Priscilla testifies of her faith

Acts 18:10-28

To help the children discover that those of us who are Christians have a responsibility to help others grow spiritually

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27, NIV*)

In Acts 18:18-28, we read about an immigrant named Priscilla, and her husband, Aquilla. Around the years 49-50 A.D., the emperor Claudius exiled all the Jews from Rome to try to end all the disturbances that were happening there. Some of the problems arose when the Christian Jews announced their faith in Jesus Christ in the synagogues.

Priscilla and Aquilla lived in Corinth when they met the apostle Paul. They made tents and Paul helped them. Because of this connection between them, they shared a very strong friendship that, of course, carried over into their ministry. Later, when Paul traveled to Ephesus, Aquilla and Priscilla went with him. Paul started a church in their home and when he went to another city to evangelize, they stayed in Ephesus.

One day they heard about a man named Apollo who spoke in the synagogue and knew about the Old Testament. The Bible says that he taught about the baptism of John with truth. He also taught about repenting for your sins and the coming of the Messiah, but he did not know the dead and risen Jesus as the Messiah. He was not aware of the baptism in the name of Jesus nor did he know what being filled with the Spirit meant.

Priscilla and Aquilla invited him to their house, gave their testimony of faith and showed him all they knew about Jesus; the result being that Apollo grew in his faith and converted into a great evangelist. He took the message of salvation to many places along with other disciples.

Priscilla was very busy since she was a wife (we are unsure if she had any children). On top of that, she helped her husband in his shops. In this time, women were not allowed to know much about anything, much less about God. But Priscilla, on top of her responsibilities and regardless of the prejudices at this time, decided to serve God and she took the necessary time to teach Apollo about God and show him her faith in Jesus.

To testify and show our faith to others is not just a responsibility but also a privilege that brings blessings to our lives – while we are teaching others of our faith, we are learning ourselves.

Start the session by asking your children what the key word was from last week (TRUST/confide in/have confidence in), and if it was easy for them to confide in Jesus during the week. Ask them if they talked to him when they were worried or during difficult moments (let a few children recount their experiences).

Say, “Today we are going to study another lady from the Bible, but first let’s talk about who is a witness.” (Record their answers.) Then talk about how important it is to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Ask, “What does a Christian witness about?” (Give them an opportunity to answer.)

Have the children follow along while you tell the Bible story.

Priscilla and her husband Aquilla lived in the city of Ephesus, and they made tents. They also happened to be great friends with Paul and he made tents when he was not too busy with his missionary work.

They were Jews who knew and believed in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and they all wanted others to know him too. One day they heard that a man name Apollos was preaching at their local synagogue. They went to hear him speak. He knew a lot about John the Baptist and his disciples and he told stories from the Old Testament with clarity and preciseness. He taught them that the Savior would come someday.

Priscilla loved to hear him speak, even though Apollos did not know much about Jesus.

After Pricilla and Aquilla had heard him preach, they invited him to their house and taught him everything they knew about Jesus. They told him that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and three days after his death he rose again.

Apollos was a good learner. He was anxious to tell the other disciples of John the Baptist what he had learned. Afterwards he traveled to many places to share the Good News.

Pricilla and Aquilla continued making tents, but they also opened their home to teach others about their faith in Jesus Christ. This began one of the first early churches. They were happy to be able to teach Apollo about Jesus.

To finish off the story, play “hot potato” with your children. The game consists of passing an object from hand to hand while you have some music playing in the background. When the music stops, whoever is holding the object in their hand must answer a question. Whether the question is answered correctly or not, keep the game going until all four questions are answered correctly:

How did Priscilla and Aquilla give their testimony?

How important was it for Apollos to hear the testimony of these Christian brothers – how did it help him?

What will happen to the people that never hear the Good News?

Will you give your testimony and witness to your friends, classmates and family?

Tentmakers testify about Christ
Give the students Student Activity Sheet #263-A and ask them to review the lesson with you.

Activity: Do you know them?

For this activity, give the children Student Activity Sheet #263-B and #263-C. Tell them that they can write on Student Activity Sheet #263-C the names of people who live near them or who they may interact with on a daily basis (the bus driver, lunch person, etc.). If they do not know their names, they can refer to them by their job. Have them put a cross next to the people they know are Christians and encourage them to pray for those that are not.

At the bottom of the page: What will you do so that Jesus is not a secret? Have your children think about how they can share the gospel of Christ with those who do not know him:

Invite a friend to watch a Christian movie

Listen to Christian music

Hang up Christian posters in your room

Read Bible stories to little children

Give your testimony at church

Pray before you eat

Read Christian books and magazines

Wear shirts that have a Christian theme

Love God and others as yourself.

Remind them that what we do is more important than what we say. An important way we show that we are Christians is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and others as ourselves.

Accept the challenge

Make sure your children have Student Activity Sheet #263-D entitled “Accept the Challenge”. If they have already identified someone that is close to them who does not know Christ, help them finish the exercise by making a plan to present them with their testimony. Remind them about how firm and clear Priscilla and Aquila’s testimonies were that they gave to others. Ask, “How can we have the same effect?” (Talk about the ways that God has helped them spiritually; challenge them to remain faithful to Jesus; pray for each other; mention new teachings that God has shown you in your Christian walk, etc.)