BIBLE STORY: Keep Holding On (Stephen) • Acts 6:1–7:60

BOTTOM LINE: Keep going because God knows the end of the story.

LIFE APP: Determination—Deciding it’s worth it to finish what you started

MEMORY VERSE: "Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don't give up." Galatians 6:9 (NIrV)

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CFKIDS AT HOME FAMILY EXPERIENCE GUIDE

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FAMILY ACTIVITY #1: Remember What’s True

WHAT YOU NEED: Container, 26 small slips of paper, 1 marker per person, 1 sheet of paper per person

WHAT YOU DO: Before you get started, write the letters of the alphabet on the 26 slips of paper and mix them up in the container. Give each person a sheet of paper and a marker. Talk about the main points of Stephen’s story:

1. The religious leaders convinced some men to lie about Stephen.

2. The leaders had Stephen arrested and put on trial.

3. Stephen told everyone about Jesus.

4. The leaders were angry threw stones at Stephen to kill him.

Emphasize that Stephen showed determination because he knew God, and he knew that God was with him. Take turns pulling a letter out of the container. Ask everyone to write down something that’s true about God, starting with the letter that was pulled. Share your answers with everyone after each turn. Talk about why you wrote a particular word or phrase. Finish up by asking, “how can these things that are true about God help you keep going—especially when things are difficult, and you don’t know what’s going to happen?”

TALK ABOUT THE STORY:

*Who was Stephen? (A leader in the church who got in trouble for talking about Jesus.)

*Why do you think Stephen shared all the stories from the Old Testament? (Those stories helped point people to Jesus.)

*How did the religious leaders respond to Stephen’s message? (They became angry and threw stones at him.)

*Why do you think Stephen was determined to keep going even though people were getting very angry with him?

*When we feel scared, how does it help us to remember that God is always with us? Talk about a time when you were scared, but you chose to keep going.

FAMILY ACTIVITY #2: The Stories of Old

WHAT YOU NEED: Play-Doh® (Optional: paper and crayons or markers)

WHAT YOU DO: Remind everyone how during today’s story, Stephen shared stories from Israel’s history and explained how they pointed to Jesus. Work together to write down as many stories from the Bible as you can remember. (For example: Noah, Joseph, Moses, crossing the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lions’ den, Jesus’ birth, Jesus with Mary and Martha, the good Samaritan, the story of the lost son, Jesus’ death and resurrection, etc.) Encourage each person to use the Play-Doh to shape a character or item—either from Stephen’s story or one of the other stories they remember. As you work, talk about what you’re making and what happened in that story (Optional: if you don’t have Play-Doh, you can draw these characters or items instead.)

TALK ABOUT THE STORY:

*What did Stephen do when he was in front of the religious leaders? (He talked about how Jesus was the Savior God had promised.)

*How did the religious leaders respond to Stephen’s message? (They became angry and decided to throw stones at him.)

*What did Stephen do right before he died? (He asked God to forgive the leaders for what they were doing.)

*Stephen trusted that God knew the end of the story. How can we trust God when we face something hard?

*What can we do to find the determination to keep going, even when we don’t know what will happen next?

FAMILY PRAYER TIME

Use this prayer as a guide, either after talking about the Bible story or some time before bed tonight:

“God, we know that You can help us keep going when things get tough—just like You helped Peter and John. There are times when it’s tough for us to finish what we’ve started. There are times when we get tired or frustrated, or we’re confused about what to do next. Help us to remember that You are always with us! Help us to decide that it’s worth it to finish what we’ve started—and give us the strength to keep going. Amen!”

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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