LEVEL

3 BOOK OF ACTS
AGES 8-9

Saul
Acts 9:1-31

Teacher’s Devotion
FOR YOUR PERSONAL OR TEAM DEVOTION BEFORE YOU TEACH.
READ: Acts 9:1-31
• What strikes you about this story? What parts of the passage
encouraged or challenged you?
• What types of people would you think are beyond God’s reach?
How does this story change your thinking?
• In what ways are you like Saul? In what ways are you like
Ananias? Why?

Main Objective
To cause the kids to learn that the Gospel changes lives.

Memory Verse
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIRV)
When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come.
The old is gone! The new is here!
Refer to the last page for the routine. Kindly inform your level coordinator
about the materials you will need for your class one week before.

BIG GROUP
Suggested Worship Songs
Check our NXTGen YouTube Channel for the suggested songs
• It’s All About You
• Every Move I make
The Spirit of the Lord

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Game Time
Choose an interactive and energetic game that will involve most or
all children. Sample games: relay, scavenger, connect the pieces, etc.
Modify the game to connect to today’s story.

Bible Story
This story can be told using a variety of methods. Your team can be as creative or
as simple as your resources will allow. Remain true to the facts found in the Bible
but help children connect to its meaning by using illustrations, drama, visual aids,
object lesson, voice modulation, and student interaction.

Note: We will be using a storytelling technique where you only need

a Narrator and all other characters will be acted out by the
audience/students themselves in a chorus, not as individually chosen
volunteers. To help out the students to act things out you may have
one actor who will demonstrate the different expressions and
movements of the different characters. Since the narrative is quite
long, the Narrator may use a big storybook where he/she can easily
read the script. To help the actor with the acting the Narrator will
have to stress or say some words louder to give the actor the cue
that these should be acted out. These words are highlighted in the
script that follows.

Note: The story was written to show that Saul is not just black and
white evil. Saul had a mission in life and that is to serve the One True
God that he grew up knowing. The reason he persecuted the
followers of Jesus was because he did not yet know and believe that
Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah he was waiting for.

TRANSITION/OPENING

Act this out: Narrator enters the stage with much energy and walks
towards the left front side of the stage. The narrator speaks with
delight on his/her face. The narrator is carrying a large storybook
and looks really excited for today's story.

Narrator: Last week, we talked about an amazing story about how

the Holy Spirit helped the Eunuch to find the truth. Today, we will

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listen to the story of Saul, one of the men who hated Jesus and His
followers because he did not know the truth about who Jesus is.

Narrator: First, I need you to understand that Saul is not a bad man.
Saul loved God so much that he was especially angered when he
heard one of the followers of Jesus named Stephen. Stephen said in
front of all the religious leaders that they were the ones responsible
for murdering God’s promised Messiah. Saul cannot believe that the
religious leaders who knew God’s Word well would kill the Promised
Savior. That was ridiculous! (Use only for Levels 2-3)

Narrator: Saul wanted these followers of Jesus to be stopped so their

stories about Jesus would spread no further. He went to the places
where these followers of Jesus gathered and arrested men and
women and had them thrown in jail. He became extremely
frustrated that even though he was doing everything he could to
destroy this group of believers their message was spreading even
further than Jerusalem. (Use only for Levels 2-3)

Narrator: This man thought he was fighting for God and standing
firm for His ways. He did not know that he was actually fighting
against God. (Use only for Levels 2-3)

BIBLE STORY
ACTS 9:1-31

Act this out: Narrator will now open the book. The Narrator will call
out an actor and introduce him or her.

Narrator: Teacher Joshua comes out here. We all need you to help
us understand Saul's story. My big book here are only filled with
words and there are no pictures. Would you help us imagine what is
happening in the story? (Joshua nods.) So I will read the story and
Teacher Joshua will act out the story, but you have to mirror what he
does so we can cheer him on to continue. Can we do that, kids?
Let's try it, Teacher Joshua!

Act this out: Teacher Joshua will act out all the facial expressions
described. The kids are expected to mirror what teacher Joshua
does.

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Narrator: “The man is sad. No, the man is very sad. But no the man
is happy and now jumping with joy." Wow! Good job teacher Joshua!
Good job kids! Ok, Let's do this! But remember everyone needs to
act without making a sound.

Narrator: Saul was doing everything he could to destroy the

followers of Jesus and stop them from teaching about Jesus. No
matter how hard he fought against believers God’s Word spread and
lives were being changed when they believed that Jesus was the
Savior of the World.

