The Riot in Ephesus Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “The word of the Lord grew strong.”
Paul stayed in the big city of Ephesus for a long time. First he talked in the meeting house for three months. Then he taught in a school hall every day, for two whole years. Many people believed in Jesus.
God did wonderful things through Paul. Sick people got well. People who had used magic brought their magic books. They burned them all, in front of everyone. Those books were worth a lot of money! The word of the Lord grew strong.
In Ephesus there was a huge temple for a goddess named Artemis. People came from far away to see it. But the goddess was not real.
A man named Demetrius was a silversmith. A silversmith makes things out of silver. Tap, tap, tap! Can you tap like a silversmith with a little hammer? Demetrius made little silver temples of Artemis, and people bought them.
Demetrius called the other workers together. “This Paul says that gods made with hands are not gods,” he said. “Soon nobody will buy our silver things!” So many people had believed in Jesus! The word of the Lord grew strong.
The workers got very angry. They shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was mixed up. Everyone rushed into the theater. That was a huge open place with rows and rows of seats. They grabbed two of Paul’s friends, Gaius and Aristarchus.
Paul wanted to go in to the people. But his friends would not let him. Even some leaders of the city were his friends. They sent a message too. They begged him not to go into the theater.
In the theater, some shouted one thing, and some shouted another. Most of them did not even know why they had come! Then they all shouted together, for about two hours. “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Can you cover your ears? So noisy!
How long is two hours? That is a very, very long time. They shouted and shouted and shouted. What do you think happened next?
At last the town clerk came. He was a leader of the city. He made the crowd quiet. Shhh. He said, “You ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash.” Rash means too fast and not wise.
He said that Paul’s friends had done nothing wrong. They had not robbed the temple. They had not said bad things about the goddess.
He said that if Demetrius had a problem, he could go to the judges. The town clerk did not want any more trouble. Then he sent everyone home. And the big theater was empty and still.
When the noise was over, Paul called the friends of Jesus together. He cheered them on. He said goodbye. Then he went on to other lands to tell more people about Jesus. The word of the Lord grew strong.
The crowd had been very loud. But no noisy crowd could stop God’s good news. And no shouting can take away God’s love for you. The word of the Lord grew strong.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think Paul’s friends felt in the big noisy theater?
- What helps you feel calm when everyone around you is loud?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw a line to who said it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty” — Acts 19:20 (the word of the Lord → hands open like a book; growing → crouch down, then grow up tall; mighty → show your strong arms)
Dear God, thank you that nobody can stop your good news. Thank you for keeping Paul’s friends safe. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God keeps us safe
Memory verse: “Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9 · WEB
The Bible story
In the busy city of Ephesus, a silversmith stirs up a huge, noisy crowd against Paul, but God keeps His friends safe through all the shouting.
Talk about it
- In which busy city does this story happen? — Ephesus
- What good thing was happening in the city? — Many were turning to Jesus
- What job did Demetrius do? — A silversmith
- Why was Demetrius unhappy? — His idols were not selling
- Where did the great crowd rush to? — The big theater
- What was strange about many people in the crowd? — Most didn't know why they came
Where is Jesus in this story?
Demetrius was worried because Paul taught that gods made by human hands are no gods at all (Acts 19:26). The true God can't be carved out of silver. But He has shown us what He is like: the Bible says Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). You don't need a statue to know God, because Jesus has shown Him to us.
What God wants to tell us
Even when things get noisy, confusing or a little bit scary, God is never worried and never far away. Paul was surrounded by a shouting crowd, yet God used caring friends and one calm, wise leader to keep him safe. God can bring peace to the loudest storms and quiet the biggest fuss. When you feel afraid, you can remember that the same God who watched over Paul is watching over you, holding you close with a love that never lets go.
Prayer
Thank You, God, for keeping Paul safe when the crowd was so loud. When things feel noisy or scary, please help me to feel Your peace and remember that You are always right beside me. Thank You for good friends and for Your never-ending love. Amen.
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