Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome, everyone! Today, we start a new Superbook adventure about two men named Paul and Silas. In our story, Paul and Silas made plans to travel to different places; yet, sometimes they weren’t allowed to go! We’ll find out who stopped them and why when we watch the video. We’ll also find out what’s going on today with Chris, Joy, and Gizmo.           

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy's Dilemma (4 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Paul and Silas preach by a river in Philippi, where they baptize Lydia and her household.  

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

The SuperTruth today is: “God’s Spirit directs and empowers me.” Let’s say that together. “God’s Spirit directs and empowers me.”

The Spirit of God directed Paul and Silas where to go and preach the Gospel. God’s Spirit will also show us where to go and what to do—if we will just take time and ask Him! The Holy Spirit also gives us the power to do what God commands!

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God’s Spirit directs and empowers me.”

Raise your hand if you remember the city where Paul and Silas were preaching and baptizing in our video. What was the city’s name? Philippi.

Does the name Philippi remind you of a book of the Bible? Children answer.

People who lived in Philippi were called Philippians. After Paul’s visit, he wrote the believers there a letter—which we call the book of Philippians! Let’s watch the rest of our video to see what happens to Paul and Silas—and also to our friends Chris, Joy, and Gizmo!  

Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (2 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Joy is upset because she must have her tonsils out. Superbook takes Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to Philippi, where Paul casts out a demon from a fortune teller. He and Silas are arrested, beaten, and thrown in prison—yet still, they praise God. They don’t try to escape after an earthquake, knowing the jailer would be executed. Moved by their faith, the jailer is saved and baptized, along with his entire family. Joy decides to be content despite her circumstances.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1  

SuperVerse Graphic 1

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Our SuperVerse today is Galatians 5:25:

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

When we become followers of Jesus, His Spirit comes to live inside us and gives us His power, direction, and wisdom.

God’s Spirit will direct us, yet we must choose to listen to Him and follow His leading. We have a choice between pleasing God and pleasing ourselves. The Spirit helps us know God’s will and gives us the power to obey Him. This is what the SuperVerse is saying. Since we now live with the Spirit in us—we are to listen and obey!    

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. If younger children are not able to memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Dear God, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live inside of everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. Help us to hear Your Spirit speaking in our hearts so we know what to do each day—and fill us with Your power to obey and do Your will. We know You have good things planned for us when we follow You. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.  

In Small Group today, you will have a chance to be Paul and Silas bringing the Gospel to others. In this game, you can’t just travel anywhere, so stay alert and watch your step!   

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Why didn’t Paul and Silas go into certain areas to preach? God’s Spirit forbade them or didn’t allow them to go some places.      

In this game you will travel in pairs as Paul and Silas did. Hold up the balloon. You cannot hold onto the balloon; you can only bat it or volley it with your partner as you travel together to the other side of the course. Here is the tricky part: just like Paul and Silas were forbidden to go into certain areas, you cannot step onto any rug or towel or leave the playing area. You may only hit the balloon once or twice before passing it to your partner. If you step out of bounds, or if a balloon hits the ground, goes out of the play area, or lands on a rug, you must begin again at that point in the area of play. Once you reach the other side, bat the balloon to the next pair of players to start their journey.

Divide the class in half. Have each half stand at opposite ends behind the lines directly across from each other. One player may need to play twice if the groups are uneven. Start the timer. Two players start the course as described above. When everyone is finished, record the total time elapsed. Optional: play again to try to beat the time.

Conclusion: God’s Spirit directed Paul and Silas wherever they should go. Paul and Silas willingly changed their plans to follow God’s Spirit as He empowered them to set people free through the power of Jesus Christ!    

Teaching

Why did Paul go to Philippi? God gave him a vision of a man telling him to come to Macedonia.   

Paul and Silas followed wherever God’s Spirit led them. What about today—will God’s Spirit direct us? Yes.

Read John 16:13:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

That’s a powerful promise—the Holy Spirit gives us God’s direction! Did the Holy Spirit force Paul and Silas to do anything? No.

When God told them to do something, they chose to obey. Here is what Paul says in Acts 16:10:

So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. 

They decided to obey. And that’s what our SuperVerse is about. Let’s say it together. Galatians 5:25:

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

As believers in Christ, we must choose whether to follow our own selfish desires or to obey Him. We must decide to follow God’s leading not just once, when we get saved—but moment by moment. The Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts as we seek God, pray, and read the Bible.   

Have the volunteer come forward. Place the rope around the volunteer’s waist like a “U” and hold the two ends in front of the person. Have the volunteer hold onto the rope at the waist.

