A fun and easy to do craft to finish this Sunday school lesson on following Jesus!

Jesus calls Peter and the others to become fishers of men. From now on they will be making lots of disciples, all people who are also going to follow Jesus.

What do you need:

- strips of white paper
- pens and coloured pencils
- pairs of scissors

What to do:

Fold the paper into a concertina and draw the shape of the people on the uppermost fold with their arms going right up to the edge.

The children can cut out the shape, and if you fold it open you will have a whole row of people holding hands. It would be a good idea to make an example to show the children beforehand. They can then colour in all the people different

Theme:

Fishers of men, come follow me, the calling of disciples, miraculous catch of fish, calling of Peter

A complete programme for your Sunday school

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school / kids ministry programme about the calling of the disciples and the miraculous catch of fish.

Idea 542.    Introductory game – seek the fish!
Idea 543.    Children’s moment / introduction: what is your job?
Idea 544.    Catch the balloon with your funnelatch the balloon with your funnel
Idea 545.    A fun way to tell the story of the miraculous catch of fish
Idea 546.    Creative activity / YouTube video - the calling of Peter
Idea 547.    Game – balloon crab!
Idea 548.    Craft activity – a row of disciples

A great story to tell about the power of Easter

"Barabbas was listening hard.  The crowd went quiet and he could hear a man's voice speaking.  The next thing he heard was a great shout "BARABBAS, BARABBAS, WE WANT BARABBAS!"  (Get the children to shout it out, really loudly).  "Wonderful!"  thought Barabbas. "It must be my mates, come to get me out of prison!"  He began to feel much more cheerful.  But then the crowd went quiet again, and again the man spoke.  He couldn't hear Pilate's words, but Pilate was asking "What do you want me to do with Jesus?"

Themes:

The gospel, Jesus dying for our sins, Jesus dying in our place, to live for Christ

An easy to tell Bible story

We at Creative Kidswork want to make storytelling as easy as possible for you. That’s why we provide you with tons of easy to tell Bible stories. You can read this story aloud or tell it in your own way. 

This Bible story was (re-)written by Korky and Anni Davey (OAC ministries) for a school assembly, but you can use it at home, within a church service, Sunday school setting or anywhere you like 

Download the story:      The-story-of-the-prisoner-Barabbas.pdf

Let's use this fun Bible study tool on Philippians 2

Today we are going to use a fun Bible study tool. It is very easy and it will certainly help the children in your Sunday school lesson, Bible lesson or youth ministry to reflect on this passage in Philippians.

In Philippians 2: 1 – 11 Paul writes that we should take Jesus as our example and look to him. He became a servant and was even willing to die on a cross. Paul encourages us to look at Jesus and then try to become like Him.

This Bible study tool on Philippians 2 is all about discovering who Jesus is. It will help the children in your Sunday school lesson, youth ministry, Bible lesson, children’s church or children’s ministry to reflect on this powerful Bible passage.

What do you do:

Tell:
Today we are going to make a list together of what we know about Jesus. We are going to write down as many things as possible.

Ask:
- What do we know about Jesus?
- How many things can we write down about Jesus?

Do:
Make a list together with the children and write this down on the A3 paper.

Tell:
Now we are going to make another list of how Paul looks at Jesus in this part of Philippians 2.

Do:
Let the children read this passage first for themselves.
Let one of more of the children read this passage aloud. 
You can repeat this one or two times.

Ask:
- What does Paul say about Jesus in this passage?
- How many things about Jesus can we discover in these eleven verses of Philippians?

Do:
Make a new list together with the children and write this down on a new A3 paper.

Tell:
Shall we look at the differences and similarities in our two lists?

Ask:
- Before we begin, are there any words of things you don't understand in Paul's list of Jesus?
- What similarities do the children notice in the two lists?
- What differences do the children notice in the two lists?
- What new thing have you learned about Jesus today?

Living life to the full, because Jesus restores the balance in your life

In John chapter 4 Jesus meets the Samaritan woman near the well. This woman was like a empty Coke can - totally empty, lying on its side, blown over by life. A woman who knows what it is to be judged by all the full Coke cans in her village. The men and women who live such nobles lives, who pour shame on this broken and emptied woman.

