Lesson 2: Paul’s message.
Passage: Philippians 3 - Paul writes a letter to the church in Philippi. In it, he discusses how he has every reason to put confidence in the things of “the flesh” such as being an Israelite who was circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a “Hebrew of Hebrews”, a zealous Pharisee, and faultless according to the Law. However, Paul insists that whatever he saw as gains to him, he now considers loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, he considers everything a loss compared to the worth of knowing Jesus his Lord. Everything to him is now garbage compared to knowing Christ, and he now knows that his righteousness comes through faith rather than through himself.
Big Idea: Nothing is greater than knowing Jesus.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: I Spy — Activity Leader
One child will be chosen to be the leader. They will look around the room and choose an object in their mind. They will then say “I spy with my little eye something that is [colour]”. The rest of the kids will guess what the object is by raising their hands rather than shouting out the answer. The first kid to guess correctly will be the next leader.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our second Sunday learning about Paul.
Can anyone remember who Paul is? What are some things you remember about him?
Last Sunday we learned that Paul used to be called Saul before he met Jesus. Back then, he really didn’t like Jesus and was trying to put all of Jesus’ followers in prison. But then one day Jesus appeared to him in a bright light. From then on, Paul began following Jesus and spreading his message far and wide. He also started lots of churches in the different places he went and when he was away he wrote letters to them.
Today we’ll be learning about something he wrote in a letter to one of the churches. Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember the name of the place or the people that Paul was writing his letter to? (Philippi / Philippians)
What did Paul say that he used to be able to brag about?
How does he feel about those things now? Why does he think all those things are garbage?
What does Paul say is the most important thing to him now?
Do you also think that knowing Jesus is the best thing in the world? Why?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Paul’s message to the church. Thank you for what an big change you made in his life, and how he went from hating Jesus to thinking that Jesus was the best thing ever, better than anything else that he could ever have or do in his life. Please show us how amazing and special it is to know Jesus too. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Telescope/Binocular Craft — Activity Leader
Telescopes/binoculars will be pre-assembled for the kids to decorate.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Four Corners or Red Light, Green Light— Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the second week of our new series about Paul.
Can anyone remember who Paul is? What are some things you remember about him?
Last Sunday we learned that Paul used to be called Saul before he met Jesus. Back then, he really didn’t like Jesus and was trying to put all of Jesus’ followers in prison. But then one day Jesus appeared to him in a bright light. From then on, Paul began following Jesus and spreading his message far and wide. He also started lots of churches in the different places he went and when he was away he wrote letters to them.
Today we’ll be learning about something he wrote in a letter to one of the churches. Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember the name of the place or the people that Paul was writing his letter to? (Philippi / Philippians)
What did Paul say that he used to be able to brag about?
How does he feel about those things now? Why does he think all those things are garbage?
What does Paul say is the most important thing to him now?
Do you also think that knowing Jesus is the best thing in the world? Why?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Paul’s message to the church. Thank you for what an huge change you made in his life, and how he went from hating Jesus to thinking that Jesus was the best thing ever, better than anything else that he could ever have or do in his life. Please help us to also see Jesus in the same way that Paul did, and to see how amazing and special it is to know Jesus for ourselves. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Telescope Craft — Activity Leader
Telescopes will be partially assembled, and the kids will attach the paper tube to the cup and decorate.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Wink Attack — Activity Leader
The activity leader will begin by secretly selecting the attacker and the detective. To do this, all players will sit in a circle and close their eyes. The activity leader will walk around the outside of the circle and choose the attacker by tapping someone on the head one time. The detective is chosen by tapping them on the head two times.
After the attacker and detective are selected, everyone will open their eyes. The detective will move to the middle of the circle and their goal is to determine who the attacker is as quickly as possible.
The attacker will secretively wink at people when the detective isn’t looking. When a player is winked at, they will lie down, sit down, or leave the circle.
The detective has three chances to guess who the attacker is. If they do not guess correctly, they remain the detective for the next round. If they do guess correctly, then the attacker becomes the next detective.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is week two of our new series on the Apostle Paul, his life and teachings.
Can anyone remember who Paul was? What are some things you remember about him?
Last week we learned about the experience he had of meeting Jesus, and how it completely changed the direction of his life. He went from hunting down Jesus’ followers to becoming a follower himself and the one who would spread Jesus’ message far and wide. He even began starting churches and writing letters to them.
Today we will be learning about a message that he sent to one of the churches he started. Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember the name of the city or people that Paul was writing his letter to? (Philippi / Philippians - Philippi is an ancient city in Greece)
What was it that Paul said he once bragged about? How does he feel about those things now?
Why do you think Paul says that everything he once bragged about is now garbage to him compared to knowing Jesus?
How did Paul once think he could become closer to God? Now what does he believe is the way to God and to righteousness?
In what way does righteousness (goodness) come through Jesus instead of through obeying rules?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Paul’s message to the church in Philippi. Thank you for the amazing change you made in his life and how he went from thinking that righteousness came from the things he did, to realizing that it actually comes through Jesus who really changes us from the inside out. May we each know Jesus for ourselves so that we can realize, just as Paul did, how good it is to know him, better than anything else we could ever do or have in life. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Telescope Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will roll paper into tubes and assemble them with a cup to create a telescope which they can then decorate.
Hidden picture activity pages will also be available.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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Who was the Bible character you learned about in class today?
What are some things you learned about Paul? What was his mission and what was he up to in the story?
In his letter to one of the churches, what was the message that he was trying to tell them?
Why do you think Paul thinks that knowing Jesus is better than anything else in the whole world?
Do you also think the same way as Paul? Why or why not?
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Who was the Bible character you learned about in class today?
What are some things you’ve learned about Paul? What was his mission and what was he up to in the story?
In his letter to one of the churches, what were some of the things he said he once bragged about? What did he feel about those things afterwards?
Why do you think Paul considered all those things garbage compared to knowing Jesus? What is so good about knowing Jesus?
How do you feel about Paul’s message? Do you feel the same way as him? Why or why not?
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Who was the Bible character you learned about in class today?
What are some things you’ve learned about Paul so far? What was his mission and what was he doing?
What was the name of the church or the people who he wrote a letter to in the story from today? (the church of Philippi, the Philippians)
What were some of the things that Paul said he once bragged about or that he thought once brought him closer to God / righteousness?
What does Paul now say is the way to becoming closer to God / righteousness? How does knowing Jesus make someone righteous?
