do the jigsaw in small groups.

Discuss with the children what this verse teaches us about the Holy Spirit.

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Bringing it together When Jesus returned to heaven, he didn’t leave the disciples alone. What did he promise to send? (Accept responses – he had promised the Holy Spirit to come to be with them.)

What did Jesus say they would do once he had gone? (Accept responses – they would tell the world about Jesus.)

As the disciples set out to tell others about Jesus, it must have been a great comfort to them to know that the Holy Spirit would come to give them the power to do what Jesus had told them to do.

Prayer Thank God that he hasn’t left us alone, but that the Holy Spirit can be our friend, comforter and can give us power to live God’s way. Thank God that the early disciples were so excited about Jesus that they told everyone about him, and that because of this, we too can be friends with him.

Encourage the children to pray for people they know who tell others about Jesus. You could show photos of your church link missionaries to help children pray for them.

They were not relying on their own strength, but would receive the power of the Spirit in their lives.

It is the same for us today. We too might feel that it is hard to live God’s way, or to tell other people about Jesus. But Jesus promises that we will have the Spirit to help us see the truth, and to give us the strength to live God’s way.

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Think about it

Think ahead

Were the children challenged to consider the role of the Holy Spirit in leading, guiding and strengthening the followers of Jesus?

Next session has a Spy report role-play in it. It would be good to invite an appropriate person to participate in this. Give them the script ahead of time in order to prepare it most effectively. The script is on page 23.

You will need Memory verse poster 1 (Romans 8:2) and Leader’s poster 1 (Pentecost), and a Spy logbook for each child. Also a clear plastic cup of water for each child and red cordial concentrate (or another bright colour).

You will also need five copies of the Jesus is the King Visual aid from page 22, A copy of the Peter speaks photocopiable from page 24 for each child and your Time machine (see Session 1, page 12); also the Memory verse jigsaw puzzle you made (see page 12).

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Š CEP 2005 The purchaser of the Over the top OT6 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group.

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Š CEP 2005 The purchaser of the Over the top OT6 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group.

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