God accepts us all
key words
biblical reference
Acts 17:13-34
lesson objective
To help the children understand that you cannot judge a person’s relationship with God simply by their appearance or religion, and we all need to know God and accept him as our Savior
memory verse
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Matthew 9:37-38, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Who will know a country better: the person who has read or seen pictures of it, or the person who has visited it, learned the customs, tasted the food and has walked in its streets? The answer is that the person who has had a personal experience knows it better than the one who has only heard and imagined things about that country.
So it is with our relationship with God. It is different to know about God and to know God. Knowing God implies a personal experience.
In his second missionary journey, Paul arrived in Berea. The people who lived in Berea received his preaching with willingness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if what he said was true.
The result of this honest examination of the Scriptures day after day was that they realized that what Paul was saying was in fact true. Many Jews and Gentiles accepted Christ.
Again, persecution rose against the Christians by those trying to hinder the work of God. But Paul went from place to place, preaching the message of salvation, and many came to believe. Arriving in Athens, Paul encountered an idolatrous city. God helped Paul adapt to the conditions of each city in which he ministered.
The preferred method of teaching in Athens was “free discussion,” so Paul adopted this technique. He had a double ministry in that city. Firstly with the Jews in the synagogues, and secondly among the Gentiles in the square. Paul could take the word revealed by God and the wisdom of the Greek philosophers and establish a relationship with Gentiles and Jews.
A few days after Paul arrived in Athens he saw which gods they worshiped, and he realized they did not know Yahweh God and his Son Jesus Christ.
He began to speak to them of the “unknown God.” His preaching attracted so much attention that the people invited him to the Areopagus, where the famous speakers and philosophers gathered to discuss their beliefs. Now, Paul was in the most prominent place in Athens to preach about the true God. The result was that, although some mocked him, others heard the message of salvation and believed, because God accepts everyone.
introduce the lesson
Point out on a map the route that Paul took on his missionary journeys (Acts 13-17). Comment on their outcome. Although there was bound to be opposition wherever he proclaimed the Gospel, Paul was able to preach, and many heard the message of salvation, repenting of their sins and receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Write on a piece of paper the name of each place Paul visited, stick it along with the map on the wall or draw it on a blackboard, and highlight some of the important events that occurred in each place. For example, Berea - People searched the scriptures. You can use this to review previous lessons as you narrate this lesson.
Ask, “What should we know to be able to tell others about Christ?”
1. Recognize Christ as our Lord and Savior.
2. Know God’s Word, the Bible.
3. Know the people around us.
4. Develop the ability to teach.
Jesus knew God the Father (John 14:24). He knew the Scriptures (Luke 2:46-47). He knew the people (John 2:24-25) and he knew good methods to teach, because he used what he had at his disposal (parables, questions, nature, etc.). Paul was like Jesus Christ, he knew these same things.
teach the lesson
“Paul, are you sure you’ll be fine here alone in Athens?” asked one of the men who accompanied him in Berea.
“I’ll be fine, thanks,” Paul replied. “Silas and Timothy will soon be here anyways.”
And so the men left. Paul began to observe the streets of Athens and the beautiful buildings. And as he looked around, his spirit became heavy, seeing the city given over to idolatry. Every day he went to the synagogue and to the market to speak to the Jews and the Greeks.
In Athens, people were proud of their skills and knowledge. They were well-educated people who enjoyed going to public places and having conversations with well-prepared people.
Paul also had a good education. He began teaching about Jesus and his resurrection. People from different groups gathered to listen. Some said, “What does he talk about?” and to others he seemed to be talking about a new god.
Soon, Paul’s words caused a lot of curiosity among people; and they said, “We want you to attend a meeting with our religious leaders, the most prepared. We’ll meet at one of our temples.” This meeting was called “the meeting of Aerópago.” Paul was asked by the people, “Can we know about this new doctrine of which you speak? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We want to know what these things mean.”
Paul stood and said, “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you”.
Then he told them, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone— an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”
Then he told them the good news that God sent Jesus to earth to be our Savior. Jesus was crucified, but God raised him from death. This proves and asserts that Jesus is the Son of God. After Paul preached about Jesus’ resurrection, some mocked his words. Others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” Some believed and became followers of Jesus.
connect the lesson
Prepare a wordless book with sheets of black, red, white, yellow and green paper. Fold each sheet in half and place them in the following order: yellow, black, red, white and green. Glue the yellow half to the black half, the black to the red half, the red half to the white half and the white half to the green half. Explain to your children what each color represents:
• Yellow: the holiness of God (Revelation 21:18- 21; John 14:1-3).
• Black: sin (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23, John 8:21).
• Red: the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
• White: purity. Christ blood makes us clean. (Psalm 51:7; John 1:12; 1 John 1:9).
• Green: the new life in Christ; spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 2:15).
practice the memory verse
Tell the children that it is very important for them to be learning their memory verses. Ask one or two volunteers to say the verse from memory. Then have everyone say it together.
Activity: Who needs to know Jesus?
Give your group Student Activity Sheet #285-A entitled “Who Needs to Know Jesus.” Have them study the pictures, and then ask them who needs to know Jesus? Discuss their answers together.
Beatriz (good); Isabel (smart); Ramon (religious); Mark (church member); and Elena (an employee).
Activity: Yes, Paul, we hear you!
Have your children find Acts 17:32-34 in their Bibles. There are three different reactions that people who heard Paul’s sermons in Athens had. Give your Student Activity Sheet #285-B and #285-C. Focus on the activity “Yes, Paul, We Hear You.” Have your children write the three different reactions in the blank circles below each drawing.
Activity: Paul’s announcement!
Give your group Student Activity Sheet #285-D entitled “Paul’s Announcement.” Your children must write the letters that are not X’s on the blank lines to discover what Paul announced to the people in Athens.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray for the group that they will be faithful in sharing with others about their personal experiences with God.
Encourage
Thank your students for their attendance and ask them not to forget what they learned.
Invite
Announce something about the next lesson to increase the group’s interest and encourage 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.™