SECOND CHANCES
2022 Theme: “Doing Life with Jesus”
Week 39: Second Chances
Weekly Bible Bite: Acts 15:36-41
Video lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zdi6ipT1Ho (Eyewitness Bible Stories – John Mark – for adults and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpQ_ujrbZ-k (Veggie Tales – Jonah and the Whale)
We all make mistakes sometimes and need a second chance. John Mark had abandoned Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus, but Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance. Paul disagreed; he might have thought that John Mark needed a little more time before being asked to help them again. Either way, Paul and Barnabas disagreed and split up their team.
We can think this was a bad thing, but it actually resulted in two missionary teams—Barnabas and John Mark & Paul and Silas—to do the work of spreading the good news about Jesus. Both of these teams set off and continued the work of growing God’s Kingdom.
Years later, Paul recognized that John Mark had grown into a mature Christian and had the skills needed to be a good missionary. At the end of Paul’s ministry, he had come to depend on John Mark, just as he had Timothy and Titus. Even though Paul hadn’t been willing to give John Mark a second chance quite as quickly as Barnabas, he still did and John Mark proved very helpful after a little more experience. Read Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11 to learn more about what happened to John Mark. You may also be interested to know that John Mark was actually the writer of the Gospel according to Mark! He used his second chance well.
There’s not much in the Bible about John Mark, but another person that God gave a second chance to was a prophet named Jonah. God is definitely a God of second chances. The question is will we choose better the second time around.
Family goal:
• Can you think of someone who needs encouragement to ‘try again?’
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[Be sure to pick a measurable goal involving a task so that children will know when they have completed it.]
Weekly verse:
Ephesians 4:2-3, NLT – “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
Family activities:
• Have a movie night and watch the Veggie Tales movie of “Jonah and the Whale.” Why did God give Jonah a second chance? Would you have?
• Colour the picture of Jonah and the whale
• Sometimes we treat people like trash…they make a mistake and we assume they’re no longer good for anything. Why not check out your recycling box to see what fun creations you can make to demonstrate the truth that nothing and no one is beyond having a purpose?
Prayer:
Thank you, God, that even when we make mistakes, you will forgive us and give us another chance. Help us to be like you when others make mistakes. No one is perfect and there isn’t anyone you won’t help if they ask you to.
