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MEMORY PORTION: MATTHEW 5: 11-16 GR. 3 - V13 Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Lesson 1- Great Commission and Ascension of Jesus...

MEMORY PORTION: MATTHEW 5: 11-16 GR. 3 - V13 Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Lesson 1- Great Commission and Ascension of Jesus Lesson 1: As we study the book of Acts, we will see how the apostles did just as Jesus asked. Over and over, they will will share the Good News (the Gospel) to make disciples. They baptized people and taught them how to be followers. The Story: After Jesus died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb. His disciples thought that all was lost, but something amazing happened on the third day in the tomb. Jesus came to life again! This was called the resurrection. After his resurrection, Jesus spent forty days visiting with his followers. He wanted to make sure they saw that he was not dead anymore. He spent lots of time with his special friends, the apostles. He told them to wait in Jerusalem because some great things would happen, and they needed to be there. He told them that the Holy Spirit would come, and they would be given special powers to show everyone how good Jesus was and that he was the world’s true King. Jesus told them that they would have a very important job to do. When someone tells someone to do a job and then gives instructions, that is called a “commission”. Jesus told the apostles to do this important job, sometimes called “The Great Commission”. Here are the words of Matthew’s account of the Great Commission: “So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV) After Jesus told them these things, something very amazing happened. Jesus began to float up. He floated up into the clouds while the apostles were watching. Soon, the clouds hid Jesus, and they could no longer see him. Another word that is used for something that is going up is the word “ASCEND.” People often call this event the “Ascension of Jesus”. Watching Jesus leave must have been very sad for his apostles. While they were all looking up into the sky, trying to catch another glimpse of Jesus, two men dressed in white (probably angels) stood beside them. These angels told the apostles that Jesus went up into the clouds and that someday (many years later), he would return to the earth on clouds again. Now, the apostles understood. Someday, they would see Jesus' return to earth again to take his followers to heaven. Someday, everyone who follows Jesus will see him again. The apostles would miss Jesus, but Jesus had given them an important job. They could go and tell everyone about how he rose from the dead. They could teach people how to be followers of Jesus, too. Where do you think the apostles went after this? Who wants to guess? Remember where Jesus had told them to go? He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. Sothe apostles went to Jerusalem and waited just as Jesus said. They knew that everything Jesus said would come true. Lesson 2-Sermon at Pentecost-The church began on the Day of Pentecost. Lesson 2: Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit is with us and available to us. The Story: After living his life on earth, Jesus went back to heaven. Just before he left, he told the apostles they had a very important job to do. They were to go and tell everyone in the world the good news about Jesus’ resurrection (his coming back to life). They were to baptise them and teach them how to be followers of Jesus. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem because he would be sending a special helper to them. He knew they would be sad to see him go, but the special helper would be with them and give them comfort and power. The special helper would be a gift to the whole world. The eleven apostles and other disciples went to Jerusalem just as Jesus had told them. Jesus’ mother, brothers, and other women joined the apostles to pray and wait in an upstairs room.Soon, they realised that there were only eleven apostles now instead of the original twelve. Judas was missing. The other apostles remembered the sad way that Judas had betrayed Jesus when Jesus was still on earth. He had said he was Jesus’ friend but did not act like a friend. Judas betrayed Jesus and made a deal with some leaders who wanted to hurt him. Judas felt shame and guilt after the soldiers took Jesus away and crucified him. But instead of doing the right thing and asking for forgiveness, he did the wrong thing and killed himself instead. Peter said, “The new apostle must be someone who has been with us from the beginning. He should have known Jesus really well and should have been following since the time Jesus was baptised.” Two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias, were put forward. The apostles prayed that God would show them the right choice and then cast lots (sort of like tossing a coin). In this way, Matthias was chosen to be the new 12th apostle. After this, the apostles continued waiting for the special helper Jesus said would come. The apostles must have wondered how they would know when the helper arrived.The group waited forty days in all. And then a very strong