JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
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for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
12But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
14But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16And he threw them out of the courtroom.
17The crowd* then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
Paul Returns to Antioch of Syria
18Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters* and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later,* God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem* and then went back to Antioch.
23After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.*
Apollos Instructed at Ephesus
24Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit* and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
27Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
In Acts 18, we see Paul, Apollos, and other believers boldly sharing the good news that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. They were able to teach people about Jesus accurately because God made it clear all throughout his scripture who the Messiah would be.
Long before Jesus was born, God had promised his people that a Messiah, or Savior, was coming (Jeremiah 23:5-6, 2 Samuel 7:12-16). Much of the Bible before Jesus’ birth details God’s people looking and waiting for their promised Messiah that would set them free. God gave us many stories, prophecies and promises in the Old Testament that would clearly point us to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We can trust God’s words and have proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah because his life directly fulfills many of the prophecies that God revealed to his people throughout the Old Testament! This also shows us that God is intentional and has desired for us to know Jesus as our Savior all throughout history.
Download the Messiah Match Game. The game has a list containing aspects of the promised Messiah in the Old Testament, and another list with aspects of Jesus’s life that fulfills those promises. Match the OT promise to Jesus’ life to see how God keeps and fulfills his promise to give us a Savior and King!
There are 2 versions based on age and difficulty!
K-2 Messiah Match Game
Before you pray, spend time talking through the discussion questions below:
God, thank you for clearly showing us that Jesus is our promised Savior and Messiah. Thank you for being faithful to keep your promises. Help us to continually trust you and your word as we go about our day-to-day lives.