Lesson Unit: Jesus Began the Church
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Jesus Began the Church (Four Lessons)
During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught many important truths and performed many miracles. His death and resurrection fulfilled God’s promise in Genesis 3:15 and in other places in the New Testament, but God was not finished. This unit will help older preschoolers see how Jesus used His followers to begin the Church, and how He used the early church to love people, help people, and communicate to them the truth about Jesus. You see, Jesus is the central and supreme character in God’s unfolding story. At the same time, He’s not the only character in it.
This Jesus Began the Church unit will emphasize to preschoolers that the biblical story is not over. Christians today are part of the Church Jesus began on the day of Pentecost. This unit will help them understand that as they respond to God’s love, they also are a part of God’s unfolding story! God wants to use them just as He used the people in the early church. Lessons in this unit are listed below. Just click on each lesson title to access the individual lessons. A printable PDF of the Unit Overview Page is accessible here.
Unit Bible Lessons
Jesus Began the Church
As preschoolers are exposed to this lesson’s Bible story and activities, they will learn how God used Jesus’ early followers to share the good news about who Jesus was and to start His Church. The Festival of Pentecost took on new meaning when the Holy Spirit arrived and empowered Jesus’ disciples to preach the gospel! We’re still benefitting from that event today!
Peter and the Lame Man
In the early days of the early church, God used Peter and John to heal a man who could not stand or walk. In this Bible lesson, preschoolers will learn that miracles like this one helped people who hadn’t heard about Jesus understand that He really was God’s Son. They also will learn that people in the early church helped other people, and that church people today also should help others in Jesus’ name.
The People in the Church Loved One Another
In this Bible lesson for preschoolers, young children will learn that the early church witnessed many miracles, all of which affirmed that Jesus is the Son of God. One powerful miracle occurred when God used Peter to bring a believer named Dorcas, who also was called Tabitha, back to life.
The People in the Church Shared About Jesus
News about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection soon spread from Jerusalem to many other places. This Bible lesson for preschoolers focuses on Philip’s evangelistic encounter with an Ethiopian official, a meeting that God orchestrated. The gospel is for all people everywhere!