📖

Persecution Spreads the Gospel

The Early Church

Day 154of 180
Week 31of 36
25Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how early Christians responded to persecution

2

Identify how God used persecution to spread the gospel

3

Develop courage to share faith despite challenges

📖 Scripture Connection

Acts 8:4

“Those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.”

— Acts 8:4 (WEB)

Shows how God used persecution to spread the gospel message

📦 Materials Needed

  • World English Bible
  • Acts map from BibleMouse Resource Guide
  • Colored markers
  • Large poster paper
  • Stickers
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

BibleMouse adventure begins! Recap how Christians were growing in Jerusalem before persecution

💭 Review Question: What happened to Stephen in our last lesson?
2Teaching (8 min)

Exploring how God used persecution to spread His message

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Believers were scattered because of persecution
  • They didn't stop sharing about Jesus
  • The gospel spread to new areas
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • How might you feel if someone told you to stop talking about something you love?
  • How did God turn a difficult situation into something good?
3Activity: Gospel Spread Mapping (10 min)
cause and effect

Create a visual map showing how persecution caused believers to move and share the gospel

📝 Instructions:
  1. Draw a map of the region
  2. Use different colored stickers to show where believers traveled
  3. Draw arrows showing gospel spread
  4. Write brief stories of how people shared Jesus
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Pre-draw map, child adds stickers

Challenge: Research specific regions and believers' journeys

4Closing (3 min)

Review key lesson points

📝 Review Questions:
  • How did God use persecution?
  • What can we learn from early Christians?
🙏 Prayer:

Ask God for courage to share His love

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn how the gospel reached people outside of Jerusalem

💎 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: Gospel Hop: Create a map with hopscotch-style squares representing different regions, children hop and recite a section of the verse

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Persecution was real and intense for early Christians

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use gentle language about persecution
  • Emphasize God's protection and purpose
  • Validate children's potential fears
🤔 Common Struggles:

Understanding how something difficult can be used for good

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to see God's bigger plan

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Create a comic strip about early Christian travelers
  • Write a letter as if you were an early Christian telling your story

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

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