Acts 21:10-14
We talked to the kids about Paul's courage tonight. We demonstrated how Agabus said Paul would be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and how Paul's only reply was that he was "ready not only to be bound, but also to die" for the sake of the gospel.
The kids took turns then reading Scripture on fear and courage.
Deuteronomy 31:6
1 Chronicles 28:20
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 56:3-4
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 41:13
Isaiah 54:4
Matthew 10:28
1 Corinthians 16:13
2 Timothy 1:7
Hebrews 13:5-6
1 Peter 3:13-14
1 John 4:18
Joshua 1:3-9
We talked about what it truly means to be courageous and how it doesn't just pertain to police officers and fire fighters. We're asked to show courage every single day in how we stand up for what we believe in, boldly proclaim the gospel to others, and live lives that are considered NOT NORMAL!
We played a little game then called, "Where Is the Christian?" It's the game where a Ping-Pong ball is under one of three identical cups and, after scrambling them really fast, the kids guess which cup they think the ball is under. We talked about how some Christians are like that little Ping-Pong ball. They try very hard to get lost in the crowd and aren't brave enough to stand up for Christ. They receive Christ into their hearts, but get absorbed back into the world, back into what is considered normal. But God tells us not to be afraid to stand out for Him (Isaiah 41:10). In Philippians 2:13, He tells us that He is at work within us. So we must fight not to get scrambled around or pushed into a corner by others and subsequently lose our courage. Christ is in us! What have we got to be afraid of?
We ended by talking about some of the examples of courage we're given in the Bible...Gideon, Joshua, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel.
