Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello everyone. The title of our new Superbook adventure is “Paul and Barnabas.” If you have seen some Superbook videos before, you probably are familiar with Paul. However, you may not know who Barnabas is. In our video, we will find out more about these two men who served God fearlessly. We will also check in with Joy, Chris, and Gizmo and see why Chris is annoyed and embarrassed on the first day of school.

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (7 minutes)

Jia Wei, the hall monitor from school, witnesses how the disciples are jailed for preaching about Jesus and set free by an angel. Later, Chris is embarrassed when Jia Wei invites students to a Bible study and won’t defend him against some bullies. 

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

SuperTruth and Discussion(2 minutes)

Why were all of the disciples in jail? They were teaching about Jesus and performing miracles in His name. The religious leaders were not happy about the crowds following the disciples and had them arrested.

Usually, we see Chris, Joy, and Gizmo in these Superbook adventures. Who was with the disciples in jail? Jia Wei, the hall monitor from Chris and Joy’s school.

If you saw someone being mocked and teased because they believe in God, what would you do?

The book of Acts in the Bible tells how the disciples continued the work of Jesus after He went to heaven. They had an important mission!

Today’s SuperTruth is, “God has a mission for me.” Let’s say it together: “God has a mission for me.” Now let’s learn more about the disciples’ mission—and let’s see whether Chris will help Jia Wei.

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution(16 minutes)

Superbook takes Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to join Paul and Barnabas on their mission trip. In Paphos, Paul miraculously blinds a sorcerer, and the Roman governor is saved. In Perga, John Mark abandons the mission, leading to a rift between Paul and Barnabas. In Lystra, Paul is nearly stoned to death. Even so, the disciples continue preaching the Gospel. Back home, Chris, Joy, and Gizmo stand up for Jia Wei and join his Bible study. *Be sure to preview this video, as some scenes may be too intense for young children. The Condensed version is less intense. If you wish to show the Condensed version, you may follow it with Chris and Joy’s Resolution to show the conclusion of the modern-day dilemma.

Bible Story and Resolution

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic

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

10A: SuperVerse Graphic

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Our SuperVerse today is Acts 1:8—let’s say it together: “You will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere.”

Do you think the SuperVerse is a clue about our mission from God? Yes.

Our mission, like the disciples, is to share about Jesus—not only with our words but also by our actions. We should point others to Jesus by everything we say and do.

Let’s say our SuperVerse again: “You will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere.”

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

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Dear God, it’s amazing to think that we are on a mission, like the disciples. Fill us with the power of Your Holy Spirit, and help us to be witnesses for Jesus wherever we go! In His name we pray, amen.

If you like to give and receive gifts, raise your hand! Children respond.

In Small Group today, your mission is to do both; let’s go play!

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

Mission to Share: Play a game to give God’s gift to others.

The disciples were on a mission to witness about Jesus everywhere they went. He has given the same mission to us today!

Hold up the gift bags. These gift bags represent God’s gift to everyone: His Son, Jesus! Now, our mission is to pass the gift bags to our teammates. This represents witnessing and sharing the free gift of Jesus.

Divide the children into two teams. Each team divides in half again, forming two lines that face each other about 3 feet apart. For each team, give a pencil to Player 1—in the first row—and Player 2—standing directly across in the opposite row. Have Player 1 hang the gift bag on the pencil. Start the game. Player 1 carefully shares the gift by passing it across the row to Player 2’s pencil. Player 1 then quickly hands the pencil sideways to Player 3, who is standing next to him or her in the same row. Player 2 passes the bag across the row to Player 3’s pencil and hands the pencil sideways to Player 4. Continue in this fashion until the bag reaches the last player, then repeat the process in the opposite direction.

The first team to return the bag to Player 1 and shout the SuperTruth wins. Play additional rounds if time permits.

Note: The player who passes the gift across the row must also remember to quickly hand the pencil sideways to the next player to receive the gift. This makes it more fun since players will often forget to do this. For a variation, increase the distance between the rows so players must take a few steps to make the exchange.

Conclusion: Jesus is God’s gift to the world. Our mission is to witness about Him everywhere we go. When we do, others learn about God’s wonderful gift!

Teaching

A Pattern to Follow: Discuss praying as Jesus did.

What did the disciples tell the religious leaders who ordered them to stop talking about Jesus? They had to obey God rather than any human authority.

They refused to be silent even when their lives were in danger. Because the disciples boldly preached the Gospel, many people came to know Jesus. Then those people shared the Gospel with others, and then those people shared the Gospel with even more people. And so it continued for about 2,000 years until people told us about Jesus! And now it’s our turn to pass along the Good News to others!

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God has a mission for me.”

