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© 2012 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Breaks Down Barriers

ScheduleAnticipate

5–10 minutes

Celebrate & RespondLarge Group

35–55 minutes

Respond & BlessSmall Group

20–25 minutes

Bible Passage: Acts 10—11 (Peter and Cornelius—Gospel to the Gentiles)

Environment: FAITH COMMUNITYGod designed us to live in community and to experience Him in ways that can only happen in proximity to one another. The faith community serves to create an environment to equip and disciple parents, to celebrate God’s faithfulness, and to bring a richness of worship through tradition and rituals, which offer children an identity. Our love for each other reflects the love we have received from God.

REMEMBER VERSELet the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you

were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

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© 2012 David C. Cook

Ann LundTruStory Team

InspireI don’t remember the day, but I remember the heartbreak. There, before me, on his knees on the bathroom floor, my husband knelt with grief, begging me to forgive him for the financial doings that threatened to break apart everything in our lives. Though he begged for forgiveness that day, I had none to give him—and not for many days to come.

After struggling to keep afloat financially and emotionally, my husband did what he could to help us survive: He took a job several hundred miles away. Every phone call ended in another argument. I wondered if, one day, he would come home and I would be gone.

During that time, I told God this was “too hard” even for Him. I tried to pray and read the Word, but only tears touched my Bible. Little did I know that God was doing a deep work in my heart. He was breaking down barriers between my husband and me as well as barriers in my relationship with Him.

After what seemed like a long season of despair, I finally hit what I considered the bottom. There, I met God. There, God broke down the barriers in my heart that had been keeping me from knowing His power inside of me to forgive, to hope, and to love. There, God’s Spirit gave me reasons to try again.

Though it didn’t happen overnight, forgiveness came and love returned. Our marriage was saved. God’s steadfast love brought about humility and repentance in my husband and a spirit of mercy inside my own heart. The barrier between us came down. The unwavering love of God delivered me from hopelessness to hope, in Him.

N O T E S :

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EquipGod’s Holy Spirit was breaking down barriers when Peter entered the house of the Gentile centurion named Cornelius. “‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile,’” Peter said in Acts 10:28. “‘But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.’” This statement reveals both the ancient barrier between Jews and Gentiles and the way God’s Spirit was, even then, breaking down this barrier.

At the time of this divinely ordered encounter between Peter and Cornelius, most Jews assumed that Gentiles had to convert to Judaism in order to be a part of the faith community. This was an understandable assumption: the Old Testament restricted contact with Gentiles, and Jesus had said His ministry was for the Jews. For hundreds of years Gentiles had dominated the Jews and scattered them about their empires. The Gentiles had even destroyed their temple. To counteract this threat to their culture, Jews created hundreds of social, religious, and cultural boundaries between themselves and Gentiles.

Though most of Jewish separatism and its rules were of divine origin, God had, through the death and resurrection of His Son, inaugurated a new day when barriers between “clean” and “unclean” people were no longer necessary. These barriers blocked the spread of the gospel, so God set about breaking them down. God gave Peter a vision and declared clean not only the food the Gentiles ate but also the Gentiles themselves. Later, God proved this declaration by filling the Gentile believers with the same gift of the Spirit that He gave to the apostles at Pentecost.

God showed, through Jesus’ sacrifice, that He had broken down age-old barriers. God showed that He wants everyone—of every race, culture, and background—to be a part of His faith community. He showed that the day had come when He would “pour out [His] Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28).

ResourcesTomson, Peter J. 1999. ”Jewish Food Laws in Early Christian Community Discourse.” Semeia 86: 193-211.

Kern, Philip H. 2003. “Paul’s Conversion and Luke’s Portrayal of Character in Acts 8—10.” Tyndale Bulletin 54 (2): 68-80.

Scott Jr., Julius. 1991. “The Cornelius Incident in the Light of Its Jewish Setting.” JETS 34 (4): 475-484.

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SupportWhen Peter stood in the house of Cornelius, the Gentile, he said: “‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34–35). The verb “realize” in Greek is katalambanomai. This verb is present tense and shows action in progress. So, as Peter stood before the Gentiles to whom God had explicitly and divinely brought him, Peter had an in-the-moment realization about God. It must have hit Peter like a ton of bricks: God doesn’t show favoritism. His love is for all.

