Christ's Return is Anticipated

2 Thessalonians 1-3

This Sunday in The Gospel Project^® for Kids, our journey takes us to the church that Paul planted in Thessalonica. The Bible says that the Day of the Lord will be a time of judgment for evildoers (Malachi 4:1) and a time of salvation and deliverance for believers (Romans 11:26). The Day of the Lord will come quickly (Zephaniah 1:14). So imagine getting word that the Day of the Lord had already come. This is what happened to the church at Thessalonica. Some were convinced that they had missed Jesus’ second coming, and they stopped working.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church to address this misunderstanding and to encourage the believers in their faith. Paul reminded the believers that no one knows when Jesus will return. Only God Himself knows. Believers must continue to work hard—doing God’s work and providing for themselves and their families—until the moment Jesus comes. Paul even commanded the believers to stay away from people who lived irresponsibly.

Like many early Christians, the believers at Thessalonica faced persecution for their faith. Paul encouraged them not to fall away. He told them to stand strong in what they believed about Jesus. He encouraged them to “not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Life was probably difficult for the new believers, and Paul assured them that God would reward those who are faithful to Him and punish those who are against Him. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-7)

Paul prayed that the gospel would spread quickly, and he asked the church to pray as well. He prayed that in the midst of confusion and persecution, the Lord would give them peace. No one knows when Jesus will return except God Himself. Believers can stand firm through persecution and live in peace because on the great and glorious Day of the Lord, unbelievers will be punished for their sin and those who trust in Jesus will be saved.

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Over the next few weeks, preschoolers will learn about God’s plan for the church. When Paul visited Corinth on his missionary journeys, the city was full of people with various cultural backgrounds. Many of them worshiped Greek gods. Temples and shrines to these gods were scattered throughout the city.

Corinth was a strategic place to plant a church. Paul arrived in Corinth and met Aquila and his wife, Priscilla. Paul stayed with them for a year and a half. On the Sabbath Day, Paul went to the synagogues to teach God’s message to the people. When the Jews refused to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Paul preached to the Gentiles. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized. (Acts 18:1-18) Finally, Paul returned to Antioch in Syria.

About six years passed. Paul was in Ephesus when he heard a report that the church in Corinth was struggling. The people in the church were arguing and suing each other. In some ways, they lived just like the people in Corinth who were not believers. So Paul wrote a letter—the Book of First Corinthians—to the Corinthian church, not only to instruct them on how to live but to answer questions they had about the faith.

Paul’s said that the Christian life is like a race, and a great reward awaits in heaven. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Paul explained that the Lord decides what spiritual gifts to give to believers, and not every believer has the same gift. (1 Cor.12:4-11) Then he reminded them of what is most important: the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

(1 Cor. 15:1-11)

Paul gave practical instructions so that the believers would know how to live in light of their salvation—not as a way to earn God’s favor. Paul spent a significant portion of his ministry meeting with believers and encouraging them to keep the faith. Jesus’ mission for the church is for believers to come together to worship God and to share the gospel.

Paul's Ministry to Rome

Acts 21:17 - 28:31

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Last week, preschoolers learned that through the prophet Agabus, the Holy Spirit had told Paul that he would be bound if he went back to Jerusalem, and that’s exactly what happened in today’s Bibleaccount. Some Jews in Jerusalem accused Paul of teaching against God. They tried to kill him, but a Roman army commander stopped them and arrested Paul. Paul had been born a Roman citizen, and his status as such protected him from an unjustified beating.

While in prison, the Lord told Paul that he would one day teach about Him in Rome. Rome was one of the most powerful and influential cities of that day. But Paul spent two years in prison before he was sent to Rome to give his defense to Caesar. Along the way, the ship Paul was sailing on wrecked near the island of Malta. But God kept everyone safe, and Paul had a chance to pray for people who lived on the island. He even healed some of them.

Months later, Paul reached Rome. He was still a prisoner, but he was allowed to stay in a house by himself with a guard. He taught everyone who visited him about Jesus and the kingdom of God. Everyone there knew Paul was in prison for teaching about the Messiah. (Philippians 1:12-13)

Paul’s work to spread the good news of Jesus continued in Rome. No punishment or suffering kept Paul from telling others about Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives believers power to share the gospel all over the world so people will know and love Jesus.

Paul's Third Journey

Acts 18:18-21:16
 

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account picks up with Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul traveled from place to place, teaching about Jesus and encouraging the believers. Luke, the writer of Acts, records that a major disturbance arose in Ephesus concerning Christians. Ephesus was a large city in Asia Minor. It was a central location for politics, religions, and business.

Some men there made their living by making silver shrines for false gods, like the goddess Artemis. If people started to believe what Paul was saying, they could lose their livelihood! The men started a riot. Paul wanted to speak to the people, but the disciples would not let him. They feared for Paul’s life. After the uproar was over, Paul left for Macedonia.

In Troas, a city in Macedonia, Paul spoke about Jesus late into the night. One young man named Eutychus (YOO tih kuhs) was sitting on a window sill, listening, when he fell asleep. He fell out the window from the third story and died. But Paul—through the power of God—brought him back to life.

