Leader s Guide: Ages 12-14 Kings & Kingdoms Part 1: The Life of Jesus Unit 1, Lesson 4 Jesus Calls His Disciples Lesson Aim: To explore what it means to follow Jesus. THE WORSHIP Who God Is: The King Who Is With Us THE WORD What He Has Done: Jesus called regular people to follow Him. Scripture Focus: Luke 5:1-11; 9:23-25 Key Verse: Luke 5:10b-11 Christ Connection: Isaiah 6:5-8 THE WAY The Big Question: What is it that causes us to follow Jesus? UNIT 1 FOCUS VERSE How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:9-11 Unit 1: The King Who Is With Us Bible Story What He Has Done Lesson Aim* 1 Jesus in the Temple Courts, Luke 2:41-52 2 Jesus Is Baptized, Mark 1:1-11 3 Jesus Is Tempted, Matthew 4:1-11; 1 John 2:16 4 Jesus Calls His Disciples, Luke 5:1-11 5 Jesus Cleanses the Temple, John 2:13-22 6 Jesus Is Transfigured, Matthew 17:1-9 God came to earth and grew up as a boy of faith. God the Father claimed Jesus as His beloved Son. Jesus resisted temptation and battled Satan using God s Word. Jesus called regular people to follow Him. Jesus cleared the temple of the merchants price gouging there. Jesus appearance changed and He spoke to Moses and Elijah. To seek opportunities to ask your questions about God. To study the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To study the three kinds of temptations we most often face. To know Jesus does extraordinary things through ordinary people. To treat God s house and our lives as special and holy to God. To know Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. LEADER S ENCOURAGEMENT This week, read 2 Peter 1:16-21. Please join us in praying, Lord, thank You for calling us to follow You. Show us how to disciple the students in ways to follow You. Amen. Lesson Aims are based on reflecting God s character as we participate in His actions to, for, and in the world. Take Home Elements: The Journal Entry, Action Card, and Family Discussion Card may be sent home to encourage students to reflect on the lesson. The Journal Entry is an in-depth personal study. The Action Card is a visual reminder of the Bible story, God s action, and how we can join into that action. The Family Discussion Card gives parents and guardians a way to engage their students in what they are learning. Leader s Tip: For larger gatherings, teach THE WELCOME, THE WORSHIP, and THE WORD in a large group setting and divide into small groups for discussion with THE WAY. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials. Not for resale. Use is subject to the Terms of Use available at ResourceWell.org. Terms are subject to change without notice. All other rights are reserved. ~ Page 1 of 6
Getting started THE WELCOME Suggestion: Choose a game that focuses on concepts related to the lesson such as following, miracles, fish, nets, water, or boats. ACTIVITY OPTION 1: FISH TAIL TAG Purpose: To illustrate following a leader and working as a team. Supplies: 1 bandana (or scarf) per group of 4-8 people Directions: 1. For each fish, divide the students into teams of 4-8 people. 2. Each team stands in a line and team members put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. 3. The first student in each line is the Fish Head and the last person is the Fish Tail. 4. Give each Fish Tail a bandana or scarf. The Fish Tail puts half of the bandana in his or her back pocket so the other half of the bandana hangs out. 5. On your signal, the Fish Heads lead their teams to race and grab the bandana from the tails of other fish without losing their own bandana. Team members must stay linked together. If any part of a fish gets separated, the Fish Tail cannot move; only the Fish Head and the students attached to the head can move. When a fish loses its tail, the team is out of the game. The last fish with its tail is the winner! 6. Play again, as time allows. ACTIVITY OPTION 2: REEL IT IN Purpose: To illustrate how we are called to be fishers of men. Supplies: 2 balls of yarn (or rolls of paper streamers) per player to represent fishing line Prepare: Use floor tape or chalk to create the shape of a rowboat for each player. Directions: 1. Select two or more students to play. 2. Have each player stand inside one of the rowboat shapes (one player per boat). 3. Set a ball of yarn on either side of each player and hand them a yarn end to hold in each hand. 4. On your signal, players reel in the yarn by moving their arms in circles to wrap the yarn around their arms. They must remain inside the rowboat. Contestants may not intentionally kick, throw, or grab the balls of yarn. The first player to wrap both balls of yarn around their arms is the winner. Page 2 of 6
