A Serious Problem
Acts 15:1-34
February 8, 2015
The children will understand:
 Peter’s debate with the Pharisees and Council.
 That we are saved by grace alone.
 That all believers are part of the Body of Christ.
Game
Supplies:
white board
marker
Today, the children will learn that all believers in Jesus Christ make up “the body of Christ.”
Later in the lesson, they will also be physically creating “the body” with their own bodies. So,
the children will start today’s lesson by playing the classic guessing game of Hang Man. If the
hang man’s “body” is formed before the children guess the phrase, the leader wins. If the
children guess the phrase before “the body” is complete, they win! (To avoid an actual hanging,
draw the body, but not the gallows.)
On the white board write the following number of dashes:
__ ___ ___ ___ ____ _______ ______
_ _ _ _ _.
The phrase will be “We are all one body through Christ Jesus.” The leader will call on different
children to guess a letter from the phrase. If the guessed letter is in the phrase, the leader will
write that letter on the correct dash. If the guessed letter is not in the phrase, the leader will draw
one body part of the hanged man. Draw the head first, then the body, then the arms one at a time,
the legs one at a time, and finally the hands and feet one at a time. If the child who guessed a
letter correctly thinks he knows the phrase, he may guess before moving to the next guesser.
Continue to play this guessing game in the same manner until “the body” is complete or the
children have correctly guessed the phrase.
Bible Account
Supplies:
microphone
long scarf
fisherman’s net, pole, or hat
You will need 3 props that can be taken off and put on quickly and easily to represent 3 people in
the storytelling technique. There will be one storyteller, but they will be acting as 3 different
people. Each time a different person speaks, the storyteller will change the prop to match the
person talking. The Narrator can use a microphone as his identifying prop. The Pharisee can
have a prayer shawl. Use a long scarf and drape it over your head. Peter needs something that
represents him being a fisherman (net, fishing pole, fishing hat).
Narrator:
After Jesus died and was resurrected the disciples were in charge of starting
churches. Peter, the fisherman and one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples, is talking
with a Pharisee who believes in Jesus. Pharisees are Jews. They’re standing
before the Council, which is like being in a courtroom. A Gentile is anyone who
is NOT a Jew. The Pharisee is sure that the new Gentile believers MUST follow
Jewish laws to be saved. Peter knows that’s not true! Let’s listen in on what Peter
and the Pharisee are talking about.
Pharisee:
(pointing to the children) Peter, unless these Gentile children follow our Jewish
rules, they cannot be saved!
Peter:
No Mr. Pharisee! We’re only saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.
Pharisee:
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that He died on the cross and rose
again. But we have to teach these Gentile believers that they’ve got to follow our
Jewish rules to be saved!
Peter:
That’s all good, but that’s not what saves a person. That’s not what gives a person
eternal life in heaven.
Pharisee:
(very frustrated) We MUST order these Gentiles (pointing again at kids) to keep
our rules! We must order them to be like us!
Peter:
(to the Pharisee) Brother, listen to me. I am a Jewish man. (to the children) These
children are Gentiles. God knows all of our hearts—theirs and ours. He gave ALL
believers, Jews and Gentiles, His Holy Spirit to live within them. To live in US!
Pharisee:
Go on, Peter.
Peter:
God sees no difference between Gentiles and Jews. (pointing to Pharisee) God
has changed your heart by faith. He has changed my heart by faith, (pointing to
children) and He has changed their hearts by faith. Were our fathers from the Old
Testament able to keep all of the commandments without disobeying them?
Pharisee:
No, of course not. They were all sinners, just like we are.
Peter:
Exactly! (to the Pharisee) We are only saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,
just as they are only saved by His grace. (point to the children) We don’t want to
trouble these new believers with a long list of laws of how far they can walk and
how much water to use when they wash their hands! We want them to trust in
Jesus, not in rules.
Pharisee:
I see. What should we do now?
Peter:
Some of us believe that we should write a letter to these new Gentile believers,
encouraging them. We should help them believe that they can have a new life
with Jesus.
