Bible Verses

Work with your child and your students to learn each verse. Then, discuss the meaning of the verse and how it can be applied to our everyday lives. On Sundays during class, riding in the car, or at dinner, it's fun to share stories of how the children have used the verse in their lives that week.

We provide memorization verses for each week. You can add your own.

Sunday May 7 II Cor 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

• Why would you be a new creature if you’re in Christ?
• What does it mean to be in Christ?
• How do old things pass away?

Sunday May 14 Philips Gal 4:26
…the free woman typifies the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all, and is spiritually “free.”

• What is the heavenly Jerusalem?
• What does it mean to be spiritually free?
• Why is God like a mother?
• Describe God’s mothering qualities.

Sunday May 21 II Cor 5:20
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

• Why is Paul telling us that we are ambassadors for Christ?
  • What does that mean?
  • How are you being an ambassador for Christ?
• Look at the Message paraphrase of that verse: “We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.”
• How does the paraphrase change your thought of ambassador?
• Do you consider God your friend?
• Why should God be your best friend?
  • How do you examine thought?

Sunday May 28 II Cor 6:2 behold, now is the accepted (to .)
…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

• Why is living in the “now” important?
• What is the accepted time?
• What is salvation?
• Are you comforted by the fact that this moment is the day of salvation?

Sunday June 4 Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

• What does it mean to “live in the Spirit?”
• What is Spirit?
• Are we willing to walk after the Spirit?
• How would you do that?

Bible Stories

This is a good time to review some of the events of early Christianity. Bible Overview discusses the book of II Corinthians, one of Paul’s letters, and Bible Characters discusses Did You Know about Silas.

• Paul and Silas Acts 16:25-40 [See Silas]
• Paul’s Preaching Acts 17
• Paul at Corinth Acts 18:1-22
• Paul Speaks Before King Agrippa Acts 25:13- 26:32
• Paul is Shipwrecked Acts 27

Exercise

With Mother’s Day approaching, this would be a good time to be like Paul and write a letter. Unlike Paul, this letter would be to the student’s mother, extolling her virtues. You might ask your pupils to write a letter that tells what they love most about their mothers. You might ask them to add specific details about what they have learned from their mothers. Statements such as “Mom you’re great, I love you” are nice, but giving an example of a special experience they have had with their moms is really nice – it’s thoughtful.

Ex: “Dear Mom, I love you. You make every day special. Do you remember when we went canoeing and I tipped over the canoe by accident, and ruined your new shirt? You didn’t get mad, you just told me it was part of the learning experience. Do you remember when I ran the canoe into the bank and hit a tree and all the spiders fell out? Again, you didn’t get upset. Thanks. I also appreciate it when I need to talk, you always have the time. You’re the best mom ever.”

Don’t leave grandmothers, aunts, or other church members and friends out of the letter writing, either.

Exercise:

In preparation for Mother’s Day, you might have the students take the Mother and Child Matching quiz. You can add depth to this by asking older students: in which book of the Bible would we find the mother; what wonderful things did this mother do; how did her children turn out? You might want to be selective. There are two matching quizzes, one for little ones and one for older children.

Exercise:

As warm weather approaches and pupils get antsy to be out-of-doors, why not try to draw a hop-scotch grid on the parking lot using chalk? In the big oval at the top of the grid, put the first word of a Bible verse. The students should be able to bend down, pick up the chalk, and write the next word. Take a Bible verse from our verse of the week or any you might have them working on as a part of memory work. Collectively decide on the verse. Go over it once and then let them help each other get the words right. Using a stop watch, keep track of their time. The individual or team that gets the verse completed in the fastest time wins.

Exercise:

As we get close to camp time, many churches have camperships for Sunday school pupils who could use help to attend camp. One way to help determine who might deserve this financial assistance might be to create a contest for those interested in the campership aid. The top prize might be 2 weeks at camp, 2nd place might be 1 week at camp, and 3rd place might cover the deposit for camp. For example, you could have a Bible verse memory showdown. The student who has memorized the most verses and proves it, wins. Each person says a Bible verse from memory. They should let you know which translation they used and have one handy to check for accuracy. You can create bonus points for knowing who said the verse, to whom, the occasion or special circumstances. If the student can answer all the questions after reciting the verse correctly, he or she wins the bonus points. It’s important that there be a special night of sharing camp experiences and gratitude after all those who have gone to camp return home. This can be a pot luck, pizza party, or dessert buffet that might include photos or written stories of their individual experiences. I’ll remind you of this again in August so that you don’t miss out on what these dear ones have learned.

Exercise – A Paul-a-thon.