This description of Peter coming to this realization reveals a touching moment. Though Peter had touched God’s Son, walked with Him on water, and experienced the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, he was still amazed by new truths about God. He still felt the astonishment that God’s love reached even to this level.

When was the last time God astonished you in this way? When was the last time you said, “I realize in this moment—katalambanomai—that God is even more magnificently loving, powerful, real, compassionate, gracious, and sovereign than I knew”?

This week, ask God to reveal Himself to you in a new way and, in doing so, flatten you with the astonishment of the revelation. Ask God to continue to blow the roof off your faith so you can be even more amazed by the God whom we serve.*

TruStory Team

ADAM & EVE

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YOU & ME

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JOSHUA

SAMUELHANNAH

KING DAVID

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KING JOSIAH

JEREMIAH

SHADRACH/MESHACH/ABEDNEGO

DANIEL

ESTHER

NEHEMIAH

SIMEON/ANNAZECHARIAH

MARYZACCHAEUS

LYDIACORNELIUS

PHILIP

PAUL

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Navigating This LessonThese are descriptions of the terms found throughout the lesson.

Tip and Leader Tip: Suggestions for programming and classroom management.

Programming Note: Suggestions for modifying or adjusting programming to best fit your service schedule.

Partner Church Comments: Insightful comments, suggestions, and variations offered for activities and programming provided by our national network of children’s and family ministry leaders.

Optional: Suggestions of ways you can adapt the activities and games to best fit your own church and group of kids.

Host: The Host offers the same spirit of hospitality, generosity, and inclusiveness to the kids that the host of a party would offer to the guests in her home or gathering.

Small Group Leader: The Small Group Leader shepherds the kids through questions about the story and biblical truths, engages them in community-building activities, helps them create a remembrance of their experience, and blesses them before they leave. Ideally Small Group Leaders work week after week with the same group of kids, giving them the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with each child.

Worship Leader: The Worship Leader facilitates individual and corporate worship by listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit and inviting others into the worship experience.

Storyteller: After active involvement with the Scriptures and the lesson, the Storyteller recounts the Bible passage for the kids in an engaging way. He leads out of an overflow of his own life, telling personal stories as prompted and guiding the kids into a time of natural worship response.

AV Technician: This person facilitates the “behind-the-scenes” aspects of programming, including music, lighting, drama, sound, PowerPoint, etc. The AV Technician makes sure things run smoothly and is willing to help with anything—including stepping into any of the other leader roles.

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Lesson Overview

N O T E S :

Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List under Resource Tab)

Anticipate//Small Group Check-In

5–10 min.

Encourages interaction among kids, leaders, and parents; engages the kids in curiosity and anticipation of the lesson; and creates an inviting atmosphere.

Around the World• world map (see Resource Folder) (and/or globe)• images: countries, cultural foods (see Resource

Folder)• Country Facts cards (see Resource Folder)• tape• string• marker• scissors• hole punch• stapler• optional: foods from different cultures, plates

and utensils

Celebrate//Large Group

20–35 min.

Establishes community and tells stories both personal and biblical in a fun and engaging way.

Traditions • mementos for your church Traditions (rocks,

marbles, gum balls, etc.) • Remember Verse cards, slide, and animation

(see Resource Folder)

Connect Activity: We’re All Different!• Connect Activity slide (see Resource Folder)• We’re All Different sheet (see Resource Folder)• pens (for older kids)

The Big God Story • Bible • Timeline slide and animation

(see Resource Folder) • images: Italian centurion, animals (see Resource

Folder)• video: Peter’s vision (see Resource Folder)• props: medium-size boxes (enough to build a small

wall or barrier), object to represent a Jew (e.g., a teddy bear), and an object to represent a Gentile (e.g., a doll)

Respond//Large Group

15–20min.

Creates space for children to respond to the Holy Spirit in worship and community as a large group.

God, Please Break Down Barriers• 3 large pieces of poster board• markers• TruWorship CD (“Jump” and “Dance,” Radio the World)

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Lesson Overview

N O T E S :

Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List under Resource Tab)

Respond//Small Group

15–20min.

