Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello everyone! Welcome to a new Superbook adventure about a man of God named Philip. Have you ever heard of him before? The Bible describes him as someone who was well respected and full of God’s Spirit and wisdom. Let’s watch a video to learn more about Philip and the early church. Then we’ll see the big plans that Chris has for his father’s new invention!

Play Video 2: Intro to Bible Story (6 minutes)

In Bible times, Philip heals a man who was crippled, and a magician named Simon is so amazed that he believes in Christ. In modern times, Chris is excited about using a new invention to impress his friends and make money.

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Who was Simon? A magician/sorcerer.

What did Philip do that amazed Simon? He healed a man who had been crippled all his life.

Why is Chris so excited about the new invention? He wants to use its power to impress his friends and make money.

What was the purpose of the invention? To help those in need all over the world by building homes for them.

Does God give us His power to impress people and make money? No, as our SuperTruth today tells us, “The Holy Spirit gives me power to share the Gospel.”

Let’s say that together. The Holy Spirit gives me power to share the Gospel.

God gave Philip the power to share the Good News, and He gives us that same power today, so we can tell others about Jesus. Let’s watch the rest of the video and see how Philip ends up in the desert! We’ll also see if Chris follows through on his big plans for the new invention.

Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (17 minutes)

Superbook takes Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to Samaria, where Peter and John join Philip to teach about the power of the Holy Spirit. When Simon the magician offers money to buy this power, Peter sternly rebukes him. Later, Philip witnesses to an Ethiopian official and baptizes him. Returning home, Chris thinks about baptism and attends a Bible study.

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Video Discussion (1 minute)

Have you ever read something in the Bible that you didn’t understand? What did you do? Children respond.

How do you think the Ethiopian man felt to have Philip suddenly appear and explain to him what he was reading? Relieved, thankful, excited, overwhelmed, surprised.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic

Graphic loops 1.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say today’s SuperVerse together. Ephesians 3:7:

We can serve the Lord by sharing the wonderful message of Christ. The Good News is that Jesus died to save us from our sins, then rose again to give us eternal life! This is the amazing message that God calls us to spread—and He gives us His power to do it.

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 is an honor and privilege to serve You and to share the Good News with people who don’t know You. Thank you for the Holy Spirit’s power to guide us and empower us. Help us to be faithful to obey You. In Jesus’ mighty power, we pray, Amen.

In Small Group today, we are going to play a game called “Good News Scatter.” Let’s go find out how to 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.

Relay Game

• Large rug, bedsheet, or blanket
  
• Philip Good News Scatter Game
  
• Twenty-four sheets of scrap paper (recycled if possible) crumpled into paper balls
  
• Five containers to hold paper balls; the fifth container must be large enough to hold all the paper balls at the same time
  
• Cellophane tape
  
• Timer, such as a stopwatch, clock, or watch with a second hand, or timer app
  
• Whiteboard and marker or chalkboard and chalk
  
• Yardstick or measuring tape
  
• Bible or the Superbook Bible App
  
  

Place the rug or sheet in the middle of the room.
Make one copy of the Philip Good News Scatter Game and cut apart the five cards.
Tape one card on each of the five containers.
Place the first four containers in the four corners of the room, with north, east, south, and west matching the layout of a compass or map. (See illustration.) Place the fifth container, marked “GOOD NEWS,” in the center of the room. It must be large enough to hold all twenty-four paper balls.

Write the SuperVerse on the board—Ephesians 3:7 (NLT):

By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.

Crumple the scrap paper into twenty-four paper balls and place them in the “Good News” container in the center of the room—or have children help you do this at the beginning of the game.

Good News Scatter: Play a game to spread the Gospel.

Let’s say the SuperTruth together: The Holy Spirit gives me power to share the Gospel.

As we saw in the video, the believers in the early church needed to quickly flee from Jerusalem. Why? They were being persecuted for following Christ.

That sounds terrible, doesn’t it? But what good thing happened as a result? The believers took the Gospel to people outside Jerusalem.

Read Acts 8:4 (NLT):

Yes, the Christians took the Gospel into all the world. Have you ever heard the phrase, “The four corners of the earth”? We all know the earth is round, so it doesn’t really have corners. So “the four corners” simply means every place in the world.

Stand on the rug and hold up a paper ball. The rug I am standing on represents Jerusalem. This is where Jesus died and rose again, then the Holy Spirit came upon the believers, and the first church began. The paper balls represent the Good News. Your job as a believer is to serve God by spreading the Good News to “the four corners of the earth,” represented by the containers in the four corners of our room.