Suppose you are at school. It’s lunchtime, and you sense the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, telling you to sit with a new classmate who is eating alone. However, you would rather eat with your good friends! Have the volunteer resist a little as you try to pull forward. Will the Holy Spirit drag you over to the new person? No!

The Holy Spirit may keep tugging at your heart, but He will not physically drag you over like a game of tug-of-war. What would please God? Children answer.  

Now imagine you’re at home with your family. The Spirit speaks to your heart about spending time with your little sister or brother. Your parents didn’t tell you to, and your brother or sister didn’t ask. You’d rather be on the computer. Have the volunteer resist a little as you try to pull the person forward. What would please God? Children answer. 

We please God when we obey Him cheerfully. Look at the SuperVerse on the board. What two words come before “follow”? Let us.

We have a choice to follow Him or not. How do you think our hearts would feel if we disobeyed the Lord? Worried, upset, etc.

How will our hearts feel if we obey God? Happy, joyful, peaceful, etc.

The SuperVerse says we should follow God in which part of our lives? Every part.              

Can you name some parts of our lives where we should follow God? At school, home, church, on the playground, a friend’s house, at practice, everywhere!   

Now here’s a very important question. If we obey God, does that mean we will never go through hard times? Children answer.   

Were Paul and Silas beaten and put in prison because they did something wrong or because they obeyed God? Because they obeyed God.

So what did they do in prison—moan and grumble and complain? No.

They were singing and praising God! And because they obeyed God, they were able to share the Gospel with the jail keeper and his family, who all became believers!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application  

I’ll name some people in the Bible story, and you tell me how they were set free.

Paul and Silas. Their chains fell off.

The fortune teller. Paul prayed and she was delivered from a demon.

The jailer and his family. They were set free from sin when they were saved.

Galatians 3:22 says we all need to be set free from sin:

But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.     

Today, we will make a chain out of paper links to remind us that Jesus sets us free from sin so we can freely serve God and have eternal life!

Give each child a pair of scissors, a pencil, a glue stick, and an Iron Link Challenge. If using black and white patterns, hand out gray or silver crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers to color the strips. Have children cut out the strips and write their names on the first link. Display the sample chain you made and help them assemble the links in the correct order to make their own chains.

Take this chain home, and before we meet next time, memorize SuperVerse #1, do Challenge #1, and tear off those links. What does Challenge #1 say? Think of an area of your life where you need God’s guidance. Pray and ask Him to lead you each day—then watch and listen for His answers. 

Next time, I’ll ask who remembered to do it—and what happened when you did! 

Optional discussion: In the video, a girl was not being led by God’s Spirit. She was directed by something else and causing trouble for Paul and Silas. Who was she? She was a fortune teller with an evil spirit that gave false prophecies.  

God’s Spirit is more powerful than any evil spirit. Paul did not act in his own power. He was directed and empowered by God’s Spirit to cast the evil spirit out of her. 

SuperVerse

Have the children stand side-by-side in a single row, facing the board so they can see the SuperVerse. 

Suppose you went to a band concert where all the musicians threw away their music and ignored the conductor. They all played whatever notes they wanted, whenever they wanted. How would that sound? Children answer.

It might sound funny for a minute, but it would not be pleasing to hear. Instead, all the musicians should follow their music and watch the conductor very carefully so they only play their instruments exactly when they should. The conductor will signal which instruments should play softly or loudly. The right instruments will play the right parts at the right time, and they will all make beautiful music together! 

In the same way, God has given us His Word to follow—like the band follows the music—and He wants to direct our lives. We want to watch God very closely to see how He is directing our lives so that we will please Him. 

Let’s work together like that for our SuperVerse today! Our “music” will be our SuperVerse on the board. I will be the conductor, and I will direct one person at a time to say just one word of the verse. You will have to watch me carefully, because you never know who I will choose next! 

First, let’s all read the SuperVerse together from the board. Galatians 5:25:   

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Now watch me closely as I direct you to say the SuperVerse, starting with the first word. At the end of the verse, we will all say the scripture reference together. 

Point to one child, who will say the first word, then point to another child in a different part of the line to say the next word, and so on. For younger children, you may go down the line in order. When the verse is finished, have the whole class say the reference: Galatians 5:25. Then begin again, going faster each time. Be sure not to leave out any children as you “direct” the verse.

Prayer

Listen closely as I read about some of Paul’s travels in Acts 16:6–10. Raise your hand quietly each time you hear a description of how Paul was directed by God. Ready?

⁶ Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. ⁷ Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. ⁸ So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. ⁹ That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

The Spirit prevented them from going to Asia and Bithynia. Then in a vision, they were instructed to go to Macedonia. 

