Conversation Starters: A Channel of Comfort
Posted by Karah
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: No one is immune from trouble. No one wants to go through hardships, but sometimes life rains on us. Thankfully, God never abandons His children, and we can know the power of His presence in the challenges we face. When we’ve walked through a hard season of life with God’s comforting grace, we can walk with others undergoing the same difficulties. We can encourage them with the love, grace, and comfort of Christ, who they see in us.
Conversation Starters: A Channel of Comfort
Preschool
Acts 18:1-3, 24-28
LIFE POINT: Paul went to the city of Corinth to tell the people about Jesus. There he met a man named Aquila and his wife, Priscilla. They were tent makers. Paul taught Priscilla and Aquila about Jesus while they worked together making tents. Later, Aquila and Priscilla sailed with Paul to a city named Ephesus. In this city, Aquila and Priscilla met a man named Apollos. Apollos loved God and had learned many things from the Bible scroll. He was a good teacher, and many people listened to him. Aquila and Priscilla invited Apollos to their house. They talked with Apollos and told him things about Jesus that he did not know. Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos understand more about Jesus. Apollos traveled to tell other people what he had learned about God and Jesus.
LIVE IT OUT: Sit and clap with your child while saying, “T – E – L – L, I can tell about Jesus.” Name one person you could tell about Jesus. Repeat the chant, encouraging your child to name someone she could tell about Jesus. Continue to play, adding other family members to the game.
Kids
Acts 21:27-22:29
LIFE POINT: Some men saw Paul in the temple. They said that Paul was saying things against the law. They stirred up the whole crowd. The men grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the temple. They beat Paul and tried to kill him! Soldiers rushed to the temple to find out what was happening. As the crowd followed, the soldiers took Paul away. When they reached the steps where the soldiers stayed, Paul asked to speak. Paul said, “Listen to me. I learned the Jewish law when I was young. I tried to do all it said. I even tried to put Christians in jail.” Then Paul told everything that had happened to him. The crowd yelled for Paul to be punished. The soldier was about to beat Paul with a whip. Then he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen. The soldier knew he could not harm a Roman citizen. He stopped at once.
LIVE IT OUT: Has your child ever heard a message from you he does not like? Just as a parent disciplines his child, so God disciplines His children. Help your child understand that the Bible is God’s guide for living and following Jesus, even when we hear something we do not like.
Students
2 Corinthians 1:2-7
THE POINT: I can be a channel of God’s comfort to others.
• What’s your favorite comfort food?
• When have you been comforted by God?
• What ways do you appreciate being comforted by others?
• When has God used you to comfort someone?
Discuss the following quote:
“The task of the preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” 1 —Vance Havner
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: Pray with your student that he or she would respond to hardships in a Christ-honoring way.
• COMMUNITY: Our friends are continually facing challenges that need our prayers and community support. Help your student identify friends that may need our prayer and support.
• CULTURE: Discuss ways that people in your church and community may be suffering. Consider ways that you can help and be a comfort to those people.
1 Vance Havner, Grace Quotes [online], [accessed 23 November 2016]. Available from the Internet: http://gracequotes.org/quote/the-task-of-the-preacher-is-to-comfort-the-afflict/
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