Game
Supplies:
kitchen tongs
Styrofoam cups
paper
markers
The Pharisees built walls up to keep the Gentiles separated from them. They weren’t walls
made of brick or stone, but they were rules about who God would accept and who God
wouldn’t accept. The Pharisees believed that if the Gentiles didn’t act just like they acted, then
they couldn’t be saved. Peter tried to tear down those walls to help the Pharisees realize that
God sent Jesus for everyone. God doesn’t have one special people that He sent Jesus for. Let’s
play a game to tear down some walls!
For each team you will need 30 Styrofoam cups, a pair of kitchen tongs, and 2 signs. These signs
can be half-sheets of copy paper. On one sign write “Pharisees” and on the other write
“Gentiles.” For each team, build a wall out of the Styrofoam cups, starting with a base of 8 cups
and building up to a row of 4 cups. This Styrofoam cup wall should go the same direction as the
team as they are lined up. Then, lay one sign on each side of the wall—the Pharisees on one side
and the Gentiles on the other.
At the signal, the first player from each team will run to their wall with the kitchen tongs. There
they will pick up one cup and say, “God’s grace is for everyone.” They will return their cup to
their team, carrying it with their tongs. The team will keep their cup and the player will pass off
the tongs to the next player who will do the same thing. Continue doing this until all teams have
totally destroyed their walls.
Now look at our signs. There is nothing between them. Peter tried to make the point that the
walls between Pharisees and Gentiles were not built by God, because God welcomes everyone
through grace.
Object Lesson
Supplies:
large white bed sheet
Peter told us that we are saved by grace. Romans 4:7 says, “Oh, what joy for those whose
disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.” This white sheet represents Jesus.
The Bible calls Jesus the spotless Lamb of God. I know that I am a sinner. That means I’m
not spotless. Jesus never ever sinned, so there’s no sin in Him and He is spotless.
When I disobey, what do I deserve? I deserve to be punished! When Jesus died on the cross
and rose from the grave, He covered my sins with His perfect life. Jesus was perfect … no sin
… spotless! Hold up the sheet. He took my punishment. When I believe on Jesus as my Savior,
then Jesus takes the punishment that I deserve. Grace is when we DON’T get what we deserve,
and Jesus took what we deserve so we didn’t get it. That’s grace!
What did that verse say about where our sins are put? Our sins are put “out of sight.” Place
the sheet over your head. I am covered by His grace, and when God sees me, He doesn’t see my
sins and my faults; He only sees Jesus’ perfect covering!
Message
Supplies:
PowerPoint slides
(show slide #2)
G – God’s
R – Riches
A – At
C – Christ’s
E – Expense
What’s grace? Maybe grace is a new word to you. An easy way to help remember what it
means is to give each letter of GRACE something that it stands for. It stands for God’s Riches
at Christ’s Expense. What are God’s riches? Well, heaven is one of His riches. But that’s not
until after we die. We have God’s riches right here on earth if we want them. When we believe
on Jesus, we have hope—that’s one of God’s riches. We have a new love for all people—that’s
one of God’s riches. As we grow in our faith, we become more patient, more kind, and more
gentle—all God’s riches. Yep, yep, yep! The most important of God’s riches is just being in
His presence and living by the power of His Holy Spirit. Well, that’s the G and the R of
GRACE—God’s Riches.
When you say something was “at someone’s expense”, you mean that person paid for it. When
we say “at Christ’s Expense”, we mean that Jesus Christ paid for it. How did Jesus pay? It
was by leaving heaven to pay with His life. Can you imagine leaving the awesomeness of
heaven to come down to earth … for the purpose of paying for what someone else did wrong
… so that person could have heaven? Wow! That’s mind-blowing! Jesus paid so we could
have God’s riches, so we could have the presence of God in our lives. He didn’t have to do
that, but He did it willingly. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense … that’s grace. I hope you can
communicate that with your kids in a way that shows great excitement and gratitude!
