Session 3: Teach All Nations

3.The First Journey: Antioch

GOOD MORNING! I’M SO HAPPY TO MEET ALL OF YOU, AND I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY OF ANTIOCH!

ANTIOCH IS A VERY IMPORTANT CITY. IT IS THE CAPITAL OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OF SYRIA. HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER HEARD OF SYRIA? [Pause while students raise their hands, or be prepared to show its location on a world map.]

WE HAVE MANY CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH. IN FACT, NOT LONG AFTER THE DAY OF PENTECOST, A GROUP OF MEN CAME TO ANTIOCH TO TEACH US ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.

THEY TOLD US THAT JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD, AND THAT HE CAME INTO THE WORLD TO TELL US AND SHOW US HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US. THEY ALSO TAUGHT US THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS, AND THAT HE WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD TO GIVE US NEW LIFE.

CAN ANYONE TELL ME SOME OF THE THINGS JESUS SAID OR DID? [Pause while students give their answers.]

THANK YOU! GREAT ANSWERS! WE WERE TAUGHT MANY OF THE THINGS YOU JUST SAID BY TWO OF THE APOSTLES, BARNABUS AND PAUL. WHEN THEY VISITED US, THEY WERE VERY KIND TO US. THEY TAUGHT US TO LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS. THEY ALSO TOLD US THAT WE SHOULD HELP OTHERS, ESPECIALLY THE POOR.

NOT LONG AGO, WE HEARD THAT THERE WERE MANY POOR PEOPLE IN JERUSALEM. WE DECIDED THAT ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH SHOULD COLLECT FOOD AND MONEY AND SEND IT TO THE NEEDY. WE SHOWED THEM OUR LOVE, JUST AS JESUS SHOWED US HIS LOVE FOR US. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TASTE SOME OF THE BREAD WE SENT?

[Give each student a small piece of Syrian bread - pita, pocket bread, olives, feta cheese.]

I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU ONE LAST THING BEFORE YOU LEAVE: ANTIOCH IS THE FIRST PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN JESUS WERE CALLED “CHRISTIANS” SO, WHENEVER YOU TELL SOMEONE THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, REMEMBER US HERE IN ANTIOCH! TO HELP YOU REMEMBER US, WE WILL PUT THE OFFICIAL ANTIOCHIAN SEAL IN YOUR PASSPORTS. [Place Antioch stickers/stamps in appropriate box on passports.]

Students should be led out of the classroom and directed to the next room for their visit to Greece

4. Second Journey: Greece

WELCOME TO GREECE! TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CITIES IN GREECE ARE THESSALONICA AND ATHENS. WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT PAUL AND HIS FRIEND SILAS CAME TO GREECE AFTER THEY LEFT ANTIOCH. THEY TOLD US THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.

PAUL TOLD US THAT WE SHOULD LIVE AS “CHILDREN OF GOD.” CAN ANY OF YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS TO LIVE AS “CHILDREN OF GOD?” [Pause for responses.]

VERY GOOD ANSWERS! LIVING AS A CHILD OF GOD MEANS THAT WE SHOULD LOVE GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. IT ALSO MEANS THAT WE SHOULD LOVE OTHER PEOPLE, TREAT EVERYONE AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND HELP THEM.

WE HEARD THAT THE CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH RECENTLY HELPED SOME NEEDY PEOPLE. HAVE YOU BEEN TO ANTIOCH? [Pause for their answers.] HOW DID THE PEOPLE IN ANTIOCH HELP THE NEEDY? [They sent money and food to the needy in Jerusalem.]

VERY GOOD! WE TRY TO HELP EACH OTHER ALSO, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT JESUS WANTS US TO DO.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR VISIT TO GREECE. SO THAT YOU’LL REMEMBER YOUR TIME HERE, I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU ONE OF OUR OFFICIAL SEALS. [Place Greece stickers in appropriate box in passports.]

Students should be led out of the classroom and directed to the last room for their visit to Rome.

5. Third Journey: Rome

I’M SORRY THAT IT IS SO DARK IN HERE! WE HAVE TO BE VERY QUIET BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO HATE US CHRISTIANS AND WANT TO ARREST US AND KILL US, SO PLEASE BE VERY QUIET!

PAUL VISITED US IN ROME AFTER HIS TRIPS TO ANTIOCH AND GREECE. HE TOLD US ALL ABOUT JESUS, AND MANY OF US BECAME CHRISTIANS. HE ALSO WROTE LETTERS TO US AND GREETED THE GOOD WORKERS IN OUR CHURCH. BUT MANY PEOPLE IN ROME TOLD LIES ABOUT US CHRISTIANS. SOME PEOPLE WANT US TO LEAVE. OTHERS WANT TO KILL US. SOME OF US HAD TO HIDE AND PROTECT PAUL WHILE HE WAS HERE BECAUSE OF THEM.

Note: Periodically during this presentation, someone should knock on the door and say, “Are there any Christians in there?” The teacher should instruct the students to be very, very quiet.

