Paul's Journeys

Science Workshop

Grades 1-4

Summary of Lesson Activities:

To share the story of the apostle Paul and the journeys he made to spread the gospel of Christ. You will conduct several experiments, which include, the idea of unity in the church, using God as your compass to guide your life, and as we absorb God into our lives, we can share that joy with others.

Supplies:

Experiment 1

• Bible
• a needle
• a bar magnet
• a straight pin
• an empty margarine tub
• a cork (about a ¼ inch thick)
• a pitcher of water
• liquid dish soap

Experiment 2

• a six-inch length of thread
• a clear glass bowl
• a pitcher of water
• a small bowl
• liquid dish soap
• a toothpick

Experiment 3

• 2 aluminum pie pans
• 2 clear glasses, water
• food coloring
• 2 candles (birthday will do)
• matches

Experiment 4

• Safety Glasses
• Alka-Seltzer tablets
• 2 plastic 35mm film canisters (clear plastic is best, but black will work)
• water
• paper towels

Leader Preparation:

• Read the story ahead of time
• Become familiar with the experiments.
• Gather the materials.
• See prep in each experiment below.
• Watch this video to see an Alka-Seltzer Experiement https://www.stevespanglerscien...canister-explosions/

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Begin your class time by welcoming your students. Tell them that you will be discussing the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, as you conduct several experiments that will show us how we need God to guide our lives, and to be united as a church body, so that we can share the good news with others.

Say: The Bible has so many exciting stories. One of the most exciting stories is about Paul, who was also called Saul. Let me tell you the story about the time Saul's eyes were opened by Jesus.

Once there was a man named Saul.
He didn't like Christians-not at all!
He was always on a Christian patrol.
He'd make them prisioners; that was his goal.
One day a light came down from the sky;
It blinded Saul, and he didn't know why.
Then a voice from above that Saul didn't know
Said, "Saul, why are you hurting me so?"
"Is that you Lord?" asked Saul afraid.
"Yes it is me. Now do what I say."
God sent Saul to Damascus that day.
Blindly Saul went, sure to obey!
While Saul was there, God spoke to a man.
Ananais was his name, and God had a plan.
"Ananias, go to Saul. He's changed, I know."
But Ananias was scared and didn't want to go.
However, his faith was strong in our God,
So he went to Saul with a sigh and a nod.
He laid his hands upon Saul's face,
And then what happened was part of God's grace.
Something fell from over Saul's eyes,
And Saul saw clearly! Oh, what a surprise!
Saul became a Christian that day.
He came to love Jesus and chose to obey.
Saul later was known by the name of Paul,
And he spread God's message to one and all!

Say: That's quite a story, isn't it? When God opens our eyes, we're never the same; we're changed forever! Faith in God helps us see things more clearly. Let's look at how we can think of God as our compass, and guide, as we live our lives.

Dig:

Experiment - Your Compass for Life

Supplies: You'll need a Bible, a needle, a bar magnet, a straight pin, an empty margarine tub, a cork (about ¼ inch thick) a pitcher of water, and liquid dish soap.

Preparation: None is needed.

BIBLE BENCHARK: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Ask: Have any of you ever been sailing? What do sailors use to steer their ships in the right direction?

Say: A compass is probably the most important tool a sailor has. Before the days of radar and radios, a compass and the stars were all a sailor had to tell them if they were on the right path. Today we're going to make a compass. I' going to start by magnetizing my needle, or making my needle attract other metal objects. (Magnetize the needle by rubbing one end of the bar magnet over the needle about forty times. Be sure to always use the same end of the magnet to stroke the needle in the same direction.)

Say: Now I'll test the needle to see if it has been magnetized. (To test the needle, try to pick up the straight pin with it.)

Then say: Now I'm going to poke the needle into the cork so that the needle will float. (Poke the needle through the cork from side to side, not from top to bottom. The needle should stick out from the cork quite a bit on each side.)

Then say: Now I'll fill my container with water and add a little soap. (Fill the margarine tub half full with water, and add a few drops of liquid dish soap.)

Then say: Now I'm going to float the cork in the water. Watch what happens when I turn the container around. Ask: What do you notice about the needle when I turn the container? Why does the needle keep pointing in the same direction? What direction does it point?

Say: A compass needle always points to the north. You can always depend on that. Sailors can depend on their compasses to give them an accurate reading.

Ask: What can we depend on in our lives to keep us on the right track? (Read aloud 2 Timothy 2:15) Ask: What is the "word of truth" the Scripture is talking about here? How can you learn to correctly handle the word of truth?

Say: All the directions for your life are in the Bible, but if you don't read it, you won't know which way to go. The Word of God is what keeps you on the right path just as a compass keeps sailors on the right path. The Bible-God's Word of truth-is our compass for life.

Experiment - Circle of Servanthood

Supplies: a Bible, a six-inch length of thread, a clear glass bowl, a pitcher of water, a small bowl, liquid soap, and a toothpick.

Preparation: Fill the glass bowl with water (it doesn't have to be completely full), and squirt a little liquid soap in the small bowl.

