PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Curriculum€¦ · PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 ... This lesson has been...

PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Curriculum

Table of Contents 1 ......................................................................................Pages are not numbered accordingly.

Spiritual Action Plan 2-3 ..............................................................................

Day 2 Bible Story (Monday or Thursday) 4-14 ...........................................Print one copy per Bible Story Leader from your church.

Day 2 Quiet Time (Monday or Thursday) 15 ..............................................Print copies for each preteen from your church (half-pages).

Day 3 Bible Story (Tuesday or Friday) 16-28 .............................................Print one copy per Bible Study Leader from your church.

Day 3 Quiet Time (Tuesday or Friday) 29 ...................................................Print copies for each preteen from your church (half-pages).

Bedtime Dorm Devotionals 30-32 ...............................................................Print one copy per cabin occupied by your church.

Table of Contents

PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Spiritual Action Plan

Theme: “Focused”

Theme Passage: Psalm 119:25-32 “25 My life is down in the dust; give me life through Your word. 26 I told You about my life, and You listened to me; teach me Your statutes. 27 Help me understand the meaning of Your precepts so that I can meditate on Your wonders. 28 I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word. 29 Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me Your instruction. 30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances before me. 31 I cling to Your decrees; Lord, do not put me to shame. 32 I pursue the way of Your commands, for You broaden my understanding.” (HCSB)

Theme Development: The “Focused” theme for 2018 comes from Psalm 119:25-32. The passage describes a disciple’s life of seeking the Lord through the successes and failures, and the celebrations and grievings of life. Central to this life is the idea in verse 27 of meditating on the wonders of the Lord. The Amplified Bible amplifies the word “meditate” with the phrase “focus my thoughts.” This focus on the wonders of the Lord is key to following Christ through the many ebbs and flows of the Christian life. In order to help preteens make a personal identification with this concept, the eight scheduled teaching opportunities for camp (worship messages (3), bedtime dorm devotionals (3), and Bible stories (2)) will focus on the life and ministry of Simon Peter (his call, his faith, his denial, his reinstatement, his mission, and his perseverance).

Camp Pastors, please take the worship message themes and topics, and develop your messages as the Holy Spirit leads you to communicate most effectively with your particular age groups.

Church Bible Story Leaders, please make the Bible stories your own. The stories have been written so that they could be read verbatim, but that would probably be the weakest way to teach. Please feel free to use your own illustrations and the creative object lessons to help the preteens of your church connect with the Scripture and with the Lord. Please remember that your Bible story location will most likely be used by other church groups when it's not your scheduled Bible story time; thus, visual aids will need to be removed when you finish each story. Print the Bible stories for each of your Bible Story Leaders. Be sure to make copies of the quiet time pages before you come to camp…one copy per camper. No supplies will be available at Pineywoods.

Bedtime Dorm Devotional Leaders, please do NOT skip a bedtime dorm devotional. The devotionals are written specifically to help members of your cabin to meditate on the day’s lessons while providing a teaching opportunity for a specific story or moral from Peter’s life. Ideally they will fall asleep treasuring God’s Word in their hearts. Remember to bring one copy of each night’s devotional for each cabin your group occupies.


DAY 1 (Sunday/Wednesday) Day 1 Worship Message (Camp Pastors): “Get Focused On Jesus” (Focused Theme Interpretation); The message will focus on Jesus’ call to His disciples to “Follow Me,” and on His emphasis on repentance. Suggested Elements:

-Jesus calls people to follow Him. -Following Jesus requires repentance because every person is a sinner. -Following Jesus requires faith…trusting in Him only. -Putting our faith in Jesus, and following Jesus, requires us to focus on Jesus. -When we truly get focused on Jesus, we become His friends & His family.

Suggested Scriptures: John 1:35-42, Luke 4:38-39, Luke 5:1-11, Matthew 4:12-22, Mark 1:14-20 Day 1 Bedtime Dorm Devotional (Dorm Leaders): “Fishers Of Men” Matthew 4:18-20

DAY 2 (Monday/Thursday) Day 2 Bible Story (Church Bible Story Leaders): “Jesus Helps Us Get Focused On Him” Peter’s life during Jesus’ earthly ministry…Peter’s Declaration about Jesus, Peter’s Denial of Jesus, and Jesus’ Dedication to Peter (His reinstatement of Peter) Day 2 Worship Message (Camp Pastors): “Re-Focused On Jesus” Jesus welcomes us back when we return to Him. The message builds on the previous night’s message regarding repentance and following Christ. The message also springboards from the Bible story. The message should incorporate Peter’s denial of Christ & Jesus’ reinstatement of Peter as His disciple. Suggested Elements:

-Sometimes even people who are the most faithful and focused followers of Jesus can lose their focus on Him. (Peter’s denial) Highlight different temptations common to all people, especially preteens. -When we return to Jesus, He welcomes us back as His followers. -Jesus also helps us to stay focused on Him by giving us a mission by which we serve Him. (“Feed My sheep”) This will help to setup tomorrow’s Bible story & message.

Suggested Scriptures: Matthew 26:69-75, 1 John 1:9, John 21:15-22 Day 2 Bedtime Dorm Devotional (Dorm Leaders): “Walking On Water” Matthew 14:22-33

DAY 3 (Tuesday/Friday) Day 3 Bible Story (Church Bible Story Leaders): “Jesus Helps Us Stay Focused On Him & His Mission” Peter’s life from the Ascension through his mission taking the Gospel to the Gentiles and his perseverance through persecution. Day 3 Worship Message (Camp Pastors): “Stay Focused On Jesus” Life on-mission for Jesus Suggested Elements:

-Staying focused on Jesus is a call to daily discipleship. -Jesus calls us to serve as His ambassadors (His ministers and missionaries) to the world. -Followers of Jesus should expect persecution and be committed to persevere through it.

Suggested Scriptures: Luke 9:20-26, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Peter 4:12-19, Matthew 5:10-12, Hebrews 12:1-3, Hebrews 10:23-25 Day 3 Bedtime Dorm Devotional (Dorm Leaders): “The Day of The Lord” 2 Peter 3:10-14


PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Day 2 Bible Story (Monday or Thursday)

Jesus Helps Us Get Focused On Him: Simon Peter the Disciple

Notes to Bible Story Leaders: 1. This lesson has been written so that you could read it as a script, but please remember that it’s much better if you don’t simply read it to your kids. Know the activities & the lesson beforehand, & engage your kids personally. Use this lesson as a guide. Feel free to be creative & modify or add activities. Feel free to teach this lesson from your strengths in a way that best meets your group’s needs. 2. When you see ---, pause for a moment to give kids an opportunity to respond, or answer a question. 3. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. In addition, bracketed words [ ] may have been inserted by the author in an attempt to help those who might be unfamiliar with some Bible words to better understand the flow of the text. Bracketed words are not intended to change the interpretation of the text in any form or fashion. The Bible text has been italicized for your convenience to more clearly distinguish it from the teaching script. Also, for your convenience, Bible passages referred to but not expressly taught, may have been included at the end of the lesson or in parentheses within the lesson. 4. Please remember to pray that God’s Spirit would speak through you to the hearts of everyone who attends this Bible story. May the lost be rescued, & may the rescued be drawn to new depths of love & appreciation for Christ.