WE EVEN HAVE TO CELEBRATE THE LITURGY SECRETLY! WE CAN’T PUT CROSSES ON OUR MEETING PLACES, BECAUSE THE NON-CHRISTIANS WILL KNOW WHERE WE MEET.

SO, INSTEAD, WE PAINT OR CARVE A PICTURE OF A FISH ABOVE THE ENTRANCE TO THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE GOING TO MEET FOR LITURGY. THE REASON WE USE A FISH IS BECAUSE THE FIVE LETTERS IN THE GREEK WORD FOR FISH STAND FOR JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD SAVIOR.

CAN YOU THINK OF OTHER SYMBOLS THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED THE CHRISTIANS IN ROME SHOW THEIR BRETHREN THAT THEY WERE CHRISTIANS.

6. How can we let people know we are Christians

Second Note: While students are working on this project, someone should knock on the door again and ask if there are any Christians in the room. This will heighten the sense of danger and excitement.

Start out by thanking the “Roman teacher” and then say, “We just learned that one way the early

Christians in Rome would inform each other that they were Christians and could be trusted was by drawing a fish symbol.” Draw the fish symbol on a large visible surface and reinforce how the Greek letters that spell fish can also signify “Jesus Christ Son of God Savior.” (You can find small plaques or bumper stickers with this symbol in most Christian bookstores.)

Ask “What did we learn about how the Romans used the fish symbol?” [To find out where Church was on Sunday.] What might be some other situations that Christians would use this symbol?” [To inform other Christians about persecutions going on, etc.]

"Let’s pretend that we were living in Rome and that we needed secret ways of letting other people know that we are Christians.” Brainstorm ideas. “What might be some other symbols that they could have used?” Go over with participants how these symbols tell someone that they are Christians.

Pass out 3.5 inch diameter circles to each participant (large button size). Have participants design their own Christian symbol on spare paper and then have them draw it on their circles. Provide participants with markers, colored pencils and other art materials. Reassure participants that ideas don’t have to be completely original. Before the next class make buttons out of their symbols and hand them out next time or you can hang the symbols as a mobile in class.

7. Take them back to where you began class. Collect passports and stamp their passports, telling students that they will need them again next time, when they visit some of the other places to which the Church spread.

8. Close the session saying, “I hope you see how the early Christians lived and how the apostles shared the Good News with everyone they met even when people might make fun of them or pick-on them.”

9. Closing prayer

B: Pre-teens

1.& 2. See above.

3. Discussion of Acts 3-4, 5:12-16, 6:1-15; 11:19-30 and Romans 12:1-19 (see compilation included)

Read the scripture compilation included.

Say, “One of the reasons the Gospel spread throughout the world was because the apostles were persecuted as they preached the Good News of Jesus. While many who heard the Good News came to believe in Jesus, others became angry and would threaten to kill them. When this happened the disciples would often flee and go to another place and preach the Gospel there.”

4. Bible Search: The Church in Antioch and Greece

Hand out the bible search questions to all participants (see Bible Search handout). Split participants into groups. Groups are to read the passages aloud and work together to answer all the questions. When all the questions are correctly answered for Antioch everyone in that group gets a passport sticker for that country and moves on to the questions on Greece.

5. Rome: The Church in Hiding

Say, “We already mentioned that the apostles were persecuted by the Jewish authorities for preaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Rome it was even worse. The government of the Roman Empire decided that Christianity was illegal and would kill people who called themselves Christians.

Questions to discuss:

Say, “In order to mark the places where they worshiped and to identify themselves to other Christians, people would use the sign of a fish as a kind of secret symbol or password.”

Draw a fish on a large visible surface.

Ask, “Why do you think they would use this as their symbol?” Wait for a few responses. If no one knows explain how the letters in the Greek word for fish can be used as an acronym for Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior. If you are unsure of the Greek letters, check with your parish priest. Many Christian book and gift shops sell plaques with the fish sign containing the Greek letters that begin each word describing Jesus.

6.

Note: Make sure you put the Rome sticker in their passport once they have made their button or come up with their acronym.

Conclusion

Discuss briefly what were the key characteristics about the first Christians that showed that they were following Jesus Christ and continuing His work? [“Look at the Christians, how they love each other. They prayed as He taught them to pray. They showed their love for others in concrete ways by helping the poor and hungry. They changed the way they lived. They treated others as they wanted to be treated regardless of who they were.]

Go around the group and have each person say one way they will try to continue the work of the apostles during the coming week. Encourage them to be creative. It can be something as simple as eating lunch with someone at school who is always eating alone.

C: Teens

1. & 2. (See above)

3. Follow step 3 as indicated above but instead of reading the enclosed scripture compilation, give the following texts to different participants and ask them to summarize their passage for the class: Acts 4:1-22; 5:12-42; 6:7-60; 8;1-8; 11:19-30 and Romans 12:1-19.

4.

See step # 4 as outlined for section B above, or

6. See activity #6 in section A or option in section B.

See section B.