"Doing Life with Jesus”
Today’s Lesson - “Jesus’ Disciples—A Motley Crew”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjhubUEY9c (IATTM – The Twelve Apostles – good for adults and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKjWlETMYxc (Saddleback Kids – The Apostles and the High Council)

Jesus had many disciples, both men and women, from respectable backgrounds and some not so respectable. From these disciples, he chose twelve to be apostles.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve
Luke 6:12-16 – “One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:
14 Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (who was called the zealot),
16 Judas (son of James),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).”

Were the twelve men that Jesus chose the ‘best of the best?’ No! In fact, he knew that one of them would betray him—Judas Iscariot. And some of the others were also questionable. Simon the Zealot—was it really wise to have an extremist in the group? And what of Simon, who he renamed Peter? The man was always putting his foot in his mouth. Not to mention Andrew, James and John—they were just fishermen and we know that the brothers, James and John, also struggled to control their tempers. And let’s not forget Matthew; as a tax collector, no one in the group would have been overly fond of him. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the others, but we know that this group of twelve men sometimes struggled to get along.

We don’t know why Jesus chose these particular twelve men for the special designation of ‘Apostles,’ but we can be certain that those he chose were picked for a reason. Jesus had prayed all night and, by morning, God had shown him who he was to invest his time in most heavily. We may not know why these twelve men were chosen, but we do know that the Apostles were the ones who were to continue to grow the Church once Jesus was gone. It wasn’t an easy job, but they continued to serve Jesus and teach others what they knew and lead the other disciples in sharing the Good News with everyone.

Engage:
• Many people followed Jesus, but only twelve were chosen to be ‘apostles.’ Can you name them?
• They weren’t perfect people and the Bible records some of the many mistakes they made. So, why do you think they were chosen?
• When Jesus returned to heaven, it was the Apostles’ job to give leadership to the others who would become part of the Church. Why would they have been suited for this job?
• Today, we can continue to follow Jesus as his disciples. What special work does he want us to do? …for you to do?

Weekly verse:
Romans 12:2, NLT – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you that I can be a disciple of Jesus. When you chose the twelve apostles, you showed that we don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to want to obey you. Help me to always follow you…loving God and loving others.

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
​
~ Pastor Jane

2022 Theme: “Doing Life with Jesus”
Week 4: Jesus’ Disciples
Weekly Bible Bite: Luke 6:13; 8:1-3: 9:1-6; 10:1-20

Video lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWiqXIn9tyg (LifeKids – Jesus and his first disciples)

A disciple is someone who has committed to travelling with Jesus and being a student of his. The people who followed Jesus came from all walks of life—fishermen, tax collectors, extremists and more. Jesus had many disciples—yes, way more than the twelve who became known as the Apostles. Luke tells us that after a night of praying, Jesus chose the twelve from amongst all his followers for a special role (Luke 6:13); but the others who weren’t chosen as Apostles were still his disciples. Luke tells us that many of Jesus’ followers were women (Luke 8:1-3). Luke also tells how Jesus sent out the Apostles to preach and heal people (Luke 9:1-6); then later, he sent out seventy-two more of his disciples to do the same (Luke 10:1-20).

Many people followed Jesus when he lived on earth, but today he has even more disciples. Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus as a Christian becomes his disciple…and just like his first followers, he wants us to follow his example and learn from him.

Family goal:
We can be Jesus’ disciples when we choose to be his students. We will learn to be more like Jesus by ____________________
[Be sure to pick a measurable goal involving a task so that children will know when they have completed it.]

Weekly verse:
Romans 12:2, NLT – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Family activities:
• Colour the picture of Jesus calling his first disciples.
• Make a ‘walk with Jesus’ sandal or footprints to remind you of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
• Choose a random act of kindness to do as a family. When we are kind, we are ‘doing life with Jesus’ and following his example.
​
Family Prayer:
Thank you, God that we can be followers of Jesus. Help us to learn to think like him so that we can act like him. Help us to show Jesus’ love to everyone we meet.

"Doing Life with Jesus”
​
2022 Theme verses: Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Today’s Lesson - “Jesus Begins His Ministry”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrZaOuSnm7g (Kids on the Move – Jesus is Tempted)

​When Jesus was thirty years old, he knew it was time to begin the special work God had sent him to do. He went to the Jordan River to be baptized and God spoke from heaven! He said, “This is my Son and I am very pleased with him.” Amazing, right? But then Jesus went into the wilderness to spend time with God and he came face to face with his enemy…the devil.

Satan Tries to Trick Jesus
Matthew 4:1-11 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.”