Introduction: Jesus is God in human flesh. He has always been, always is, and always will be. About two thousand years ago, Jesus came to Earth to live as one of us. At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus’s birth. Jesus lived on the Earth for 33 1/2 years. During the last three and a half years of His time on Earth, Jesus did a lot that was written about in the Bible. Jesus taught people about God, He healed sick people, He worked many miracles, He died to pay for our sins, He was buried, He rose back to life, and then He returned to Heaven. During those last three and a half years of His life on Earth, Jesus invested all of His time with a small group of friends called His disciples. One disciple who went almost everywhere that Jesus went, was named Simon. Does anyone remember what nickname Jesus gave to Simon? - - - That’s right, Peter. Did you know that

PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Monday/Thursday Bible Story Page 1

“Peter” wasn’t even a name? It was the word for “Rock.” In fact, nobody else in the whole Bible is ever called Peter… Simon is the only one.

Bible Story: Simon Peter was a really interesting person. During Jesus’ last three and a half years on Earth, Peter was called a disciple, but after Jesus returned to Heaven, Peter was called an Apostle. The word “disciple” means a “follower” or “learner.” The word “apostle” means someone “who is sent,” like a missionary. Today we will learn about Peter the Disciple. Tomorrow we’ll learn about Peter the Apostle. Both disciples and apostles must live very focused lives. Today we’ll see how Jesus helped Peter to focus his life on Jesus, and how we can live as Jesus’ disciples too.

Does anyone remember, from last night’s bedtime dorm devotional, what Peter’s job was? What was his occupation? - - - Right, Peter was a fisherman. You might remember from the worship message last night that the way Jesus called Peter to be His disciple was with two simple words, “Follow Me.” The Bible says that Peter left his boats, his fishing nets, and everything else to follow Jesus. Let’s think about what Peter’s focus was on before Jesus came along. When Peter was a fisherman, what do you think his life was focused on? - - - Fish, fishing, maybe providing for his family, the weather, his boats & his fishing nets … Before Jesus came along, Peter was just living his life like most people do, focused on what they need to do everyday. What are some things that preteens focus their lives on everyday? - - - School, video games, food, reading, parents, friends, etc… There’s not necessarily anything wrong with thinking about these things, just like it wasn’t wrong for Simon Peter to think about fish, and fishing, and his family… But when Jesus calls us to follow Him, our focus changes. We begin thinking about all of these things differently. Rather than just going through life always thinking about the stuff we need to do, or what we can do to have fun, we begin thinking about Jesus. We begin thinking about who Jesus really is, how He loves us, and how we can love Him with our lives. Let’s look at three times in the Bible when Simon Peter’s focus changed.

If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew 16. (Wait for everyone to find Matthew 16 in their Bible. You might need to help them.)

In Matthew 16, Jesus and His disciples traveled to a place called Caesarea Philippi. This is a real place that you can travel to today. When they got there, Jesus asked His disciples a very important question. Look at verse 13. Let’s read it.


Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Did you notice that Jesus called Himself “the Son of Man”? This was Jesus’ favorite way of referring to Himself. It means “Human.” Jesus liked calling Himself “The Human.” Back to the question: What did Jesus ask His disciples? - - - “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” right. Jesus wanted them to think about who He really was, so He asked them what they had heard other people saying about Him. Let’s look at verse 14 to see what they said.

Matthew 16:14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Their answer is kind of strange. They named people who were no longer alive on earth. Apparently a lot of people were watching Jesus work powerful miracles. Many of them had heard Him teaching amazing lessons about Heaven, God and life. When they saw and heard these things, the only thing people could think was that Jesus was some great person from the past that had come back from the dead. All those people were wrong, so Jesus asked a second very important question. Let’s look at it in verse 15. Let’s read it.

Matthew 16:15 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus wanted them to think about who He really was, where He had come from, and what He was doing on earth. Simon Peter spoke up and answered Jesus very well. Let’s read verse 16 to see what Peter said.

Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”

Peter said a lot in this one statement. Peter called Jesus “the Messiah.” This was very important because all of the disciples knew who the Messiah was. For more than a thousand years people had been waiting for the Messiah to come to earth. The Messiah would be the Savior of the World… the one who would come from Heaven and rescue people from all their sins. Peter also said that Jesus was “the Son of the living God.” This is really, really important too. When Peter said this, he was declaring that Jesus is God… the God who created everything and has all power over everything. Peter was saying that Jesus wasn’t some famous person from the past who came back to earth, but that Jesus is the God who always was, always is, and always will be…the


Living God. In fact this is so important, look at what Jesus said to Peter about this in verses 17 and 18.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.

Wow! Jesus told Simon Peter that he was exactly right. In fact, Jesus told him that the only way he could have known this about Jesus was if God had revealed it to him. In verse 18, Jesus calls Simon by the name “Peter.” Do you remember what “Peter” means? - - - Rock, right. In fact, in the very same statement, Jesus said that all of Christianity, the whole Church, and everything that we believe will be built on the foundation of Peter’s statement that Jesus is God and the only Savior of the world. Jesus said that not even all the strength of the devil could ever overpower this truth and those who believe it. Peter was focused on Jesus as the Savior of the world… God in flesh. If we are going to be Jesus’ disciples and follow Him, we must also believe that Jesus is God and the only Savior of the world. In fact this is the real reason why we should follow Him… but that’s not all that Jesus said. A couple of verses later, Jesus began to tell Peter and the other disciples what was going to happen in the very near future. Let’s read verse 21.

Matthew 16:21 From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

Jesus was proud that Peter had understood that Jesus was the Messiah, so Jesus began to share with him more about Himself. Jesus began telling them about what was going to happen to Him when He traveled to the city of Jerusalem. What were the different things that Jesus said was going to happen to Him? Look in verse 21 again. - - - That He would suffer many things, be killed, and be raised back to life on the third day, right! Can you imagine if you were Simon Peter and you were hearing Jesus say these things? What do you think you would feel like when you heard Him say this? - - - Anger, fear, confusion, worry, maybe you would think that Jesus was wrong, or how you would fight to make sure such terrible things would never happen to Jesus. Look at verse 22 to see exactly what Peter did.