Puppets
Supplies:
two female puppets
Grace: Hey little sister, whatcha doing in my room?
Sister:
Grace! Uh … uh … I didn’t hear you come in. I just got lost in the house, I took a
left, and … hmmm … ended up in your closet.
Grace:
Oh, you are so silly! You don’t need to lie to me. You can be in my room any ‘ol
time you want.
Sister: I can, Grace?
Grace: Absolutely! Make yourself at home!
Sister: How come you’re not mad at me for snooping in your closet?
Grace: Because my name is Grace!
Sister:
Yeah … duh … your name is Grace. It has been ever since you were born!
Grace: Anything else I can help you with, Sis?
Sister:
Well, now that you mention it … I accidently stepped on your art project when I
got lost and came into your room.
Grace: Accidents happen!
Sister:
But Grace, I broke two pieces off of it, and I know how hard you worked on that
project!
Grace:
I forgive you! I know you wouldn’t damage my project on purpose.
Sister:
What has gotten into you, Grace? I suppose you’re going to tell me that I can
wear your brand new pink sweater Friday night to my friend’s birthday party?
Grace: By all means … take it! It’s only a sweater.
Sister:
But what if I tell you I snuck that pink sweater out of your closet two days ago
and spilled chocolate milk on it?
Grace: Did you?
Sister:
Oh Grace! I did, and I am so sorry! I promise I’ll do your chores for an entire
month if you’ll only forgive me!
Grace:
You’re forgiven. A sweater is just a sweater, but a sister is a best friend forever!
Sister:
Grace Katheryn Johnson! What has gotten into you that you are so forgiving and
kind to me?
Grace: Grace. Grace has gotten into me.
Sister: Are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever or something?
Grace: I feel great! Showing grace makes me feel great!
Sister: What do you mean? What’s grace? Besides being your name.
Grace: Grace is showing kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Sister:
Then you must feel like a million bucks, cuz I don’t deserve it at all.
Grace:
Neither do I. I don’t deserve grace from God, but He still gives it to me.
Sister: How does God show you grace, Grace?
Grace:
God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to take away my sins. I
don’t deserve it, but He still did it. Jesus showed me kindness that I don’t deserve.
Sister: Wow! That’s amazing grace, Grace!
Grace:
And the Bible tells us that it’s by that grace that we can spend forever in heaven
with Him!
Sister:
That is so cool! I love grace! And I love you, Grace! And now that you’re feeling
so full of grace … you’re still feeling full of grace, right? I kind of have this thing
to tell you. Remember that watch you’ve been missing for awhile? I think it’s the
perfect “time” to tell you a little something about it.
Message, Part 2
Supplies:
PowerPoint slides
(show slide #3) Grace is for EVERYBODY!
The big problem was that the Jews were having a hard time believing that God’s riches—
God’s grace—could be for everyone. They thought it was just for them. Peter had seen how
the lives of Gentiles (that’s people who were not Jews) had been changed when they believed
that Jesus died for them. He saw how these Gentiles went from being hateful people to being
loving people. He saw how some Gentiles went from being thieves to being generous people.
He saw how some Gentiles went from being gossips to being people who only spoke positive
words. Even though the Gentiles didn’t follow all the rules the Jews had, their lives were being
changed just the same.
Grace is for everybody! Think about the people you know. Of course, it’s easy to think that
grace is for all the people you come to church with every week. But, what about that kid at
school who cusses? Is grace for that kid? Could that kid change if he knew that Jesus died for
him? Grace is for everybody! What about the kid who has never known his dad? Is grace for
that kid? Grace is for everybody! What about the kid whose parents are drug addicts? Is grace
for that kid? Is grace for her parents? Grace is for everybody! Is there anyone you can think
of that Jesus did not pay for them to have God’s riches—His grace?
All God wants is for you and me and all the people we know to say YES and accept His grace.
(show slide #4) Worship Him your way.
