Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome to the last lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Paul and the Unknown God, Part 1.” If you were here for the previous lesson, what is the best way to defend our faith? To share what God has done for me. 

We cannot believe and follow God without faith. Let’s stand and sing The Salvation Poem to praise Jesus for His free gift of eternal life, which we receive by faith! 

Play Video 7: (Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth today is, “Faith shows me things my eyes cannot see.”

In the Bible, faith is defined as the reality of what we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see. (See Hebrews 11:1.) The dictionary defines faith as a complete trust in someone or something.  

Faith allows us to receive and trust in salvation through Christ. How important is faith? The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. (See Hebrews 11:6.)  

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If most or all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

Let’s watch a short version of the video about the Apostle Paul as he defended his faith in God against some of the greatest minds in Athens. If you have seen the video, listen closely for something that Paul says God does NOT live in. Be ready to name it in Small Group. (Man-made temples.)

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (11 Minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo—with QBIT the droid—to ancient Greece, where they visit Athens. They see how Paul is able to preach the Gospel to people who believe in many gods, and the children begin learning how to talk to those who don’t believe in the One True God.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

Graphic loops 3 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse today is Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV): 

Here is the word faith again! There are many in the world today who refuse to believe that God created the world and everything in it. They can’t see God with their physical eyes, so they do not believe.   

How can we believe and understand that God is the Creator of everything? By faith. 

It is impossible without faith. We did not see God create the world. By faith, we choose to believe what is recorded in the Bible. We believe by faith that everything we see is made by God who we can’t see.        

Together, let’s say Hebrews 11:3: 

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.

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch the Signposts video to learn more about our Bible story. 

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (3.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to Small Group. Dear God, by faith we believe that You created everything we can see and everything we can’t see! Help us to live our lives by faith and not by sight. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.  

It’s time for Small Group, where you will be challenged to walk by faith and not by sight! 

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.

Balloon Game

In Large Group you were asked to listen carefully for something Paul said that God does NOT live in. What is it? Man-made temples.        

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “Faith shows me things I cannot see.”  

In this game, we are going to walk or live by faith, not by seeing with our physical eyes, but by our spiritual eyes of faith.   

Divide the children into two equal teams. If uneven, one player may play twice or a leader may play.

Have each team divide in half again. One half of each team will stand at one mark and the other half of each team at the other mark.

Ask two older children to take one rope and stretch it between the two lines or marks until it is taut.  

This rope represents the Holy Spirit who we can’t see. He guides us on the straight path of truth. Since we can’t see God’s Spirit, we must follow Him by faith.   

Hold a plate on top of your head with one hand, then place a “Faith” balloon on top of the plate. Continue holding the plate but do not touch the balloon. Hold the rope loosely with your free hand and walk backwards from one mark to another, demonstrating how the balloon must stay on the plate as you travel backwards, not being able to see.

Each player receives ten points for completing the walk. However, you lose one point each time you lose faith. That happens when the balloon falls off the plate. You must then place the balloon on the plate again and continue your walk from that spot. When you get to the other mark, hand the plate and balloon to the next player on your team, then take the rope from the player holding it so he/she can get in line to play. Players will walk by faith and then hold the rope after completing their walks. In this way, we walk by faith and then encourage and help others to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading!  

The first team to finish gets five bonus points! The team with the most points wins.

Hand a plate and a “faith” balloon to one player on each team. Choose one player for each team at each end to hold the team rope. Remember, they must stretch it out and hold it tightly.  

Begin the game and have your assistants keep score. Be prepared to help younger children or those with special needs.

Conclusion: Wow, you all did great! It is important to walk by faith each day and in step with God’s Spirit!  

 In our Signpost Teaching today, we will learn more about the one true, invisible God who we can seek and know.           

Teaching

Have a child select the first Signpost Card and read it aloud. Tape the card to the wall or lean it against the wall on the floor so children can see it. Lead a discussion with the information below. Repeat for the other Signpost Card. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.        

Signpost 1  All in One God                   

What is happening on the first Signpost Card? People are worshiping idols.  

Paul observed that the people in Athens worshiped many different idols. There was a false god or goddess for just about anything you could think of. For example, Poseidon, the god of the sea and Nike, the goddess of victory. The people in Athens even had an altar to the unknown god in case they unknowingly missed one! They did not want to offend one and suffer the consequences! But these people could not possibly have a relationship with any false gods or idols because they are not real!  

Hold up each cleaner. Ask children what the purpose of the cleaner is.  