wind began to blow. After the wind, the apostles saw flames come down and sit above their heads. The time had come! The helper, the Holy Spirit, had arrived. Pentecost was a special holiday; thousands of Jews had come from many other countries to worship at the temple. They came from other countries, so they spoke different languages. When they heard all of the noise, they rushed over to see what was happening. The apostles went outside into the temple area, where many people were gathered. Remember how Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would help the apostles tell the good news? That is exactly what happened. The apostles began speaking in all kinds of different languages, and the people from other countries could understand. This was amazing because, before that day, the apostles had never studied or learned those languages. Speaking in another language you have never learned or studied is called “speaking in tongues”. Peter explained that the Holy Spirit was from God and was making all of these amazing things happen. He told them the good news about Jesus Christ. He told them that God sent his son to earth but that the people crucified him. He told them how Jesus was resurrected and then went back to heaven to reign as King. Many of the people felt very sad and sorry that they had not believed Jesus. They asked Peter, “What should we do?” Peter answered them in just the way Jesus had told him to, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” About 3,000 people were baptised that day, adding to the number of believers. This was the beginning of the church. In fact, you could call this the birthday of the church! If you read the bible book of Acts, then you will learn about some of the exciting things that happened to the church in the years to come.Lesson 3- Peter and John Heal a Man Who Could Not Walk Lesson 3: Jesus is powerful, and we should tell people about him. The Story: Today’s story is from the Bible Book of Acts. It occurred in Jerusalem at the temple, where many people came to pray and worship God. Most of the Jewish people at this time believed in God but not in Jesus. Some thought Jesus was a fake. Some had not even heard of him. They thought it was okay to believe in God but not Jesus. One Jewish man went to the temple every day, but he did not go into the temple courtyard like the other people. This man could not walk. He had never walked in his whole life. This man could not work to make money. Instead, people would carry him to the temple gate every day, and he would beg for money. Sometimes, people would stop and give him money. Sometimes, people would pass by on their way to the courtyard. Peter and John were apostles and liked to go to the temple too. They would go into the temple courtyard and tell people about Jesus. They wanted everyone to believe in and follow King Jesus! One day, when Peter and John were about to walk through the temple gate, they noticed the man who could not walk. The man was asking everyone for money. Peter looked at the man and said, “Look at me”, so the man looked up at him. “I don’t have any silver or gold but I have something much better.” What do you think would be better than silver and gold? Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” Peter grabbed the man by the right hand, and suddenly, the man felt his feet and his ankles start to feel stronger. He couldn’t believe it. Even though he had never walked, he jumped up and started walking around. It was amazing! It was a miracle. And all because of the power of Jesus Christ. The man was so excited that he kept walking, jumping, and praising God. He followed Peter and John into the courtyard. Everyone heard him and came to have a look because they knew this was the same man who had always sat beside the gate begging. Now he could walk. Many people had gathered around, so Peter started telling them about Jesus. He said that God had sent Jesus to help everyone worldwide. The people felt happy to hear about Jesus but sad, too. They felt guilty that they had called Jesus a fake. They felt guilty because, before this, they had thought it was good that Jesus died on the cross. Now they were so sorry.Peter told them that there was good news. They could repent since God made Jesus their king through his death and resurrection. Repenting means telling God that you are very sorry for the bad things you have done. It says that you don’t want to do bad things anymore and want to follow Jesus now. Peter had already told everyone they could tell God they were sorry and then be baptised. All their sins would then be washed away. While Peter was talking to the people, some priests and the captain of the Temple Guard overheard. They did not like what Peter was saying. They didn’t believe in Jesus, and they didn’t want anyone else to either. They were very angry, so they arrested and jailed Peter and John. The next day, the Jewish leaders and even the High Priest and his family gathered for a big meeting. They asked Peter to tell them what happened. Peter answered their questions by giving a very good speech. He told them how God had sent Jesus to bless the whole world. God wanted the Jews to accept Jesus and say thank