The King who is with us THE WORSHIP Note to Leader: The instructions below are suggestions only. Adapt this time of worship to suit your environment, resources, and cultural expression. Encourage students to broaden their view of corporate worship by including a variety of expressions such as group prayer, group praise, silent meditation, singing, listening to music, reading scripture, collecting an offering, drama, dance, visual arts, and/or a physical exploration of nature or neighborhoods. Ideas for Optional Visuals: You may choose to include an object lesson, video clip, drama, dance, song, or work of art to illustrate the teaching points. Option 1: Option 2: Today, we worship God for who He is and what He has done as the King who is with us. He speaks to us and He calls us to follow Him. Gathering together to worship God is part of following Him. Read Unit 1 Focus Verse (Psalm 119:9-11) and Psalm 63:1-8. Sing worship songs that focus on Jesus presence with us, now on earth through His Holy Spirit and His Word and later in heaven where all who believe in Him will receive eternal life. Read one or more of the following passages: Invite students to offer sentences of praise to God by completing the following sentence: Lord, we worship You for. Page 3 of 6
Jesus calls His disciples THE WORD Presentation Note to Leader: Adapt this segment to your setting (Sunday School class, youth group, multi-age gathering, youth camp, retreat, etc.). In some settings, you may choose to have a student read the scripture aloud, and then have the leader, in his or her own words, briefly communicate the Teaching Points, the Christ Connection, and the Big Question. In other settings, a teacher, pastor, or other experienced speaker may present a lecture or extended message that includes those same elements. Ideas for Optional Visuals: You may choose to include an object lesson, video clip, drama, dance, song, or work of art to illustrate the teaching points. Option 1: Option 2: TEACHING POINTS Consider current culture and influences impacting your students, and adjust the teaching accordingly. The leader or a student reads Luke 5:1-11 aloud. Communicate each of the following points: When the fishermen left their boats and their nets filled with fish, they were giving up their business and their profits. It s not wrong to own possessions or to make a living, but sometimes God asks us to give up what we have so we may better focus on Him. The fishermen left what they had because Jesus asked and so they could Him their full attention. What is in the way of you giving God your full attention? Jesus showed His power to the fishermen through a fishing miracle. Peter knew it was impossible to fill the nets that day. This miracle showed Peter that Jesus was Lord. What miracle would it take for you to know the Lord Almighty truly exists and that His name is Jesus? Disciple means follower. Jesus called 12 specific people to be His first disciples. He called Matthew who, as a tax collector, was an outcast for cheating people out of their money. He called fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), and John. He called tradesmen: Philip, Thaddeus, and James (son of Alphaeus). He called Simon the Zealot who was trying to start a political rebellion and He called Bartholomew, Thomas, and Judas Iscariot. Each of them left everything to follow Jesus. He calls ordinary people who then do extraordinary things because they are following Him. The leader or a student reads Luke 9:23-25 aloud. When Jesus took up His physical cross, He willfully chose to give away His life in exchange for God s plan to save the world. When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, He is calling us to willfully choose to give away our own life to follow Him, which is also part of God s plan to save the world. The choice to follow Jesus is not a one-time decision, such as casting a vote or signing a contract. When Jesus calls us, He leads us to believe in Him. He saves us the moment we believe in Him and our choice to follow Him is one we make daily. We choose to love Him, to stick close to Him, and to do things His way instead of our own way. Page 4 of 6
