📖

Life in the Early Church

The Early Church

Day 153of 180
Week 31of 36
25Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how the first Christians lived together in community

2

Identify the key characteristics of the early church

3

Develop appreciation for Christian unity and sharing

📖 Scripture Connection

Acts 2:42

“They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

— Acts 2:42 (WEB)

Demonstrates the core practices of the early Christian community

📦 Materials Needed

  • Bible
  • Colored paper
  • Scissors
  • Markers
  • BibleMouse Resource Guide
  • Acts map
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

Gather and ask, 'What do you remember about how the first Christians lived after Jesus went to heaven?'

💭 Review Question: Can you recall how many people became believers after Peter's sermon?
2Teaching (8 min)

Explore how the early Christians lived in close community, sharing everything they had

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • They met together regularly
  • They shared their possessions
  • They took care of each other's needs
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What does it mean to be part of a community?
  • How can we show love to other believers today?
3Activity: Early Church Community Poster (10 min)
community study

Create a colorful poster showing how the early Christians lived together

📝 Instructions:
  1. Draw a large circle on poster paper
  2. Inside the circle, draw or write ways Christians shared and cared for each other
  3. Use your BibleMouse Resource Guide for inspiration
  4. Include Bible verses from Acts 2:42-47
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Use pre-drawn images to color and arrange

Challenge: Add specific examples from the Scripture passage

4Closing (3 min)

Review the key ways the early church showed God's love

📝 Review Questions:
  • What did the early Christians do together?
  • How did they take care of each other?
🙏 Prayer:

Thank God for the community of believers and ask Him to help us love others

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about how persecution helped spread the gospel

💎 Memory Verse

Acts 1:8

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

— Acts 1:8 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Memory Verse Puzzle: Write each word of the verse on a separate paper strip, then mix them up and have the child reassemble the verse in order

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

The early church was a radical community that demonstrated God's love through practical care and unity

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use the BibleMouse map to show where these events took place
  • Encourage children to think about how they can show love to others
  • Connect the lesson to your local church community
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might find it hard to understand communal living

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Signs of understanding community and sharing

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Act out scenes from the early church using BibleMouse drama props
  • Create a prayer journal to pray for your church community
  • Interview an elder from your church about how the church helps people

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

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