BIBLE BENCHARK: "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Say: Let's continue with more on the story of Saul. After Saul converted, and became a follower of Christ, he was called, Paul. Paul spent his time traveling around to different areas preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and helped many churches begin their ministry. This was not an easy task. Paul met up with a great deal of resistance, and was jailed several different times, for his work on behalf of our Lord and Savior. As Paul traveled, he gave the message of salvation to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews. He traveled on four missionary trips, preached the gospel in Syrian Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, Macedonia, Cenchrea, Rome, Philippi, Jerusalem, as well as Crete. As early Christianity spread, there was an urgent need for Christians to stay in touch with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, and to know how to apply it to their lives. This gave need to the Epistles, or letters, thirteen of which were written by the apostle Paul. Paul's dramatic conversion is recorded in Acts 9, 22 and 26. His encounter with Jesus transformed him from a persecutor of Christians to the most influential church-planter and letter-writer among first-century Christians.

Paul wrote the letters of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, while traveling on his missionary journeys. Paul wrote the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, and Philemon, while he was a prisoner in Rome at the time of Acts 28. The letters of 1 Timothy & 2 Timothy, and Titus, were written after Paul was freed from imprisonment in Acts 28.

The first nine of Paul's letters were written to groups of believers (churches). The last four were written to three individuals: Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Say: We're now going to do an experiment that will show us what it's like for us to work together without God's help. Then we'll see what it's like for us to work together with God's help. See if you can tell the difference. (Complete the following experiment while the kids observe.)

Say: First I'll tie the ends of this piece of thread together. (Tie the ends of the thread together, and place the thread into the water.

Ask: What shape is the thread forming? How might this be like Christians trying to work together without God's help?

Say: Now I'm going to dip a toothpick into the soap. The soap represents God. (Make sure the toothpick is covered with soap, and then place the toothpick in the middle of the thread.

Ask: What happened to the thread? What shape did it form? How might the smooth circle be like Christians working together with God's help? Which way would you rather work with people?

Say: Water molecules are attracted to each other with a powerful force. When we put the soapy toothpick into the water in the middle of the circle, it changed the attraction of the water molecules inside the circle and caused the water molecules outside the circle to tug on each other with balanced force. This made the thread for a smooth circle.

In church, we learn that we need to work together to serve God. This is not always an easy task because sometimes we forget to let God lead us in our decisions.

Read aloud 1 Corinthians 1:10

Ask: Have you ever had a disagreement with someone in the church? Why are there differences between people in the church? Is it OK for there to be differences between people in the church?

Say: Differences between people don't have to be bad; God created us with different ideas and gifts for a reason. God wants us to use our different ideas and gifts to bring good to the church and the world. However, he wants us to work in unity as we use our ideas and gifts.

Ask: What is unity?

Say: Unity is what happens when we all work together, with God's help, to serve God and each other. Just as Paul did when he traveled and proclaimed the good news of Christ to others.

Experiment - Absorbing God's Love

Supplies: 2 aluminum pie pans, 2 clear glasses, water, food coloring, 2 candles (birthday will do), matches.

Preparation: Set out two aluminum pans. Before class begins, use a bit of melted wax to stick one candle in the center of each pan. Pour 1-2 inches of water in a cup. To make the experiment more interesting, put a few drops of food coloring in the water.

Say: Let's try another experiment. You know that God's love is all around us. We can't see God, but he's with us all the time. We see his beauty in nature, his love in the care of our family, his joy in the smiles of others.

God wants to be inside of our lives and to live in our hearts. For our part we need a heart that is warm and obedient toward God and he will come in and live in our heart.

Now here I have two pie pans. (Set them out on table.) They are the world around us. This water stands for God. Let's put God into the world. (Pour the water into both.) Now, let's put a glass down over the candle in pan 1. The glass is us. What happens? That's right! Nothing. God stays outside of us. Why is that? Because there is no warmth in the heart toward God.

Now, here is the other pan. Same thing, only this time we're going to light the candle. Watch what happens when we put the glass on now. Wow, how about that? The water pulled right up into the glass.

Remember; let's always have a heart that is warm toward God. If we do, every day we will absorb more of his love into our lives.

Experiment - Get All Excited

Supplies: Alka-Seltzer tablets, 2 plastic 35mm film canisters (clear plastic is best, but black will work), water, paper towels.

Preparation: be prepared for an explosion, so teacher needs safety goggles and students need to stand well back.

Say: As Christians, we have a lot of things to be excited about. We know that God loves us and that Jesus came to save us. We are able to share that good news more freely thanks to people like Paul, who laid the ground work for the early church, back in the days when people were persecuted for their beliefs. Today we can take the opportunity to spread the love that God gives us with others. Let me give you an example.

Here we have two church people. (Show film canisters.) Let's open the top of each. Then we'll take this Alka-Seltzer package and open it up. We'll break this tablet in half and put a piece in each film can.

The tablet stands for the lesson we have shared today. The lesson goes into both people. Now, with the lesson in both of them we will put the top back on one person. Okay, let's wait a second and see if anything happens. Hmmmm. Nothing. That person just didn't get too excited about learning about God.

But here's another person. Before we put the top back on, we'll add one thing to the lesson. That one little thing is water. (Add water and put the lid back on the canister.) We put water in this because the person keeps thinking about the lesson she has learned, thinking about how it can make a difference in her life.

Well, let's wait a few seconds and see if her thinking makes any difference in her life. (Your big boom should come soon. After everything settles down, continue.) Always remember, let's all get excited about learning about God. Before you know it, boom! Everybody will know how we feel about God.

Closing:

Let's pray together…Dear God, we thank you and we know you are always with us. We praise you for all that you give us. Help us to be messengers of the faith, just as Paul was. And all God's children said…AMEN!

A really neat "Faith Matters" Science workshop about Paul and his "compass" from Augustana Lutheran Church, originally posted by member KirstenF

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.