The devil had been watching for an opportunity to get Jesus to disobey God. After Jesus had gone without food for forty days, what better way to tempt Jesus than with some yummy bread. He told Jesus he should make some bread for himself, but Jesus knew that he needed to rely on God to provide. He had gone to the wilderness to fast and pray; he didn’t want to eat because he knew that his time with God was more important than food…when it was time to eat, God would let him know.

Next, the devil challenged Jesus to prove he was God. He told him to jump off a high place…if Jesus really was the Son of God, God would keep him safe. Jesus told the devil that was wrong, because we shouldn’t expect God to save us from natural consequences…he can, but we should never think that God has to prove anything to us.

Finally, the devil told Jesus that if he bowed to him, he’d hand over control of the world to Jesus. Jesus knew that this was absolutely wrong; the devil was suggesting Jesus didn’t have to follow God’s plan…here was a shortcut. Jesus wasn’t even tempted and told the devil to take a hike. After Satan left, God sent angels to take care of Jesus…he had passed the test.

Engage:
• Jesus knew that it was time for him to begin the work God had sent him to do. What was the first thing he did? Why?
• After being baptized and hearing God’s voice telling him how very proud of Jesus he was, Jesus went into the wilderness. What reason did he have for going?
• Jesus went forty days without eating to spend time with God. How long have you ever gone without eating? Why was this important for Jesus to do?
• The devil tried to trick Jesus into doing something wrong. Why do you think Jesus was able to see the danger in the devil’s suggestions? How can we come to recognize when some ideas, even though they may not seem bad, aren’t really good for us?

Weekly verse:
Matthew 4:17, NLT – “From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’”
Prayer – Dear God, thank you that Jesus didn’t fall for the devil’s tricks. Help me to be able to know right from wrong and be able to recognize when something that doesn’t sound bad, still isn’t a good idea.
​
~ Pastor Jane

2022 Theme: “Doing Life with Jesus”
Week 2: Jesus Begins His Ministry
Weekly Bible Bite: Matthew 3:13-17

Video lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88JYcN2-FiQ (Kids on the Move – Jesus is Baptized)

Matthew 3:13-17 – “Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

The first thing Jesus did when preparing to begin his ministry was to go to the Jordan River where his cousin John was baptizing people. Why? John had been baptizing people as a sign that they were sorry for sins, but Jesus never did anything wrong. So, why be baptized? He was making a declaration that he belonged to God, and was committed to obeying Him. He knew what was coming, but he was determined to see it through. And what did God do? He confirmed to Jesus that he was pleased with him.

Immediately after Jesus was baptized, he headed into the wilderness and spent more than a month without eating, just being with God. Satan came and tried to trick Jesus into disobeying God, three times. But each time he came up with a new test, Jesus recognized the danger and eventually told Satan he needed to leave. (More of that story still to come!)

Family goal:
Jesus knew how important it was to obey and spend time with God. We will do something special for God this week: ____________________
[Be sure to pick a measurable goal involving a task so that children will know when they have completed it.]

Weekly verses:
Matthew 4:17, NLT – “From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’”

Family activities:
• Colour the picture of Jesus being baptized.
• Print off the bird kite template, follow the directions to assemble, then enjoy flying your new dove kite.
• Choose a meal to fast from and/or if your family is not in the habit of praying before you eat, make a plan to thank God for the food at each meal. Have each member of your family take turns saying ‘grace’ (thanking God for the food).

"Doing Life with Jesus”

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Today’s Lesson - “Jesus’ Life as a Kid”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30oy_Lwfghk (What was Jesus like as a child – CQ Kids)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_3gvIWzbw&t=120s (Saddleback Kids – Jesus in the Temple)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-G58xpeUzo (“When Jesus was a Little Boy” by Margi McComb)

Jesus Obeyed His Parents
Luke 2:41-52, NLT – “41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Jesus knew he was special—he was God’s Son! But that didn’t mean he didn’t have to obey Mary and Joseph, his parents. At twelve, his family took a trip to Jerusalem and while there Jesus went to the Temple. He understood that the Temple was God’s House and he wanted to spend time there. But his parents didn’t realize this and left the city without him. After travelling for a day, they realized that Jesus wasn’t with the group and travelled back to search for him. It took them three days to find him and by the time they did they had become increasingly worried for him. What if something bad had happened?

When they found him, they couldn’t understand why Jesus had left them to go to the Temple in the first place. And he didn’t understand why they had to look for him…after all, shouldn’t it be obvious that he would want to spend time in his Father’s house. Jesus and his parents had different ideas about how he should want to spend his time, but he was quick to obey them regardless. When they told him it was time to go, he went and he continued to obey them in their home in Nazareth.

