Paul Servant of Jesus Paul Visits an Island

Paul Servant of Jesus Paul Visits an Island Acts 13: 1 -12

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 Our lesson today reminds us that some people don’t want others to believe in Jesus. The story has a tricky part for us to understand but it helps us remember that God takes sin seriously. Our opening song reminds us that we have an awesome God.

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 Our prayer is that nothing will stop you from hearing about and following Jesus. The Bible teaches us that the devil opposes God’s work but the power of the Holy Spirit is greater. Now is a good time to pray before you start today’s lesson. Below are some characters for today’s Bible passage. We’ll learn more in the next slides.

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 Barnabas name means “Son of Encouragement”. He certainly lived up to his name; establishing churches and strengthening believers with Paul and also helping his cousin, John Mark. The Bible says that Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. He was selected by the Holy Spirit and sent out with Paul to spread the Gospel.

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 John Mark is often just called Mark. He is the author of the gospel book of Mark. John Mark was Barnabas’ cousin and was the son of Mary who held a prayer meeting in her house when Peter was in prison. John Mark travelled with Paul and Barnabas.

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 Sergius Paulus was the governor on the island of Cyprus. He invited Paul and Barnabas to visit him so he could hear the Word of the Lord. Elymas was a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet. He lived in Paphos on the island in Cyprus. Elymas interfered with Saul and Barnabas as they shared the Word of the Lord with the governor. .

Paul – Apostle of Jesus Facing an Enemy Acts 13: 1 -12 Paul…………… If you were to write something about Paul, what would you say?

A Growing Church Acts 13: 1 - 3 The church in Antioch was growing. Now there were many teachers in the church. What were the names of some of them? As the church in Antioch had plenty of teachers the time came for them to send some to other people who needed to hear about Jesus. Who told them to do this ? Who did he choose?

A Growing Church Acts 13: 1 - 3 Paul and Barnabas set off on their journey knowing God wanted them to go and that the church in Antioch would be praying for them.

A false prophet Acts 13: 4 -8 When Paul, Barnabas and John Mark came to Cyprus they preached in the synagogues (Jewish place of worship). They travelled through the country until they came to Paphos. They wanted as many people as possible to hear the news about Jesus

A false prophet Acts 13: 4 -8 In Paphos there was an important Roman ruler called Sergius Paulus. He heard that Paul and Barnabas were preaching and wanted to hear what they were saying , so he sent for them.

A false prophet Acts 13: 4 -8 However, someone was not pleased about this. His name was Elymas, he was an attendant to Sergius Paulus and was a false prophet (he pretended to bring messages from God but he was lying. ) He knew that if his master became a Christian he would be out of a job, so he tried to stop him believing in Jesus.

A false prophet Acts 13: 4 -8 This clip from Superbook shows us what this might have been like. Look what happens to Elymas! Click on this link for the video. (20+) Watch | Facebook

A serious punishment Acts 13: 9 -12 Trying to stop other people from believing is a very serious sin. God helped Paul to understand what was happening. Paul sounded very harsh but he wanted Elymas to be in no doubt about how serious sin was. God was going to punish him. It wasn’t just a warning from Paul but from God.

A serious punishment Acts 13: 9 -12 Sergius Paulus was amazed when he saw what had happened. Surely this God who Paul was preaching about must be very powerful and mighty! The Lord had shown him the truth about himself and he believed. Jesus is much more powerful than the devil. He can even bring others to trust him by using those who are against him!

Facing An Enemy The devil will always try to stop people hearing the good news about Jesus. He will try to discourage those who tell others about Jesus or that they must follow him. People won’t go blind when they reject the truth about Jesus now but because it happened to Elymas everyone who reads about it can know that it is a serious thing to turn against Jesus. Here is a reminder about God’s good news!

Remember, don’t be put off if anyone tries to stop you hearing about or believing in Jesus. They might say things like the Bible is made-up stories or make fun of you for going to church. No matter what people say, it is important to listen to God’s word and to believe in Jesus. Take time to pray asking God to help you to have courage when others make fun of you for following Jesus. This song which we had last week is called “Be Bold, Be Strong!” I hope it reminds you that we don’t do things on our own but with God. Until next week, God Bless, Colin

EXTRA Kids Resources - Acts 13: 1 -12 - Salford Elim Church The above website will give some craft suggestions and extension questions