Our mission is the same one that Jesus gave the disciples. He gathered His followers together and assigned them a very important mission. When you give someone an important task, you “commission” them to do it. And so this important mission that Jesus gave His followers is called “The Great Commission.” And since we are His followers today, it is our mission, too! Are you curious about what Jesus tells us to do?

Let’s all open our Bibles to Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT):

Jesus commissions His followers to make disciples, teaching them to obey Him. Jesus also gives His followers a wonderful promise—that He is always with us!

John was one of the disciples who heard Jesus say this. He wrote about what it means to be a witness in his letter, 1 John 1:1–2 (NLT):

John was telling people what he saw, heard, touched, and experienced while he was with Jesus. He wanted other people to know about Jesus so they could be saved!

Show children the Mission: Witness file folder. In this folder are five things that we can tell others about Jesus.

Hold up each page from the file folder and choose a volunteer to read it aloud.

Page 1: Love—1 John 3:16 (NLT):

We can tell others that Jesus loves us so much, He died to save us and give us eternal life with Him forever in heaven.

Page 2: Forgiveness—1 John 1:9 (NLT):

We can tell others that, no matter what we’ve done wrong, we simply need to confess what we’ve done to Him. He will always forgive us and cleanse us of our sins.

Page 3: New Life—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT):

We can tell others about our exciting new life when we ask Jesus into our hearts. We get a fresh start and begin a new journey as we follow God’s wonderful plan for our lives.

Page 4: Joy—John 15:11 (NLT):

We can tell others about the joy that Jesus gives us, no matter what problems we may face.

Page 5: Strength—Philippians 4:13 (NLT):

We can tell others how Jesus gives us strength to face any situation, and that nothing is impossible when we trust Him!

When we ask Jesus into our hearts, He gives us many spiritual blessings. We don’t want to keep all of these wonderful blessings to ourselves—we want to share the Good News with others. This is God’s mission for us—to witness about Him.

Optional discussion for Grades 4–6, if time allows: Witnessing for Christ doesn’t have to be hard. The Bible tells us that Jesus healed a man who was blind. The religious leaders kept asking the man who Jesus was, and whether Jesus was a sinner and how Jesus could heal. 

He did not have answers to all of their questions; he simply told them what Jesus did for him. We don’t need to have all of the answers either. Our witnessing can be as simple as saying, “This is what Jesus did for me.” Or, “This is what Jesus is doing in my life.”

Raise your hand if you have heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” Children respond.

Our actions, not just our words, can be a powerful and effective witness to shine Jesus’ light for others to see. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:9:

“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me–everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

When our words and actions reflect Jesus, others will see Him in us.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Paul and Barnabas were on a mission from God—to preach the Good News and help new believers grow in their faith. How did they travel to the Island of Cyprus? They sailed on a ship.

That is what our Discipleship craft is—a ship! Give a Mission Ship Craft and pencil to each child, along with glue or tape to share. If crafts were copied in black and white, provide crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers to color their ships. The sails should remain white, so the text is readable. Display the finished craft for children to see as they follow the instructions on the page to make their craft. Be prepared to assist as necessary.

Let’s say the SuperTruth together from memory—no peeking at your ship! “God has a mission for me.”

Your mission—should you choose to accept!—is the same one Jesus gave the disciples.

Choose a volunteer to read Sail #1: WITNESS–Read Psalm 96:3 and tell someone how Jesus helps you.

We are to be Christ’s witnesses. The definition of the word “witness” is a person who sees or has personal knowledge of something or someone. Your mission challenge is to tell someone about how you know Jesus.

Name some things we discussed about Christ that we can witness about. Love, forgiveness, new life, joy, strength.

Can you name any more? Salvation, friends, hope, family, etc.

We don’t want to keep these to ourselves; we want to share them with others! That’s called being a witness!

The second part of your mission is to read and memorize Psalm 96:3. Discuss the verse with your family if possible. Share with each other the amazing things Jesus has done and is doing in your lives.

Optional—read Psalm 96:3 (NLT):

Try to witness to at least one person before we meet again. And, if you want to take it up a notch, try to witness to one person each day! You will have a chance to share the success of your mission experience with us in the next class.

SuperVerse

Superbook Witness: Memorize the SuperVerse with a group activity.

What do you think it means to be a witness for Jesus? Children answer.

The disciples had the benefit of personally knowing Jesus. They witnessed His ministry and miracles, which they could then share with others. Paul wasn’t one of the original twelve disciples. In fact, at first, he wanted to kill Jesus’ followers!

Does anyone know how he was transformed?

While Paul was on the road to Damascus to find and arrest Christians, Jesus revealed Himself to Paul in a blinding light. Paul’s life was completely changed! Instead of trying to stop the Gospel, he began spreading it everywhere he went, for the rest of his life!

