8Hands-On Bible MAX

Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have1

BIBLE BASIS

The early church

described in Acts

2:43-47 seems perfect!

All the believers shared

everything they had, the

church grew as a result,

and everyone enjoyed

each other’s good will.

However, we know

from many of the New

Testament letters that

the church wasn’t always

this generous. In James

2:1-13, James warns

against favoritism. Many

of the New Testament

books talk about the

need for unity. The story

of the church in Acts

2:43-47 is an example of

what the church can be—

but it takes hard work

to learn to share with

one another and stand

together. When we put

in that effort, others can

see that we are giving

glory to God, and they’ll

want to be a part of that.

Use this session to help

kids learn how important

sharing is to Jesus.

Bible Focus: Acts 2:43-47

Discovery Point: Jesus teaches us to share what we have.

Worship Response: Children will seek opportunities to share with others, particularly those who are in need.

Key Verse: “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had” (Acts 2:44).

A Look at the SessionMix and match to meet your needs. For more ideas, see “For-Extra-Time Activities” on page 15.

Session Sequence

What Kids Will Do Supplies

Welcome!(up to

15 minutes)

Play a game where children will practice sharing.

Putting God First: Serving CD and DVD, CD player and TV/DVD player

Let’s Explore!(up to

20 minutes)

Explore evidence of sharing in Acts 2, and share food to demonstrate the way the church in Acts 2 shared.

Hands-On Bibles; newsprint; tape; 1 pound each of dried lentils, split green peas, pearl barley, brown rice, and alphabet macaroni; 2 cups instant onion fl akes; large bowl; stirring spoon; quart-size resealable bags; 3x5-inch cards; markers; “Sharing Soup” sample label (p. 12); scissors; “News Tips and Questions” handout (p. 16); measuring cups

Let’s Praise!(up to

15 minutes)

Worship together like the early church did.

3x5-inch cards, markers, tape, ball, Putting God First: Serving CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player

Let’s Pray!(up to

10 minutes)

Ask God to show them how they can share with others.

Putting God First: Serving CD, CD player, green construction paper, scissors, markers, offering plate or basket

9Session 1 | Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

Before This Session

o Photocopy the sample “Sharing Soup” label on page 12 and the “News Tips and Questions” handout on page 16. Cut out the label. You’ll need one copy of each item for each Bible Crew of four kids.

o Cut green construction paper into 3x6-inch strips to create fake money. Write the number 1 on each bill. Make one bill for each child.

o Place the following ingredients in resealable bags (one bag for each Bible Crew, using all the ingredients): 1 pound each of dried lentils, split green peas, pearl barley, brown rice, and alphabet macaroni or other small macaroni; 2 cups instant onion fl akes. If you have more than six Bible Crews, double the ingredients. Just a few kids? It’s OK to give crews more than one ingredient or give an ingredient to each person. Each ingredient will be needed for this experience.

o Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): one Hands-On Bible, one “News Tips and Questions” handout and “Sharing Soup” label prepared above, one quart-size resealable bag per child, one bag of an ingredient prepared above, measuring cup, several 3x5 cards per child, markers, and fake money prepared above.

o Cut apart stickers on a sticker sheet, enough for three stickers per child.

o Copy the recipe in the right margin onto a sheet of newsprint, and post the paper in a highly visible place.

o CD/DVD Cue the Putting God First: Serving CD (1) or DVD (1).

o Huddle briefl y with volunteers before the session. Answer questions they have. Encourage them, and pray for the session, the volunteers, and the kids.

9

TEACHER TIPBible Exploration

Kits are an easy way

to give each group

supplies. The Jabber Mat

from Group Publishing

is a great tool that

can be used as a Bible

Exploration Kit and as a

space for a Bible Crew to

gather. Check it out at

group.com/jabbermat.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

1. Mix the following ingredients

together in a large bowl:

1 lb. dried lentils

1 lb. split green peas

1 lb. pearl barley

1 lb. brown rice

1 lb. alphabet macaroni

2 cups instant onion fl akes

2. Put 1½ cups of your mixture

into a resealable bag. Keep

making bags until the

mixture’s gone.