Let’s say our SuperVerse together: Ephesians 3:7:

Divide the children into teams of 4–6, depending on class size. If the class has six or fewer children, simply play as one team, note how long the round took, then play again to beat the record. If time allows, have each team choose a name that represents their mission of spreading the Good News—such as “Good News Carriers” or one of the apostles such as Philip, Peter or John. Then write the team names on the board. If time is short, simply assign each team a number.

One team will play at a time. The team playing will stand on the rug. The first player will take a paper ball and travel quickly to put it into the NORTH container, then return to the rug, take another ball and quickly put it into the EAST container, return to the rug, and so on, until the player has placed a ball in each of the four corner containers. The second player on the team may begin the journey to the NORTH container as soon as the first player begins traveling to the EAST container. Each player will take a turn and complete this process. The result will be several players on the team playing at one time. When the last player on the team returns to the rug, time is stopped and recorded on the board next to the team’s name. The team should then work quickly to dump all the balls from the four corner containers back into the Good News container. The next team then plays. Do this until all teams have played. The team with the best time wins. Play again if time allows.

Important: All teams will cheer each other on because they are all working for the same cause—to share the Gospel!

Conclusion: Good job, everyone! God has given us the privilege to share the Good News with others; let’s learn more about this now.

Teaching

Privilege and Power: Discuss how we serve God by sharing the Gospel.

Let’s say the SuperTruth together:

The Holy Spirit gives me power to share the Gospel.

Philip certainly was empowered to share God’s message, wasn’t he? However, Philip didn’t begin his ministry as a powerful preacher and miracle worker. His ministry started very humbly.

The new church in Jerusalem was growing quickly, and problems began to arise. Some believers claimed that the apostles didn’t give some widows enough food. The apostles said that they needed to spend their time in prayer and teaching God’s Word—not watching over the food program!

The solution was to appoint seven men who were respected by the people, full of the Spirit and wisdom. These seven men, called deacons, took care of the daily tasks for the apostles. Philip was one of the seven. He began as a deacon and faithfully did his part so the apostles could preach the Word and expand the church! (See Acts 6:1–7.)

The next problem that happened was persecution. People who didn’t like the Christians tried to shut down the church and send believers to jail. Did that stop the Church from growing? No!

Jesus’ followers scattered to other areas outside of Jerusalem and began telling more and more people about the Lord. Philip went to Samaria, where he preached the Good News and performed mighty miracles by God’s power.

What miracle did we see at the beginning of the video? A man who had been crippled was healed.

As Philip faithfully served God, God sent an angel to give him new instructions. Where did the angel tell him to go? To a desert road.

Did Philip question the angel, asking why he should go to the desert when such exciting things were happening in the city? Or did he argue and say that the crowds loved his preaching and miracles so much that God should send someone else to the desert? No, he obeyed.

Choose an older volunteer who reads well to be the Ethiopian man and another volunteer to be Philip. Have the Ethiopian man sit on a chair, open the Isaiah scroll, and begin to read it aloud slowly.

When Philip arrived in the desert, he saw an important Ethiopian official riding in a carriage and reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. How did Philip know what to do next? The Holy Spirit told him to walk alongside the carriage.

Instruct “Philip” to walk in place beside the chairs while watching the Ethiopian man.

Imagine if God told you to walk alongside someone who was jogging, riding a bicycle, or skateboarding—would you obey, or would you think it was too silly or crazy? Children respond.

Sometimes we must trust and obey God, even if He asks us to do something unusual! Did the Ethiopian instruct his driver to speed up the horses to get away from Philip? No, he invited Philip to ride with him in the carriage.

“Philip” should sit on the empty chair and point to the words on the scroll.

The Holy Spirit knew that the Ethiopian man’s heart was ready to receive the Good News about Jesus! Philip explained that the Scripture was talking about Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to save us from our sins! What did the Ethiopian man do? He believed and asked Philip to baptize him.

What happened after Philip baptized him? Philip was taken by the Spirit to preach in another town.

Have the two volunteers return to their seats with the class.

Imagine if Philip had delayed going to the desert for a few hours or a day—he might have missed the Ethiopian man. It is so important for us to listen and obey when the Holy Spirit speaks to us!

Stand behind the table and hold up the battery.

What does a battery contain? Power, electricity.

This battery represents the Holy Spirit’s power. Note: adjust the presentation according to your specific toy. If I place the battery in this toy, it provides the power to go, but the toy will still not move unless it is turned on.

Place the toy on the table, but do not turn it on. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to go and do what God desires, yet He never forces us to go. Philip was called and empowered, but he made the choice to obey. God has given us free will to choose.