Discusses truth, reflects on the lesson, engages in relationships, and creates a project or a piece of art individually or together.

Reflect: The Holy Spirit Breaks Down Barriers• questions

Create: Our Faith CommunityOption 1: Prayer Chain• world map (from Anticipate) • Paper People Chain template (1 per child; see

Resource Folder) • scissors

Option 2: Faith Community Postcards• photos from and facts about the regions and

countries listed in this section (printed from the Internet)

• pens• paper• art supplies• optional: computer or mobile device on which

kids could look up photos or facts about the regions; postcards and stamps

Bless//Small Group

5 min. Sends the kids out with a sense of peace and blessing so they can be a blessing to their families and others.

• Bible (for the blessing)• HomeFront Weekly (1 per child,

see Resource Folder)

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ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS

Anticipate// 5–10 min.

An energizing time for parents and kids to start engaging with the material that will be presented in the lesson.

It is intentionally designed to spark curiosity and cultivate a sense of awe and wonder about God.

Encourage parents to participate in this time with their kids.

Small Group Leaders

SMALL GROUPS E C T I O N

Around the WorldLead kids through an Anticipate in which they explore the world as a big, beautiful, and varied place full of many different kinds of people. Help them explore different ways people look, act, eat, and live. Explain that many of these differences exist because of the geography of the land and the traditions of the different cultures, but every culture and person is interesting and beautiful because God envisioned this diversity and creativity.

SUPPLIES• world map (see Resource Folder) (and/or globe)• images: countries, cultural foods (see Resource Folder)• Country Facts cards (see Resource Folder)• scissors, tape, string, marker, hole punch, stapler• optional: plates and utensils; foods from different cultures (consider foods such as naan

or samosas from India, empanadas from Argentina, shepherd’s pie from England, dim sum from China, kimchi from Korea, crepes from France, corned beef and cabbage from Ireland, fondue from Switzerland—or any other interesting foods you’ll find at your local grocery store) (Note: Before serving any food to children, check for allergies.)

SET UP • Print out the map and tape it to a wall. • Print out the images of the different countries and different foods and tape them to the

wall, grouping them by country.• Cut apart the Country Facts cards, punch a hole at the top of each one, and tie a 12"

piece of string through each hole. (Optional: Instead of punching holes in the cards, tape a 12" piece of string to each card.)

• Gather the cards belonging to the same country or region and knot them together. Tie the knots at different places so the cards can hang at differing lengths.

• Tape or staple the cards’ knotted ends to the corresponding countries on the map, letting the cards hang down.

• Optional: Set out foods from different countries.

ENGAGEPoint out the world map to the kids. Let them know that, at each point on the map, they can discover information about that region or country’s culture, weather, animal life, geography, traditions, or food. Remind the kids that the word “culture” encompasses the way of life, ideas, and traditions of a group of people.

Once the kids have spent some time looking at the map, images, and facts cards, ask, If you could travel to any place on this map right now, where would you go? If you could try one of the foods from any country, which one would you eat? Which country’s weather makes it the best place to live? What’s the most interesting thing you learned today?

Leader Tip Optional: Allow the kids to try foods from different countries. Set out the food, along with plates and utensils. Make sure to label what foods come from which countries. Ask the kids which foods they liked or didn’t like, and which foods were new and interesting to them.

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Celebrate//20–35 min. Host/Storyteller

LARGE GROUPS E C T I O N


Welcome and TraditionsAfter everyone is gathered together as a large group, open with Traditions. During Traditions, you are helping the kids work toward a common goal and giving them mementos to celebrate things like memorizing the Remember Verse, inviting a friend, or bringing their Bibles.

Mementos can be anything, such as rocks, marbles, gum balls, or connecting blocks. Use a clear plastic or glass container to fill so the kids can watch their progress. Or have them contribute to the building of a structure with connecting blocks. If you have multiple services, use separate containers or building stations for each one. Once the kids have been awarded their mementos, direct them to put the mementos into the container or to add them to the building effort. When the common-goal tradition is complete, have a celebration!

