Saul's Conversion to Christ

The Conversion of Saul by Jennifer Tolbert

When Jesus left for heaven, he told the disciples to "go into all the world and preach the good news." He also promised that he would be with them always, even to the end of the age. God sent the Holy Spirit to help the disciples fulfill this important work. Luke recorded the history of the church in the book of Acts. This is the story about how one of the most unlikely followers of Jesus became a follower and one of the his most passionate evangelists.  

Key Themes: 
1. The good news, the gospel, is for all! 
2. The disciples continued Jesus's work on Earth. 
3. Baptism is an important step in obeying the gospel. 

Memory Verse

​19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” -Matthew 28:19-20

Songs

Books of the New Testament
Apostles Song
Every Move I Make
​I Am A C
Jumping Up and Down
Roll The Gospel Chariot
Said I Wasn't
Stand Up and Shout It
This Little Light of Mine

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time
 
Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Flashlight Fun
Create a dimly lit environment by covering the outside windows and turning off the lights. A night light may be necessary if it is too dark. Allow the kids to play with flashlights, such as tag or make shadow puppets. Discuss the dark and how difficult it would be to suddenly not be able to see. (Idea from TruewayKids.com) 
 
​2. Who Am I? 
​Blindfold a child. Let each of the kids take turns saying: "Hello. Who Am I?" They can even be silly and try to disguise their voice. The child in the blindfold must guess who said hello. You can let the kids take turns being blindfolded if time allows. 

Then, SAY: It is so important to listen to Jesus. Today, we are going to learn about someone who thought he was following God, but he was actually grieving God and persecuting Jesus's church! His name was Saul. (Idea from TruewayKids.com) 

Story: Jesus had gone up to heaven and his apostles and followers had formed the first churches. At first, everything was wonderful, but before long, the church began to face persecution from the government and the Jews who did not want the message of Jesus to spread. One of these Jewish leaders was named Saul and was passionate about getting rid of the followers of Jesus. However, after meeting Jesus himself and finding out he was not pleasing the Lord, he repented and became equally as passionate about spreading the gospel. This is the story of how Saul, later known as Paul, became a Christian. 

READ the story The Conversion of Saul (Paul) or read Acts 9:1-31 in the Bible. 
EMPHASIZE that:

• Paul was called by Jesus face to face. 
• Ananias obeyed God's call to minister to Saul, even at risk to his own life.   
• Saul obeyed and was baptized. 

Visual Aids

Story Printable: Saul Become Paul from TruewayKids.com

The Story of Saul Becoming Paul by Minno Bible Stories for Kids

Saul Becomes Paul Story by TruewayKids

Paul's Ministry by Saddleback Kids

God is...

Connect the story back to God and his character. Explain how this story fits into God's overall story. ​

Activities

Craft: God Watches Over You Craft from Oriental Trading

Craft: Jesus Walk With Us by Oriental Trading

Game: Blindfolded Guide Challenge
Team kids up in groups of 2 or 3. One student is blindfolded and the other two are to act as guides. Set up an obstacle course around the room with stations and challenges.  At each station, the guides must help the blindfolded person complete the challenge before moving on to the next station in the obstacle course. Examples of challenges may be to put a simple memory verse in order, do 10 jumping jacks, hops scotch station, hula hoop, sort small objects into buckets, shine a flashlight at a target, etc. You can make it a competition by timing each group to see who can do it the fastest. 
Discussion Questions: 
1. How hard is it to complete a task when you can't see? 
2. How much did you depend on your guides? 
3. Why do you think God took Saul's vision from him? 
4. What is the difference between being physically blind and spiritually blind? 
5. What are some changes you can see in Saul when his physical vision is restored? What do those changes show us? 
​6. Are you a guide? 

Craft: Light on Damascus Road by TruewayKids
Supplies: Template, Plastic Zip Bag, Crayons, Markers, Scissors

Craft: Paul's Conversion Mask by Crafting the Word of God