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke [firmly correct] Him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!”


Peter had been so focused on the truth of who Jesus is, that He forgot that Jesus came to do something very important. Look at verse 23 to see what Jesus said to Peter.

Matthew 16:23 But He [Jesus] turned and told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s.”

Wow! Just a few verses before, Jesus was praising Peter for having the right focus, but in verse 23, Jesus called Peter the devil. Now of course Jesus didn’t mean that Peter was literally the devil, but He explained that Peter was a temptation or offense to Jesus. What was so bad about what Peter had said? Peter was just saying that he would never let Jesus suffer & die. The problem was that Jesus came to the earth to suffer and die and be raised back to life. This was the way He was going to save people from all of their sins. Peter had already stopped focusing on God’s plan… he had started focusing on his own plan. Sometimes this can happen to us too. Did you notice at the end of verse 23 that Jesus told Peter “you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s”? Wanting Jesus to stay alive and never suffer was not a bad thing to want… but that wasn’t God’s plan. God’s plan was to rescue people from all their sins by paying for them with His own life. This is the greatest and purest expression of love. Peter didn’t understand this yet, so Jesus helped Peter refocus on what God’s plan was. In the next few verses, Jesus explained to His disciples how His followers must focus their lives. Let’s read verses 24 through 27 together.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. 26 What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.

In just a few verses, Jesus said a lot about what it means to follow Him. He said to follow Him, someone must deny himself; in other words, not live for himself or herself, but live for Jesus and His plan. Jesus also asked a powerful question that has an obvious answer. In verse 26, Jesus made it clear that even if you gained the whole world but didn’t live for Jesus, everything you gained would be completely worthless. Wow! If we’re going to follow Jesus, we must believe that He is God and that He is the only Savior of the world. If we’re going to follow Jesus, we must also follow His plan, and not our own. Sometimes Simon Peter got it right, and sometimes


he lost his focus… just like we sometimes do. The really cool thing is that when we’re serious about following Jesus, He helps us to focus on Him and His plan. We’ll see this some more in the next two true stories. To see the time that Simon Peter really lost his focus, turn to Matthew 26. (Give everyone time to find Matthew 26 in their Bible.)

This next true story took place on the night that Jesus was arrested…the night before He was crucified [executed]. Remember that Jesus had told His friends that all this was going to happen, but Peter said he wouldn’t allow it. Let’s read starting in verse 31 to see what Jesus said to His disciples on that scary night.

Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will run away because of Me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I have been resurrected, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 Peter told Him, “Even if everyone runs away because of You, I will never run away!” 34 “I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times!” 35 “Even if I have to die with You,” Peter told Him, “I will never deny You!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

Did you hear it? Jesus was trying to help His friends, His disciples, to be prepared for what was about to happen, but Peter was saying the opposite again. Did you notice in verse 31 that Jesus told them that when He would be arrested, all of the disciples would run away…but, Peter said in verse 33 that he would never run away, even when everyone else did. Then in the very next verse, Jesus told Peter that he was going to deny Jesus three times that very night. Of course Peter wasn’t really focused on why Jesus had come to earth. Peter was focused on what he wanted to happen rather than on what God had planned to happen. In verse 35, Peter told Jesus that he would die with Jesus before he denied knowing Jesus and denied being Jesus’ disciple. Did you notice that it says at the end of that verse that all the other disciples said the same thing? The other disciples were listening to Simon Peter and following him even when his focus was on his own plan rather than Jesus’ plan. We need to remember that other people are watching how our life is focused, and sometimes others will follow us even when we’re not focused on the Lord.

Let’s read the next verse to see what happened next on that night. Look at verse 36.

Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 Taking along Peter and the two


sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.” 39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with Me one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. 44 After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up; let’s go! See, My betrayer is near.”

Jesus told Peter and the others to stay awake and pray for Him, but what was Peter doing each time Jesus came back to them? - - - Sleeping, right. Jesus wanted Peter and the others to be very focused on God’s plan by praying very seriously for Jesus, but instead the disciples just kept falling asleep. I wonder how many times God wants us to pray seriously about something or for someone and all we do is sleep or get distracted with something. Let’s keep reading in verse 47.

Matthew26:47 While He [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 His betrayer had given them a sign: “The One I kiss, He’s the One; arrest Him!” 49 So he went right up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 “Friend,” Jesus asked him, “why have you come?” Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him. 51 At that moment one of those with Jesus [Peter] reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels? 54 How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture Me? Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple complex, and you didn’t arrest Me. 56 But all this has happened so that the prophetic Scriptures would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and ran away.


Did you notice that in these verses it was actually one of Jesus’ disciples who betrayed Jesus to the people who arrested Him? That disciple’s name was Judas. He completely lost his focus on Jesus. Did you also notice that when the men grabbed Jesus to arrest Him, one of Jesus’ disciples pulled out a sword? Does anyone know which disciple that was? - - - Peter, right. This story is also written in John 18, and in verse 10 of that book it says this was Peter that cut the servant’s ear off. Here’s another time when Peter was thinking about his own plan to rescue Jesus, rather than focusing on Jesus’ plan to rescue the whole world. Then verse 56 ends with something very sad. It says that all the disciples of Jesus deserted Him & ran away. All of Jesus’ followers ran away and left Him. If you were Jesus, and all of your friends left you and ran away, how would that make you feel? - - - Sad, mad, etc. We need to remember this. When we take our focus off of Jesus…when we run away from Him, it makes Him sad and mad.

Now let’s read the rest of the chapter and find out what happened to Jesus, and what Peter did. Let’s read starting with verse 57.

Matthew 26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had convened. 58 Meanwhile, Peter was following Him at a distance right to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and was sitting with the temple police to see the outcome. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death. 60 But they could not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two who came forward 61 stated, “This man said, ‘I can demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days.’” 62 The high priest then stood up and said to Him, “Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “By the living God I place You under oath: tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” 64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy! 66 What is your decision?” They answered, “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spit in His face and beat Him; others slapped Him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who hit You?”

The officials were being very hateful to Jesus. What kinds of things were they doing to Jesus? - - - That’s right, they were spitting on Him, beating Him, slapping Him, and telling lies about Him. Did you notice in verse 58 that Peter had followed the crowd that had arrested Jesus? He wanted to see what was going to happen to Jesus. Let’s see what Peter did next in verse 69.