If there is time, take it a step further and choose one or two child volunteers each week to give praise reports, testimonies, or tell about funny and intriguing events. Sing familiar worship songs with corresponding motions. Encourage kids to think of their own motions to personalize the songs for your church community.

ConnectConnect is a time to laugh, play, and enjoy each other’s company. Engaging questions, energizing games, and creative activities encourage the community to get to know each other. Encourage them to participate in the following activity and connect with someone they might not know yet. (See Connect Activity slide in the Resource Folder.)

Kids get to be a part of the faith community of God’s family.

They participate in traditions and share them with newcomers, connect through fun and interaction, and experience The Big God Story through storytelling.

REMEMBER VERSEThis is a good time to introduce kids to the Remember Verse. As they arrive, open a Bible and read it together if time allows. Remember Verse cards, slide, and animations can be found in the Resource Folder.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

BirthdaysA Group Tradition

Every week, invite the children with upcoming or recent birthdays up for a group-singing of a birthday song and a blessing from the leader. Encourage the children to sing with their whole hearts and really celebrate the child with the birthday. Make this a tradition the kids will look forward to, one that makes them feel loved by their faith community.

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Connect Activity: We’re All Different!

SUPPLIES• Connect Activity slide (see Resource Folder)• We’re All Different sheet (see Resource Folder)• pens (for older kids)

SET UP Pass out activity page and pens.

ENGAGE During this activity, give older kids a few minutes to find different people, matching as many categories on their lists as possible during a certain amount of time (say, one minute). When time’s up, ask them to look at their pages and notice the differences among the people around them. For younger kids, sit down in a large circle and read each category aloud. Help them find someone in the circle who fits each category.

Prayer of ReleaseAt the end of Connect, pray a Prayer of Release. This is a time for kids and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. If you would like, encourage kids to hold their hands out in front of them in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them. Encourage kids to quiet their voices and take a seat. Then ask them to pray with you.

N O T E S :

Using Signals A fun way to cue kids that a change is about to happen is to use a signal. This helps create predictability as well as energy for the next experience.

Signal Ideas

• Energetic music or audio piece.

• Video clip from a fun movie. Replace the audio from the movie with energetic music of your choice.

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N O T E S : The Big God StoryStoryteller

During The Big God Story, take the kids on a journey through how God’s Spirit broke down barriers to salvation for Cornelius and the rest of the Gentiles. Though this part of The Big God Story can be delivered verbatim, read it before the lesson so you can personally interact with the material. Share stories from your life, and speak with your own style by varying your intonation and gestures.

The Holy Spirit Breaks Down BarriersSUPPLIES• Bible • Timeline slide and animation (see Resource Folder) • images: Italian centurion, animals (see Resource Folder)• video: Peter’s vision (see Resource Folder)• props: medium-size boxes (enough to build a small wall or barrier), object to represent a

Jew (e.g., a teddy bear), and an object to represent a Gentile (e.g., a doll)

SET UPUse the boxes to create a barrier in the storytelling area, and ask an adult volunteer to sit on one side of the barrier. Cue images and video. Place the props near the storyteller.

Today, during Connect, you looked for people matching certain categories and discovered some of the ways we’re different. God made each of us unique. Sometimes we like the ways we’re different from each other—and sometimes our differences make it hard for us to get along. Sometimes our differences build barriers between us.

TipBefore sharing this account of Peter and Cornelius, point out that what your kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Establish a consistent place to

keep this Bible every week.

Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along in Acts 10–11 as you storytell. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage, and allow enough time for each child to locate the passage. You may even want to project the reference on a screen or write it in large print on a poster or whiteboard.

Visual AidsYou will find JPEGs of various visual aids in the Resource Folder for every lesson of TruStory. Though we often refer to projector screens, do not feel limited by this. Please use these files in whichever format works best for your church, whether you use computer media, an overhead projector, or poster board.

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What are barriers? Right! Barriers are like walls (point to the barrier of boxes). Though we don’t usually build physical barriers like walls between each other, we often put up invisible barriers between each other—we don’t trust each other, or we’re not very friendly to each other. Do you think God wants us to put up barriers between each other? No! Do you think it’s easy or hard to talk with someone behind a barrier? (Talk with the person on the other side of the barrier.) God wants barriers to be knocked down. But He knows how hard it is for us to knock them down on our own. In fact, we can’t always do it on our own! God’s Spirit breaks down barriers for us so we don’t have to.

