As Peter and John were passing through the temple gate, a man who was unable to walk begged money from them. Instead of giving him money, Peter miraculously healed him by the power of Jesus. Peter followed this by preaching a convicting sermon to the amazed people who had witnessed the healed man.
Concerned that so many people were turning to Jesus, the Jewish leaders imprisoned Peter and John and instructed them to keep silent about Jesus. These two apostles refused to be quiet and said that they must speak about the things they had seen and heard.
Jesus is powerful, and we should tell people about him.
Bible verses used in this episode:
Acts 3:1-4:22
Outline:
- Peter heals a man (Acts 3:1-10)
- Peter talks to the people (Acts 3:11-26)
- Peter and John before the Jewish leaders (Acts 4:1-22)
Tips for Teaching Children:
- To help children understand the large amount of information in this text, try “mind mapping”. Instructions are in the activities section here.
- For a fun craft, apply washable paint on the soles of the children's feet. Make footprints on paper.
Tips for Teaching Adults:
- Ice breaker for the beginning of class: ask volunteers to share stories of courage or bravery they have witnessed in others. Talk about how this affected them.
- Ask the class what impresses them about Peter and John and why.
- Ask each class member to write on a piece of paper an area of their life that they need to have more courage for Christ and explain it briefly. You may give them this as an example: write, “I need more courage at my work because I need to speak up to say the right thing or to do the right thing”, etc. As the class teacher, you can prompt them by giving them some ideas such as home, at the gym or school, etc. Collect these notes, put them in a pile, let each class member randomly draw one and then pray for one another.
- The teacher and some students might enjoy further study. Ritmeyer’s short article on the possible location of the Beautiful Gate. It makes for interesting reading and discusses some of the challenges of identifying biblical places. Link to the article here.
- Photos and drawings of the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount
Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson: Peter and John Heal a Man Who Could Not Walk
Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.
Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.
For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org