Narrator: Although he doesn’t realize it Saul is an enemy of

God. Saul thought he was righteous before God because he knew
God’s Word and obeyed all His laws. He thought he was working for
God by trying to stop believers from sharing that Jesus is the Savior
but he was really working for God’s enemy trying to stop the spread
of the Good News.

Narrator: Saul was going to do everything in his power to stop this

message from going anywhere else. He had been given permission
to go to Damascus to arrest and imprison anyone there who taught
about Jesus.

Narrator: Saul and some men began the journey to Damascus. As

they are traveling and are getting close to Damascus, Saul meets
the Risen Savior—Jesus.

Narrator: The light was shining so brightly that everyone traveling

with Saul covered their eyes and fell to the ground.

Narrator: Only Saul can hear the voice speaking in Aramaic (the
language Jews speak). “Saul, Saul, why do you hate me?” This was
a terrifying experience for Saul and he said, "Who are you, Lord?"
The voice replied, "I am Jesus of Nazareth. I am the One you are
persecuting." When Saul was hurting believers he was really hurting
Jesus Himself. The Lord Jesus was speaking to Saul so he would
understand that He is the Son of God, the Promised Messiah.

Narrator: Saul must have felt terrible. He thought this Jesus was
dead. He had been put to death on a cross and was buried. He
thought that God was pleased with his work of trying to get rid of
the people who believe in Jesus. When Saul heard this voice from
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heaven, he knew that he had been wrong and that he had been
fighting against God’s Son.

Narrator: Saul met the Risen Savior on his way to Damascus and
believed that Jesus was the Savior God promised to send. He
started his journey as an enemy who hurt followers of Jesus and
now God had transformed his life! He was no longer an enemy of
God but now he is God’s child.

Narrator: Jesus told Saul to go into Damascus and he would receive

instructions of what to do next. When God saves a life He is faithful
to give instructions about how to follow Jesus.

Narrator: The bright light disappeared and Saul and his men were all
alone again. As Saul got up from the ground, he opened his eyes
and all he could see was darkness. The brightness of the light that
surrounded him had blinded his eyes. Some men took him by the
hand and led him into Damascus.

Narrator: Meanwhile in Damascus, there's a believer named

Ananias. God spoke to him. The people we read about in the Bible
have emotions and reactions just like you and I do today. If you
were sitting in Ananias’ home and God told you to go to visit Saul
how would you feel? Ananias was honest with God about his fear of
being harmed by Saul. He also is a good example of trusting and
obeying God despite his fear. God gave him specific instructions to
go to Saul.

Narrator: God had given Ananias a job to do and he was obedient to

do it. He went to Saul and placed his hands on Saul. Immediately
the blindness left Saul’s eyes. He could see again. Saul got up and
was baptized. He ate some food and regained his strength.

Narrator: Saul immediately began to teach in the synagogues that

Jesus is the Son of God. To see Saul teaching so boldly about Jesus
amazed the people who heard him. People wondered if this was the
same man who once was imprisoning followers of Jesus. This is an
amazing change that God has done in Saul’s life when he put his
faith in Jesus!

Narrator: In the past, Saul was hurting Jesus followers. Now he is

teaching people that Jesus is the Promised Savior. As a result of this
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amazing change in his life, Saul angered Jews who believed as he
once had. They got together and decided to kill Saul. Saul’s friends
learned about this plan and as night came they hid him in a basket
and lowered him through an opening in the city wall so he could
escape.

Narrator: Saul returned to Jerusalem and wanted to visit with the

other believers living there. They were scared to death! Here’s a
man who once tried to destroy the followers of Jesus and threw
them in jail. Now he wants to join with them as a follower of
Jesus? They thought it was a trick and he was pretending to be a
believer to find others to arrest.

Narrator: Barnabas encouraged them that Saul was a true follower

of Jesus. They accepted Barnabas’ words about Saul and were not
afraid of him. They must have been so encouraged to see an
example of God’s power to transform the life of their enemy.

Narrator: Saul continued to teach boldly in Jerusalem and once

again his life was in danger from the Jews who wanted him
dead. His friends took him away from Jerusalem and sent him back
to Tarsus to stay for a while.

Narrator: After Saul left for Tarsus the followers of Jesus living in
Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. The Holy Spirit
encouraged and strengthened the believers. The followers of Jesus
continued to grow in number because more and more people
believed in Jesus.

Narrator: Thank you, Teacher Joshua! Thank you, kids! Awesome job
everyone! Bye Teacher Joshua!

Act this out: Narrator closes the book. Shakes Teacher Joshua's
hand. Teacher Joshua bows and waves goodbye and exits.

