VERSES: Acts 1:1-11
MEMORY VERSE: Acts 1:11 "...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Malachi. Write "Malachi" on small slips of paper, so the students make take this last book of the Old Testament home to memorize.
PRAYER: Pray that Jesus will come back soon and that we will be ready for Him.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves The Little Children (see February 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below)
LESSON POINTS:
- To review a bit, we remember that Luke was the writer of this fifth book of the New Testament and that he wrote this book to his friend, Theophilus, telling him of the things that had happened since Jesus died on the cross. Jesus had showed himself alive to His disciples during this forty day period and had spoken to them about the kingdom of God.
- While Jesus had all of His disciples together, He told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of God which they had heard Jesus speak about. He said that John baptized with water, but in a few days, His disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
- As they were all together, they asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel? They were thinking that Jesus was going to set up an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem like King David had, but Jesus said that it wasn't for the disciples to know, but they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. Jesus said that His disciples would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.
- After Jesus had finished speaking, His disciples were standing, looking up into heaven, Jesus was taken up into a cloud and they didn't see Him anymore. As they were still standing and looking up into the sky as Jesus went up, two men dressed in white clothes stood by them. They said, "You men of Galilee, why are you standing here gazing up into the sky? This same Jesus will be coming back just like you have seen Him go up."
- We will see next time what Jesus meant by the disciples receiving power.
- Read Daniel 7:13, 14. Hundreds of years before Jesus came to the earth, Daniel had a vision that the Son of Man came in the clouds of heaven. His kingdom would last forever. Daniel was talking about Jesus and the church where Jesus would be the King of an everlasting kingdom.
Materials needed: 9" x 12" light blue construction paper, crayons, glue, cotton balls.
- Hand out light blue paper.
- Draw eleven men and two angels dressed in white towards the bottom of the paper.
- Hand out cotton balls.
- Flatten two or three cotton balls.
- Glue flattened cotton balls in the top right corner of the paper.
- Draw Jesus' tunic or robe in the very tip top corner on the right side. Write "Jesus" on his robe.
- Write "Acts 1:11" in red at the top of the paper.
- Write, "Why are you standing here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus which is taken into heaven will come back in the same way." in the middle of the paper.
- Draw lines from the words to each angel.