Hands-On Bible MAX10

Welcome!

Supplies: CD player | TV/DVD player

1. Play CD/DVD “Into the Bible” (1) as kids arrive.

2. When all children have arrived, ask them to spread out around the room and stay standing, holding or wearing everything they brought with them. SAY: We are going to play a game of Tag where you can practice sharing. When I tag you, you need to fi nd something you can share with me. It can be anything you brought with you: something from your pocket, a hat, a shoe, or anything else you can think of to give me. If you don’t have anything to share, you must remain frozen until another player comes and shares something with you. Keep sharing until I say to stop.

When everyone is ready, begin the game.

3. After several minutes of play, start the DVD “Stopwatch Countdown” (1) loudly. Lead the children in counting along. Gather everyone together, and make sure everyone gets everything they shared back in their possession.

SAY: JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. I’m so glad you all came to practice sharing with each other today!

4. ASK:

• What made you decide to share or not to share when you saw someone who was frozen?

• JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. How was sharing in this game like or unlike sharing in our lives?

DVDDVDCDCD

anything to share, you must remain frozen until another player comes and shares something with you. Keep sharing until I say to stop.

When everyone is ready, begin the game.

3. After several minutes of play, start the Countdown” (1) loudly. Lead the children in counting along. Gather everyone together, and make sure everyone gets everything they shared back in their possession.

SAY: glad you all came to practice sharing with each other today!

4. ASK:

• What made you decide to share or not to share when you saw someone who was frozen?

• sharing in this game like or unlike sharing in our lives?

Session 1 | Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

Let’s Explore!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 9) | prepared newsprint (see page 9) | large bowl | stirring spoon

1. Have kids form Bible Crews of four kids each, and give each crew a Bible Exploration Kit. Have crews take the Hands-On Bibles out of their kits, and help them fi nd Acts 2:43-47. Ask the person whose fi rst name comes last in the alphabet to read the passage aloud.

2. When crews fi nish reading, have crew members take turns being news reporters and interviewing the rest of their crews. Each time there is a new news reporter, the rest of the crew will pretend to be a different set of people from the church in Acts 2:43-47. They can pretend to be the following groups of people:

• The apostles (Acts 2:43)

• People who saw miraculous signs and wonders (Acts 2:43)

• People who sold their property and gave to those in need (Acts 2:44-45)

• People who were in need and were given what they needed (Acts 2:44-45)

• People who joined the church (Acts 2:43-47).

The news reporter may ask questions about what the people did, how they felt, why they did certain things, or any other creative questions they think of. Children may reference their Hands-On Bibles and the “News Tips and Questions” handouts in their kits for ideas.

3. When everyone has had a chance to be a reporter, SAY: The church in Acts 2 shared everything: food, worship, property, and even their money. JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE.

4. SAY: The church in Acts 2 knew how important it was to share. They shared everything, including their meals. Let’s follow their example and make some soup to share with others.

Have children look at the “Recipe for Success” you posted earlier. Ask crews to take the soup ingredients from their kits. No crew will have all the ingredients it needs to make the soup. SAY: Your job is to follow this recipe to make a bag of soup. Pause as kids realize they don’t have what they need. If you need to, guide them by asking

11

Make it easier for

Bible Crews to fi nd the

ingredients they need by

labeling the bags with the

soup ingredients.

SIMPLE STRATEGY

TEACHER TIPBible Crews can

be as small as

one person or as

large as fi ve. It’s best

if they include a range

of ages so older kids can

help younger ones.

12Hands-On Bible MAX

questions such as, How can you make the soup with just the rice? or You don’t have all the ingredients you need. How can we fi x that?

5. When the Bible Crews realize they need to share with each other, have them put their ingredients together into a large bowl. Then have kids take turns stirring the ingredients together. Ask a leader or an older child in each group to assemble resealable quart-size bags with 1½ cups of the mixture in each bag (which will be just under half full). While they do that, have other children use the 3x5 cards and markers from their kits to make cards to go into the bags, based on the sample “Sharing Soup” label in their kits.