Matthew 26:69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant approached him and she said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.” 70 But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 71 When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!” 72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You certainly are one of them, since even your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I do not know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Do you remember that earlier that very same night, Jesus had told Peter that he would deny Jesus? Jesus told him that he would deny knowing Jesus and deny being His disciple three times before what? - - - The rooster crowd, right. That’s exactly what happened. This was really, really bad. Peter was scared.

How could this have happened though? Remember when Peter was at the lake three and half years before? When Jesus told Peter, “Follow Me,” Peter left everything behind immediately to follow Jesus. Peter had lived with Jesus, seen Jesus work many miracles and teach many wonderful truths about God and Heaven. Remember, Peter was even the disciple who made the true declaration that Jesus is God and the only Savior of the world. Peter had been so focused on Jesus and Jesus’ perfect plan, but then along the way, Peter began focusing on his own plan. Peter lost his focus on the plan that God had for Jesus to die to rescue the world from sin. Peter lost his focus so much that he even told people three times that did not even know Jesus. Look back at the end of verse 75. What does it say that Peter did when he remembered what Jesus had predicted? - - - He went outside and wept bitterly, that’s exactly right. When Peter took his focus off of Jesus, it broke his heart. Probably it broke Jesus’ heart too.

Although Peter and the other disciples ran away, God’s plan was still fulfilled. Jesus was executed. He died to pay for all the sins of people. Jesus was buried on Friday afternoon, and on Sunday morning, Jesus came back to life. Although Peter and the other disciples had all abandoned Jesus, Jesus came and found them. Jesus spoke lovingly to them and encouraged them. When they saw Jesus alive, they all believed in Him and refocused their lives on Him and on His plan. Do you remember how Peter had become the leader of the other disciples…how the other disciples had followed Peter’s example and his words? This was actually part of God’s big


plan. Jesus wanted Peter to be a leader among the disciples, but there was a big problem…Peter had denied Jesus on that night before Jesus was killed. Peter hadn’t just denied knowing Jesus once, but Peter denied being Jesus’ disciple three times! Let’s turn to John 21 to see how Jesus helped Peter get his focus back. (Give everyone time to find John 21.)

In John 21, Simon Peter and the other disciples had been fishing all night. In the morning, they saw Jesus standing on the shore. Jesus had cooked breakfast for His disciples and invited them to eat. Let’s read starting in verse 15.

John 21:15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Feed My lambs,” He told him. 16 A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Shepherd My sheep,” He told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.” “Feed My sheep,” Jesus said.

In these verses, what did Jesus ask Peter? - - - “Do you love Me?” right. How many times did Jesus ask Peter? - - - Three times, right. Did you catch what Jesus did for Peter? After Simon Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus helped him get his focus back by asking him three times if he loved Him. When we mess up, Jesus is there waiting for us to come back to Him.

In these verses, what did Jesus tell Peter to do each time after Peter answered Him? - - - “Feed My lambs,” “shepherd My sheep,” “feed My sheep,” right. This was Jesus’ way of reminding Peter that Jesus had chosen him to lead the disciples… especially after Jesus would return to Heaven. This was also a wonderful way of telling Peter that Jesus had forgiven him. Peter could now begin to focus on what Jesus had called him to do. We’ll learn more about that in tomorrow’s Bible story.

To finish out today’s story, let’s read two more verses. Let’s read verse 18 and 19.

John 21:18 “I assure you: When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to


signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him, “Follow Me!”

What were the last two words that Jesus spoke to Peter in verse 19? - - - “Follow Me,” right. Remember what Jesus said to Peter three and a half years before when they were at the lake? - - - “Follow Me,” right. “Follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men.” In tomorrow Bible story, we’ll learn about how God used Peter to become a Fisher of Men. You know, this is an amazing true story all about Simon who lived a long time ago in a country far away… but God wants you to follow Jesus too. He wants you to focus your life on Jesus and His great plan for you every single day. Following Jesus and focusing on His plan means you must repent (turn away from your sin & your own plan) and trust in Jesus only.

When you trust in Jesus, He forgives your sin, and gives you eternal life. Some of you are ready to trust in Jesus right now. We can talk to God here, today, just like Peter talked to Him so many years ago. You can tell God that you want to be focused on Him by trusting in Jesus right now. I can help you tell Him from your heart. I will say the words out loud, but you can just repeat them in your heart. What really matters to God is that you really mean what you say in your heart. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes, so we’re not distracted.

If you want to give your life to God by trusting in Jesus right now, then repeat these words in your heart: “Dear God,...I am sorry for my sin...the times I’ve disobeyed You...I believe that Jesus paid the price for my sin...when He died on the cross for me...I believe that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day...I believe that Jesus is the only way for me to be rescued from my sin...please forgive me right now...I give my life to You...please make me Your child... please help me to be the example for other people to also trust in Jesus...I love You, Lord...in Jesus’ name...amen.” If you prayed that prayer, and really meant it for the first time, then raise your hand right now. Don’t be shy. We don’t ever have to be ashamed of Jesus. In fact we need to always be proud of Him.

Everybody who raised their hand, please stay right here for a few minutes. I’d like to talk with you for just a moment. Everyone else can pick up a Quiet Time Page, and find a quiet place nearby to talk with God and answer the questions. Don’t go too far away. I’ll call everybody back together in just a few minutes. (Distribute the Quite Time Pages. Take a few minutes to counsel with those who made decisions. Call the group back together in about five or ten minutes. After Quiet Time, dismiss to Free Time.)


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PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Day 3 Bible Story (Tuesday or Friday)

Jesus Helps Us Stay Focused On Him & His Mission: Simon Peter the Apostle

Notes to Bible Story Leaders: 1. This lesson has been written so that you could read it as a script, but please remember that it’s much better if you don’t simply read it to your kids. Know the activities & the lesson beforehand, & engage your kids personally. Use this lesson as a guide. Feel free to be creative & modify or add activities. Feel free to teach this lesson from your strengths in a way that best meets your group’s needs. 2. When you see ---, pause for a moment to give kids an opportunity to respond, or answer a question. 3. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. In addition, bracketed words [ ] may have been inserted by the author in an attempt to help those who might be unfamiliar with some Bible words to better understand the flow of the text. Bracketed words are not intended to change the interpretation of the text in any form or fashion. The Bible text has been italicized for your convenience to more clearly distinguish it from the teaching script. Also, for your convenience, Bible passages referred to but not expressly taught, may have been included at the end of the lesson or in parentheses within the lesson. 4. Please remember to pray that God’s Spirit would speak through you to the hearts of everyone who attends this Bible story. May the lost be rescued, & may the rescued be drawn to new depths of love & appreciation for Christ.

