Conversation Starters: A Fresh Start
Posted by Karah
CONNECTION POINT: Christians should let others know about restoration found in Jesus.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: When we come to faith in Christ, we realize there is nothing we can do to earn a right relationship with God. We fail, but Jesus gives us hope. Now that we are Christians, we still fail, but we sometimes chastise ourselves for failing. The same grace we needed for salvation is the same grace we need to live it out. The hope we have in Christ is grounded in grace, and we need to experience that grace day by day.
Conversation Starters: A Fresh Start
Preschool
Acts 16:11-15
LIFE POINT: Paul and his friends traveled to many places, telling people about Jesus. They went to the city of Philippi to tell people about Jesus. On the day for church, Paul and his friends left the city and walked down to the river. They found a group of women praying beside the river. Paul and his friends began talking to the women about Jesus. One of the women was named Lydia. Lydia sold purple cloth. She loved God very much. She listened carefully as Paul told her and the other women about Jesus. Lydia believed what Paul was saying and became a follower of Jesus. She wanted everyone to know that she loved Jesus. Lydia invited Paul and his friends to come and stay at her house. And they did.
LIVE IT OUT: Play a game with your child to learn this week’s Bible Verse: “Tell about Jesus. Acts 16:10.” Practice saying the verse in different voices: high, low, loud, quiet, fast, slow. Remind your child that God wants people to tell about Jesus.
Kids
Acts 16:11-15
LIFE POINT: Paul and Timothy traveled to many different places, telling people about Jesus. They sailed in a boat to the country of Macedonia. They were going where God had told them to go. They arrived in Philippi. Many people lived there. Paul and Timothy went to tell the people about Jesus. On the Sabbath Day, the special day to worship God, the two men left the city and walked along the river. A group of women had gathered by the river outside the city. Paul and Timothy sat down and began to talk to the women
who had gathered together. They were happy to tell the women about Jesus. One of the women who listened to Paul was named Lydia. Lydia sold purple cloth. Lydia listened and believed what Paul was saying. She became a follower of Jesus. Lydia invited Paul and Timothy to stay at her house. And they did.
LIVE IT OUT: Does your child see in your life that you are a Christ follower The Bible clearly states that God wants people to follow His Son, Jesus. If your child has not become a Christian, there are resources to help you explain how to become a Christ follower.
Students
John 18:15-18, 25-27; 21:15-19
THE POINT: We fail, Jesus restores.
• When have you really enjoyed making a mess?
• What emotions would you have experienced in Peter’s situation?
• What factors may cause us to shrink back from identifying with Christ?
• When have you seen God bring restoration?
Discuss the following quote:
“I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him.”1 —Charles Spurgeon
LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your student to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture:
• CHRIST: Discuss sin with your student and ensure that he or she is confessing that sin to God and turning away from it.
• COMMUNITY: Does your student have a friend that he or she can discuss sin and accountability with? If not, help your student to identify a friend that can pray with him or her and hold your student accountable when necessary.
• CULTURE: We all fail. Pray with your student for the strength to claim Jesus before a lost world.
Charles H. Spurgeon, Sermons of Rev. C. H. Spurgeon of London: 2nd Series (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1883).
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