Peter tells the good news to Cornelius
key words
biblical reference
Acts 10:1-2, 17-24, 28, 34-36
lesson objective
To help the children know that God helped Peter tell Cornelius about Jesus.
memory verse
“They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:42b, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
After the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, Peter travelled northward from Joppa to Caesarea to visit a Gentile, that is, a man who was not a Jew, named Cornelius. He was a Roman centurion who needed to know the Son of God and know about the plan of salvation. God sent Peter to tell him about Jesus.
Cornelius planned and waited for Peter’s arrival. He was ready to hear about Jesus. He was anxious to know and he invited his family to hear the message of the good news of Jesus Christ too.
According to tradition, Peter and the other Jews were not to visit the home of a Gentile. In a vision, Peter saw ritually pure and unclean animals together and realized that this vision meant far more than animals. He learned that God broke the barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles. Cornelius and his family received the gift of peace and reconciliation with God through his Son Jesus.
Peter realized a very important truth: the Lord is the God of all people. Nationality or race do not matter. We need to be open and willing for the Holy Spirit to guide us. Reflect on your attitudes toward others. Do prejudices cause barriers to form? Allow God to work in your life to break any barrier that stands in the way.
One little girl who attended a children’s playhouse said to her mother: “I am not white, I am something pink. My friend is not black, she is brown.” With only four years, this girl could describe people according to the color of their skin. Many times these behaviors are unconscious and we learn them during childhood. Be alert to identify any inappropriate behavior in preschoolers and teach them to see people through God’s love.
During this stage of their development, children interact to form friendships. Cultivate in them the feeling of equality within everyone.
Encourage them to follow the example of Peter, who treated a person who was not of his own race equally. Through this lesson, they will learn that God loves all people, regardless of nationality, race, color, age, stature, or physical condition. We are all equal before the eyes of God.
introduce the lesson
Different but equal
For this activity, you will need to get pictures or photographs of people of different races. Let the children look at them, and talk about the place of origin of each of the races and the particular characteristics of each.
Tell them that although we are all different on the outside, for God, we are all equal. He does not care about the color of our skin or the type of hair that we have. What he wants is that our hearts are sincere and free from sin. Today’s story tells us about how Peter testified of Jesus to a man who was not a Jew.
teach the lesson
Use the following activity to teach them biblical truth.
Peter visits Cornelius
If possible find a drawing of a Roman centurion to show to your children. Tell them that the centurions were some kind of military leaders. They were in charge of a group of soldiers in the service of the Roman emperor. The centurions were not Jews, although many lived in Israel. The Israelites did not mix with people other than themselves because their traditions forbade it. However, Jesus broke with tradition and extended his love to all. In today’s story, we will talk about a centurion who heard the good news of the Son of God.
One day while Peter was praying, he had a special vision. God spoke to him and told him that all people had the right to know the message of Jesus, the Son of God.
God asked Peter to make a trip to a place called Caesarea to visit a Roman centurion who was waiting for him. The Jewish custom of that time did not allow a Hebrew man like Peter to meet with a Gentile like Cornelius. However, since God had previously instructed the apostle, he began the journey.
Cornelius was a centurion, something like a military captain. He was in charge of a group of soldiers and was a highly respected person. This man was God-fearing and wanted to learn more about him.
When Peter arrived, Cornelius received him very enthusiastically. He had invited his friends and relatives to his home to hear Peter speak of the gospel of Jesus. Many people who gathered there believed in Jesus as they listened to Peter’s message. The Holy Spirit descended upon them and there was a great revival. Everyone was happy!
Peter understood that God makes no distinction between people, and wants everyone to know Jesus as their personal savior.
connect the lesson
Peter meets Cornelius
Pass out Student Activity Sheet #47-A, #47-B and #47-C. Then, allow your children to join the points from 1 - 26 in SAS #47-A by following the numbers to trace the figure of Cornelius’ house. Help them to also write their name at the top of the sheet and to trace the Word of Faith (Jesus).
Help the children carefully cut out the figures of Peter and Cornelius in SAS #47-C. Then, ask them to stick them at the entrance of the house in SAS #47-A. As they do this activity review what they have learned during the Bible story, and repeat the memory verse at the bottom of SAS #47-B.
Have them trace the Word of Faith in SAS #47-B. Ask the children to color the words "PETER was a DISCIPLE of". As your children work, remind them that Peter was a follower of Jesus. Many people heard the good news of salvation thanks to him. We can also tell people what God did for us.
Give the activity sheets and materials to the children and encourage them to share the gospel message to others during the week.
practice the memory verse
“They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:42b, NIV).
Write on the chalkboard some letters from the words that make up the memory verse. Write the remaining letters on pieces of paper, which will be placed inside a bag. Ask some volunteers to remove the letters from the bag and see if they correspond to the ones missing in the text. (This may be difficult for younger preschoolers, so be ready to help them.)
Children should put the letter in the appropriate place within the text. When they are done, read it together and repeat it several times.
wrap-up
Pray
Form a circle, pray for each of your children and for the prayer requests they have. Pray also that God would help them realize that we are all made in the image of God though we might be different in some ways.
Encourage
Encourage the group to love even those that are different from them. Make sure all the children have finished their work and take their belongings home. Exhort them to tell their families and friends the good news of Jesus during the week and to also review the memory verse.
Invite
Invite the children to return for the next session having memorized the memory verse. Remind them that their attendance is very important next week to conclude with the stories of this unit.
* 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.™