THE WORD Presentation continued Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, not just an outlined plan or a set of rules. He called them to a relationship with Him. It's the same today. When we follow Jesus, we are called to a relationship with Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus had many more followers than just the first 12 disciples. Individuals and crowds followed Him everywhere. Both men and women followed Jesus. Some of the women who followed Him included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Salome, some of the mothers of the first 12 disciples, and even the wife of King Herod s servant (Luke 8:1-3). When Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him, He is talking to anyone who wants to follow Him. That includes me and that includes you. Following Jesus involves shifting our focus from our own goals, successes, and worth to focus on the mission of Jesus. His mission is to draw people to Him, so they may have eternal life. What could be more important than that? To follow Jesus well, we must know Him well, not just a snapshot of Him as a kind friend, healer or teacher, but the whole Jesus. For example, the Bible calls Jesus the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God. We are not just following a loving friend who gave His life for us, but also He who is our fierce defender and the One who conquered sin and death. The Bible helps us know Jesus fully, discovering the whole truth about who He is. We learn this from His own words, not according to who we think He is or want Him to be. Connecting the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Us CHRIST CONNECTION In the whole story of God, what's the connection between this New Testament story and the Old Testament? 700 years before Peter saw Jesus and answered the call to follow Him, Isaiah had a similar experience. The leader or a student reads Isaiah 6:5-8. The closer we come to God, the more we realize we are sinners who have done wrong in His eyes. This is why Isaiah was uneasy in God s presence. In that day, people believed if you saw the Lord, you would die (Exodus 33:20). After Simon Peter saw Jesus miraculous filling of the nets, he too became more aware of his own sinful condition and realized he was truly in the presence of the Lord. THE BIG QUESTION Introduce and elaborate on this question. Students will answer it in their discussion group. What is it that causes us to follow Jesus? Page 5 of 6
Following Jesus THE WAY Discussion GETTING STARTED Display and review the Discussion Group Covenant below: We will include everyone here, treating one another with respect and kindness. We will encourage everyone here to express their thoughts and opposing views. Every student shares his or her best experience or greatest challenge of the past week. READ IT AGAIN Read Luke 5:1-11; 9:23-25 silently or aloud. Why do you think Peter said, Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man? Following Jesus involves making choices every day. What do you think it means to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus? THE BIG QUESTION Invite students to share their answers. What is it that causes us to follow Jesus? TAKE ACTION Lead students in a discussion using the questions below. What might following Jesus look like in your life? The disciples laid everything down and followed Jesus. What are the things that sometimes get in the way of you following Jesus? Choosing to follow Jesus is a decision to commit to a life-long relationship with Him as your Lord and Savior. Often, we must choose between doing what Jesus wants for us and doing what we want to do. When have you had to make a difficult choice in order to put Jesus first? Ask each student to complete this sentence: God calls us to follow Him, SO THAT others might. PRAY Share prayer requests and answered prayers. Have students pray with partners, or have the whole group pray together. FINAL FIVE MINUTES When only 5 minutes remain, begin this segment. Give each student Action Card #4 and Journal Entry #4. Take home today s Action Card as a reminder of how we can join in what God is doing. Use the Journal Entry as your personal devotional study. Complete your Journal Entries at home and keep them together in a notebook or in your Bible. Optional: Provide parent or guardian with Family Discussion Card#4. Page 6 of 6
KINGS & KINGDOMS JOURNAL ENTRY #4 Jesus Calls His Disciples Luke 5:1-11 WHAT DOES IT SAY? Pray!!! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to learn from this passage. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? What do you think Jesus meant when He said, deny yourself and take up your cross? When we follow Jesus, we put Him first, above our own needs and desires. Jesus knows we worry about not having the things we need. In Matthew 6:33, what does Jesus promise us? WHAT CAN I DO? What might following Jesus look like in your life? Now read Luke 5:1-11; 9:23-25 and Matthew 6:33-34. Describe what the fishermen had to do to collect such an astonishing number of fish? What are some specific challenges you might face in following Jesus? Reread what Peter said to Jesus in Luke 5:8. Use this space to write it in your own wording. What worries you about following Jesus? According to Jesus (Luke 9:24-25), what do we gain by following Him? Following Jesus involves trusting Him to provide for our needs. How do you imagine Jesus might take care of your specific worries?