6. When crews fi nish assembling their bags,

ASK:

• How was this activity like or unlike the way the people in the church described in Acts lived?

• JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. In this activity, sharing helped you to do what you wanted to do. Tell about a time when sharing helped you or another person.

• Do you know someone who could use our soup gift?

• Besides sharing this soup with others, how can we share the way the people described in Acts did?

You can send the soup

bags home with your

kids to share with others

or donate the soup as a

class. If you don’t know

who could use your soup

donation, check with your

church leaders for names

of families who could

benefi t from your gift.

SIMPLE STRATEGY

1 1⁄/2 cups dry soup mix

6 cups water

Simmer for 1½ hours.

Then add ingredients of your choice, such as celery, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, leftover meat.

As I share this soup, I’m sharing my faith. Remember that JESUS LOVES YOU!

Sharing SoupSharing Soup

13Session 1 | Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

Let’s Praise!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 9) | tape | ball | CD player or TV/DVD player

1. SAY: JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. One of the most important things shared by the people in the church in Acts 2 was a love for God. They worshipped and praised God together. Have kids each take another 3x5 card and a marker from their kits, and let them write out short praises. Praises could be for things they are thankful for or attributes of God. Kids can use more than one card for their praises. Provide tape so kids can put their praises all together on a wall.

2. When everyone has fi nished, have the whole class stand in a circle. Throw a ball into the circle, and allow kids to throw it around the circle. Whoever catches the ball should say the praise to God that he or she wrote on the card.

3. PLAY: CD/DVD

• “Live in Harmony” (Romans 12:16) (2)

• “Go and Make Disciples” (Matthew 28:19) (6)

• “Servant of All” (Mark 9:35b) (7)

Let’s Pray!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 9) | CD player | offering plate or basket

1. SAY: JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. Let’s listen to a couple of kids your age fi gure out what that meant for them.

Play the CD “Free Sister” (17) skit on the CD.

DVDDVDCDCD

Acts 2:46 tells us that

the church worshipped

together at the Temple

every day. Give your

children a chance to

truly worship together by

linking arms as they sing.

EXTRA IMPACT

CD CD

14Hands-On Bible MAX

2. Have kids take the fake money and markers out of their Bible Exploration Kits. SAY: JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. Like the church in Acts 2, we can share our possessions, our food, our time, our worship, and our prayers.

With your Bible Crew, pray that God will show you people you need to share with or things you have that you could share with people who are in need. When you fi nish praying, write one

thing you can share this week on the back of your dollar bill. When you’re ready, bring it up and place it in the offering plate.

3. Give crews time to pray together, write their offerings, and bring the offerings forward to the offering plate. As crews pray, play the instrumental version of

CD “Servant of All” (Mark 9:35b) (15).

High Fives

Supplies: prepared stickers (see page 9)

Give each child three stickers, cut apart but still on the

backing. SAY: On your way out, say to three people, “JESUS

TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. Be sure you share this week!” Shake hands

with each person and share a sticker.

Exploration Kits. SAY: JESUS TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE. Like the church in Acts 2, we can share our possessions, our food, our time, our worship, and our prayers.

With your Bible Crew, pray that God will show you people you need to share with or things you have that you could share with people who are in need. When you fi nish praying, write one

thing you can share this week on the back of your dollar bill. When you’re ready, bring it up and place it in the offering plate.

3. Give crews time to pray together, write their offerings, and bring the offerings forward to the offering plate. As crews pray, play the instrumental version of

CD “Servant of All” (Mark 9:35b) (15).

High Fives

Supplies:

cut apart but still on the backing. SAY:

say to three people, TEACHES US TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE.

Be sure you share this week!” Shake hands

15Session 1 | Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

For-Extra-Time Activities

THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Supplies: CD player

Ask kids to read the intro page for any book of the Bible and create a motion for that book. For example, kids could make a motion for rain for Genesis or do a beauty pageant wave for Esther. Play CD “The Books of the Bible Song” (8), and have kids do all the motions they have learned.