When we have Jesus in our hearts, we have Good News to share!

Have children sit facing the board. In this activity, you will be witnesses. To begin, let’s read the SuperVerse from the board together:

Read it again—but this time louder! Children read the SuperVerse.

Erase the board. All of you witnessed the words on the board. Now I’ll ask all of you witnesses, who remembers the first word of the verse? You.

Write the word on the board. Very good! Is there another witness who can tell me the second word of the verse? Will.

Continue to ask “the witnesses” for each word until the whole verse is on the board, then have the class say it together.

Conclusion: You are true witnesses of what you saw and heard! Our mission is to tell others about Jesus so they can come to know Him!

Prayer

Mission Prayers: Communicate with God.

Paul asked the believers in the city of Thessalonica to pray for success as he and the other disciples witnessed to others about Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (NLT) says:

Another time, he asked people to pray for him to share the Gospel—while he was in prison! He says in Colossians 4:2–4 (NLT):

Let’s pray that we will be good witnesses for Jesus on our mission. Each of us will pray just a sentence or two for all who are here. Pray from your heart in your own words; it doesn’t matter if you repeat what others have said. You can pray that we will be bold, or that God will show us who we should witness to, or that He will fill us with His power. Or you can simply say, “Help us be good witnesses.”

God is waiting to hear and answer our prayers today. Have children bow their heads. Start with one child who is not shy about praying aloud, and go around the circle, giving each child an opportunity to pray.

Close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank You for the Great Commission—to spread the Gospel. Our mission is to tell others what You have done for us. We cannot save people; only You can change hearts and bring people to salvation. Today, we ask that the Holy Spirit would prepare people’s hearts and guide us to those who may receive the words we share. In the saving name of Jesus we pray, amen.

Relay Game

Don’t Keep It To Yourself! Find Jesus and tell others about your discovery.

Chris and Joy were stunned that Jia Wei, the hall monitor at school, had gone on his own Superbook adventures without them. What exciting news did Jia Wei share with Chris that had happened on one of his journeys? He had accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior.

When other students made fun of Jia Wei, what did Chris wish he would do with his faith? Keep it to himself.

Our mission is to witness to others, not keep it to ourselves—even if there is a chance that others will make fun of us. In this game, you will have a chance to tell others when you find “Jesus.” Here is how you play: some of the plates have letters that spell “JESUS.” The rest of the plates are blank.

• Divide the class into two teams; they do not need to be equal. Have each team stand about 12–15 feet away from their set of plates.
• The first player on each team will walk quickly to the team's plates, then flip over one plate.
• If it is a “J,” the player will hold the plate toward the teams and shout “J for JESUS.” The player will bring it quickly back to the team and place it on the floor.
• The next player will take a turn and try to find the “E” in "JESUS."
• If a letter is found out of order, for example, an “S” is found by the first player, the player holds it up and shouts “S for JESUS” and then returns it face down to the same spot. The player returns to the team, and the next player takes a turn.
• If the plate is blank, the player will hold the plate up for the team to see and then return it face down to the same spot. The player then returns to the team.
• All players must watch and listen carefully so they can remember the location of letters and blank plates.
• Play continues this way until all letters of "JESUS" are found and placed in order on the floor next to the team.
• The first team to spell "JESUS" and shout the word wins.
• Play another round if time allows.

Optional play for Grades 1–3: Play as above, but if a player finds a letter—even if it’s out of order—the player brings it back to the team. The team then puts the letters in order.

You did a great job finding the letters to spell "Jesus" and then witnessing or telling others about what you found. What if each player would have kept what was found to themselves; would that have helped others? No!

Even when you turned over a plate that shouldn’t be chosen, you were helping others by showing what you found. Our mission is to tell others that we have found Jesus, who gives salvation to everyone who believes!

Drawing Activity

Can I Get a Witness? Quickly draw and share Bible Story scenes.

The religious leaders threatened the apostles and told them to stop talking about Jesus. They boldly replied that they could not stop sharing everything they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). This is what witnessing is all about; telling others what we have seen, heard, and experienced in our relationship with Jesus!

Give each child a copy of the Witness Post Page and a pencil.

Think back to what it was like to live back in Bible times. Did people have televisions or cell phones? No.

Name some ways the apostles could tell others about Jesus. Preaching, teaching, conversations, writing letters or Bible books, by their godly actions, by working miracles.

What are some ways we have to communicate today that the disciples didn’t have? Phones, television, radio, computers, apps such as Facebook, etc.

Some apps make it possible to share messages, pictures, and videos with others—instantly!

