Unit 33 Session 1
Letters to Church Leaders
Family Bible Time Connection
Read all or parts of Acts 15:1-35 from your Bible
Talk About Scripture
Imagine that you’re playing a board game with your friends, but they keep changing the rules to stop you from winning. How would you feel? You would probably call them out for their unfair behavior and ask them to play by the rules.
In the early church, there were both Jewish and Gentile believers. Some of the Jewish believers began teaching that Gentile believers could only be saved by trusting in Jesus and living according to the Jewish laws. But Jesus had taught that a person is saved by faith alone, so many of the Gentiles felt like the Jewish believers were adding unfair rules to keep them from salvation. Something had to be done. The church leaders decided to gather in Jerusalem to solve this important disagreement.
Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James agreed that all people—Jews and Gentiles—are saved by God’s grace through Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God that is given to all who put their faith in who Jesus is and in what He has done. All of those who were gathered to solve this dispute agreed with these leaders. These believers then wrote a letter to the Gentile believers to share their decision and to teach them how to live as followers of Jesus. The letter encouraged all the believers and helped them continue to grow in their faith.
The church leaders met in Jerusalem to answer a tough question: Can a person be saved by faith alone or is something more needed? The early church agreed that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, He alone is all we need to be saved.
Memorize the Scripture
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12
Prayer Time Ideas
Praise God for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thank Him for making salvation available to anyone who believes in Jesus. He is all we need.
Like the leaders who came together to pray and listen to one another, ask God to help your family solve disagreements with prayer and patience. How can pauses and prayer help your family handle conflict?
Actively Apply the Scripture
For Fun
Purchase a large landscape stone or river rock from a local nursery. Allow your kids to use craft paint to decorate the rock. Use black paint or permanent marker to write JESUS on the stone. Once the paint has dried, keep the stone in your flower bed as a reminder that Jesus alone is all we need to be saved.
Supplies: landscape stone, paints, permanent marker
To Serve
Host a picnic for your neighbors. Have your kids send hand-made invitations and provide the food and supplies for the picnic to make it easy for all your neighbors to attend. Ask God to provide opportunities to tell others how He has provided all we need in Jesus.
Supplies: invitations, picnic supplies, picnic foods