The debate that’s going on in our Bible account is over the differences between Jewish people
and non-Jewish people, who are called Gentiles. Some of the Jewish believers were still
following the Jewish rules set up in the Old Testament. These Jewish believers argued that the
Gentile believers should also follow the Jewish rules set up in the Old Testament, or they
wouldn’t be saved. But, that’s not truth!
The Jews and the Gentiles worshipped the Lord in different ways. When someone worships in
a different way than you do, that doesn’t make it wrong. It just makes it different. How have
you ever seen someone worship Jesus in a different way?
How do you feel if you are near someone who is worshipping Jesus differently than you? It
might make you a little uncomfortable at first, but that’s okay. Enjoy how other believers
worship and you might be introduced to ways that will help you worship. I bet it keeps God
from getting bored when we all don’t worship the same way!
As long as we worship God for sending us Jesus to die for our sins, that’s what matters. What
matters is that we worship God because of His grace.
(show slide #5) God knows your heart.
Read Acts 15:8. “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy
Spirit to them, just as he did to us.” When you worship Jesus, God knows your heart. You can
worship silently, you can worship loudly, you can worship sitting down, and you can worship
standing up with your hands held high in the air.


No matter what your outward appearance looks like, what does God see when you are
worshipping?
What does God see when He looks at your heart during worship?
Snack
any small snack
Divide the children by hair color. In one section of the room, gather the blondes. In another
section, gather the brunettes. Continue until all of the children are in a group. Choose one hair
color and only give that group their snacks.
How do the people without the snack feel? God gave you your hair color, right? You can’t
help that your hair is blonde, red, brown, or black. Do they deserve a snack just because their
hair is a certain color? No! Do you want a snack, just like they have snacks? Yes! Do you
need a Savior, just like kids with a different hair color need a Savior? Yes!
The Gentiles couldn’t change that they were born into Gentile families, and the Jews couldn’t
change that they were born into Jewish families. We are not saved because of the color of our
hair or the family we were born into! We are saved by grace! Whether you are a Jew, a
Gentile, a blonde, or a brunette … Jesus left heaven to die on the cross and then beat death for
all people!
Share the snack with all children!
Activity
Supplies:
Bibles
This activity will require a large space that is clear of any obstacles. The leader will form a stick
man’s body by using children. Don’t tell the children what they are forming; just instruct them
where to lie down. First, use three or four children to lie on the ground in the shape of a circle.
Their feet will touch another child’s head or stretched out hands. This formation will be the
body’s head. Next, have two children lie side-by-side in a straight line coming down from the
head, with another two doing the same thing below them. This is the body’s torso. Finally, form
the legs and arms by having children lie down in the appropriate places. You can also have four
children roll up in balls to represent the body’s hands and feet. By now, those observing the
activity will have guessed that the children have formed a person.
We all come from different homes, different backgrounds, and different nationalities. Some of
our great-great-great grandparents may have come from Africa, Germany, or Mexico.
However, we all have something in common. We are all sinners in need of a Savior! Let me
say that again—We are all sinners in need of a Savior. We all need Jesus to change us from
people who disobey God to people who follow after God! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ,
you have been rescued from your disobedience BY GRACE and are now being led by the Holy
Spirit! Remember that grace is when we don’t get what we deserve—we get God’s riches at
Christ’s expense, even though we don’t deserve them. We deserve to be punished for our sins,
but Jesus took that punishment. He took what we deserved to have to go through. When you
realize that you’re a sinner, it’s an EMERGENCY and you want help. Jesus is your help!
We may look different, we may act different, we may live in different countries, but all people
who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are a part of the Body of Christ. Look up
Ephesians 4:4 and let’s see what it says. It tells us that there is one body and one Spirit. The
people forming the body on the floor today are all different in many ways. She has brown hair.
He has blue eyes. She has tan skin. He likes pizza. She likes macaroni. The Pharisee in our
Bible story was Jewish. We are Gentiles. Whatever our differences are, we are all a part of one
Body!
