Week of May 12: Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved

Memory Verse: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31a

The Bible Lesson
This week in Sunday School, the children studied the story of Silas and Paul in jail, and how they were miraculously freed when an earthquake struck the area where the jail was located. The jailer – the man in charge of keeping the prisoners locked up – saw the actions of Paul and Silas and he witnessed the miracle of how they were released from their chains. He wanted to know how he, too, could experience that kind of joy in the middle of bad circumstances (v. 25), and the hope that they were singing and praying about. Specifically, the jailer asked Paul and Silas what he needed to do to be saved (v. 30). Their answer to the jailer is this week’s memory verse: “”Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (v. 31)

Reread Acts 16:16-34 this week with your child, and help him or her to memorize part “a” of verse 31.

Unpacking
Sometimes, a short and simple answer is all we need. It can be like a little overnight suitcase – we know what we need is inside and we feel satisfied with that. Other times, a short, simple answer leads to other questions. In those times, we need to unpack the short, simple answer and clear up some questions that might remain.

Does your child have questions about what it means to be “saved?” Do you also have some questions about this very rich theological concept? Don’t be afraid to let your child ask his or her specific questions and don’t feel as though you have to know the answer to each question. During the early school years, children begin to think about Bible lessons and concepts differently. They begin to make personal applications that they were unable to make at younger ages. Listen carefully to what he or she is asking without assuming that the question is necessarily “deeper” than it really is.

Over the next several weeks, some of our children will have an opportunity during Sunday School to talk about what it means to be saved and, further, what it means to be baptized. I encourage you to nurture these conversations at home as well. Tell stories of your own experience of salvation and baptism, whether your experience was during childhood or later in life. Perhaps you, too, are considering baptism for the first time. Either way, I urge you to be open to the questions of your child and participate in conversations with Sunday School teachers and other ministers in your child’s life.

Our journey in Christian faith development is lifelong. It is both a privilege and an adventure to walk with children during this very important time.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the Bible and for the stories it tells about others who, like us, wanted to know how to be saved. Help us as we continue to grow in our faith and our belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world. Thank you for believers today, who are (just like Paul and Silas were in our Bible story) bold witnesses for Jesus and who encourage others to believe in Him, too. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.