How much do you know about Paul? Create index cards with questions about Paul. Students can be divided into two teams or stand individually. The team or person with the most correct answers wins. As teams, they can use the Bible and help each other find the information. Sample questions to get you started:

• What was Paul’s name before he became a Christian?
• What happened to Paul on his way to Damascus?
• Who talked to him on the way?
• Who did the angel ask to help Paul receive his sight?
• Was he willing to heal Paul?
• What was Paul’s favorite story to tell?
• Name three of Paul’s friends. How many times was he in prison?
• How did people respond to his message?
• Why did people want to kill him?
• Add your own and have fun learning about Paul. Start out reading some of the stories about Paul before you ask the questions.

Exercise:

Like working with maps? The most requested activity from students is to use more maps. Find the cities on Paul’s First Missionary Journey. Have the students read the first mission and then use the map to plot Paul’s journey. Draw a line showing the path Paul moved. What things did Paul do on this mission? What things were done to him?

Exercise:

Do your students like to write emails? What kind of an email would Paul send to your Sunday school class? First you have to know what kinds of things Paul said in his letters. He expressed gratitude, dismay, encouragement, correction, ideas on current events (what was happening in his life and theirs), expectations, spiritual messages, anything else? Turn them loose to pen a Pauline letter.

Exercise:

Using the map again, find the cities where Paul sent letters to their churches. Find the City.

Exercise:

What kinds of friends did Jesus have? Name some of them.

Ask each pupil to come up with at least five names of friends Jesus had.

Work with the Matching Quiz on Jesus’ Followers.

Take each person from the list and tell a story about one of Jesus’ followers.

Would you have followed Jesus?

Exercise:

Name some of Paul’s friends. If you aren’t familiar with Paul’s friends, work with the Unscramble puzzle in Kids Korner to help learn their names and then read about each one in the Bible.

Exercise:

Skit time. Let everyone be Paul and they can either write a letter about something they like or don’t like in their church or they can give an impassioned speech about Jesus. Preach like Paul preached. What would they have to know about Paul? About Jesus?

Bring in a small crate or slightly raised platform (soap box) for them to stand on and preach the way Paul preached.

When they are finished preaching, “arrest” them. How do they react? Would they sing like Paul and Silas in prison? What quality of thought is required to move from being arrested to singing praises to God. Are we willing to sing praises when we think we are persecuted?

Exercise – from Swap Shop

Look at the wonderful way one Sunday school teacher has successfully helped her pupils memorize the 23rd Psalm.

Discussion questions about Paul.

• Paul and Silas Acts 16:25-40 [See Silas]
  • Who was Silas?
  • What makes a good friend?
  • What kind of a friend was Silas?
  • Why did Paul need friends to travel with him?
  • What kind of a friend did Paul need as he traveled?
  • Name some of Paul’s other friends from this story. [see Unscramble Paul’s Friends]
  • Would you have volunteered to travel with Paul? Why or why not?
• Paul’s Preaching Acts 17
  • What was the subject of Paul’s sermons?
  • Why were these messages so important to Paul? Christianity? The early church?
  • How well was his preaching received?
  • What could he have done differently? Better?
• Paul at Corinth Acts 18:1-22
  • Who were the Corinthians?
  • What did they need to learn?
  • Why did Paul write two letters to them?
  • What was the first letter about? [Bible Overview of April on I Cor]
  • What did Paul expect from the people?
  • In the second letter [Bible Overview of May on II Cor], which theory do you think works the best for how Paul wrote II Corinthians?
  • Who were these “super-apostles?”
  • Do we find people like that in the church today?
  • Do some people just enjoy being judgmental and critical?
  • How did this criticism affect Paul?
  • What kind of a city was Corinth?
  • How committed were the church members?
• Paul Speaks Before King Agrippa Acts 25:13- 26:32
  • Character check – identify the following:
    • Festus
    • Agrippa
    • Bernice
    • Felix
    • Augustus
    • Caesar
  • What did Paul tell Agrippa?
  • What was Agrippa’s response?
  • How does the story end?
• Paul is Shipwrecked Acts 27
  • Where was Paul headed when his ship broke apart?
  • Why was he a prisoner?
  • What did he recommend the guards do instead of kill everyone?
  • What kind of respect did the guard have for Paul?
  • Why was Paul so confident?
• After reading these stories, describe Paul’s character.
  • What stands out to you about Paul?
  • Would you want Paul for a friend? Why or why not?
• Think about Paul’s transformation.
  • When Jesus called the sinners to repent, he was asking them to change their thinking and the way they lived their lives. Paul appeared to take a U-Turn with his life.
  • Describe Paul’s transformation.
  • What does his transformation say to us?