CREATE A BIBLE DICTIONARYSupplies: paper | markers | dictionary

Ask kids to create one or more new pages, each with a new word, for the Bible Dictionary. Ask for ideas of new words from today’s session—believers and share are two suggestions. Have them write the word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a defi nition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Add each page to a three-ring binder and watch the dictionary grow!

EVEN SPLITSupplies: stuffed sandwich cookies, such as Oreos

Have the children wash their hands and then get in pairs. Give each pair four sandwich cookies and encourage pairs to split each cookie apart so that each person in the pair gets the same amount of cream. Children may simply twist the cookie apart and hope that the cream is evenly split, or they may be creative and break the cookie in half, twist and scrape the cream to make it even, or try any other ideas they have. Remind children that people in the church in Acts 2 shared their meals.

SHARE WITH THOSE IN NEEDSupplies: construction paper | markers | stickers

Remind the children that the church in Acts 2 shared with those who are in need. Give children supplies to make cards for those in need in your community. Send the cards to a local homeless shelter or outreach center.

HIDING IT IN YOUR HEARTSupplies: masking or painter’s tape

Make a grid on the fl oor for each Bible Crew using masking tape or painter’s tape. It should consist of four squares, each square 1x1-foot. Challenge Bible Crews to fi t their whole group in the grid all at once and then to condense to three squares, two squares, and fi nally one square, supporting each other to avoid falling. When they are all in one square, have them recite Acts 2:44: “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.”

FOCUS

Be aware that some

children have allergies

that can be dangerous.

Know your children, and

consult with parents

about allergies their

children may have.

Also be sure to read

food labels carefully as

hidden ingredients can

cause allergy-related

problems.

16Hands-On Bible MAX

Use these questions to help you interview representatives of people in Acts 2:43-47.

Group Interviewed: the apostles (Acts 2:43)

• News reporters may ask:

• How does it feel to be leading such a big church?

• What kids of signs and wonders have you performed?

Group Interviewed: people who saw miraculous signs and wonders (Acts 2:43)

• News reporters may ask:

• What thoughts went through your mind when you saw miracles?

• Please demonstrate your reaction the first time you saw a miracle.

Group Interviewed: people who sold their property and gave to those in need (Acts 2:44-45)

• News reporters may ask:

• Why did you decide to sell your property for those in need?

• How do you think sharing has benefited the church?

Group Interviewed: people who were in need and were given what they needed (Acts 2:44-45)

• News reporters may ask:

• How did you react when people decided to share with you?

• How has sharing made a difference in your relationship with Jesus?

Group Interviewed: people who joined the church (Acts 2:43-47)

• News reporters may ask:

• What made you decide to join the church?

• What would you say to encourage other churches to share with those in need?

News Tips and QuestionsExploration Handout 1

Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible MAX™ granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. group.com/BibleMAX

17Session 1 | Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

Family Devotion

Bible Focus: Acts 2:43-47

Discovery Point: Jesus teaches us to share

what we have.

Key Verse: “And all the believers met

together in one place and

shared everything they had”

(Acts 2:44).

Have each person in your

house pick out one thing

to donate to someone in

need: an extended family

member, neighbor, friend,

or local charity. Try to pick

out something that is a

real sacrifice to give up.

FAMILY CHALLENGE

Were there any items that were repeated in both

activities? Why or why not?

What makes it hard to share the things that are the

most important to you?

Have all the people in your family race around the house and pick

out what they would take with them if they had to leave in a hurry

and could only take three things. When everyone has chosen items,

come together and share what you chose, and why.

Next have everyone race around the house and pick out three things to give away if someone was at the door collecting donations for people in need. When everyone has picked out items, come together and share what you would donate, and why.

Discuss these questions:

Jesus Teaches Us to Share What We Have

What shall I take?

What shall I leave?

Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible MAX™ granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. group.com/BibleMAX