Introduction: Remember yesterday’s Bible story? We learned about Simon Peter the disciple. Remember that Simon Peter was a fisherman, and that one day, Jesus met him at the Sea of Galilee and told him, “Follow Me.” Remember that Simon left his boat and his fishing nets and followed Jesus immediately. Yesterday we learned that Jesus gave Simon the nickname Peter. Does anyone remember what the name Peter means? - - - Right, it means “rock.” Remember that Jesus asked His disciples who they thought that He was, and Peter correctly said that Jesus was God’s Son, the one who had come to save people from all of their sins. We learned yesterday that Peter was a very focused follower of Jesus, but sometimes he lost his focus. Remember that immediately after Peter made this correct declaration about who Jesus was, he then said that he would never

PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Tuesday/Friday Bible Story Page 1

let anyone kill Jesus. This was against God’s plan, because God’s plan was for Jesus to suffer and die on the cross to pay for our sins. Then we learned that on the night that Jesus was arrested, Peter was very scared and lost his focus. Do you remember what Peter did each time that somebody asked him if he was one of Jesus’ disciples? - - - Right, he denied being Jesus’ disciple, and he even denied ever knowing Jesus. How many times did Peter deny Jesus? - - - Right, three times (before the rooster crowed). However, that wasn’t the end of the story, was it? - - - No. After Jesus came back to life, He met with His disciples several times to encourage them and to help them re-focus their lives on Him and on God’s very big plan. We learned yesterday that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Jesus. How many times did Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him? - - - Three times, right. Each time, Jesus told Peter to feed or care for His sheep, which was Jesus’ way of telling Peter that he was forgiven and that Jesus wanted Peter to lead the other disciples in the mission that Jesus was calling them to. Today, we’ll learn about this mission, because it’s a mission for us to be focused on in our world today.

Bible Story: Today our Bible story begins in Acts 1. Turn in your Bible to Acts chapter 1. (Wait for everyone to find Acts 1 in their Bible. You may need to help some find it.) This chapter tells us what happened on the day that Jesus went back to Heaven. He was with Simon Peter and all His other disciples, and He told them something very important. Let’s see what Jesus said in verse 8.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

There were two very important things that Jesus said in this verse. First, He said that after He returned to Heaven, the Holy Spirit of God would come to earth and give power to the disciples. God’s Spirit was going to come on the followers of Jesus to help them stay focused on God and His plan for the world. Second, in this verse, Jesus told His friends that they would be His witnesses right where they were (in Jerusalem), in the surrounding area (Judea), in areas farther away (like Samaria), and even to the ends of the earth. What do you think Jesus meant when He said they would be His “witnesses”? What does it mean to be a “witness”? - - - In the original language that this Bible verse was written in, the word for “witness” is the word “martyr.” Now days, in English, the word “martyr” means someone who dies for what they believe in. The reason that this word means this now days is because so many of Jesus’ disciples were arrested or beaten or killed because they believed in Jesus, and would not stop telling people about Jesus. Our word “witness” has two important meanings. First it means somebody who had seen or heard something for themselves. Sometimes in court rooms during legal trials, lawyers will call


witnesses to tell the court what they saw or heard. What these people say (their testimony) is important because it helps the judge and the jury know what actually happened. This idea actually helps us understand the second important meaning. “Witness” also means somebody who tells what they’ve seen or heard. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples that they were going to be His “witnesses”… That they were going to go all over the world telling people all the things that they saw Jesus do, all the things they heard Jesus say, and all about who Jesus is. What Jesus told His disciples on that day, is still true for His disciples today. Jesus wants everyone who follows Him and has their life focused on Him, to also be His witnesses. Jesus want us not only to follow Him, but also tell other people how to follow Him.

It’s a little more difficult for us to be witnesses for Jesus today because we have never seen Jesus with our own eyes or heard Him with our own ears. Some people might say, “How can I be a witness for Jesus, since I’ve never seen Him or heard Him?” That’s a really great question. The answer is simple… Remember that Jesus told His disciples that when He went back to Heaven, He would send God’s Holy Spirit to them to give them power to be His witnesses? - - - Well, the Holy Spirit is still here today, giving power to Jesus’ disciples so we can be witnesses for Him too. The Holy Spirit actually comes to live inside the spirit of every person who gives their life to Jesus. When we follow Jesus and focus our lives on Him, He sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. His Holy Spirit helps us to stay focused on Jesus, and He helps us to know what to say so that others can also follow Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said about this in Luke 12.

Luke 12:11 “Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”

Another reason we can be witnesses for Jesus is because we have the Bible. What are the two main parts of the Bible called? - - - Right, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Did you know that the whole Bible testifies or witnesses about who Jesus is? The Old Testament was written before Jesus came to earth. It was written to prepare people for Him coming to earth. The Old Testament is amazing because hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, it told of the wonderful things that Jesus was going to do when He came to earth…and do you know what happened?… All of those things came true. How do we know that all of those things came true?… That’s where the New Testament comes in. The New Testament was written by Jesus disciples… all those people who heard with their own ears, saw with their own eyes, or people who knew those people who saw and heard for themselves. While the Old Testament tells us the story of everything before Jesus came to earth, the New Testament tells us the true story of what


happened when Jesus came, and how Jesus’ disciples became His witnesses. We can read the Bible for ourselves… in fact, we should read the Bible for ourselves. We should read some of the Bible every single day. We should memorize Bible verses and learn the true stories. We should learn the Bible because it’s God’s Word, written down by people who listened very carefully to God’s Holy Spirit. When we learn the Bible for ourselves, then God’s Holy Spirit focuses our lives on Jesus and helps us become even better witnesses for Jesus.

Jesus’ disciple, Simon Peter, became a powerful witness after Jesus returned to Heaven. Turn your Bible to Acts chapter 2. (Give everyone time to find Acts 2 in their Bible.) The events of Acts chapter 2 actually took place ten days after Jesus returned to Heaven. Let’s look at how Jesus helped Peter to focus on the mission of being Jesus’ witness. Look what happened starting in verse 1.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they [Jesus’ disciples] were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. 5 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them [Jesus’ disciples] speaking in his own language. 7 And they were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear in our own native language?”