Turn on the toy and let it go; stop it and turn it off before it runs off the table. When Philip obeyed God and went into the desert, he saw the important Ethiopian official riding in the carriage. Yet now he needed to know what to do next. That’s when the Holy Spirit gave Philip new instructions to walk alongside the carriage. God’s Spirit not only fills us with power, but He also gives us wisdom and guidance to complete the work we are called to do. God did not abandon Philip in the desert, and He will not abandon us!

When we trust God and take the first step, He is faithful to guide us the rest of the way. We simply need to listen with our spiritual ears and keep our hearts open to His voice.

Conclusion: The apostles were eager to obey God’s call to share the Gospel. Peter and John went to Samaria and worked alongside Philip to help people receive God’s Spirit. When it was time to return to Jerusalem, Peter and John didn’t just hurry home. The Bible tells us that they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News. (See Acts 8:25.) Philip became known as Philip the Evangelist. He preached in Samaria, in the desert, in the town of Azotus, and then in every town on the way to his home. (See Acts 8:40; Acts 21:8–9.) He also shared God’s power with his own family! He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. (See Acts 21:9.) God has given each of us the privilege and the power to share the Good News with others. The question is, will we obey His instructions?

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child a Philip Seeker Scroll and a pencil. Have children write their names on the blank line on the scroll. Display the model craft for children to see. Then, demonstrate how to roll both ends to form a scroll. Be prepared to assist any children with special needs.

Choose a volunteer to read aloud the heading at the top of the scroll.

I will seek God above all else.

The Discipleship Challenge for the three lessons on Philip is about seeking God in three important ways. The first part of our challenge involves praying and seeking God each day for different purposes. The first lesson is to seek God’s face. To seek His face means to sit in His presence silently or in praise, worship, and thanksgiving for the specific purpose of knowing Him more intimately and deeply and drawing closer to Him. So your first challenge is to seek God’s face as you pray and spend time with Him each day.

The second part of this challenge is to read Psalm 27:8 and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what it means to seek God’s face. The Ethiopian man was reading Scripture, yet he did not fully understand it. Philip helped to open his understanding about Jesus. It is important not only to read the Bible but to understand it. Before you read the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to open your understanding. If possible, discuss the verses with your family or a trusted adult or friend who has God’s wisdom. Then try to answer the two questions on your scroll. You will have an opportunity to talk about your experience when we meet again.

SuperVerse

Superbook on Top: Memorize the SuperVerse with a group activity.

The Apostle Paul wrote this verse. Does anyone know anything about Paul? Children reply.

Paul, who was known as Saul, wanted to arrest and persecute followers of Christ for sharing the Gospel. But after God stopped him on the road to Damascus, Paul was completely changed! He spent the rest of his life serving God and spreading the Gospel.

Grace is God’s free gift of undeserved favor and mercy. We are saved and blessed by God’s grace—not by the good things we have done or will do. We have the privilege of sharing this Good News so others might experience God’s love and mercy, too.

Let’s read our SuperVerse on the board. Ephesians 3:7:

Erase the individual words in the SuperVerse that are written in the word bank, but do not erase the words in the word bank! Read the SuperVerse slowly and stop at each space. Have the children raise their hands to fill in the words from the word bank. Write the correct words into the SuperVerse as they are given. If someone answers incorrectly, call on another child until the correct word is chosen. Now, erase the word bank and do the activity again, stopping at each space and having children supply the missing words from memory. If time permits, erase the entire verse and ask if anyone can say it from memory.

If children cannot memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Conclusion: It is our privilege to serve God by sharing the Gospel. Let us use every opportunity we have to share His Good News! 

Prayer

Power Prayers: Communicate with God.

Choose a good reader to read Acts1:8 (NLT):

Can you guess who said this? Jesus.

After Jesus rose from the dead, and just before He went up to heaven, He gave His disciples this command. What is the command? To be His witnesses everywhere.

What did Jesus say we need to be His witnesses? The power of the Holy Spirit.

Today, our prayer is for God to fill us with His power. Why do we need power? To share the Gospel, to do His work.

We are going to pray for God’s power right now. If you’d like to pray aloud, raise your hand and pray something written on the board, or pray in your own words for the power to share the Good News.

Allow time for children to pray.

Close in prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, as believers in Jesus, we have the wonderful privilege of sharing the Good News with others. Thank You that when people trust in Jesus, they will be forgiven and have new life. Fill us with Your power—not to impress people, but to be witnesses and boldly declare Your plan of salvation and Your loving kindness to people everywhere. In Your power and Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Sharing Game

Power Is Spreading: Play a game to share the Gospel.

Give a plate to each child and crayons to share. Point to the word “power” on the board and have children write “power” in large letters on their plates.