CLOSING/APPLICATION

Narrator: Saul was sincere in his desire to please God but he is

sincerely wrong about what he believes. Just like Saul, many people
believe that they are pleasing God because they are kind people and
do good things. Although those are good things they do not make a
person pleasing to God. There is only one way that a person can
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please God. Unless a person repents of his/her sin and believes by
faith that Jesus the Son of God died on the cross, was buried and
rose again the third day to save them from their sins, they are an
enemy of God. Once a person places their faith in Jesus they
become a child of God and have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts
enabling them to live a life pleasing to God. (Use only for Levels 2-3)

Narrator: Many times, we meet people who are like Saul. They hurt
us and make life very difficult for us. Sometimes we think our
enemies will never change. In this lesson, we saw that no person is
too difficult for God to change. Through faith in Jesus Christ, a life
can be changed. That's why we should pray for our enemies.

Narrator: God has the power to change a person's life. Saul once
tried to stop people from believing in Jesus, now he believed in Jesus
and is God's child. Saul was a different person with a new job to do.
Now he was to go and share the Good News with others as he is
now a follower of Jesus.

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 SQUAD TIME
Large Muscle Activity
(GROUP GAME, EXERCISE OR DANCE)
Sample Activities:
Ships & Sailors, Instruction Game, Instruction Dance,
Group Dance, Stop Dance, Fruit Basket, Bring Me,
Line Game, Hokey Pokey, etc.

Memory Verse
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIRV)
When anyone lives in Christ,
the new creation has come.
The old is gone! The new is here!

SUGGESTED MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Write the first letter of each word of the memory verse on the big
paper/board. Children then try to write the verse. If your time will
allow, have the kids draw as many pictures for the words as
possible.

SAY: When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new

person inside. He is not the same anymore. He doesn’t follow his
own wants/desires. He chooses to obey and live for God. The
person’s old life has gone. Everything has become fresh and new.
That person sees and does things differently. The sinful self doesn’t
hold any power anymore. Our Bible story is about an unexpected
conversion. Saul, an enemy of the Christians, came to encounter
Jesus and began preaching Jesus himself. No one is beyond the
reach of God. We see how Jesus changed Saul like a new person.
Just like Saul, when you received Jesus, you are a new creation in
Jesus!

POINT: I am a new creation in Jesus!

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Discussion Time
OPEN YOU BIBLES AS YOU RECALL AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
Guide the kids as they locate the passage in their Bible. Choose 5-7 squad
questions for your discussion which will stir their minds & hearts best.
Use discussion strategies or group dynamics if possible,
to make the discussion vibrant and fun.

• Recall the events happened in the story.

• What was Saul's intention? (to threat and kill the followers of
Jesus)
• What did Jesus say to Paul at his conversion? (Saul, Saul,
why are you persecuting me?)
• What does persecution mean? (unfair or cruel treatment,
oppression; harassment; hurting other people because of
what they believe, etc.)
• What did Jesus say in verse 5 about persecuting Christians?
(persecuting Christians means persecuting Jesus)
• For how long was Paul blind after his conversion? (three
days)
• What does God want Ananias to do? How does he feel about
this? (go to Saul and restore His sight; he reasoned; he heard
many reports about Saul)
• What did God say about Saul? (Saul is God’s chosen person
to share Jesus)
• What can you learn about God when He chose someone like
Saul? (the answer may vary: God has a plan for everyone;
God can change anybody, even the vilest person; God is full
of mercy and grace, etc.)
• If you were Ananias (knowing well that Saul persecutes
Christians), would you obey? (the answer may vary)
• When was the time you refuse to share Jesus because you
do not like the person? (the answer may vary)
• When did Saul start preaching about Jesus? (at once;
immediately)
• How are you encouraged or challenged by Saul’s conversion?
(pray for bad/evil people to hear the Gospel; share Jesus to
my enemies; pray for them; not to lose hope for people; etc.)

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 • What can you learn about the power of the Gospel? (the
good news about Jesus can change anybody; God can
change anybody, etc.)

Wrap Up/Closing
Best Squad Awarding

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NXTGEN - CCF Children’s Ministry
Christ’s Commission Fellowship,
Ortigas East, Ortigas Avenue cor. C5 Road,
Pasig City, 1604 Metro Manila

Scripture quotations marked (NIrV) are taken from the

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIrV” and “New
International Reader’s Version” are trademarks
registered in the United States Patent and Trademark
Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture taken from the International Children's Bible®.

Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.

YouTube Channel of Suggested Songs

https://goo.gl/VxgDR1

Spotify Playlist of Suggested Songs

https://goo.gl/7fd2Fr

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