When all cleaners have been discussed, talk about how expensive it is to buy all of them and how inconvenient it is to safely store them and keep track of how much is in each bottle so you don’t run out! 

Do you know what would really be great; if there was one cleaner that could clean everything and replace all of the other cleaners! Hold up the ALL CLEAN bottle. Guess what; our wish has come true! This cleaner cleans it all—yes everything! 

Paul boldly declared the truth to the people of Athens. There was no need for many gods; there was one true God who made the world and everything in it! He is the Lord of heaven and Earth, and He gives life and breath to everything! (See Acts 17:24–27.)     

Isaiah 45:22 says: 

God wants to have a relationship with people and also provide for all of their needs! People didn’t have to pray to one god for one thing and to another god for another thing, because those gods are false. Our God is the All in One God—there is no other! And we can come to Him for every single need in our lives!

Paul told them that not only was it possible for God to be found and known—it is His desire! 

God’s desire today has not changed. He is near to all of us and wants to be found; all we must do is seek Him! He is ready, willing and able to provide for all of our needs—from our daily needs, to salvation! As Paul said in Acts 17:25, 

“He satisfies every need!”  

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6   

Acts 17:24–27:  

Habakkuk 2:18–20: 

Signpost 2  Jesus, the Solution to Separation

Look closely at this picture of Jesus after He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. What do you notice near his hands? The nail marks in His wrists.  

You see, it is true that God wants everyone to know Him and to have a relationship with Him. That is His purpose and has been since the beginning in the Garden of Eden. God would walk and talk in the garden with Adam and Eve; it was His delight to spend time with them. What happened to cut off Adam and Eve’s relationship with God? Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned, they ate the forbidden fruit. Sin came into the world. 

Place the posterboard in front of your face—SIN side toward the children. 

Sin separated God from Adam and Eve. Just like this sign separates us, the personal relationship with God was blocked. But God did not give up on His creation. Throughout history, He continued to reach out so that He could be known. When the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to live as a human in this world. Jesus led a perfect life without sin. He died on the cross so that we could receive forgiveness for our sins and our relationship with God could be restored. 

Remove the posterboard.     

Jesus gave His life to bring us back to God. Through Jesus, we can know our heavenly Father, God! 

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 

Romans 5:15–19:

Genesis 3:23–24: 

Acts 17:30–31: 

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hold up an Evidence Page. 

Give each child who missed the previous lessons an Evidence Page.  

Who can remember something that God created in the section of Psalm 148 that you read? Ocean creatures, fire, hail, snow, clouds, wind, weather, mountains, hills, trees, wild animals, livestock, birds, small animals. 

Wow, that’s a lot of things! Who can share some of these things you observed? Children respond.

Would someone like to share a drawing from this challenge? Children respond. 

Hold up an Evidence Page. 

For this challenge you will read the last section of Psalm 148 each day in your Bible. 

Then, you will try to observe as much as possible of God’s creation that is described in the verses you read. Then, you will make a drawing of something you observed that was interesting or special to you on Card #3. In your prayer time, praise God for His creation and His handiwork. Continue to pray for opportunities and boldness to share with others how God is the creator of all we see and to share your hope in Christ.    

When we meet again, you will have a chance to share your observations and drawings for this challenge. And keep praying for opportunities to share your hope in Christ with others!     

Optional: read Psalm 148:11–14: 

SuperVerse

Let’s say all the lines of the SuperVerse together:  

According to Paul, which hand did God use to form the worlds; the right or left? Neither—He formed the worlds by His Word!   

Can any human do that? No.

Humans are very creative and skilled with their hands to make things from materials that already exist because of God. However, they cannot make something from nothing, right?   

God spoke into being things that didn’t previously exist. Think of that for a moment. He simply spoke.

Everything that we see in the sky—the sun, moon and stars were not made from visible things; they were made from nothing by God simply speaking them into existence.   

Let’s say Hebrews 11:3 together: 

Divide the children into five teams of 2–4 children, dependent on the size of the class. Try to form teams with different ages and genders. 

Have each team move to a different area of the room. 

Assign one of the numbered lines to each team and give them a couple of minutes to practice their line. This can be as a group or if they prefer, assigning specific word or words to each team member.  

When time is up, have the groups reassemble in front of the board and have them recite their lines in order until the entire verse is completed. 

Have all groups say the Bible reference together.

If time permits, have the children turn with their backs to the board and do this again from memory. Help groups out as necessary to complete the verse. 