Today we’re going to hear about one of the ways God’s Spirit broke down barriers so that all people could be included in His faith community. In this case, God broke down a barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles. Gentiles are people who aren’t born into the Jewish community. However, because of Jesus, Gentiles can now be included in God’s faith community. People didn’t always know that, though. It took an amazing moment through the Holy Spirit to bring the apostles and first believers to the knowledge that everyone—even Gentiles—can be part of God’s family.

Today in The Big God Story we start at the house of a Gentile named Cornelius—a centurion in an Italian cohort (show image of an Italian centurion). A centurion is someone in the military. So this man, Cornelius, wasn’t just a Gentile; he also served in the army of a Gentile nation—a nation the Jews did not like very much. So Cornelius’ being both a Gentile and a centurion put two barriers between himself and the Jews. Even so, the Bible says Cornelius “and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts 10:2). Just like the Ethiopian official we heard about last week, Cornelius loved God, but he wasn’t completely allowed into the faith community. And just like God broke down a barrier for the Ethiopian man, He did the same thing for Cornelius. God did this through an extraordinary vision and an extraordinary vision He gave to Peter (play Peter’s Vision video).

While Peter was still wondering about the vision he’d seen, he heard a knock at the door. When Peter opened it, several men were standing there. Peter asked why they had come, and they said, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say” (v. 22).

Wow! A lot of really interesting things just happened there! Let’s recap a bit: First, an angel met with Cornelius the centurion and told him to go find a man whom he’d never met—Peter. Then, while Cornelius’s men went to get Peter, Peter himself had

The Big God Story

Partner Church Comments “Our storyteller did a great job with the boxes. The kids always respond to having concrete objects in front of them.” Mountainbrook Community Church

Partner Church Comments “We put a tablecloth over a table and had someone hide behind it. The storyteller then pulled it off! The kids loved it.” Maple Valley Presbyterian Church

N O T E S :

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N O T E S : a vision in which God told him to eat meat that he didn’t usually eat—meat that was “unclean” by his Jewish Law. Peter refused to eat the meat, but God insisted, saying, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Seems weird, right?! What do you think this means?!

Well, food is a very important part of every culture. What we eat or don’t eat tells a lot about where we come from. Cornelius, and other Gentiles, freely ate the meat of all kinds of animals (show the images of animals), but the Jews weren’t allowed to eat certain kinds of animals because God had given them laws about what they could and couldn’t eat. Because of cultural differences like this one (and many others), Jews considered Gentiles to be “unclean” and weren’t friends with them. In fact, they didn’t even set foot in Gentile homes! In other words, there was a big barrier between Jews and Gentiles—a barrier that God, through these miraculous dreams and visions—was in the process of breaking down (go to the barrier and, as you tell the next few paragraphs, slowly break it down).

So, after Peter got over the shock of the incredible vision and the men showing up unexpectedly at his door, he realized God was up to something interesting. So Peter did something Jews did not do: He invited the Gentile men into his home! Wow! Now that’s breaking down a barrier! Then God led Peter to go to Cornelius’s home. Peter felt strange being in a Gentile’s home (v. 28). But God had led him there because God wanted to show the Jews that He was breaking down barriers and inviting all people into His faith community.

After Cornelius told Peter about the angel and his instructions to get Peter, Peter realized: “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (vv. 34–35). In that moment, God’s Spirit showed Peter that everyone—no matter the culture, race, gender, or nationality—could be included in His faith community! In that moment, God broke down a barrier between Jews and Gentiles! Wow! (Remove the barrier all the way and high-five, hug, etc., the person on the other side.)

Peter spread the good news to everyone listening, and the Holy Spirit fell on them just as He’d fallen on the disciples at Pentecost! And when Peter returned to his home, he told the other Jews what had happened. They were amazed, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). After this, more and more Gentiles started to believe in the good news of Jesus and became a part of God’s faith community. And the Bible says the new believers were called “Christians.”