Know Your Bible
Supplies:
Bibles
math flash cards that have the answer of “1”
The leader will have two volunteers come to the front of the lesson area for a math quiz. The two
children will stand facing the leader. The leader will quickly show a flash card to the two
volunteers, and the first one to say the correct answer gets the flash card. All the flash cards
shown will have the same answer … ONE! Soon, the volunteers will figure out that every card
has the answer “1”, and will start shouting “1” before the card is shown! Look at these verses
and see what they have in common.
Read Ephesians 4:4. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope
when you were called.”
Read Philippians 1:27. “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”
Read Galatians 3:28. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Activity
Supplies:
large map of the world
The leader will instruct all of the siblings in the room to stand in front of the lesson area together.
You want the groups of siblings easily visible. The leader will point out the different brothers
and sisters.
After the brothers and sisters have been acknowledged, the leader will walk over to a large map
of the world. Do you know what is really cool? (Pointing to the different locations.) I have a
sister in China. I even have a brother in China. Several, actually! I also have a sister in
Africa. Oh … and lots of brothers in Africa. Down south, I have a family of brothers and
sisters in Mexico. I’ve never been there, but I do have family there. Goo’ day, mate! Yep! I
have brothers and sisters in Australia, too! Do you wonder how I can have so many brothers
and sisters? All over the world, I have brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not have been
born in the same part of the world, we may not have the same parents, we may speak different
languages, we may not look alike at all. We may not ever see each other while we are on earth,
but I know they are my brothers and sisters! I know it, because the Bible tells us that all
believers have been adopted into the family of God through Christ Jesus! Imagine, you have
brothers and sisters all over the world, too! If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior, you have been adopted into God’s family!
In the Bible story today, the Pharisee thought that all believers had to look and act the same
way. I bet there are some things that my brothers and sisters in China do differently than me. I
bet there are some things that my brothers and sisters in Mexico do differently than me. But,
we’re all a part of the same family… the family of God!
Science Experiment
Supplies:
finger paints
poster board
bucket of water
plastic covers (for tables and kids)
easel
Place the poster board where all the kids can see and where you can work on it. (An easel would
work great.) On the left side of the poster board paint a large circle with a thick layer of red
paint. This represents a church that worships Jesus with African drums and dancing. Next,
create a circle on the right side of the poster board with a thick layer of yellow paint. This yellow
circle represents a church that worships Jesus by singing old traditional hymns like “Amazing
Grace” to the music of an organ. Last, take some of the red paint and some of the yellow paint
and mix them together in the center of the poster board to create orange. (More yellow is needed
than red.) Instead of painting a circle with the orange paint, create a heart. God knows our hearts
when we are worshipping Him. He does not care if our hands are held high or placed quietly
in our laps. He doesn’t care if we are dancing for Him or singing a hymn for Him. He only
cares about the condition of our hearts while we are worshipping Him!
Repeat the activity using the paint colors red and blue. The red paint will represent five people
who are meeting in a secret hiding place to worship Jesus because it is illegal to worship Him
in that country. The blue paint will represent a mega-church that has 5,000 members. Mix the
two paints and create a purple heart in the center of the poster board. God does not care about
the number of people gathered together to worship Him or the style in which they worship. He
cares about the condition of their hearts while they are worshipping. What does that heart
condition look like to you? Describe what a heart that is worshipping God is like.
There are three primary colors: yellow, red and blue. All other colors are created by mixing
different amounts of these three colors. How many colors do you think there are? We can’t
even count the number of colors we could create by mixing these three primary colors. How
many different ways are there to worship? We can’t count that either, because every person
worships in their own unique way, and it’s not exactly the same as anyone else.
Give the kids access to paints in order to mix their choice of two colors. They should come up
with descriptions for two groups that don’t seem anything alike. The color they make when they
come together is the condition of their hearts in worship.
