In Acts 17, Paul and his friends travel to new cities and tell people that Jesus is the Christ who rose from the dead, and children can learn to share the good news about Jesus too. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, a short reading, and an activity.
Big Idea
God wants us to tell everyone about Jesus, even when some people do not want to listen. Telling the truth about Jesus is always worth it.
Memory Verse
Acts 17:3
Explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
(WEB)
Hold both arms out wide like you are opening a book. Then tap your heart with one hand. This reminds you that Jesus is the one we tell people about, and that he rose from the dead.
The Story: Acts 17 for Kids
Paul and his friends Silas and Timothy traveled to a city called Thessalonica. There was a synagogue there, which is a place where Jewish people gathered to pray and learn from their Scriptures. Paul went in on three Sabbath days and talked with the people from the Scriptures. He showed them that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Paul said, “This Jesus, whom I tell you about, is the Christ.”
Some people believed. Many Greek people and some important women joined Paul and Silas. But other Jewish leaders were angry. They gathered a crowd and caused a big uproar in the city. They went looking for Paul and Silas, but they could not find them, so they dragged a man named Jason and some other believers before the city rulers. The crowd said that these men were turning the world upside down.
That night, the brothers quietly sent Paul and Silas away to a city called Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue there. The people in Beroea were kind and eager. They listened to Paul with open hearts and checked the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of them believed.
Trouble followed Paul from Thessalonica, but he kept telling people about Jesus. Eventually Paul traveled alone to Athens, a city full of statues of gods. While he waited for his friends, he talked with people in the marketplace. Some of the thinkers there were curious, and they took him to a place called the Areopagus, where people met to discuss new ideas.
Paul stood in the middle and said, “You men of Athens, I see that you are very religious.” He told them about the God who made the world and gives life and breath to everyone. Some people laughed when Paul talked about Jesus rising from the dead. But others said they wanted to hear more, and a few people, including a man named Dionysius and a woman named Damaris, believed.
Read It Together
Acts 17:11
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
(WEB)
Point out that the people in Beroea listened eagerly and checked the Scriptures every day. Ask children how they can learn about God from the Bible at home, just like those people did.
Acts 17:24-25
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, 25 neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
(WEB)
Show children that God made the world and gives life to everyone. Explain that God does not need anything from us, and that he is the one who gives us everything we have.
Acts 17:27
That they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
(WEB)
Point out that God wants people to look for him, and that he is not far away from any of us. Help children see that God is near them every day, even when they cannot see him.
Talk About It
- What did Paul tell the people in Thessalonica about Jesus?
- Why do you think some people got angry when Paul told them about Jesus?
- What did the people in Beroea do when they heard Paul’s message?
- How did Paul keep telling people about Jesus, even when it was hard?
- Who is someone you could tell about Jesus this week, and how could you start that conversation?
Activity Ideas
Good News Bookmark
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and scissors. Have each child draw a picture of something they love about Jesus, such as a cross, a sunrise, or a friend helping someone. Write “Good News” across the top and “Jesus is alive!” along the bottom. Cut the paper into a long strip and let the children take the bookmark home to remind them to share the good news.
Sharing Relay
You will need a small bean bag or a folded paper ball and an open space. Have children stand in a line. Pass the bean bag down the line while everyone says, “Jesus is alive!” When the bag reaches the end, the last child runs to the front and starts again. Explain that Paul kept sharing the message even when things were hard, and that our sharing can keep going too.
Family Good News Card
You will need an index card, a pen, and an envelope. Have each child write one sentence about Jesus on the card, such as “Jesus is alive and loves you.” Ask them to take the card home and read it aloud to a family member at dinner. Encourage children to pick one person each week to share their card with, so the good news keeps spreading from home to home.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows how the early church spread the gospel through ordinary conversation, reasoned teaching from Scripture, and steady faithfulness in the face of opposition. Paul does not hide from difficulty; he goes from city to city, reasons from the Old Testament, and speaks plainly about Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Berean response of eager, daily study of Scripture models a healthy way to test any teaching against the Word.
Avoid suggesting to children that sharing the gospel will always make people happy or that they will always be safe when they speak about Jesus. The chapter shows real opposition, mockery, and even a city in uproar. Helping children understand that God’s faithfulness does not guarantee an easy path is more honest and more encouraging than promising easy results.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank you for sending Jesus, who died and rose again for us. Help us to tell others about his love with kind and brave hearts. Help us to listen well and to read your Word every day, just like the people in Beroea. Be with us and help us to share the good news this week. Amen.