So this is pretty cool, huh? Remember that Jesus told His disciples that after He returned to Heaven, He would send the Holy Spirit to give them power to be His witnesses? Well, this is when it happened. On that day, when the Holy Spirit came to live inside of Jesus’ followers, He gave the disciples a very special and amazing power. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus’ disciples the power to speak in other human languages… languages that they had never studied and didn’t have any way to speak those languages before. It was such a big deal that people from all over the city of Jerusalem came to see what was going on. Look down in verse 11 and see what else the people in the crowd said to the disciples:

Acts 2:11b “we hear them speaking the magnificent acts of God in our own languages.” 12 They [the people in the crowd] were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What could this be?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re full of new wine!”


Some people in the crowd were amazed by what they heard. The disciples had become apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent.” The followers of Jesus now had the power to go and tell others about Jesus, because now they had the Holy Spirit living inside of them. Did you notice in verse 13 that some people made fun of the Jesus followers? Some people were saying that the apostles were full of wine… meaning they thought that they were drunk. Let’s look at verse 14 to see who stood up to begin to lead the witness to the crowd.

Acts 2:14 But Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Men of Judah and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.

Of course, it was Simon Peter who stood up and led the other disciples and even led the apostles. Jesus had told him to feed His sheep, meaning that Jesus wanted Peter to lead the others. The crowd was made up of people from the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding area called Judah. All of these people were Jews. They had been expecting God to send the Messiah…the Savior of the World, but they had not understood that Jesus was God’s Son. So Peter stood up and with great focus, he began witnessing to the whole crowd. Look down at verse 22 and see some of what Peter said.

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. 24 God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.”

When Peter witnessed to the crowd, he didn’t try to make them feel good about themselves. Peter told them that Jesus was obviously God’s Savior, but that the people in this very crowd were the ones who did not listen to God…that they did not pay attention to all the things that Jesus taught and all the amazing miracles that He worked. Peter told them that they were guilty of killing Jesus (v.23), but he also made it clear that everything that happened to Jesus was all part of God’s big plan to rescue people from all their sins. When we are focused on Jesus, and when we are faithful to witness to people about Him, we need to make it very clear that everyone is a sinner…every person has sinned. We need to remind people that Jesus is the only one who


has ever lived a perfect life without any sin. We need to tell them that they are guilty of killing Jesus, because it is the sin of all people that nailed Him to the cross. Look at verse 32 to see what else Peter told the crowd.

Acts 2:32 “God has resurrected this Jesus. We are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear.”

Peter made it clear to the crowd that Jesus did not stay dead, but that He was resurrected…He came back to life. Peter told the people that he and the other apostles saw Jesus die. They saw Him buried, and then they saw Him come back to life. Not only that, but Peter and the other apostles also saw Jesus go back to Heaven. He explained that the ability to speak in their many different languages was a direct result from God sending His Holy Spirit to live inside of them. When we serve as witnesses, we need to always tell people about Jesus coming back to life and then going back to Heaven. People also need to know that when they become followers of Jesus, God will send His Holy Spirit to live inside of them too. God’s Holy Spirit may not give everyone of Jesus’ followers the ability to speak in different languages, but He will give Jesus’ followers all the power they need to tell others about Jesus. Look at verse 36.

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

Did you notice what Peter called Jesus? - - - He said that Jesus was both Lord and Messiah. When we witness to other people about Jesus, we need to always make sure they understand that Jesus is God, the Lord [Master] of everything. Look at verse 40.

Acts 2:40 And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.

Peter was very bold in his witness to the people in the crowd. As Jesus’ followers, we can be bold too. The Holy Spirit gave Peter the words to say, and He will also give you the words to say when you focus on Jesus. According to verse 41, how many people accepted Peter’s witness that day? - - - Three thousand, right. According to verse 41, what else happened to those people? - - - They were baptized, right. Baptism is a very important step of obedience for everyone who wants to follow Jesus and become His witness. Baptism is a symbol of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It’s also a fantastic way to show the whole world that you belong to Jesus (as His


follower), and He belongs to you (as your Savior and Lord). Peter and the other apostles were careful to make sure that the new Jesus followers were baptized as soon as they gave their lives to Jesus. When you share Jesus with someone, and they follow Him, you should also help them speak with your pastor or your Bible study leader to help them get baptized. On another day, Peter stood up in front of another great big crowd and he witnessed to them also. Look at Acts 3:13. Let’s read how God used Peter to help many more people give their lives to Jesus. Peter said,

Acts 3:13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.”

Did you see it again? Peter wasn’t afraid to tell the people the truth about their sin. When we are focused on Jesus, we are focused on the truth that Jesus is the only Savior… that He is the only source of life, and that everyone needs Jesus, because everyone is a sinner. Look what Peter said in verse 17.

Acts 3:17 “And now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. 18 But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets—that His Messiah would suffer—He has fulfilled in this way. 19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…”

In verse 19, what did Peter tell the people they needed to do? - - - “Repent and turn back,” right. “Repent” literally means to turn around and go the opposite direction. The idea is simple: in sin, everyone is walking away from God…away from life…and away from Heaven. Everyone is a sinner, so everyone must “repent” or “turn around” and begin living their life for Jesus. When we give our life to Jesus by trusting in Him only, He wipes away our sin, gives us eternal life, and makes us part of God’s family. This completely changes the focus of our life. Our focus switches from always being on ourselves, to always being on Jesus. This is a wonderful truth that we need to share with everyone.

According to Acts 4:4, thousands of more people who heard Peter’s witness, decided to give their lives to Jesus. In fact so many people were becoming followers of Jesus, that the local


authorities became very worried. The authorities didn’t like change, and because of Peter’s witness, the whole city was quickly changing. The authorities arrested Peter and another follower of Jesus named John and put them in jail for the night. Let’s look at Acts 4:7 to see what happened on the next day.

Acts 4:7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they asked the question: “By what power or in what name have you done this?” 8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” 13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Do you remember what Peter’s occupation was? - - - Right, he was a fisherman. Peter didn’t have any fancy education or training, but he had something amazing…Peter had Jesus, and now he had the Holy Spirit living inside of him…Because of this, Peter could witness boldly and powerfully even to very educated and highly-trained authorities. Did you notice that Peter made it very clear in verse 12 that Jesus is the only Savior of world? As followers of Jesus and witnesses for Jesus, we must always tell people the truth that Jesus is the only way to be forgiven, and the only way to Heaven. There is no other way. Let’s read some more starting in verse 18.

Acts 4:18 So they [the authorities] called for them [Peter and John] and ordered them not to preach or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After threatening them further, they released them.