As we discussed the SuperVerse a short time ago, we learned that the Holy Spirit wants to lead us in all parts of our lives—not just in church or at home—everywhere. That includes our relationships, our conversations, and even our thoughts and plans!   

The Holy Spirit can speak to us in various ways: through God’s Word in the Bible, in dreams, in visions, or simply by speaking to our hearts. The important thing is to give God the opportunity to speak to us each day; to listen and follow His leading. 

Close your eyes and be still before God. Give Him a moment to speak to you.

Allow children time to be still in God’s presence.

Now, I would like you to pray silently and ask God to help you listen to Him in all areas of your life, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Allow children time to pray silently. 

Close in prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, Paul and Silas were always willing to change direction to be in step with Your Spirit. Even though they made plans, Your leading took priority in their lives. They were willing to follow You, no matter what happened. Help us listen to Your Spirit as we live each day. Fill us with Your power so that we may finish the work You call us to do. In Your name we pray, Amen.  

Action Game

Let’s say the SuperVerse together: Galatians 5:25:

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.   

Before we became believers, we didn’t make choices according to God’s Word. We made decisions according to what the Bible calls our sinful nature. Sometimes you might hear this referred to as our flesh. 

Optional: The Apostle Paul describes the struggle between our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:16–17:    

¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

This is what our game is about, going forward, following the Spirit’s leading, and not going backward to follow our sinful nature. 

Read 1 Peter 1:14:

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 

Have children crumple the sheets of paper into balls. Place the balls in a pile behind the toss line.

Divide children into teams of two or three children, depending on the class size. It doesn’t matter if teams are unequal. Smaller classes can play as individuals instead of in teams.

As you explain the game, step into each zone between the lines. Choose a volunteer to stand behind the toss line and throw balls underhanded when cued.

Three teams will play at a time.

One team will be the Steppers, one will be the Tossers, and one will be the Gatherers. The goal of this game is for the Steppers team to move forward one zone at a time. The Steppers will wear glasses to protect their eyes. Put on glasses.

These four zones represent different areas and circumstances in our lives. You will stay in each of the four zones for 15 seconds. Listen to my signal (bell, whistle, etc.) so you know when to move. Be careful not to bump into any other players while you’re changing zones. While you stand in a zone, the Tossers team will throw balls underhanded at you from that line to try to hit you. Have a volunteer Tosser toss the balls underhanded toward you. Demonstrate movements to avoid the balls. 

The balls represent trials, temptations and adversity that we all will face when we follow Jesus. Steppers may move anywhere within the two lines of a zone to avoid the balls. However, you cannot step backward over a back line of a zone at any time. Demonstrate stepping backwards over a line. 

If you do, the team is penalized five points every time this happens. Each time a Stepper is hit with a ball, the team loses one point.  

A third team called the Gatherers will follow behind the Steppers at a safe distance to gather the balls and to watch for players stepping over the back line. After 15 seconds, the Steppers will move forward into the next zone and play resumes again. When the Steppers reach the last zone, they have reached their final destination to share the Good News as led by the Spirit.      

Three teams play at a time. For every round, one team is the Tossers, one team is the Steppers, and one team is the Gatherers. After a journey is completed, consisting of four 15-second time periods, the score is recorded on the board and teams rotate to play different roles. The Gatherers return the balls to the Tossers after each time period. After all teams have been Steppers, the team with the fewest points wins!           

Important: give each Gatherer a container. They follow behind the action at a safe distance and should never cross a line into the current Stepper zone and interfere with play. 

Each round consists of four 15-second quarters, or until all the balls have been tossed—whichever comes first. 

Conclusion: Which role was your favorite one to play?

It is important to live our lives in step with the Spirit in all areas of our lives. We must ask for His help to avoid slipping back into our old ways. When we do slip up, we can go to Jesus, who is faithful to forgive us. Then we can start moving forward again!

Following Activity

Let’s read the SuperVerse together from the board: Galatians 5:25:

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Choose four volunteer team leaders from grades 5–6 if possible. Give each team leader a different Direction Slip and have them stand in the middle of the room. Instruct the team leaders to hold the correct number of fingers in the air to designate their group number. (Hold up two fingers for Group 2, etc.) Assign the remaining children to groups by counting off numbers 1–4 as you lightly tap each child on the shoulder. Have the children line up behind their team leader.   

When I say “GO,” you will follow your leader to each of the four signs in the order they appear on the Direction slips. You will also need to travel in the same manner that they do. When you get to each sign, you will say the SuperVerse together, then follow your leader to the next sign. When your group arrives at the fourth sign on your Direction slip, you will remain there.   