But then something amazing happens. Jesus offers her life to the full. He offers her living water. And the woman drinks it in. A miracle happens. The woman is filled with water and suddenly there is a restored balance in her life.

How can you introduce the theme of 'the law' to children and teenagers? 

When we look at Jesus in the Bible, he seems to have a knack for stretching the law beyond what the lawmakers of his time thought was appropriate. In their eyes Jesus was a lawbreaker.

Breaking the rules to bless someone else

- a short introduction to a Bible story, a Sunday school lesson, a RE lesson
- a longer reflection on certain Bible stories and /or Biblical themes

Several Biblical themes in this commercial:

Talking about the law, how far can you go?, the Good Samaritan, Jesus and the law, Jesus the lawbreaker, Jesus and the sabbath, dealing with boundaries

Tell the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in a school assembly, a children’s program or in a preach

"They could see some green trees in the distance.   They were approaching an oasis.  What's an oasis?  A place in the desert where there is water.   It was lovely – a pool of water all fresh and cool.   “What's to stop me being baptised here and now?” asked the Ethiopian.  “Nothing at all,” replied Philip, “If you are sure you believe in Jesus, in his Father God, and in his Holy Spirit, and want to be a true follower of Jesus from now on, all your days....”  “Yes, I do!” said the Ethiopian.  So they stopped the wagon again, and he and Philip climbed out, and went into the water.  It depends how deep it was – Philip might have dunked him under the water completely, or he might have cupped his hands in the water and poured some over him.  It's a picture of being washed clean, not just on the outside, but on the inside, too." 

A beautiful Bible story written by Korky and Anni Davey (OAC ministries) with an easy to do painting. You can however also tell the story without a painting.

Themes:

Baptism, Being born again, Philip and the Ethiopian

Download the story 

Download the story:   'Philip and the Ethiopian'

Such an easy, but powerful object lesson

This is a simple object lesson which uses a big pencil to discuss five of the beautiful aspects of living life with God. It will help the children in your Sunday school lesson, youth ministry, Bible lesson, VBS, kidmin, children’s church or children’s ministry to reflect on this following themes: outside / inside, God’s leadership, God’s correcting presence in our lives, forgiveness, bearing fruit.  

What do you need:

- a big pencil

What do you do:

There are a lot of things a pencil can teach you. You will need a large pencil.

1. There is a hand that directs the pencil:
   Just as a pencil, we only are able to create the most beautiful things when directed by someone’s hand, Gods hand. Thankfully, God wants nothing more but to hold us and lead us.
   
   
2. A pencil needs to be sharpened:
   God wants to sharpen us. With his Spirit he wants to work in our life and shape us more and more into his image.
   
   
3. A pencil trace can be erased:
   When we make a mistake and do things we regret, we can ask God to forgive us and he will erase all our sins.
   
   
4. A pencil is all about the inside:
   There is black lead inside the pencil. In the Bible (1 Samuel 16:7) there is a text that states that where people look at outward appearance, God looks at the core, the heart. He knows that our real purpose and talent lies on the inside, just like a pencil.
   
   
5. A pencil leaves a trace:
   If we lay our lives in Gods hand, our life will leave an incredible trace. Through us, God can create the most beautiful picture of himself.

        Source: Paolo Coelha (2009) Like a river. Amsterdam Singel Pockets.

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Using two oranges and a jug of water to do this amazing cool science experiment

The apostle Paul writes the following in Hebrews 12:1:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."

Paul encourages us in this Bible passage to throw off everything that hinders us and do away with the the sin that so easily entangles us.
I find this a beautiful, but also difficult passage to teach to children, teenagers or adults.
Is there an easy way that will illustrate what Paul is saying here?

I believe there is...

What do you need:

- oranges
- permanent markers
- large fish tank or buckets
- a waterproof sign with the words ‘FINISH’

Preparation:

Attach or place the waterproof sign ‘FINISH’ on the bottom of the large fish tank or the bucket. Fill the fish tank or the bucket with water.

What do you do:

Do:
Place an orange into the water of the tank or the bucket. Demonstrate how the orange floats. Take the orange out again and peel it. Put it back into the water. The peeled orange will sink and float to the word ‘FINISH’ on the bottom of the tank or the bucket.

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