Crazier Than Fiction: Reading the Book of Acts with Your Kids
Two weeks ago, on Mar 25, 2025, my 9-year-old surrendered his life to Christ and now trusts in him alone for salvation. By grace, through faith, Christ redeemed his soul from death to life!
He was reading a book about plants on our couch, but when my wife (Brittany) and I started to walk him upstairs for bed, he mentioned he had a few questions. The Lord has given him a deep curiosity about all kinds of things in life, but it was obvious these were not our normal “what are we going to do tomorrow” questions. It was already late and we had a full day, and my brain was working at about -10% capacity — but these types of conversations are always so rich.
Our kids are around “Christian stuff” day in and day out. They know the Gospel is true and they believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again on the third day. But, our prayer is that each of our kids come face-to-face with their desperate need for his forgiveness and salvation, and respond in faith.
Intellectual belief in God is what the demons had in James 2:19.
I want my kids to be captured by the glory of Jesus, and overflow with worship.
Before our first kid was 6 months old, we had no less than 3-4 kids Bibles in our home.
Our kids weren’t even walking and I was already stocking up on creative Bible story books. I wanted the Gospel to be a constant conversation with our kids, and I wanted them to learn the Bible backward and forward. I dreamed of reading the Bible every morning and night with our kids — and them loving every minute.
But, reality quickly set in. I’m not a great storyteller, and it’s tough to capture our kids imaginations. Now that we’ve got 6 kids, some days it feels like a major win just to keep everyone quiet during prayer at the dinner table.
The simple truth is that life is crazy. Buying the latest Advent study or ordering a fancy illustrated children’s Bible won’t transform hearts. These are great tools, but they aren’t a cure-all for hearts that need to be awakened to personal sin and the grace of Jesus. I’m finally realizing there is no easy button.
My kids didn’t need another children’s Bible.
God is using the Book of Acts to reveal his glory to our kids.
We just finished reading through the Book of Acts with our children for the second time, and it’s been a beautiful reminder of the simple power of reading God’s Word together. Every weekday after breakfast, Brittany simply reads through a short section of verses at the table.
Every bit of the Bible is profitable and valuable, but I’m falling in love with the Book of Acts all over again.
Our kids range in age from 11 years down to 18 months. Our baby mostly throws food in the floor but everyone else stays locked in to the stories (most of the time). Acts opens with Jesus handing down the Great Commission in Acts 1:8, and ends with Paul spending 2 years preaching and teaching in Rome (from prison). Over 25% of the book is made up of Gospel-saturated speeches from Peter, Stephen, Paul, and others.
Acts = History + Theology + Crazy Stories
Acts gives us all sorts of stories crazier than any fiction writer could dream up.
Stephen was chosen as a deacon, then became the first martyr recorded in the Bible. Paul was murdering Christians, then Jesus sent him to preach to the Gentiles. Peter ostracized non-Jews from the Jerusalem church, then repented when he heard they received the Holy Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to Peter and the Holy Spirit. Paul was beaten, left for dead, then woke up and started preaching again.
Remember that quick list of Paul’s sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33?
The second half of Acts is Luke’s personal account of watching it happen. The epistles are amazing letters that are a quick read, but the Book of Acts just might be the best book in the Bible to read with your kids or new believers. Paul’s letters teach us the why and how behind the Gospel, but Acts shows us the Gospel and the Holy Spirit’s work in action.
Reading Acts is watching the Gospel in motion.
Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit coming into the world — empowering believers to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, plant churches, and stay faithful to the end.
“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:22-24)
It’s been an amazing gift to see long-term fruit from the time my wife is investing in reading Acts with our kids.
Read the Book of Acts with your kids, you won’t regret it.
God’s Word does not return void. It’s impossible to disciple our kids without reading it together.
You and I don’t need a seminary education, and we don’t even need a simplified version. Our kids just need to see us fall in love with God’s Word and hear us read it with them.