This part of The Big God Story shows how much God does to bring people into His faith community. He used a vision and a dream to prove to Peter—a Jew—that

The Big God Story

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N O T E S : the longtime barrier between Jews and Gentiles had been removed. Because of this event, people joyfully realized that God doesn’t show favoritism. He invites everyone into His faith community! Everyone has a part to play in God’s Big Story.

Even today we sometimes put up barriers that block us from sharing the good news with other people and keep us from loving others in the faith community like God loves us. But God’s Holy Spirit still breaks down barriers between people. He still goes to extraordinary measures to show that He loves everyone—from every race, culture, gender, or nationality. And everyone has a unique place in His faith community. (Share a time in your life when God broke down barriers for you.)

The Big God Story

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This is a time for kids to worship through silence, prayer, singing, giving, sharing, thanksgiving, and many other ways.

Make plans for your worship time but prepare yourself and your team to hold them loosely if the Holy Spirit leads the group in a different direction.

Respond// 15–20 min. Host/Worship Leader

LARGE GROUPS E C T I O N

God, Please Break Down BarriersSUPPLIES• 3 large pieces of poster board• markers• TruWorship CD (“Jump” and “Dance,” Radio the World)

SET UPDraw a barrier on each piece of poster board, and place each piece on a separate table or in another place around the room that’s very accessible. Put markers nearby each piece.

ENGAGEGod desires for everyone inside and outside of His faith community to love each other like He loves us, but this doesn’t always happen. We still sometimes create barriers between ourselves and other people. Sometimes that’s because those outside the faith community can be very different from us. But God calls us to reach out to others outside our faith community because He loves everyone and wants everyone to be a part of His family.

God knows about the barriers we put up between one another as well as the barriers between ourselves and those who don’t know Him. He wants to break down these barriers. And here’s the great thing: God truly has the power to break them down!

Today, take some time to pray about any barriers you know of within your faith community. What steps could you prayerfully take to reach out to those being divided by barriers? What about within your group of friends or at your school? How might the Holy Spirit be speaking to you in your own life and leading you to speak to others?

After the kids have had some time to pray and think about these things, encourage them to write a word or phrase or draw something, as a prayer, on one of the poster board barriers. When everyone’s done, pray as a group, asking God to use all of you to bring others into His faith community or to break down some barriers. Ask God into the situation and trust Him to break down barriers.

End this time by worshipping God through music.

N O T E S :

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Reflect: The Holy Spirit Breaks Down BarriersGod invites everyone into His faith community. No matter the culture, nationality, race, or gender, everyone who believes in Jesus is included because God doesn’t have favorites. God loves everyone and wants everyone to know Him. (Leaders: Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages.)

Questions for Younger Kids• What is a Gentile? (Colossians 3:11)• What is a faith community? (Acts 2:44–47)• How does God help us break down barriers? (Acts 10:28–29)• Why is it important for all people to know they can be included in God’s faith

community? (Acts 11:18)

Questions for Older Kids• What is a Gentile? (Colossians 3:11)• What is a faith community? (Acts 2:44–47)• Why did the Jews think the Gentiles shouldn’t be included in God’s faith

community? (Acts 10:28; Ezra 6:21)• Why was Peter’s dream about the animals important? (Acts 10:9–16, 28)• What kinds of barriers do we put up between each other, and why do we do this?• How does God help us break down barriers? (Acts 10:28–29)• Why is it important for all people to know they can be included in God’s faith

community? (Acts 11:18)

Create: Our Faith CommunityThe faith community is a community of people who believe in Jesus. God’s Holy Spirit gives us the ability to love each other and break down barriers. There are small faith communities, like our church, and then there is the larger faith community of all believers around the world. Today, we are going to look at some of the places where Christians live, all over the world.

SUPPLIESOption 1: Prayer Chain• world map (from Anticipate)• Paper People Chain template (1 per child; see Resource Folder)• scissors


A time to engage in relationship, reflect on the lesson with spiritual conversation, and/or create a meaningful project or piece of art.

