Lesson: Peter Heals a Man in Jesus Name (Acts 3)

This lesson plan is based on the Bible passage in Acts 3 when Peter heals a crippled man. It’s an important story because it shows how the power and Spirit of Jesus continue his work through the church. From this lesson children will learn how they can be ready to share what they know about Jesus with other people.

Lesson Title:   A Man is Healed
Bible Reference: Acts 3:1-10
Target Age Group: K4-2^nd grade
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 45 minutes
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Credits: Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing and Distant Shores Media

Memory Verse: The Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6
Gospel Connection: In Acts 3, a crippled man is sitting by the temple gates begging for spare change.  When Peter sees the man, he takes the opportunity to share more than gold and silver with him.  Peter tells the man about Jesus.  The man is healed and responds by praising God.  Like Peter, we should always be ready to help those in need, and when we help those in need it is imperative that we teach them about Jesus, the true source of healing.
Learning Aim: Children will learn that we should always be ready to tell others about Jesus because he is better than anything else that the world has to offer.
Target Age: K4-2^nd grade
Basic Supply List:

1. Shoe
2. Bag of Pennies
3. Bible
4. Masking Tape
5. Chairs and other classroom items to use as obstacles
6. Three bowls
7. Beach Ball

Note: In the teaching plan below the words in italics are meant to be read aloud. The regular text is simply directions for the teacher.

> > > > Basic Teaching Plan < < < <

Begging for Change:  Begin the lesson by greeting the children and asking them to share about what God has done in their lives in the past week.  You will show the children a variety of items to get them curious about the story.  These items should be stored in a bag out of sight until you need them.  You will need a baggie full of coins, a shoe, and a Bible.  First pull out the shoe and ask what it is and what it is used for.  Say, We wear shoes to protect our feet when we walk.  Can you imagine what it would be like if we couldn’t walk? How would your life be different?  How would you get from place to place? (Be sensitive to any children in your class that might have disabilities.)  Tell the children that they will be hearing a story about a man who could not walk today.  Next, pull out the coins. Ask the children what it is.  Say, Change like this was very important to the man in the story.  He couldn’t work because he could walk so he would spend every day begging for change.  Take out the Bible last.  Say, One day a man named Peter saw the man and instead of giving him money, he gave him Jesus, the greatest gift of all.  
Biblical Evidence:  Use one of the items from Begging for Change while reading Acts 3:1-10.
Part 1: Show the shoe again.  Read Acts 3:1 and 2.  Say, The man couldn’t work because he wouldn’t walk. so every day, he sat by the temple and begged for the money he needed to support himself. 
Part 2: Show the bag of change and read Acts 3:3-5.  Say, Money was precious to this man. He relied on the kindness of others to give him the money that he needed.  When Peter stopped and talked to him, he thought that Peter was going to give him money.  Let’s see what Peter really gives the man. 
Part 3: Show the Bible and read Acts 3:6-10.  Say, Peter gave the man the gift of knowing Jesus.  He showed him the power of God by giving him the ability to walk.  The man was healed and was finally able to walk.  When he was healed he was overjoyed and went throughout the city telling everyone he could about Jesus. 
The crippled man learned an important lesson that day.  Money was able to help him buy things, but only Jesus Christ could truly heal him. 
Coin Toss:  The crippled man relied on the kindness of others to get the money that he needed to live.  To reinforce the idea that we should give to others, set up a penny toss and donate the pennies that the kids toss to a ministry that helps other children in need.  Use masking tape to make a starting line on the floor for the kids to stand behind.  Place three bowls approximately 5 feet away from the starting line.  Give each child a handful of pennies and let them take turns tossing them.  When all the pennies have been tossed, collect them and explain to the kids that this money will be given to a ministry that will help someone in need, like the crippled beggar. Explain that the ministry will met the needs of people and also tell them about Jesus.
No Legs Relay Race:  To play this game, create a starting line and a finishing line on either side of your classroom or play space.  You will not want the space to be too big.  Place chairs, toys, books and other objects between the start and finish lines to create an obstacle course.  Have the children take turns running the relay race until everyone has had a turn.  The catch is that the children may not use their feet while they are completing the relay race. They may roll, crawl, and scoot, but they may not walk or run.
Reviewing the lesson: Say, When the crippled beggar saw Peter the most he was hoping for was a few pennies, but God had over plans for his life.  Peter showed him who the true healer was and that is Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus and amazing thing was done in the life of that man.  He was healed physically and was finally able to walk.  Isn’t that amazing?  When the man was healed he praised God for healing him.  What are some things that you can thank God for in your life?  What has God done for you? Have the children sit in a circle and toss a beach ball back and forth between them.  When they catch the ball, they must say something that God has done in their lives or something that they are thankful for.  Play until everyone has had a turn or until they loss interest.   
Closing:  Close the lesson by praying and thanking God for the all of the things that He has done in the lives of the children.  Ask God to bless the money that the children are donating to charity and pray that He would be with the children throughout the week and that they would be encouraged to tell others about Jesus.