VBS 2023 NIght 4

Start It (5 Minutes)

Welcome back to our Bible Study Game Room!

Let’s look back at our Bible Story pictures for the last three days

Ask: Can you tell me what is happening in each picture?

Take an index card and each of these five different colored stickers

Look at my card with the stickers on it!

Try to place your stickers in the same pattern as mine

Now, I will point to three different stickers while you watch and, when I give the signal to begin, you will touch the same three colors in order on your cards

Do this for a couple of rounds.

Now for a twist!

Go ahead and turn your card so that the row of two stickers in on the bottom.

Put I am going to keep my card the same!

Do this for a few rounds

Ask: How did you feel when I began to add twists and turns to the game?

Today’s study is about more twists and turns that happened to Peter as he kept following Jesus

Let’s go ahead and add today’s add-on to the banner

Learn it (10 Minutes)

Yesterday, we learned that Peter had many twists and turns

Peter and the other disciples though Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom, but they watched Him get arrested.

They were shocked when Jesus was killed and put in a grave.

But then came the biggest shock of all: Jesus came back to life!

Jesus spent a few more days on earth teaching His followers to tell others about Him.

Then came another twist.

Jesus went back to heaven.

Ask: How do you think Peter might have felt about that last twitst?

Today’s Bible story happened after Jesus went back to heaven.

Listen for the twists and turns that happen to Peter in today’s Bible story.

Let’s open up our Bible to Acts 3, where we will find today’s true story.

Peter Spoke Boldly About Jesus

Peter and another disciple, John, were walking to the temple when they saw a man who couldn’t walk, which meant he couldn’t earn money to buy food.

He begged Peter and John to give him money.

“I don’t have silver or gold,” Peter told the man, “but what I do have, I give you: in the name of Jesus, get up and walk!”

Through Jesus’ power, the man was healed.

He was so excited.

He entered the temple with them walking and leaping and praising God.

They people in the temple knew the man and rushed over to ask what had happened.

Peter told the people that Jesus gave John and him the ability to heal the man.

He reminded the crowd about everything that had happened: how the crowd handed Jesus over to their Roman authorities and asked for Him to be crucified.

He said that just as the prophets predicted, Jesus suffered and died to take the punishment for our sins.

Peter told them God had raised Jesus from the dead!

Peter asked the people to repent, which means to turn away from sin and to turn toward God, asking Him for forgiveness.

He said God would forgive their sins.

The religious leaders heard what was happening and were angry that Peter and John were preaching about Jesus.

They arrested Peter and John and put them in prison.

The next day, Peter and John stood before all the most important religious leaders.

The leaders asked them where they got the power to heal the man.

Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke boldly.

He told them the man was healed by Jesus’ power.

Peter told the leaders that trusting in Jesus and His power is the only way to be saved from the punishment for sin.

The leaders knew Peter and John did not have much education and were amazed at their confidence.

They recognized that peter and John could speak this way because they had been with Jesus.

The leaders ordered Peter and John not to teach about Jesus and threatened them with even worse punishments.

Peter and John said, “We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John knew it would be wrong to stop telling people about Jesus.

They believed Jesus is worth following even when things get tough.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s look at the “Day 4 Bible Story Picture”

Review Questions:

What did Peter give the man who couldn’t walk?

Healing for his legs

How was Peter able to heal the man who couldn’t walk?

He called on Jesus’ power to heal the man

What did the man do as soon as he was healed?

Leaped, walked, praised God

Why were Peter and John put in jail?

Religious leaders did not like Peter and John preaching about Jesus

Did Peter and John stop talking to people about Jesus?

No

Discussion Questions

How do you think the man who couldn’t walk felt when Peter didn’t have the money to give him? How do you think he felt when Peter made him well?

Why did Peter and John keep preaching about Jesus when the temple leaders told them to quit?

Ask: What were some of the different twists and turns in today’s Bible story?

Healing a man, being arrested, and preaching about Jesus were all things Peter and John probably did not expect that day.

God knew what would happen and was pleased when Peter and John chose to follow Jesus.

Ask: How would the man who could not walk might have felt when he heard that Peter and John were not going to give him money?

Ask: HOw might he have felt after his legs were healed?

All those events were twists and turns in the life of the man because he probaly thought he would always be a beggar who could not work and a person people did not often notice.

Peter and John decided Jesus was worth following.

Ask: Why is Jesus worth following?

Jesus is holy.

Jesus is trustworthy

Jesus is forgiving.

Jesus is God’s Son.

Jesus has all power.

Jesus saves people from their sins.

We can trust Jesus to forgive our isn.

We know that Jesus has the power to forgive our sins.

When we put our faith or our trust in Him and receive His gift of forgiveness, we can trust that He will forgive our sins like He promised in the Bible.

Know it (3 Minutes)

Let’s read Psalm 25:4 from our theme verse poster!

Ask: How did Peter learn God’s ways? (by following Jesus)

Present the prepared cube game.

Invite a child to toss the cube.

Guide kids who fit the description on the cube to stand in funny ways and repeat the verse.

Funny Ways to Stand:

Stand like a flamingo

Stand on tiptoes

Put your finger on your nose

Etc.

Allow several kids to take turns tossing the cube.

End with everyone standing in silly ways and repeating the verse from memory.

Ask: What are some ways that we can know God’s paths?

Learning Bible verses

Listening to Bible stories

Reading the Bible

Talking to God

Asking Him to lead you

Practicing what you learn

Live It (5 Minutes)

You will learn some motions

These actions can help a person learn more about becoming a Christian

Show the Gospel Cards one at a time and briefly describe each one as printed on the picture, demonstrating the motion listed in the margin. Tell kids that Peter did not use those same pictures to tell people about following Jesus, but he did tell them the same kind of information.

God rules-Use your hands to make a crown and place it on your head.

We sinned-Make an Z with your arms.

God provided-Hold your arms straight out to the sides.

Jesus gives-Pretend to hold out a gift box.

We respond-Reach your hands up high over your head.

Admit-Extend one arm up at an angle with palm up; cup other open hand beside mouth.

Believe-Clasp hands in front of chest

Confess-Cup both hands around your mouth (as if calling out)

Show the pictures in order again, allowing kids to make the hand motions for each picture as you name the picture.

Mix up the order and have the kids follow your new pattern.

God helps people know when the right time for each person to know when to rust Jesus as Savior.

Pray, asking God to help each child know when the time is right to trust Jesus as his or her Savior.

Finish It (7 Minutes)

Distribute the Day 4 Memory Makers and tags

Tell us how the speech bubble reminds you of what Peter and John said in today’s story.

Pass a basket or bowl for kids to leave their Memory Makers for the next day.

Lead kids to clap their hands with each word of Today’s Point, alternating between down low, in the middle, and then above their heads.

Jesus is worth following even when it gets tough.

Repeat the point over and over at different volumes.

End with a soft volume as you get ready for what is next.