Leader Guide

Teaching

Place the baking pan on the floor, chair or table so children can see easily, then add just enough water for the ships to float. Gently place the five ships on the water, or choose five children to do so. If your class is small, all children may form a semi-circle around the pan. As you discuss each of the five Signposts, choose a different child to carefully remove one ship, in sequential order, from the water, read aloud the Signpost title on the ship, hand it to you, then sit down. Keep the towel handy for children to dry their hands, if necessary. Discuss each Signpost, using the information below. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Today we are going to discuss some of the important things we learned about Paul and Jesus in our Signposts video. Paul’s life pointed to events in Jesus’ life and also to our relationship with Jesus as we follow Him.    

Signpost 1: Authority over all!

Paul was in the bottom of the ship during the storm. An angel sent by God appeared to Paul and assured him that he and everyone aboard would be safe in the storm. 

Jesus and the disciples were in a ship during a storm. The disciples were terrified until Jesus commanded the water and wind to be still. Everyone was safe! Jesus has authority over the seen and the unseen!    

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO DISCUSS  

Acts 27:22–26:

Have five volunteers each read one verse.

²² “But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. ²³ For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, ²⁴ and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in His goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as He said. ²⁶ But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Mark 4:38–41:

Have four volunteers each read one verse. 

³⁸ Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” ³⁹ When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this Man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey Him!”

Signpost 2: Healing Power!

Paul came ashore on the island of Malta after the shipwreck. By the power and authority of Jesus, Paul healed the father of Publius and many others who were sick.

Jesus, by His own power and authority, healed every kind of disease and illness.      

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO DISCUSS 

Acts 28:8–9:

Have two volunteers each read one verse. 

⁸ As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. ⁹ Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.

Matthew 9:35:

Have a volunteer read.

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness.

Signpost 3: Falsely Accused

Paul was falsely accused by the religious leaders, who demanded that he be put to death. He was arrested, beaten, and put on trial. Eventually, Paul was put to death.

Jesus was falsely accused by the religious leaders who demanded that the Romans crucify Him! He was arrested, beaten, and put on trial. Jesus was then crucified.        

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO DISCUSS  

Acts 21:33–36:

Have four volunteers each read one verse.

³³ Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.³⁴ Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. ³⁵ As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him.³⁶ And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

Mark 15:9–15:

Have seven volunteers each read one verse.

⁹ “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. ¹⁰ (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) ¹¹ But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. ¹² Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this Man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁴ “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has He committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁵ So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned Him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. 

Signpost 4: Snake Attack!

In the Garden of Eden, Satan was in the form of a serpent when he deceived Adam and Eve, leading them to sin. God spoke to Satan, telling him that His Son, Jesus, would one day defeat him and all evil! Thousands of years later, Satan tried to tempt Jesus and cause Him to sin; but Jesus would not give in to Satan’s temptations, and He could not be defeated by the devil.

Paul was bitten by a deadly snake on the island of Malta. By Jesus’ power and authority, Paul simply shook off the snake and was not harmed!    

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO DISCUSS 

Genesis 3:14–15:

Have two volunteers each read one verse.

¹⁴ Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. ¹⁵ And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel.”

Acts 28:3–6:

Have four volunteers each read one verse.

³ As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. ⁴ The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” ⁵ But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. ⁶ The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. 

Signpost 5: With Us—For Us!

Paul’s adventure shows us important truths about our relationship with Jesus. Paul was encouraged when Jesus appeared to him in prison.

Jesus is with us in good times and when we face difficult times. Paul told Julius, the Roman officer, that Jesus accepts everyone who comes to Him. We know that Jesus accepts us, no matter what we have done! Paul said that when he was weak, Jesus’ power was strongest in him. Jesus also works through our weakness. By faith, Jesus gives us power to do great things—even impossible things!     

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO DISCUSS

Acts 23:11:

Have a volunteer read.

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to Me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

John 14:27:

Have a volunteer read.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Romans 10:13:

Have a volunteer read.

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Matthew 17:20b:

Have a volunteer read.

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Paul’s adventures point to Jesus and the relationship we can have with Christ! Let’s move to our Discipleship Challenge to learn more about the books of the Bible that Paul wrote.    

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out the New Testament Books Pattern to children who were not present for the previous lessons, and explain how to make them at home. Display the model you made for the class to see.

Raise your hands if you were able to learn all of the New Testament books.

Wonderful! If you haven’t completed our challenge yet, continue to work on learning the books of the New Testament at home. Let’s say the New Testament books together! You can either say them from memory, or you can look at the poster. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews; James; 1 & 2 Peter; 1, 2 & 3 John; Jude; and Revelation.

Good! Now let’s try to say them without looking. Stand and say as many books as you can remember, then sit down when you can’t remember anymore.

Now, our challenge is to continue to practice and learn the books of the New Testament until our next meeting. Use your craft at home as a reminder to learn the names of the New Testament books. If you think you have them memorized, ask a friend or family member to test you by calling out some Bible verses to see if you can find them quickly. Remember, when we know the books of the Bible in order, it makes it easier to look up Scriptures in God’s Word.