The authorities wanted Peter and the other apostles to stop witnessing about Jesus. They even threatened Peter and John. Did it sound like Peter was going to stop witnessing about Jesus? - - - No. In fact, in verse 20, he said “we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” We need to remember that if we are focused on Jesus and on His mission for us, people will not be happy with us. Some people will be very angry with us. Some people do not like God, and some do not like change. When we witness about Jesus, some people will threaten us.


In times like those, we must choose whether we should obey people or we should obey God. Who do you think we should obey? - - - God, right.

Let’s read a few more verses in chapter 4 to see how this true story ended, and then we’ll look at our last story for today. Look at verse 23.

Acts 4:23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God…

Now skip down to verse 31.

Acts 4:31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

When Peter faced opposition from the authorities, he shared it with the other disciples. The followers of Jesus didn’t let these problems divide them or scare them. They actually began praising God and praying to Him even more. When they showed how strong their faith in Jesus was, the Holy Spirit encouraged them and gave them even more boldness to be Jesus’ witnesses. When we are focused on Jesus and His mission, we can expect the same kind of power and boldness from God.

As time went on, Peter continued to be a great witness for Jesus, but there was a problem. Peter was only sharing the truth about Jesus with certain kinds of people…He was not telling others. Peter had lost his focus on the fact that he was supposed to be a witness to all people. He was only sharing the truth about Jesus with people like himself, other Jewish people. He was not being a witness to the people who were not Jews. People who are not Jews are called Gentiles. Can you say Gentiles? - - - Good. Jewish people kept many, many rules that they thought God wanted them to keep, even about what foods they could and could not eat. Some Jewish people thought this made them better than Gentile people, and that only Jews could truly be saved by Jesus… But remember that in Acts 1:8, just before Jesus returned to Heaven, Jesus had told Peter and the other disciples that they were supposed to be His witnesses not only in Jerusalem and Judea, but also in Samaria and to the ends of the earth…This meant to all people, everywhere. Remember, when we lose our focus, or our lives get a little out-of-focus, Jesus helps to get us re-focused on Him and His plan. That’s exactly what happened in Acts 10. Turn to Acts 10 for our last true story about Peter today. In this story, Peter was staying with some Jewish friends in the town of Joppa, but God wanted him to witness to a Gentile family in the city of Caesarea.


Normally, Peter would never even go into the house of a Gentile, but God helped him to understand that salvation through Jesus was for anyone who repented and believed. Let’s read the story together. It was about noon, and Peter went up on the roof of his friends house to pray. Little did he know that three Gentile men were on their way from Caesarea to Joppa to find Peter and ask him to come back with them to witness about Jesus. Let’s read starting with verse 10.

Acts 10:10 Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state [like a dream]. 11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually unclean!” 15 Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.

So it sounds like God made Peter take a nap on the roof. While Peter was napping, God have him a dream. In the dream, God taught Peter that Gentiles could also be saved, and they he needed to witness to them too. God used a dream with a sheet full of different kinds of foods that Jews did not eat. Did you notice how many times God had to show Peter this vision during the dream? - - - Right, verse 16 says it happened three times. Three times, just like Peter denied Jesus three times, and just like Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Jesus. This vision was really, really important because God wanted Peter to start sharing the truth about Jesus with the Gentiles. Let’s read the rest of this true story. While we read it, try to visualize the story… try to imagine yourself with Peter and his friends. Look at verse 17.

Acts 10:17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there. 19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.” 21 Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?” 22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.” 23 Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers [other disciples] from


Joppa went with him. 24 The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. 26 But Peter helped him up and said, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” 27 While talking with him, he went on in and found that many had come together there. 28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner [Gentile]. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean. 29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?” 30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. 32 Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’ 33 Therefore I immediately sent for you, and you did the right thing in coming. So we are all present before God, to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.” 34 Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him. 36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all. 37 You know the events that took place throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him. 39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree [cross]. 40 God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. 45 The circumcised [Jewish] believers who had come with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of God. Then Peter responded, 47 “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded


them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Jesus helped Peter to re-focus on God’s big plan to bring eternal life to people of all nations and nationalities. The Holy Spirit directed Peter to witness to Cornelius and his family. The entire family became followers of Jesus and then they were baptized. As we follow Jesus, we must keep our focus on Him. We can do this by studying His Word, the Bible, every day. Just think about all that we’ve learned from the Bible during the last few days. Knowing God’s Word better helps us to know God better. It’s also really important for us to be involved in our church…to surround ourselves with close friends who also follow Jesus. Did you notice in this story, that when Peter traveled to Cornelius’ house, he took some of the other disciples with him (v.23)? Peter understood the importance of having other followers of Jesus with him, especially when he was going to witness about Jesus. Staying faithful to our church helps us to stay focused on Jesus and on His mission for our life.

Peter was a great disciple and apostle of Jesus. Sometimes he was more focused on Jesus than any of the other disciples. Sometimes Peter lost his focus more than some of the other disciples. Peter was not perfect, but whenever he lost his focus, Jesus helped him to re-focus. Peter also wrote two short letters that we have in the Bible. These letters are called First Peter and Second Peter. Much of what God told Peter to write was to help us stay faithful and focused even when people don’t like us. As Peter kept witnessing about Jesus, more people became followers of Jesus, but also more people began to hate Peter. The people who hated Peter caused him pain, and suffering, and eventually probably led to him being executed. Tradition says that Peter was crucified…nailed to a cross, but that he asked to be crucified upside down. It doesn’t say this anywhere in the Bible, but tradition says that Peter requested to be crucified upside down because he said he was not worthy to be crucified right-side-up like his Master, Jesus. Although the Bible doesn’t actually tell us about Peter’s death, in the last two verses we read yesterday, Jesus gave Peter a hint about what his death would be like. Listen again to what Jesus said to Peter in John 21:18-19.

John 21:18 “I assure you: When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him, “Follow Me!”


What were the last two words that Jesus spoke to Peter in verse 19? - - - “Follow Me,” right. Peter continued following Jesus for the rest of his life, although it caused him pain, suffering, and eventually even to be killed. If we are serious about following Jesus, it will cause us pain, suffering, and maybe even some day to lose our life… but, it will be totally worth it to live forever with Jesus in Heaven. Remember the way you follow Jesus is to give Him your life through repentance (turning away from your sin and your own plan) and trusting in Jesus only.

When you trust in Jesus, He forgives your sin, and gives you eternal life. Some of you are ready to trust in Jesus right now. We can talk to God here, today, just like Peter talked to Him so many years ago. You can tell God that you want to be focused on Him by trusting in Jesus right now. I can help you tell Him from your heart. I will say the words out loud, but you can just repeat them in your heart. What really matters to God is that you really mean what you say in your heart. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes, so we’re not distracted.

