The Church shows God’s love
key words
biblical reference
Acts 9:36-42
lesson objective
To help the children know that the church grows when believers show God’s love to others.
memory verse
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Children are self-centered by nature. But, with the proper guidance and instruction, they will learn to consider the needs and feelings of others. With this lesson, your group will realize that it is important to help others. By helping others in the name of Christ, we not only solve their immediate problems, but we also communicate to them God’s message of love and salvation.
Your group will understand that they can show God’s love by considering the needs of others. Cultivate in your children the desire to help. Soon they will realize that, even though they are small, they can use their talents and abilities in the name of the Lord.
biblical commentary
Acts 9:36-42. The early church continued to develop thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit. No one just sat around in this new community of believers. Common and simple people preached with authority the Word of God to the religious and authorities.
In addition, they developed a compassionate ministry that impacted Jerusalem and the cities around it. The first Christians showed the love of God in practical ways. The presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives gave them power to treat their neighbor with love and generosity. By the grace of God, they established a fellowship in which everyone cared for others with compassion.
That is what Tabitha did. She showed God’s love by supplying the needs of the poor and homeless. God did not overlook what she was doing. Because of her faithfulness and commitment, He performed a miracle by restoring her life, which is why many people in Joppa believed in the gospel.
introduce the lesson
How I can help?
Provide white paper and colored pencils. Ask your children to draw pictures of different ways they can show God’s love by helping others.
Then, paste the drawings on a poster board to make a mural. Allow time for your children to decorate it and stick it on the wall.
Talk about the importance of being imitators of Christ by helping others.
teach the lesson
The church shows the love of God
“I just finished this dress for you,” said Tabitha. “I hope you like it.”
“Oh, Tabitha! It is beautiful. Thank you very much,” said a young mother.
Almost all the people of Joppa knew Tabitha, especially the poor. She cared very much for the needy, and she showed them by making beautiful dresses for them. She knew how to sew very well, so she used her talent to help people.
“I did this for you,” said Tabitha as she handed a beautiful dress to an old woman.
“Thank you very much, Tabitha!”
One day she became seriously ill, and soon after, she died. Her friends put her in a room.
“Why did such a good person have to die? We will miss her so much, we love her so much!” her friends said sadly.
“She did so many good things for us. What will we do without her?” they were asking each other.
“Peter is in Lydda,” said one of Tabitha’s friends. “Maybe he knows what to do.”
“You two, go get him!”
Two men went from Joppa to Lydda. When Peter was told what had happened, he went immediately to Joppa.
Upon arriving at the house, he was surprised. There were many people crying!
“Peter! We are so glad you came. Poor Tabitha. She was so good to us. Look at the beautiful clothes she made us. We will miss her very much.”
“Leave me alone,” Peter, told them. “Please, wait outside.”
People went quietly into the other room. Then Peter knelt down and prayed. Then, he looked at the face of the dead woman and said, “Tabitha, get up!”
By the power of God, Tabitha opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up on the bed.
“You can go in now,” Peter told her friends.
“Look everyone! Tabitha is alive! The power of God restored her life,” Peter explained to the people.
The people were very happy. They praised and thanked God. And when the other people of Joppa heard about God’s wonderful miracle, many believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
connect the lesson
Let us show the love of God
Ask some volunteers to help you distribute Student Activity Sheet #179-A.
Allow time for the children to cut out the boxes at the bottom of the page and paste them in the blanks, according to the order of the Bible story.
While doing this activity, briefly review what they learned in this lesson.
Tell them that next week they should bring the completed worksheet to report to the rest of the group what they did to show God’s love to others during the week.
I can also show the love of God
Encourage the children to put into practice the biblical principles they studied. Using Student Activity Sheet #179-B, ask them to write or draw each day how they demonstrated God’s love to others.
Remind them that some ways to show God’s love are helping the elderly, sharing food with those who do not have, helping their parents, etc. Encourage them to bring the activity sheet to the next session and share with the group what they have done.
practice the memory verse
Ask that some volunteers come forward and recall the memory verse of this unit. Prepare small prizes to recognize the effort of your children.
If you wish, invite the parents of the children, and prepare a demonstration of what they learned in these four lessons.
wrap-up
Pray
Form a circle and pray for the Lord to help you all love your fellow human beings.
Encourage
Briefly review the stories the children studied during the unit. Then, encourage them to
take home the crafts they did.
Invite
Tell the children some interesting things about the next unit and encourage them to attend. Also, challenge them to come with friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™