Activity
Supplies:
YouTube clips
Download the following clips showing different forms of worship. If you need help in
downloading, we have included a separate file with instructions for both Mac and PC users. They
are: “A Worship Service in Mexico” submitted by Geoffrey Barrett (watch about 30 seconds in
the middle of the video), and “How the Africans Worship” submitted by Hope 4 Kids
International.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju3oDbmxlCM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_chTmTJFKns
The Pharisee from today’s Bible account thought that the Gentile believers had to live exactly
the way the Jewish believers lived. He thought they had to praise and worship Jesus in exactly
the same way as the Jews did or they wouldn’t be saved. There are followers of Jesus Christ all
over the world, and we do not all worship God in the same way.
Show a portion of each of the YouTube videos to give the kids an idea of how people around the
world worship. You do not need to watch each video in its entirety.


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
What are the different ways that we worship Jesus in our church?
Have you ever been to a church that worshipped Jesus differently than our church?
What made it different?
What different styles of worship did you notice in the video clips that we just watched?
No matter how you’re worshipping and praising Jesus, what does He look at?
Peter tells us in Acts 15:8 that God knows the heart!
Prayer
Supplies:
manila paper
scissors
gingerbread man cookie cutters
markers/crayons
Give each child a quarter sheet of manila drawing paper. They will use a gingerbread man cookie
cutter as a pattern to draw around. Once they have their outline, they will use markers to make
this paper person look like themselves. Then, when they’re finished giving the paper person
features and clothing, they will cut it out.
Let’s all hold up our paper cut-outs of ourselves. Look how different we are! God likes
different and different doesn’t matter to Him. No one is left out in God’s sight. There are no
walls between any of us when it comes to who God offers His grace to. The only thing that is
super important to God is what you believe … Who you trust in … what’s in your heart. He
wants you to experience His grace: God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. You can only do that if
you believe in Jesus and trust Him as your personal Savior. Right now, I want each of you to
tell God what’s in your heart. Is it praise for Him? Is it love for the people around you, even
the ones you don’t know? Is there anger and revenge in your heart? Is your heart full of
greed? What’s inside you right now?
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then pray today to thank God for His riches that
are now in your heart and part of your life. If you want to start a new life today, with a new
heart, and accept God’s grace as your personal gift from God, then you can pray also today.
You need to confess how you have disobeyed God. Admit that you’ve not lived a life that
honors Him. Accept that Jesus took your punishment for how you’ve disobeyed God and trust
that what Jesus did is for you personally. Thank God that His grace is for you.
Blessing
May you always thank God for His grace.
EXTRA OPTIONS
Take Home Reminder
Supplies:
heart
We recommend you give the kids something shaped as a heart to take home today. This could be
a sticker, an eraser, or a little spiral notebook. God looks at the heart of the worshipper! It
doesn’t matter if you praise Him with a loud drum or sitting in your room in total quiet. It
doesn’t matter if you live in Japan or Ireland or Libya or New Zealand. He looks past all of
that to your heart. You can purchase fun heart band rings at orientaltrading.com in multi-colors
for 100/$1.99, and kids love to collect bands.
Scripture Memorization
Supplies:
24-piece puzzles
Psalm 18:2-3
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior … I called on the Lord, who is worthy of
praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”
Form small groups of 4-6 and give each group a 24-piece puzzle. You can get these at dollar
stores. Look at your puzzle. Are any of the pieces alike? No, every single one of them is
different. What happens when we put them all together? They make a full picture. Just as
each piece is different, God made every person different and we can all worship in different
ways. But, no matter our differences, we’re all part of one picture—the Body of Christ.
Each group will pour out their puzzle and turn all the pieces face down. At the signal, each group
will work quickly to put their puzzle together. When a group completes the puzzle, they will yell,
“One Body of Christ!” and everyone will freeze. Then, the group that completed their puzzle will
say the scripture passage together. Give a signal and the groups that aren’t finished will continue.
When the next group finishes, they will shout, “One Body of Christ!” and again everyone freezes
while they recite the verse. Continue doing this until all puzzles have been worked. If you have
more time, switch puzzles and do it again.