Allow all groups time to complete their journey. Did everyone end up at the same location? No, each group is in a different place.

Conclusion: What do you think was the purpose of this activity? Following your leader wherever and however you are directed; trusting your leader even though others are going in different directions and doing different things.      

The leaders represent the Holy Spirit. The signs represent different parts of our lives, such as school, church, home, and outside activities. You followed your leader in all parts of your life.

Not everyone followed the same path and you didn’t know where you were going next. Paul and Silas planned to go one place, yet the Spirit led them somewhere else. To follow the Spirit in our lives, we must be willing to follow God even when we see other people going different directions and doing different things.    

Maze Activity

Give each child a copy of Paul’s Journey and a pencil. Have children write their names at the bottom. Lead a discussion using the questions and answers below as the children complete the activity. 

• When Chris heard that Paul and Silas were going to the river, what did he say he forgot to bring? His swim trunks or swimsuit.    
• Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit’s direction in your life; if so, can you share your experience with us?
• Why do you think we should trust the Holy Spirit’s leading? Because God loves us and wants what is best for us. He guides us into all truth, and according to God’s will and things that please Him.   
• Do you remember how God instructed Paul to go to Macedonia? He had a vision.
• What happened in the vision? A man from Macedonia pleaded for them to come and help them.  
• Name some good things that happened because Paul followed the Spirit’s direction. Lydia and her household and the jailer and his household were saved and baptized. The fortune teller was set free from an evil spirit and her masters who controlled her.  

Conclusion: Take your maze home and talk with your family about how we need to seek God for direction in every part of our lives. We also must be willing to change our plans to go where His Spirit directs us. 

Bible Study

Let’s say our SuperVerse together: Galatians 5:25:   

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

Let’s look deeper into how we follow God’s Spirit.         

Give each child a Bible. Have children look up the verses and take turns reading one verse. Then, lead a discussion with the information below. 

1. Galatians 5:16–17:

¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

• What is the benefit of letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives? We won’t do what our sinful nature wants to do.   
• In verse 17, what does our sinful nature want to do? Evil instead of doing what pleases God.
• What does the Spirit desire? The opposite of the sinful nature—good things that please God. 
• Does our sinful nature work well with God’s Spirit? No, they constantly fight each other.
• What happens when the sinful nature gains control? We are not free to do what is good or pleasing to God—His will.    
• Can you describe a time that you experienced a battle similar to what is described in verse 17?
• Why is it difficult to give control over to God’s Spirit? We like to be in control of our own lives. In times of temptation, we want to satisfy our desires or cravings. When others are doing something, we can experience peer pressure to do what they are doing instead of what we know God wants us to do.
• Is it more difficult to give control to the Spirit in some areas of your life and not so easy in others? Please explain or share an example. Yes, some areas we just want to continue to do something and ignore the Spirit. For example, we like to hang around with certain people who are not a good influence and hinder our relationship with God. 
• Overall, why is it important to give control of every part of our lives to the Spirit? So we live according to God’s will, so we can please Him and represent Him. To keep us from sin. So that we can grow and make wise choices and stay away from things that can harm us.           

2. Ezekiel 36:26–27:

²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ²⁷ And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations.

In this Bible passage, God is giving His prophet, Ezekiel, a message regarding Israel’s rebellion and sin and His plan to restore them. 

• In verse 26, what will God remove from them? Their stubborn, stony heart.
• How will the new heart be different? It will be tender and responsive.
• What do you think that means? Their hearts will be soft and sensitive. God can speak and they will listen and obey. They won’t ignore His leading.
• In verses 26–27, what else will God give them? A new Spirit—His Spirit.
• What will His Spirit do for them? Guide and help them to be obedient to His commands and instructions.     
• How does God help us today to obey and live for Him? He gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside and to guide and empower us. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and opens up our understanding of His Word and will. 

3. Romans 8:26–27:  

 ²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 

• In verse 26, what does the Holy Spirit do when we are weak? He helps us.
• How can the Holy Spirit help us to pray? Give us direction into what we can or should pray. Reveals things that need prayer.
• Have you ever experienced a time when you didn’t know what to pray and you sensed the Holy Spirit’s direction? Children answer.
• Have you ever just sat in silence before the Lord in prayer and allowed the Holy Spirit to pray through you and guide your thoughts? Children answer.   
• In verse 27, how does it make you feel to know that God knows your heart? He knows what I am thinking or feeling when I can’t express it in words.
• How does the Spirit help us to pray? He directs our prayers so we pray in a way that is pleasing to God and according to His will.  

Conclusion: We need the Spirit’s direction in every area of our lives. He will lead us; it is up to us to choose to follow.