you. But many of them did not like Jesus, and some of them killed him on the cross. But the good news was that Jesus did not stay dead. He had come alive again and become the world’s true king. It was by Jesus’ power that the man could now walk.The leaders were astonished that Peter could make such a good speech. He had never even been to proper schools like they had, but he spoke like a very important person. What should they do? They still did not want people to believe in Jesus, but they couldn’t argue with Peter. They wanted to punish Peter and John, but everyone knew that the miracle they had done was real. After all, the man who couldn’t walk was now walking and jumping around. So, the leaders did the only thing they knew to do. They ordered Peter and John to stop teaching about Jesus. Do you think Peter and John stopped teaching about Jesus? No way! Peter said, “Should we obey God or should we obey people?” Then they said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” They would never stop preaching about King Jesus! There was nothing more to say, so the Jewish leaders let them go. And guess what Peter and John did? They kept telling more and more people about Jesus. Even while they had been in jail, the group of believers grew to 5,000 men. And this was only counting the men. I wonder what happened to the man who had been healed? He probably just kept walking and jumping and praising God! So when you notice someone needing your help, do you help them? Maybe you could push someone’s wheelchair if they asked. Or maybe you could be a friend to someone others make fun of. We can also help people by telling them about Jesus as Peter and John did. Whenever we are kind and when we tell someone about Jesus, then God is pleased.Lesson 4 - Ananias and Sapphira Lesson 4: We should be honest. the Story: We can learn important lessons from the Bible. The book of Acts records a very serious lesson that the earliest Christians learned about telling lies. The church in Jerusalem grew bigger and bigger every day. People heard about Jesus and then told other people. Soon, hundreds and hundreds and even thousands of people decided to follow King Jesus and were baptised. There were many different kinds of people in the church. Some were poor, and some were rich. But everyone shared what they had so that no one would be hungry or not have a place to live. One good man named Joseph owned a field and had a good idea. He sold the field and took all the money he earned to the apostles. The apostles shared the money with those who needed it. Everyone was happy to share what they had. Everyone, that is, except a man, Ananias, and his wife, Sapphira. They wanted people to think they were generous like Joseph, but in their hearts, they didn’t want to share as much as Joseph did. So people thought Ananias and Sapphira were sharing, but God knew what they were thinking. Ananias and Sapphira owned some property just like Joseph did. They decided to sell it and give the money to the apostles like Joseph had done. The apostles could share the money with those in need, and everyone would see how generous they were. But Ananias and Sapphira didn’t want to give ALL the money to the apostles. They wanted to keep some to themselves. So, Ananias made a plan. They would tell everyone they were giving ALL the money to the apostles, but they would secretly keep some back for themselves. They thought they could tell this lie and no one would ever find out. So, Ananias hid some of the money and took the rest to the apostles. He told them, “My wife and I sold our property and here is all the money. You can give to people who need it.” The apostles were wise men and figured out the lie with God’s help. The apostle named Peter said, “Ananias, you could have kept that money, and no one would have thought you were bad. But you didn’t just keep the money. You decided to lie about it in front of all these people.But you haven’t just lied to all these people. You have lied to God. You have lied to the Holy Spirit. Everyone was shocked to see Ananias fall and die right after Peter said this. This was very serious! About three hours later, Sapphira came to the same place. No one had told her about Ananias, so she did not know what had happened earlier. Peter asked Sapphira, “Your husband gave us the money from the property you both sold. He said that this is all the money. Is that the truth? Is this all the money?” Sapphira thought everyone believed the lie, so she said, “Yes, the amount Ananias said is correct. It is all the money.” Peter said, “Sapphira, you have lied to God and to the Holy Spirit just like your husband did. It is a very serious thing to lie to God!” And everyone was shocked again when Sapphira fell and died just like her husband did. Sapphira was taken out and buried by her husband. The news spread to everyone. The Christians had learned an important lesson. They knew that lying was very serious to God and that they should always tell the truth. Have you ever told a lie? It is very serious. But God tells us we can say sorry and start telling the truth. Let’s read what the Bible says: Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. Colossians 3:9 (NIV)