PRIMARY & Home Come Follow Me Activities – JULY (week 3) New Testament “What Wilt Thou Have Me to Do?“ with Scripture Scholars bookmarks & pop-ups – Acts 6-9

• Help the children create actions to go with a song about choosing the right, such as “Stand for the Right” (Children’s Songbook, 159). Use Acts 7:51–60 to teach the children that Stephen taught about Jesus Christ, even though it made the Jewish leaders very angry (see also “Chapter 57: Wicked Men Kill Stephen,” in New Testament Stories, 150–51, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How did Stephen stand for the right?

• Give the children several scenarios of children who have to make a choice between right and wrong. Ask the children what they would do to stand for the right.

OLDER CHILDREN

• Summarize the story of Saul’s conversion, found in Acts 9:1–20 (see also “Chapter 59: Saul Learns about Jesus,” in New Testament Stories, 154–55, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Talk with the children about things that change, such as a tadpole, which changes into a frog, or a caterpillar, which changes into a butterfly. Show pictures, if possible. How did Saul change when Jesus Christ visited him?

• Draw a forked road on the board. Invite the children to name places they would like to visit, and write them at the top of one road. What would happen if we turned onto the wrong road? Compare repentance to getting back on the right road.

• Ask the children to repeat what Saul said to the Lord: “What wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). What does the Lord want us to do?

  OLDER CHILDREN

  Acts 9:1–20

  When Jesus told Saul to stop persecuting the Lord’s Church, Saul immediately repented and changed. How can this account help the children you teach desire to quickly change when they make a mistake?

  • Invite the children to fold a piece of paper in half. Ask them to write Before on one half and After on the other half. Read with the children Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; and 9:17–22, and ask them to write down words or phrases that describe Saul before and after he saw the Lord.

  • Invite a ward member to share his or her conversion story and how being a member of the Church has changed his or her life, as Saul’s life was changed.

  • Draw a “road to Damascus” on the board. Invite the children to read Acts 9:6, 11, 18, 20–22, searching for what Saul did to repent and turn to Christ, and write these actions along the road. What do we learn from Saul about how we can become more like Christ?

  • Invite the children to draw their favorite part of the account of Saul’s conversion and share their drawing with the class.

• Summarize the story of Simon, found in Acts 8:9–24 (see also “Chapter 58: Simon and the Priesthood,” in New Testament Stories, 152–53, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Why can’t we receive the priesthood by buying it? How does someone really receive priesthood authority? (see Articles of Faith 1:5).

• Show pictures of the sacrament, a temple (representing temple blessings), a baptism, and other blessings we receive through the priesthood. Explain that these gifts from God cannot be bought with money. Why are they more valuable than anything we could buy? How do we receive these blessings?