Note to the parent or teacher: Here is a 20- to 30-minute lesson plan to fill out the post “Cities of the Bible: The City of Tarsus.” It goes with the lesson objective “Learn the major stories of the New Testament” (Christian Life and Faith: Bible Knowledge: General Bible Knowledge-1e).

Read “Cities of the Bible: The City of Tarsus.”

REVIEW PARAGRAPH 1:
Locate the country of Turkey on a world map. Next locate the city of Tarsus.

REVIEW PARAGRAPH 2:
Learn about trade routes here.

Imagine a scenario together with your child where there are no cars, no air or train travel, no Internet, no phones, yet you want to communicate with a person, perhaps a close relative, in another city. How would this be possible?

Discuss with your child why trade routes were helpful during early Christianity. In a day when there was no Internet nor other means of fast communications, trade routes helped connect the world, making it possible to take the wonderful news of Jesus, God’s Son, to all of the known world at that time.

REVIEW PARAGRAPHS 3–5:

Look up and read these verses along with their corresponding paragraphs:

• Paragraph 3: Acts 21:39
• Paragraph 4: Acts 9:11; Acts 22:3; Acts 9:30; Acts 11:25–26
• Paragraph 5: Acts 22:24–29

Learn more about Tarsus here and the benefits the Apostle Paul gained from being born there.

Read “Heroes of the Bible: Paul the Apostle.”

Additional resource:

• “Level 1 Lesson Plan: Paul the Teacher”