Intermediate Level, Block 10—Spread and Propagation
Week 92
Meeting from House to House
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who help prepare and are welcoming when others come to our home.
Reference Reading: Acts 2:46; Life Study of Acts, Message 12
Memory Verse: And day by day … from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart. (Acts 2:46)
Story Sample
In the Old Testament, we learned that God wanted to have a group of people who would love and worship Him, and that He wanted to dwell among them. For this, the children of Israel followed God’s specific instructions and built a place where God could meet with man and man could go there to meet with God and worship Him. First, they built the tabernacle. Later, they built the temple.
In the New Testament, the Jewish people were attached to their tradition and they went to the temple to worship God. However, in the second chapter of the book of Acts, we start to see something completely different! Our memory verse says, “From house to house.” People started to meet in their homes. This is in contrast to meeting in the temple. It was a beautiful sight! Here we see a group of people who would get together in their homes to eat together and to worship the Lord by singing, praising, and thanking Him. The Bible says they were joyful people. They ate their food with rejoicing and simplicity of heart! This is how the habit of meeting in the homes began.
I remember when I was growing up, my parents would take me to the meeting hall for some meetings. I would stay with my mom and sit with her during the meeting. Many times I would fall asleep on my chair. Other times, my parents would drop me off at another family’s home and they would go to the meeting hall for their meetings. When my parents would come and pick me up, I was already in my pajamas, and sometimes I was already asleep. They would carry me to the car and then to my bed!
But other times the meetings were not at the hall, but right in our living room. We would make sure our house was ready to receive guests. I would tidy up all of my things and help my mom to clean the house. During the meetings, there was a lot of singing and praying to God. I am still very close to many of those who met with us then, and they are just like moms and dads to me. They love me, and I love them! I am so happy my parents opened our home to have meetings. [Storyteller, share an example of opening your home to home meetings or going to home meetings.]
I hope that when you get older, you will be the ones who open your homes to eat with others. You can enjoy a simple life of coming together with others to worship God by singing, praising, and thanking Him. In the meantime, you can be those who help your parents to get the house ready for the ones who are coming! As they walk in, you can welcome them with a big smile and make yourself available to help your parents with anything they need!
[Now, because of this pandemic, we can’t really meet together in the meeting hall or in our homes. So, you may have seen your parents meeting with others on the Internet. We shouldn’t stop meeting with others, rejoicing together by singing, praying, and praising God. This is your parents’ way of living, and I hope it will be yours as well!]