If you want to give your life to God by trusting in Jesus right now, then repeat these words in your heart: “Dear God,...I am sorry for my sin...the times I’ve disobeyed You...I believe that Jesus paid the price for my sin...when He died on the cross for me...I believe that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day...I believe that Jesus is the only way for me to be rescued from my sin...please forgive me right now...I give my life to You...please make me Your child... please help me to be the example for other people to also trust in Jesus...I love You, Lord...in Jesus’ name...amen.” If you prayed that prayer, and really meant it for the first time, then raise your hand right now. Don’t be shy. We don’t ever have to be ashamed of Jesus. In fact we need to always be proud of Him.

Everybody who raised their hand, please stay right here for a few minutes. I’d like to talk with you for just a moment. Everyone else can pick up a Quiet Time Page, and find a quiet place nearby to talk with God and answer the questions. Don’t go too far away. I’ll call everybody back together in just a few minutes. (Distribute the Quite Time Pages. Take a few minutes to counsel with those who made decisions. Call the group back together in about five or ten minutes. After Quiet Time, dismiss to Free Time.)


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PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Bedtime Dorm Devotion - Night 1 (Sunday or Wednesday)

Tonight during Worship, our camp pastors talked about when Jesus was at the Sea of Galilee, and the time that He called Simon and his brother Andrew to become His disciples. Remember that Simon and Andrew were fishermen. In those days, they didn’t catch fish the same way we do. They didn’t have rods and reels. They had big nets that they pulled behind their boats. They would try to trap fish in their nets as they pulled the heavy nets up out of the water and into their boats. This was very hard work. The nets had to be repaired every day because they would get weak or they would get caught on rocks or other things under the surface of the water. We learn later in the Bible, that as a fisherman, Simon wasn’t highly educated or trained, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t smart. As a fisherman, Simon had to understand where the fish would be at different times of day or night. He had to know the very best times to lower his nets, and the very best times to raise them back up. He also had to know how to repair his nets, and probably how to repair his boats too. He had to understand how the weather could affect fishing, and especially on the Sea of Galilee, Simon had to understand how quickly the weather could become dangerous. Listen to these three verses from Matthew chapter 4: 18 As [Jesus] was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. What a strange and curious thing to say, “Follow Me and I will make you fish for people!”… and without even hesitating, Simon Peter and Andrew just left and followed Jesus. They weren’t going to use boats and nets to catch people. Over the next three and half years of following Jesus, they were going to learn that He is God, that He would suffer and die to pay for all sins, that He would be buried, but that He would come back to life to conquer death for everyone who would follow Him. They learned that catching people actually meant setting them free by leading them to Jesus. We can also be truly free and help others be free by following Jesus and becoming fishers of people too. Tonight is just the first night of camp. There’s so much more to do and learn. Let’s ask God to open our hearts so we can focus our lives on Him this week and for the rest of our lives. Let’s ask God to help us focus on Jesus even during our sleep tonight. Let’s pray. You pray silently in your heart, while I pray out loud. “Dear God, thank You for allowing us to come to camp. Thank You for a great first day. Thank You for calling us to follow You. Help us to focus our lives on You and follow You all the days of our lives. Please help us to focus on You even during our sleep tonight. Please give us good rest tonight so we can give You our very best tomorrow. We love You, Jesus. Thank You for first loving us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

Print this page for each cabin your group will occupy.

PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Bedtime Dorm Devotion - Night 2 (Monday or Thursday)

When we focus on Jesus, God does amazing things in our lives and through our lives. He brings us into His family, and we become His friends. When we trust Him and follow Him, He allows us to experience life where the supernatural and the natural world come together. Peter experienced this reality in a very powerful and frightening way. Listen to what happened. Matthew 14:22 Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. 23 After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. 25 Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.” 29 “Come!” He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God!” Can you imagine being there that night? It was completely dark, a mile from the shore in the middle of the lake during a storm… and out of the darkness came Jesus walking on the water. Probably you would have freaked out like the disciples. Even with all of that, Peter was able to get out of the boat and begin walking to Jesus. When Peter believed in Jesus and kept his eyes on Him, he walked on water, but the moment he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink. That’s the way life is for us too. Keep your focus on Jesus, and God will do amazing things through you. Take your focus off of Jesus, and you will sink. The really good new is that although you begin to sink, all you need to do is call out to Jesus, and He will lift you up. Just like the disciples in the boat, we need to worship Jesus too, because He is God. Let’s pray together tonight. “Dear God, thank You for a great second day of camp. Thank You for the recreation, the Bible stories, the wonderful time worshiping You and thank You for all of our friends. Please give us the faith to always keep our focus on You, no matter how crazy everything around us gets. Please help us sleep well tonight so we can give You our very best tomorrow. We love You, Jesus. Thank You for first loving us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”


PowerPlus Preteen Camp 2018 Bedtime Dorm Devotion - Night 3 (Tuesday or Friday)

This week we’ve learned a lot about the life of Peter. We’ve learned a lot about the Lord Jesus, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and how we are to stay focused on God and His plan. Just like someone in a race stays focused on the finish line, we also need to understand that there is a finish line for life as we know it. God told Peter to write a description about what it will be like when God brings an end to this life…it’s called the Day of the Lord. Listen to what Peter wrote: 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness 12 as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. 13 But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. 14 Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. Camp will end tomorrow, but it’s really just another beginning for us. We get to go home and live lives that are focused on Jesus and His mission of bringing eternal life to people everywhere. It’s really important for us to understand that everything God is doing is leading to a day when Jesus will come back. The day that Jesus comes back to earth will be the most terrible day ever for everyone who did not give their life to Him, but it will be the most wonderful day ever for everyone who did give their life to Him and live their life for Him. Every one of us must decide to focus our lives on Jesus, and choose to join Him in His mission to save the world…some day it will be too late. Let’s pray that God will help us stay focused on Jesus, and that He will help us to help everyone we know also focus their lives on Him too. “Dear God, thank You so much for this week of camp. Thank You for loving us enough to come and die for us. Thank You for loving us so much that You would come back to life so that we might live forever. Thank You for calling us to follow You. Thank You for loving us so much that You would allow us the privilege of joining You in Your mission to rescue people from all their sins. Thank You Jesus that some day You will return to earth… that on that day, You will bless everyone who belongs to You and you will punish everyone who does not. Lord, please help us to focus our lives on You every day. Lord, when we lose our focus, or get distracted by stuff that does not matter, please help us to re-focus our lives on You. Please give us good rest tonight so we can give You our very best tomorrow. We love You. Thank You for first loving us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”


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