Conclusion: You spoke the words of the verse to completely form it; however, it already existed, didn’t it? Now, imagine God completely forming all we see and can’t see, by speaking it into existence from absolutely nothing! We serve a glorious, living, powerful, and amazingly creative God!      

If children cannot memorize the SuperVerse, be sure they understand its meaning. Remind them to keep working on the verse at home.

Prayer

As followers of Christ, we have faith in what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection to forgive our sins and to give us eternal life. As we live each day, we must guard our faith and be ready to defend it. Without doubt, we will hear things on the internet, the news, in movies, on TV, and even in the public schools that will cast doubt about the existence of God and how the world was formed. We will hear that there are multiple ways to get to heaven, not just through believing in Jesus. At times, we may begin to doubt, and our faith may start to waver when surrounded by unbelief.  

It is up to each of us to counteract and overcome this doubt by reading God’s Word to reinforce and increase our faith! The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing God’s Word! (See Romans 10:17.) 

In addition to that, we can pray for God to increase our faith! The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith and make it stronger. (See Luke 17:5) A man who brought his son to Jesus for healing said, “I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (See Mark 9:24.) Through Christ, we can overcome doubt and unbelief that can creep in.    

In our prayers today, we are going to ask Jesus to strengthen our faith. 

Let’s close our eyes as we pray silently for those across from us, that Jesus would strengthen their faith. Allow children time to pray silently. 

Now, let’s ask God to give us a hunger for His Word and for the Holy Spirit to help the Bible come alive in our hearts. Allow children time to pray.     

Close in prayer: Dear God, thank You for giving us the faith we need to believe in Christ and to grow. As we pray and read Your Word to learn Your truth, we can overcome all falsehoods, doubt, and unbelief we may encounter. In Jesus’ overcoming name we pray, Amen!   

Review Game

Divide the class into two teams. They do not need to be equal. 

A player from each team stands behind the mark. Give each player a set of T/F plates. 

Have the players place the TRUE and FALSE plates on the floor in front of them.   

Give each player two sock balls of one color. 

Ask the same review question from the list to both players. Feel free to add your own questions.

Players answer TRUE or FALSE by stepping on one of the TRUE or FALSE plates in front of them. 

Ten points are scored for a correct answer, no points for an incorrect answer.   

If a correct answer is FALSE, ask teams to give you the true answer. 

Each player then throws two sock balls to try to knock down the idols and statues. A point is scored for each bottle that is knocked down.

The two players will then stand up any bottles and retrieve the sock balls to give them to the next players.         

The team with the most points wins. 

Questions and Answers

1. T/F: Paul was deeply troubled by all of the churches he saw in Athens. (False—idols.) 

2. T/F: Paul reasoned with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the Synagogue. (True.)     

3. T/F: Paul refused to speak with the Greek philosophers. (False—he debated them.)     

4. T/F: Paul told the philosophers about Jesus and His resurrection. (True.)

5. T/F: The philosophers said that Paul’s ideas were like their own ideas. (False—they said his ideas were new and strange.)  

6. T/F: The philosophers called Paul a babbler who taught about foreign gods. (True.)

7. T/F: Paul asked to speak to the high council, but he was not allowed to. (False—he was invited to speak to them.)

8. T/F: Paul told the people of Athens he saw that they were not very religious. (False—he said they were very religious.)    

9. T/F: Paul told the council that he saw an altar titled “To the well-known God.” (False—to an unknown god.)

10. T/F: Paul said that God does not live in man-made temples. (True.)   

11. T/F: Paul said that God has a lot of needs. (False—He has no needs.)    

12. T/F: Paul said that God satisfies a few of our needs. (False—all of our needs.)

13. T/F: Paul said that God wants everyone to repent and turn to Him. (True.) 

14. T/F: When Paul was done speaking, everyone believed and began to follow Jesus. (False—some laughed and doubted.)

15. T/F: Creation is evidence of our invisible God. (True.)

16. T/F: We must always be ready to fight with someone who asks about your hope in Christ. (See 1 Peter 3:15.) (False—be ready to give an answer.)    

17. T/F: Today’s SuperTruth says that forgiveness shows me things my eyes can’t see. (False—faith.)     

18. T/F: According to today’s SuperVerse, the things we see are made from things that are visible. (False—were NOT made of things which are visible.) 

Crayon Activity

Let’s say the SuperTruth together: “Faith shows me things my eyes cannot see.” 

We have been learning about how essential faith is to believers.  

Point to the words on the board. Without faith we couldn’t have come to God or Christ. We also could not have received any of these things from them without faith. These invisible things cannot be seen with our own eyes.    