Let’s say the SuperTruth together. The Holy Spirit gives me power to share the Gospel.

When persecution came, Jesus’ followers were scattered outside Jerusalem. What did they do? They shared the Gospel.

These plates represent places they went to, such as Judea, Azotus, Caesarea, Samaria, and other Samaritan villages. (See Acts 8:1–2, 25, 40.)

Divide the children into two even teams. If teams are unequal, a leader may need to play. Players form two rows a few feet apart and parallel to one set of plates on the floor. Each team will stand side by side and at arm’s length from each other. Place a box of balls at one end of each team.

The plates you are holding represent the power that God gives you to share the Gospel.

Hold up a box of balls so children can see inside.

These balls represent the Gospel. Each of the balls has a letter from the word Gospel written on it. Your job is to share the Gospel by spreading it to other areas represented by the six plates on the floor.

Hold up a plate.

You must use the “power” to share the Gospel with the player next to you. The first player near the box on each team will take a ball from the box, put it on their plate, then share it by rolling it onto the next player’s plate. Each player will receive and share like this until the ball reaches the last plate. The last player will travel or “scatter” to transfer the ball from the plate to a plate on the floor. This represents sharing or spreading the Gospel. The last player must be careful to place each ball on the correct plate to spell GOSPEL.

Note: If you want to make this easier, write one letter of GOSPEL on each plate for each team. The players then can quickly match the ball to the proper plate.

You cannot use your free hand to hold the ball on the plate; the ball must be balanced to keep it from rolling off the plate. If a ball falls on the floor, the player may use a hand to pick it up and return it to the plate. Once the first player shares a ball, he/she will get the next ball and start it down the line. Continue until all balls are shared. The first team to have all the balls on the plates in the correct order to spell GOSPEL wins.

Play again and shuffle the order of the players in the lines.

Conclusion: Just like you needed the plate to share the ball, we need the Holy Spirit’s power to share the Gospel with others!

Rolling Game

Powerful Results: Play a game to release joy.

Philip was filled with power from the Holy Spirit when he went to Samaria. He shared the Gospel and confirmed his message with miraculous signs and wonders. People were saved from their sins, cured of diseases, healed of physical conditions, and set free from evil spirits. Acts 8:8 tells us that this resulted in great joy in that city!

We are going to play a game that represents what took place in Samaria and everywhere the Gospel was shared. These cups represent things that can trap and steal someone’s peace and joy—like sin, jealousy, hatred, and evil spirits. This is not God’s will for people. Jesus came to fill us with joy!

Lift a cup. When a cup is removed, what do we find? Joy!

Our job is to uncover and release the joy under each cup.

Hold up a ball. The balls represent the power of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel. Your mission is to share the Gospel by rolling the ball into the cups. Each team has ten cups to knock over. Each player will have a turn rolling the ball to try to knock over one or more cups. When a cup is knocked over, the player picks up the card and the ball and quickly brings the ball to the next player, who will take a turn. If no cups are knocked over, the player simply gets the ball and gives it to the next player.

The first team to knock over all of their cups and return all ten of their joy cards to the leader wins.

Divide the class into two teams—they do not need to be even. Have each team stand behind a line opposite a set of cups. Give the first player on each team a ball. Teams roll at the same time. The first team to return all of their joy cards to the leader wins. Play additional rounds to make sure everyone has a chance to roll more than once.

Conclusion: What would have happened to the joy under the cups if we held onto the balls instead of rolling them? Nothing; the joy would not have been released or revealed.

When Jesus was born, the angel told the shepherds in Luke 2:10 (NIV):

We have been given the privilege of sharing the Gospel, along with the Holy Spirit’s power to deliver the Good News to others. This message will result in great joy to whomever receives it! We must never keep it to ourselves!

Maze Activity

Led by the Spirit: Lead Philip to the carriage and then to the water.

Let’s read the SuperVerse, Ephesians 3:7, together from the board:

Who did Philip share the Gospel with in the desert? The Ethiopian man.

Give each child a copy of the maze and a pencil. Your mission is to guide Philip to the Ethiopian man’s carriage. Once you have done that, you will then lead the men to the water for the baptism.

Tell the children they may begin. Lead a discussion using the questions below as the children complete the activity.

1. Why did Philip go to the desert? An angel of the Lord told him to go.

2. What can we learn from Philip’s obedience to immediately go? Timing is important. The man was ready to receive Jesus. We must trust and obey without delay.

3. What do you think the Ethiopian man thought when he saw Philip walking outside his carriage? Children respond.

4. Think about what God did for that one Ethiopian man to hear the Good News. What does that tell you about God? He loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved.

Bible Activity