Conversation Starters: Be Ready to Stand

Posted by Karah

CONNECTION POINT: God works in people’s lives through the influence of the Holy Spirit.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: We often seek jobs, positions, and opportunities for our own benefit. We gravitate toward those jobs and responsibilities that we might feel especially skilled for and certainly the ones we’d enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with that, but we need to realize that God has placed us in a specific situation—working a certain job, living in a particular location, or surrounded by different people—for a greater purpose: to point to Him and further His kingdom.

Concept: Be Ready to Stand

Preschool

Acts 2

LIFE POINT: Jesus’ friends were meeting together. Suddenly they heard a sound like a strong wind. It filled the house where they were meeting. The men began to speak in different languages. Jesus’ friends were able to tell people from different parts of the world about Jesus. The people could understand them and were surprised to hear them speaking. Peter told the people about Jesus. Many people believed what Peter said. They wanted to obey God and be baptized. The people who believed began to meet together every day. They learned more about what God wanted them to do. They met at the temple (church), and in each other’s homes. The church friends shared everything they had. They ate meals together. They helped each other whenever someone had a need. The church continued to grow every day.

LIVE IT OUT: Talk with your child about the things he did at church this week. Talk about friends in his class. Help your child begin to understand that the church is the people who meet together as well as the building. Read together the Bible Verse: “The church met together. Acts 2:46”

Kids

Acts 1:4-11

LIFE POINT: Jesus met with the disciples again. “Do not leave Jerusalem,” He said. Jesus wanted them to wait there for the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the disciples that when the Holy Spirit came to them they would receive power—power to tell people about Him! He said, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem. You will be My witnesses in Judea and Samaria. You will be My witnesses to the ends of the earth!” Then, the disciples saw Jesus going up into the air. They saw Him disappear into a cloud. They kept watching the sky to see what would happen. Suddenly, two men stood by the disciples. The men were dressed in white. They said, “Why are you looking up? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But He will return the same way He left!”

LIVE IT OUT: Talk with your child about the Holy Spirit. Encourage her to tell you what she knows about the Holy Spirit. Find several verses in the Bible that tell about the Holy Spirit and read them with your child. Pray, thanking God that the Holy Spirit lives in each Christian.

Students

Esther 2:5-10, 15-17

THE POINT: God is always at work behind the scenes.
• When have you been at the right place at the right time?
• When have you recognized God at work in your own background?
• When have you found yourself completely outside your comfort zone?
• What opportunities exist for you right now to be a person of influence? Discuss the following quote:

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”(1) —Billy Graham

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: Share with your student times when you have felt God bringing you closer to Him. Consider how you felt in the midst of those times and whether it seemed big or small.
• COMMUNITY: God equips His children with specific gifts. Take time to help your student determine some of his or her gifts and how he or she can use them to help the church.
• CULTURE: Pray with your student this week for those experiencing difficulties and that God would use those circumstances to accomplish His purposes.

“Billy Graham > Quotes > Quotable Quote,” Goodreads [online], [accessed 27 August 2017]. Available from the Internet: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/717403-courage-is-contagious-when-a-bravemantakes-a-stand.

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