Peter and Cornelius
We did Peter and Cornelius during one summer as part of an 8 Week SERIES, spending 2 weeks each on these stories from the Book of ACTS about Spreading the Gospel (Evangelism)
The four stories were:
- Peter's Vision of the Unclean/Clean Animals
- Peter and Cornelius
- Lydia's Story
- Paul and Silas in Prison
ALL FOUR OF THESE STORIES are about Evangelism and Baptism, which are two sides of the same coin.
We started with Peter's Vision of Unclean/Clean Animals --which is God saying 'go ahead and reach out to, and baptize the Gentiles'.
Then we covered Peter's baptism of Cornelius the Roman (a Gentile), who brings his entire household into the faith.
Then we taught a short rotation on Lydia's story, a non-Jew that Paul baptized.
And finished with Paul and Silas in the Philippi prison earthquake --where Paul baptizes the jailer and his family after the earthquake.
SOME of my lesson ideas for that 8 week rotation appear BELOW in this discussion.
The Paul and Silas Prison Earthquake lessons and "how to make the Philipp jail" are in their own Paul and Silas thread here at rotation.or.
There are two big themes/questions running through Acts and these four stories:
1) The question "what must I do to be saved/to become a believer." The answer is "believe in the Lord Jesus and be baptized." Baptism is an outward sign of God's invisible acceptance of us into his family. Thus, it is often called an "invisible grace".
Which comes first? Belief or baptism? Neither. God comes first! "He first loved us".
2) Each story teaches us that Jesus Christ is for everyone, not just some. These stories teach us to share that Good News with everyone.
How do some people leave others out, make them feel excluded in school, in church.
Some interesting Life App Questions for kids:
- Cornelius, Lydia, and the Jailer had their "whole household" baptized. Why did they do that?
- What does it mean when a child or baby is baptized? (It's a sign that God first chooses us, and works through our families and extended families, like the church, to raise us in faith.)
- How does your parent's faith bring YOU to eagerly listen to the message?
- What did Cornelius, Lydia and the Jailer need to do after they were baptized? What do YOU need to do? What does your baptism into God's family MAKE you want to do?
<>< Neil
Originally Posted by Neil MacQueen
July 07, 2002 (moved here to consolidate)
Peter's Vision of Animals, Peter & Cornelius
I'm starting some notes here about summer rotation lessons I took part in about Peter's vision of clean/unclean animals, and his baptism of Cornelius as the beginning of Peter's/Jerusalem's acceptance of Gentiles. Feel free to add your own.
One of the reasons the story of Peter's Vision, and Cornelius' baptism is IMPORTANT is because it demonstrates God's desire to be EVERYBODY'S GOD, and Jesus to be EVERYBODY'S CHRIST, everybody's Messiah.
The Holy Spirit moved the Church and Peter to consider something they had previously thought was OUT OF BOUNDS.
The Holy Spirit steps in and gives Christians to set aside and reinvent their traditions. It is also a story of BRAVERY. Both Peter and Cornelius were men of position doing something that would harm their reputation.
Some Key Points about these stories for any workshop...
- God's messengers and message have no boundary. They are for everyone everywhere. No one is excluded. That which you may think is "unclean" can change. Be guided by the Spirit, not Tradition.
- New believers are called to believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. They can create their own "traditions and practices" as long as those traditions reflect the central message of the Gospel --which is inclusion, not exclusion, Love, not hate. God embracing us before we choose to embrace him. The Holy Spirit can guide us to create new meaningful traditions.
- Both Peter and Cornelius risked their reputations by listening to God. In fact, some of the disciples were very upset with Peter. When you believe in Jesus, you will likely risk your reputation.
- For older kids: What "traditions" or practices in our church could we change to make them more meaningful to new Christians and kids.
I did NOT get into the issue of circumcision with my elementary kids.
<>< Neil
