HARD TIMES - Paul
Bullying used to happen in schools way more than it does now. In fact, the biggest bullies in my school were actually the year 5 and 6 teachers! Every time I had to answer a question in front of the class, I spoke very quietly, unsure if it was wrong and the teacher would laugh at me. One time I filled in an English test wrongly because I didn’t know what a brownie was and Mr Anderson had the whole class in stitches laughing at my answers. It was cruel and unfair.
Have you been bullied? What for?
Persecution is being bullied for a specific reason. It is "unfair or cruel treatment over a long period of time because of race, religion, or political beliefs."
Paul experienced a lot of persecution based on his beliefs in Jesus, and the Bible talks about suffering due to our beliefs (persecution) quite a lot.
In Australia we aren’t really persecuted much, and definitely not to the extent Paul was.
But that doesn’t mean that we should not talk about it!
What do you think?
Yes or No?
Your friends laugh at you because you believe in Jesus.
You don’t want to ask a friend to come to church because you are worried that they might say mean things about it.
Your friends love coming along to church with you.
Your friends say they believe in Jesus but they don’t come to church.
Wanting to fit in can feel very important, but more important is sticking up for God when people are putting him down, and letting people know that you are serious about your beliefs.
Bible Passage: 2 Timothy 3:12
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Bible Passage: Matthew 5:10
“Blessed are those who are persecuted.”
Story Time!
Paul was blinded by God and then healed by God.
Paul was opposed by other disciples.
Paul travelled around preaching Jesus to every town as no one had heard the gospel at all at this point. He ended up bringing so many people to God that a group of people who didn’t believe or like his message started following him around and turning each crowd against them.
Paul was stoned and left for dead.
Paul was shipwrecked and bitten by a deadly snake.
Bible Passage: Acts 14:19-20
"Some Jewish leaders turned the crowds against Paul. They hit him with stones and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.But when the Lord’s followers gathered around Paul, he stood up and went back into the city.”
Paul was whipped without sentencing and as a Roman citizen and thrown in jail for the night with a man named Silas. They sang songs all night and God opened up the gates of the jail, showing he was with them and happy with their actions.
Paul was in jail for lengthy periods of time, where he was able to tell all the prisoners about Jesus
Paul went to trial and in front of the judge and everyone in the room, he told everyone why they should all believe in Jesus! Paul used every opportunity to convert people to Christianity.
Don’t act in a way that will avoid persecution. Face it with strength like Paul, knowing that when you are weak, God is strong.
Question Time!
Think of the way you handle hard times. What do you normally do and say and how do people see Jesus in your actions?
Have you ever been persecuted because of your faith in Jesus? Talk about what happened together.