In this activity, we’ll read an event from the Bible that you watched in the Superbook video today. Listen carefully; imagine you are there as the event takes place. Then, draw two pictures of what happened on your Witness Post Page. Your drawings represent a photo or video you took of the event that you want to share with others. As an option, post a short message underneath your pictures. The message can add details to the pictures or say something like, “Wish you were here…amazing!”

Read or have a volunteer read one passage. Then, briefly ask children to name important events to help them decide what to draw. Important: Children should be creative and draw what they feel is important—not necessarily what others choose. Children can draw two progressive pictures in the two blocks to represent a video or two separate pictures of two different scenes. Give them a couple of minutes to draw, then have several share their “posts.”

1. Acts 5:12–16 (NLT):

2. Acts 5:17–21a (NLT):

3. Acts 15:36–41 (NLT):

Conclusion: Today, there are many ways we can witness about Jesus! Let’s fulfill the mission God gives us, to share our experience with Christ so others can also believe.

Coloring Activity

Set Sail! Color a page about Paul and Barnabas’s journeys.

Give a coloring page to each child. Give crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers to the children to share. Lead a discussion using the questions below as children color.

1. The Holy Spirit spoke to the believers of the church in Antioch in Syria and told them to dedicate Paul and Barnabas for a special work. The church prayed for Paul and Barnabas and sent them on their way. The two men, along with John Mark, immediately set sail for the Island of Cyprus.
   
2. When Superbook took Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to the Island of Cyprus, what happened to Chris’s new school shoes? They got soaked in a pool of water.
   
3. Who did Paul and Barnabas share the message of Jesus with in Cyprus? The Roman Governor (Sergius Paulus).
   
4. Who tried to interfere with their message? A sorcerer named Elymas.
   
5. Was Elymas successful in his attempt to discredit and silence the disciples? No, Paul blinded him by God’s power, and the governor became a believer.
   
6. Imagine that the Holy Spirit chose you to travel to a different country to share the Gospel; would you be scared, excited, nervous, or a little bit of each—please explain. Children answer.
   
7. Has anyone ever felt in your heart that you may someday be called to witness for Christ on a missions trip either here or in a foreign country? Allow time for children to discuss this.
   
8. Do you think we must travel far away to be on a mission for God? No. How can we witness for Jesus right here where we live? Live for Jesus and share about Him and what He has done in our lives.
   

Conclusion: Whether we are called to travel to distant lands or never leave our hometowns, every believer is sent on a mission by God! We are to witness about Jesus so more people can trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior and experience His love!

Bible Activity

Can I Get a Witness! Race to find verses about Jesus.

Let’s say the SuperVerse together:

In this game, you will work in pairs to quickly find verses in the New Testament about Jesus. These are verses we can use to witness to others about His goodness.

I will say a verse reference and write it on the board. You may start to look it up while I read a fill-in-the-blank question for that verse. One player in each pair will look up the verse, and the other player will be the assistant like John Mark was for Paul and Barnabas—but don’t quit in the middle of the mission! The assistant will write the answer on a sticky note and then walk quickly to stick it on the board. You have thirty seconds to do that. The first team scores ten points for the correct answer; all other teams score five points for the correct answer stuck to the board within the time limit. Every pair will have a chance to finish your mission, so don’t give up! The team with the most points wins. Are you ready to begin?

Children sit in pairs. Try to pair experienced Bible users with children who aren’t as familiar with the Bible. Give each pair a Bible. The experienced Bible user can quickly look up the verse. The other player can write the answer and take it to the board. If both players are experienced Bible users, have players alternate tasks. Have children close their Bibles before you announce the next verse.

Note that the suggested answers are from the New Living Translation. If children are using different translations, their answers will vary.

1. 1 John 1:9. Jesus is _____ and just to forgive us when we confess our sins. (Faithful)

2. Hebrews 2:18. Jesus has gone through every testing and temptation we will experience so He is able to _____ us. (Help)

3. John 14:27. Jesus can replace our fear and anxiety with His gift of _____. (Peace)

4. 1 Peter 2:24. By Jesus’ wounds on the cross, we are _____. (Healed)

5. Philippians 4:13. Jesus______ us so I can do everything. (Strengthens)

6. John 15:11. Jesus fills us with so much of His ____ that it will overflow! (Joy)

7. John 16:33. We can have peace because Jesus has ______ the world. (Overcome)

8. Philippians 4:19. We can trust that Jesus will _____ all of our needs. (Supply)

9. 1 John 3:16. Jesus loves us so much that He gave His _____for us. (Life)

10. 2 John 1:3. Jesus’ grace, _____, and peace will continue to be with everyone who believes. (Mercy)

Conclusion: As we live our lives for Christ, we will continually discover new ways that He helps us—and we should share our experiences with others.