Respond// 15–20 min. Small Group Leaders


N O T E S :

Resource Tip “Finish the Sentence” activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access this resource on the My Lessons page > Extras > Small Group Enhancements.

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Option 2: Faith Community Postcards• photos from and facts about the following regions and countries (printed from the

Internet)• pens• paper• art supplies• optional: computer or mobile device on which kids could look up photos or facts about

the regions; postcards and stamps

SET UPOption 1: Prayer ChainPlace the world map on a table. Print out the Paper People Chain template (enough for each child to make one or more paper chains). Have scissors available.

Option 2: Faith Community PostcardsSet out the photos and facts for the kids to see. Optional: Set up the computer for them to use. Also optional: Find a missionary, church, or missions organization in one of the regions below (or another of your choosing). Ahead of time, find out that person or organization’s address, prayer requests, some facts about them, and maybe some photos. Set these out for the kids to use.

ENGAGEOption 1: Prayer ChainReturn to the map you used during Anticipate. Talk about the political, religious, cultural, and geographical climates of these different places (the ones listed below and any other ones you want to share). Then brainstorm how you can pray for God’s Spirit to break down barriers in those countries. Also, think of ways you can help your children pray for God’s Spirit to help them and others offer more love to each other.

ChinaMany Christians in China struggle because the government doesn’t want them there. Also, billions of people live in China, and most of them don’t know Jesus. How can we pray for the people living in China?

AfricaAfrica has faced lots of hardships: lack of food and water, disease, war, and more. Even so, Christianity is growing really fast there. How can we pray for the people living in Africa?

United States of AmericaThough America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, many people still go hungry and don’t make enough money to survive. Also, many people don’t

Partner Church Comments “We ended up connecting all of the chains and putting them up in the rooms.” River West Church

N O T E S :

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N O T E S : believe in Jesus. And the ones who do believe are often divided against each other. How can we pray for the people in America?

IndiaIndia is one of the most densely populated (a lot of people live there) countries in the world. Most of the people in this country don’t know Jesus. Because most Indian people believe in a different religion (that’s very connected to their culture), it’s very difficult for Christians to live in India. How can we pray for the people in India?

After you’ve prayed for these places, cultures, and people, pass out the Paper People Chain templates and help the kids make chains of people. Optional: Let the kids write prayers or hopes inside the people on the chain.

Option 2: Faith Community PostcardsFollow the directions above, but instead of making Paper People chains, have your kids create postcards. They might choose to create a fake postcard, drawing images of what they imagine a certain place to be like and writing a prayer on the back as if they were writing a letter. Or, the kids might write an actual letter to an actual missionary, church, or missions organization.

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Bless// 5 min. Small Group Leaders


As kids are blessed, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encourage them to freely share with others the joy and love they have received from God.

Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. This posture is meant to symbolize a willingness of heart to respond to God’s Holy Spirit and receive what God has for them. Invite them to remain in this posture as you bless them. Encourage parents to come early in order to read the blessing over their child.

Open your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT): I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”

May God’s Holy Spirit give you friendship with and love for one another. May each of you live well together through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, who brings His people together.

A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words of encouragement or guidance.

A blessing can be offered in order to ask God’s Spirit to overflow from the child’s life to bless others or prayed over a child for the purpose of declaring God’s protection, joy, or wisdom.

HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week’s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God’s Word together before children arrive at church.

HomeFront Monthly: Every four weeks we highlight one of the 10 environments. For each new environment, parents should receive HomeFront Monthly. This resource gives families ideas for how to create fun, spiritually forming times in their homes—setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives!

Leader TipEvery lesson ends with a blessing. This is a time for parents and leaders to speak truth over children’s lives. The idea of the blessing is to transition the child from being blessed to being a blessing.

The blessing can be done in many ways, but the more intentional you are about it, the more powerful it will be. Depending on whether parents are able to join in at this time, you may want them to put their hands on their child’s head or kneel and look him in the eye as they bless him. Leaders, be sure to model how you envision the blessing working in your church so your volunteers and parents become comfortable with it.

Documents

Bible Passage: Acts 10—11 (Peter and Cornelius—Gospel to ...€¦ · barriers between “clean” and “unclean” people were no longer necessary. These barriers blocked the