Have the children turn their sheets of paper sideways (landscape). 

For this fun activity, I would like each of you to choose one of these words on the board and use the white crayon to write it in large letters on the top half of your sheet of paper. 

Then write your first name on the bottom half of the paper. Don’t worry, you will not be able to see what you have written! Allow children time to write. 

Now, dip your paint brushes in the water and then into the paint and color over the words you just wrote. Choose as many colors as you wish and paint in any direction over the words. 

Have children share their paintings with the class and after the words are revealed. Ask for volunteers to share a time when they knew or sensed God was with them even though they couldn’t see Him with their physical eyes.   

Option: If the class is small and time permits, have children reveal the top word at once and then reveal their names one at a time as the others watch. 

Conclusion: In the Old Testament, Moses was called by God to leave Egypt where he lived. God had big plans for Moses to lead His people out of captivity. Moses was able to do this by faith! 

Hebrews 11:27 says:

By faith, we can see and follow our invisible God and accomplish awesome things for Him!       

Craft

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “Faith shows me things my eyes cannot see.” 

Faith is not optional for us. It is necessary to follow Christ and live as He did. God wants us to know Him and trust Him in a deeper way. The only way to do that is to look beyond what we can see with our own eyes and see by faith instead. 

Today, you are going to make your own pair of faith glasses. Hold up the model craft. 

Give each child a Faith Glasses Page and a pair of scissors. Provide bottles of glue to share. 

Optional: if the copies are in black and white, distribute crayons, colored pencils, or markers to color their frames before cutting. Emphasize that they should color the arms very lightly to prevent hiding FAITH. 

Instruct children to carefully cut out the three parts of the glasses. 

Have children cut out the two lenses, beginning their cuts in the punched hole.  

Assist children with cutting as necessary. Consider asking some older children to assist the younger children if needed, once they have finished their own cutting.  

Demonstrate how to bend over the tab on each side of the frame.  

Apply glue to the outside of each tab and attach the arms.   

Once the glues on the glasses has dried, the children can try them on!  

Conclusion: 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: 

Consider wearing your glasses when you pray in your room at night or in the morning as a reminder that faith shows you things your eyes can’t see. 

Bible Activity

We have been discussing faith and how it is essential in our walk with Christ from beginning to end. In this activity we will look up verses in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, which is often known as the “Faith Chapter.”      

Listed are men and women who accomplished great things for God because of their faith. 

I will say a reference in the book of Hebrews. I will then write the reference 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 write the answers on a sticky note and then walk quickly to stick it on the board. You have 30 seconds to do that. The first team scores 10 points for the correct answer or answers; all other teams score 5 points for the correct answers stuck to the board within the time limit. Every pair will have a chance to finish, so don’t give up! The most important part of the game is to read God’s Word and familiarize yourselves with using the Bible. After points are awarded, we will take turns reading the entire verse. The team with the most points wins. Let’s get started!        

Allow spelling errors because of the fast pace of the game. Do as many verses as time allows. Be prepared to help any children with special needs. If time permits, after points are scored for each question, read the entire verse and briefly discuss it. 

1. Hebrews 11:4: By faith, ____ brought an acceptable ____ to God. (Abel, offering)   

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.

2. Hebrews 11:5: By faith _____ was taken to heaven without _____. (Enoch, dying) 

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”

3. Hebrews 11:1: Faith shows the _____ of what we hope for, it is the _____of things we can’t see. (Reality, evidence)   

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

4. Hebrews 11:6: Without faith it is _____ to please God. To come to Him, we must believe that He _____. (Impossible, exists) 

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

5. Hebrews 11:20: By faith _____ promised _____ to His sons. (Isaac, blessings)   

It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

6. Hebrews 11:30: By faith the people of _____ marched around _____ for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. (Israel, Jericho) 

It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. 

7. Hebrews 11:7: By faith Noah built a large _____ to save his family. Noah received _____ that comes by faith. (Boat, righteousness)   

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.   

8. Hebrews 11:31: By faith _____ was not _____ with the people in her city who refused to obey God. (Rahab, destroyed) 

It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 

9. Hebrews 11:23: By faith Moses’ _____ hid him and were not _____ to disobey the king’s command. (Parents, afraid)   

It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

10. Hebrews 11:8: By faith _____ obeyed God and traveled to another land God would give him as his _____. (Abraham, inheritance)  

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 

Conclusion: When we live by faith and not by sight, we can accomplish amazing things by the power of God!