PARENT GUIDE JULY 1-4 PAUL BEFORE RULERS

STORY POINT Paul was willing to do hard things to share the gospel.

BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER What will happen for all in the future? One day all Christians will see in His glory and live with Him forever.

DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY Discovers identity in Jesus.

FAMILY MEMORY VERSE “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 PAGE 2 STORY **Read the Bible Story during “Time to Worship” on page 3! Paul Before Rulers Acts 24-26 Paul had narrowly escaped death in . The Jews planned to kill Paul, but the Roman soldiers took him to Caesarea (cess uh REE uh), where he would be safe. However, Paul was still a prisoner. The Roman leaders wanted to figure out why the Jews hated Paul so much. So Paul met with rulers to try to explain what was going on. First, Paul met with Felix the governor. Felix ordered the Roman guard to watch Paul but to also give him some freedom by letting Paul’s friends come and serve him. A few days later, Felix and his wife came for a meeting with Paul. Paul talked about faith in Jesus. He talked about righteousness and self-control, and he explained that one day God is going to judge the world. Felix was afraid of what Paul said. He sent Paul away, but he met with him many times for the next two years. When a new governor came into power, Felix did not release Paul from prison. The new governor was named Festus. He traveled to Jerusalem to meet with the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders asked Festus to bring Paul to Jerusalem. They were still planning to attack Paul and kill him. But Festus wanted Paul to stay in Caesarea. He invited some of the Jewish leaders to go with him to see Paul. Paul stood before Festus. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” Paul explained again. “I want to see Caesar!” Caesar was the emperor of , and as a Roman citizen, Paul had the right to take his case to him. Festus agreed. While Paul was waiting to go to Rome, King Agrippa and Queen Bernice visited Festus and Paul. Paul told the king how he became a believer. He explained that Jesus died to bring salvation to Jews and Gentiles. “You are out of your mind!” Festus said. Paul said, “I am speaking the truth. I wish you—and everyone who is listening—might believe in Jesus.” King Agrippa, Festus, and the others with them got up. They agreed that Paul had done nothing wrong. The king was ready to free Paul, but Paul had already asked to go to Rome.

Christ Connection: God had chosen Paul to take the gospel to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. (:15-16) Paul met with people again and again to tell the good news about Jesus. He wanted everyone to believe that Jesus is Lord. Because Jesus has the power to save people from sin, Paul was willing to do whatever it took to share the gospel. PAGE 3 #ONEMORE ACTIVITY Pray for My #ONEMORE On a piece of paper, write down your family’s #ONEMORE. Encourage your family to think of specific ways you can be praying for this person. Hang the piece of paper on your fridge or somewhere you will see it and take time to pray over the name and prayer requests throughout the week!

SAY• Take some time this week to pray for the name written on the paper! Remember that a one more is someone that doesn’t have a relationship with God, and we are praying that they would surrender their life to Jesus!

FAMILY MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Create Motions Take some time to create hand motions for Philippians 1:6. Practice the motions several times together as you review the verse.

CLASS GAME Telephone Guide your family to play a game of telephone. Kids should sit or stand in a circle. Choose one person to begin. Whisper a phrase from the Bible story in the person’s ear. Kids should pass the phrase around the circle until it reaches the end. Allow the last person to say the phrase aloud. Was the message communicated clearly?

.TIME TO WORSHIP Go to the Eleven22 Kids YouTube playlist by clicking HERE to worship! WORSHIP Worship Song 1: King of My Heart Worship Song 2: Every Beat BIBLE STORY *Found on Page 2! WORSHIP Response Song: Forever Reign PAGE 4 FAMILY DISCUSSION Discuss the following:

Grab Your Bible: Help your kids open their to Acts 24-26. Show kids how to use the Table of Contents in the front of their Bible to find the page numbers of the books of the Bible. Remind your kids that Acts is in the . Discipleship Journey Connection: Referencing the Discipleship Journey triangle (found by clicking HERE), discuss the following: We discover our identity in Jesus by surrendering to Him as our Lord and Savior and believing that what He did on the cross counted for us. Paul had a relationship with Jesus and knew that his identity was in Him. Because of Paul's relationship with Jesus, he could trust Him in hard times. God is at work in all things for our good and for His glory! Names of God: Read Psalm 100:3. Like this verse says, God is Lord! The definition of lord means to have power or authority over others. God made us and we are His, so as our Lord He has power and authority over our life. This means that God is always in control and that we can trust Him in all things. Review Questions: Ask your kids the following questions and allow time for kids to respond and discuss. • Who had planned to kill Paul? The Jews; :15. • How often did Paul and Felix, the governor, meet to talk about faith? Many times for two years; Acts 24:27. • Who did Paul tell Festus he wanted to see? Caesar, the emperor of Rome; :10. • How was prison a blessing from God for Paul? Guide your kids to think about what Paul’s enemies wanted to do to him. Remind your kids that as long as Paul was being held by the Romans, the Jewish religious leaders who hated him could not achieve their goal of killing Paul. • Why was Paul willing to stay in prison when he hadn’t broken the law? Direct your kids to think about Paul’s understanding of God’s promises. Paul knew that God wanted him to go to Rome to share the gospel and asking to speak with Caesar is one way Paul could do so. Paul also knew that the rewards of obeying God are worth giving up anything the world can offer us, such as wealth, comfort, or power. Prayer: Spend time intentionally praying with your kids. Below are a few options you can use during prayer. • Take some time to pray over your kids. Pray that God would give them opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with others and that He would give them boldness. • Give your kids a piece of paper to write down why they are thankful for God! They can also draw a picture!