Sometime later, Paul decided to go back to Jerusalem. Along the way, a prophet named Agabus came to Paul. He took Paul’s belt and tied his own feet and hands. Then he said that the Jews in Jerusalem would bind Paul’s hands and feet in the same way. Paul’s friends begged him not to go. But Paul was not afraid to be arrested—or even to die—for the name of Jesus, so Paul kept going toward Jerusalem.

Paul told about Jesus even when he was in danger. Paul shared the gospel with people who didn’t know Jesus. He told people to turn from their sins and trust in Jesus, and he encouraged believers in the church to continue loving Jesus. God changed the people’s hearts, and they turned away from their sin. The good news about Jesus is powerful and life-giving.

Paul Preached in Europe

Acts 17:1 - 18:21

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. I hope you find true accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys encouraging and empowering. In Sunday’s Bible account, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica and began preaching in the synagogue about Jesus. Some became believers, but others wanted to attack them. Paul and Silas escaped and went to Berea. The Jews in Berea studied the Scriptures to make sure Paul was telling the truth. Many of them believed! But when the Jews in Thessalonica heard what was happening in Berea, they hurried there and caused trouble. So Paul and Silas went to Athens.

The city of Athens was a cultural center. People in Athens loved to hear about and study the latest ideas. Paul spoke with the Jews and the philosophers in the city. Athens was also full of idols to every kind of god. There was even an altar to an unknown god.

Paul began preaching, telling the people that they worshiped a god they did not know. But people can know the Lord God! The one true God made the world and everything in it! God was not like their idols. “We ought not to think that God is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man,” Paul said. Paul told the people that God wanted them to turn away from their sins. Then Paul told them about Jesus and how He was raised from the dead. Some people made fun of Paul, but others believed.

From Athens, Paul went to Corinth. He tried to persuade the Jews in the synagogue that Jesus is the Christ, but they would not listen. Paul spoke to the Gentiles, and many of them believed and were baptized. God continued working through Paul.

The men of Athens worshiped many false gods. Paul explained to them God’s plan of salvation. He said that only God should be worshiped. Paul talked about Jesus and the resurrection. People can know God because Jesus took the punishment for sin that separates people from God. Only the Lord—the one true God—deserves our worship.

Paul's Second Journey

Acts: 15:36 – 16:40

Thank you for continuing our journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account focuses on Paul’s second missionary journey that he took to follow up with the churches he had started on his first journey. Paul wanted to see how the new believers were doing. Paul and his companion Silas traveled through Syria and Cilicia, encouraging believers and strengthening churches. The numbers of believers in the churches increased daily.

One night, while Paul and Silas were in Troas, the Lord told Paul to go to Macedonia and preach the gospel to the people. So Paul and Silas obeyed. They sailed to Macedonia, staying in the city of Philippi for several days.

Two major events happened while Paul was in Macedonia. First, a woman named Lydia became a believer. God opened Lydia’s heart to the good news of the gospel. She believed and was baptized. Then she invited Paul and Silas to stay at her house.

Then, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison after Paul commanded a fortune-telling spirit to come out of a slave girl. Late at night, an earthquake rocked the prison, flung open the doors, and shucked off the shackles. The prisoners could have jumped up and escaped, but they stayed where they were. The jailer asked Paul and Silas how to be saved. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” they said. The man believed and was baptized.

Lydia, the jailer, and many others were saved because they believed in Jesus. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift. He did all the work to save us by dying on the cross. We cannot earn salvation; we can just receive it by repenting and trusting in Jesus.

Paul's First Journey

Acts 13:1 - 15:35

This week in The Gospel Project^® for Kids, our journey takes us along with Paul on his first missionary journey. This journey began in Antioch of Syria—the third-largest city in the Roman empire, after Rome and Alexandria. The Holy Spirit was working in the Antioch church and led the believers there to send out Paul and Barnabas on a journey to preach. The church obeyed, and Paul and Barnabas went out.

Remember that at one time Paul had devotedly persecuted Christians. Now Paul was a missionary, someone who obeys God’s call to go and tell others the good news about Jesus. Paul and Barnabas traveled to several cities and all over the island of Cyprus, telling everyone about Jesus.

In each city, they went first into the synagogues to tell the Jewish people about Jesus. Some of the Jews believed, but some of them were angry at Paul and Barnabas and rejected the truth about Jesus. In some places, the Jews made plans to kill Paul! So Paul and Barnabas went to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. This was the purpose to which God had called Paul. (See Acts 9:15.) When the Gentiles heard the gospel, many of them believed. The gospel is not for a select group of people; it is for everyone! If Paul had not taken the gospel to the Gentiles, many of us might not be believers today.

Paul obeyed the Holy Spirit’s call to tell the world about Jesus. Many of the Jews rejected the Messiah, so Paul shared the gospel with the non-Jews. Many of them believed in Jesus. God uses people to tell others about Jesus so that people all over the world can be saved from their sin by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.