Free Bible lesson for kids · The Church Begins
Peter Heals the Lame Man
At the temple gate called Beautiful, a man lame from birth asked Peter and John for money. Peter said he had no silver or gold, but in the name of Jesus told him to rise up and walk. The man went walking, leaping and praising God.
- Bible passage
- Acts 3:1–26
- Big idea
- Jesus’ name has power to change lives.
- Memory verse
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
Peter and John went up to the temple to pray (Acts 3:1). At the gate called Beautiful sat a man lame from birth, begging for money (Acts 3:2–3). Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter took his right hand, and at once his feet and ankle bones grew strong (Acts 3:7).
All were amazed as the man went into the temple “walking, and leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:8–10). Peter said this was not by his own power (Acts 3:12). They had killed “the Prince of life,” but God raised Him from the dead, and faith in Jesus’ name made this man strong (Acts 3:15–16). “Repent ye therefore, and be converted,” Peter said, “that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).
Read it in the Bible: Acts 3:1–26 (KJV)
1Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 11And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. 12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. 14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Questions to ask
What was the name of the temple gate?
Beautiful.
What did the man ask for?
Alms (money).
What did the man do after he was healed?
He walked, leaped and praised God.
What this story teaches
- Jesus’ name has power to make the weak strong (Acts 3:16).
- The healing came by Jesus’ power, not Peter’s own (Acts 3:12, 16).
- God raised Jesus, the Prince of life, from the dead (Acts 3:15).
- God blots out the sins of those who repent (Acts 3:19).
- All the prophets spoke ahead of time about Jesus (Acts 3:18, 24).
Jesus Turns Us from Sin
Jesus made the lame man strong when he could not help himself. God sent Jesus to bless us by turning us away from our sins.
Acts 3:26
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for the power of Jesus’ name. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “Jesus’ name has power to change lives.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Acts 3:6 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors or out · about 10 minutes
Walking, Leaping, Praising
You need: Cones
- Kids sit by the “Beautiful gate” at one end.
- On “Rise up and walk!”, each child walks to the cone, leaps all the way back and finishes with arms up shouting “Praise God!”
- Then they tag the next child.
Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee,” and the man went walking, and leaping, and praising God.
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 20 minutes
Such As I Have
You need: Paper, pens
- Each person lists three things they can give that don’t cost money: a skill, time, encouragement.
- In teams, plan a no-money act of service for someone this week.
- Report back next week.
Peter had no money, but he gave what he had: Jesus. You have more to give than you think.
Pray
Thank God for the power of Jesus’ name.