Philip is preaching and teaching about Jesus in Samaria.
Last week, Philip encountered Simon the Sorcerer in Samaria. This week, Philip is divinely directed to a location in which he ends up meeting an Ethiopian Eunuch who had some questions about Isaiah 53:7-8. After a fruitful conversation, the Eunuch ask to be baptized. Philip did and then was miraculously whisked away to another part of the country!
Story Lesson (389.27kb, pdf)
Audio File (10.44mb, mp3)
Video Link (4.8.12 @ vimeo.com)
Video Link (4.12.09 @ vimeo.com)
Genealogies are fascinating. Boring, but fascinating. I remember back in Bible College listening to a professor unpack the profound insights found in the names and arrangements of the various Jewish genealogies. It didn’t make genealogies any more easier to read, but it make it far more relevant and fascinating.
Take Jesus’ two genealogical records for example:
The following graphical layout and comparison of the two accounts really help in understanding both why genealogies are important and why the differences in the two accounts:
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source Tim Challies
If the Exodus were to have happened in our tech-savvy world pervaded by social media, perhaps the digital footprint would look like this:
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source YouTube
This year in Main Street we’re trying to get the students to memorize the New Testament books of the Bible. A couple of Sundays ago, we printed the names of all the books of the NT on posterboard placards and had many of the students participate in holding them on the stage and we all recited the 27 books found in the New Testament.
source Vimeo
“This resource is a super fun video-driven game that encourages lots of crowd interaction. There are 25 short video clips of athletes (skateboarders, bikers, snowboarders…) attempting some pretty cool jumps, flips, and tricks. To play the game, simply play the clips – they’ll pause at the pinnacle of each trick so your students can guess: do they MAKE IT or BREAK IT?”
We played this game @ msy a couple Wednesdays ago. They loved it! Sometimes with these 50/50 guessing games, the students can figure out the rhythm of the answers, but these 25 video are so random and unexpected that they just couldn’t figure it out.
One group even resorting to paper rock scissors between group members to determine what they would guess, and it was working for them for a while!
You can access the video resources @ Stuff You Can Use
This is a classic game that we adapted for the stage and a crowd. It went great. The Main Street students especially liked beating me on the last round!
source YouTube
You need a paper bag cut down to about 3-4 inches. The object of the game is to grab the paper bag with your mouth while bending down and balancing on one foot. Your hands or arms cannot touch the ground as well.
Some people play this game with several different cut sizes of paper bags, but we used two cut paper bags of the same height and we placed books underneath them to raise them up, and then we removed them to make the game more challenging.
We started with 5 books, then removed them one at a time as each participant succeeded in “biting the bag.” Each round, each contestant gets 3 shots at dipping down to get the bag. Each “dip” counts even if they come up empty-mouthed. Three chances and you’re out.
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source YouTube
This is a life-sized version of the popular game: Paper, Rock, Scissors.
The contestants stand back-to-back. On the count of 3, the participants turn and face each other while performing one of the three things – man, gun, or gorilla.
If the contestants tie, then they die – meaning they are both out. Keep going through the whole group until you have a winner.
source YouTube
In Acts 8, a man named Simon, known in Samaria as “The Great One” or “The Great Power” believed and was baptized. When Peter and John arrived, they realized these new converts in Samaria did not receive the Holy Spirit. So they laid hands on people and they received the Holy Spirit.
Simon desperately wanted this power and offered to purchase this gift, much to Peter’s chagrin. Peter chastised Simon the Sorcerer and encouraged him to:
Simon asked Peter to pray to the Lord for him.
That’s it. That’s all we know, biblically, about Simon the Sorcerer. There are further legends about Simon that are worth reading and researching. It’s interesting.
Story Lesson (364.28kb, pdf)
Audio File (13.12mb, mp3)
Video Link (4.1.12 @ vimeo.com)
Video Link (4.5.09 @ vimeo.com)
We have played this game in both Main Street and Middle School Youth.
The only supply you need is a coin, and possibly a prize for the winner.
Prior to flipping the coin, the students choose either HEADS or TAILS. They “choose” HEADS by placing their hands on their heads, or they “choose” TAILS by placing their hands on their rear-end.
Then you flip the coin.
You continue to do this process until you have a winner.
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Mark 15:22-32
Mark 15:33-39
Mark 16:1-7
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source YouTube [1], [2], [3]