Teaching

Stephen was a godly man who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was one of seven men chosen to serve as deacons in the church. They cared for people’s needs, such as making sure widows had enough food. Stephen also preached the Gospel and performed miracles.

Some religious leaders debated with Stephen, but they were no match for the wisdom that God gave Stephen. So they convinced some people to lie about him, saying that he preached against Moses and the Law, the Temple, and even God.

Has it ever seemed like you did everything right and still got in trouble? That happened to Stephen!

When we face persecution for our beliefs, does it mean we failed or did something wrong? No!

No, most likely, the opposite is true. Jesus said in Matthew 5:10–11:

¹⁰God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. ¹¹“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.”

As Stephen heard the people lying about him, his face began to glow as bright as an angel. Why do you think this happened? God’s glory and presence was with/on Stephen. The Holy Spirit within Stephen was showing.   

Full of God’s Spirit, Stephen fearlessly preached the truth; and as he did, the religious leaders got angrier and angrier! When he told them that he saw heaven opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, the leaders were even more furious! They dragged Stephen out to kill him. Did Stephen shout insults at them and blame God? No, he simply asked God to forgive the men who were persecuting him.

Who also responded this way as He was persecuted and put to death? Jesus on the cross.

 

Let’s consider an important key to responding in love. During Stephen’s trial and persecution, the religious leaders stared at Stephen. Their eyes were focused on him. Because of that, their anger, hatred and jealousy grew stronger until it controlled them. 

But who did Stephen focus on? God.

 

In contrast to the men on the council, Stephen focused on God, not his circumstances. Instead of being filled with anger, hatred and revenge, what was Stephen filled with? Children answer.

He was filled with Christ’s love, mercy and forgiveness. He gave control to God’s Spirit, not his emotions. 

The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18:

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Stephen didn’t focus on what was temporary and would be gone soon; the troubles he faced were not permanent. He focused on God, who is unseen—and God allowed Him to see a vision of Christ!    

 

This poster board represents us.

Hold up the ME (only) side of the poster board.
Let’s list different troubles that we may face as we follow Jesus. Lose friends; be teased; face questions; be kind to others even when they’re being mean, etc. As the children share their ideas, write each “trouble” on a sticky note and place it on the poster board over ME.

These things represent the troubles and persecution we may face as we follow Christ. In the moment, they may seem to be permanent.

Remove each sticky note, one at a time. This is not true; they will not last and are temporary, not permanent.

Turn the poster board around to reveal GOD and CHRIST’S LOVE written over ME.

Hold up the permanent marker. Why is this called a permanent marker? You can’t erase the ink.

This represents the love of God which is permanent and will last forever. Just as I wrote the words in permanent marker on ME, Christ’s love is permanently written or poured into our hearts. It cannot be separated, removed or erased. (See Romans 5:5.)

Have a volunteer try to erase GOD and CHRIST’S LOVE.

Conclusion: God’s love through Christ is permanent; nothing can remove or separate Him from us!   

Now it’s time for a new Discipleship Challenge to put Matthew 5:44 into action!      

  

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child a Love Cover Page and a pencil. Display the model you made before class.

1. Have children write their names on the back of their page.

2. Have children carefully fold the right side of the page over the middle section at the dashed line.  

Use the model craft as you explain the challenge.

Open the flap on your craft. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for them. For this challenge, you are going take action on this verse.  

1. In the middle block, write down any troubles you have. 

2. For the next block, look up and read Matthew 5:44. Write down a short prayer to forgive anyone who has offended you. Ask for God’s strength to help you face these troubles. Each day read Matthew 5:44 before your prayer time.

3. The last step is to fold over the first flap on the back section of the page and read the Challenge #1 verse, 1 Peter 4:8. This is a reminder of what you have done. It represents covering offenses and persecution in love and extending forgiveness instead of seeking revenge or retaliation. Try to memorize this verse.  

Notice how once the flap is folded, you can no longer see the offenses or troubles because they are now covered. You have chosen to focus on God and Christ’s love instead of on your circumstances—just like Jesus and Stephen did! Next time we meet, you will have an opportunity to discuss your experience with this first challenge. 

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Children, if anyone is hurting you or doing something to you that they should not be doing, do not keep it a secret—even if that person made you promise not to tell anyone! You should definitely tell a parent, a teacher, or an adult you trust.