Engage:
• Even as a child of twelve, Jesus knew he was God’s Son. Why do you think he still needed to obey his parents, Mary and Joseph?
• Jesus had wanted to spend time with his Father, God. Why do we want to spend time with our parents?
• Mary and Joseph became very worried when they couldn’t find Jesus. Why do you think they became anxious?
• Jesus grew up in Nazareth with his parents, his brothers and sisters. In what ways might it have hard for Jesus to grow up in a family? What do you think his life would have been like?

Weekly verse:
1 Peter 3:8, NLT – “All of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you that Jesus can understand us, because he was one of us. He knows that it isn’t always easy to be good and to obey our parents, but he was and showed us that we can be too. Help me to always be respectful and live to be like Jesus.
​
~ Pastor Jane

2022 Theme: “Doing Life with Jesus”
Week 2: Jesus…just a brother!
Weekly Bible Bite: Matthew 13:55-57

Video lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s63yZxOXGZw (CQ Kids – Did Jesus Have Any Brothers or Sisters?)

I wonder if Jesus ever wished he had been an only child. Many people forget the fact, that after Jesus was born, his parents had more children. In fact, the Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph had four sons (James, Joseph, Simon and Jude) and at least two daughters (whose names we are not told). Growing up in the same house with Jesus, however, did not necessarily convince His brothers and sisters of His true identity as the Son of God. He was just ‘Jesus’…their big brother.

Doing Life with Jesus”

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Today’s Lesson - “Jesus Took a Demotion”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.kidology.org/andy (Resource to explain the incarnation to children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l8QMgKvXdA (Douglas Talks – Putting Others First)

Be humble…like Jesus!
Philippians 2:5-8, NLT – “ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Can you imagine the president of a country giving up his/her job to become a fry cook at McDonalds? Nope! Not gonna happen. Why would someone so important give up their position to do a job that is far less important? Well, the Apostle Paul tells us that God did something similar—Jesus gave up His ‘divine privileges’ to become a human being. That meant that he chose to ‘obey’…he would no longer be in charge, but would take his orders from God the Father.
Why in heaven would he do that? Because he loved us! We know from the book of Genesis in the Bible that God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) created the whole world. But when the first people disobeyed God, sin infected the planet and people were doomed to spend eternity in hell away from God as a consequence. God loved people so much that he couldn’t bear to see that happen and wanted to give people the choice to be forgiven.

The way to make the choice, however, came with a huge price tag. God the Son chose to come to earth as a human being so that he could die and suffer the punishment we deserved…in our place.

Jesus didn’t hesitate. In order to help us, he chose to become one of us…he literally gave himself a demotion in order to do so. Thank you, Jesus! But that’s not all there is to it. The Apostle Paul tells us that we should have the same attitude as Jesus did. If we see that someone needs help and we are able to, nothing should stop us. Helping other people can sometimes cost us money, we can lose out on sleep, we might have to share our stuff and sometimes it may mean not getting everything we want and we need to ‘take a demotion.’ Being like Jesus is not easy, but if we are truly grateful for all that he had done for us, we should work hard to be…each and everyday!

Engage:
• Jesus was God. Why would he agree to become human?
• Jesus willingly gave up many of his ‘divine privileges’ when he became God-human. Can you think of some of the things that Jesus gave up?
• Jesus created the world, but as a human baby he had much to learn. What things would Jesus have had to learn?
• We are to have the same attitude Jesus had…ready to help others, no matter the cost. Can you think of someone who needs your help today? What will you do?

Weekly verses:
Philippians 2:3-4, NLT – “3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Family Activity – Why not make some cookies to take to someone else? https://www.foodnetwork.com/.../simple-chocolate-chip...
​
Prayer – Dear God, we have so much to be thankful for! Thank you for Jesus’ example of putting others before himself. Help me to have the same attitude of Jesus…caring about others more than myself.
​
~ Pastor Jane

022 Theme: “Doing Life with Jesus”
Week 1: Humility
Weekly Bible Bite: Philippians 2

Video lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzKuL4hx0Dc (CQ Kids – What is Humility?)

Humility is not an easy topic to teach children because it goes against our natural human impulses. We want to be ‘first’ and ‘right’…all the time! But the Bible tells us that we need to have the same attitude as Jesus; He was so humble, that He put aside His own rights as God to become a human. He knew that we needed His help and He didn’t hesitate to provide it.
What else does the Bible say about being humble?

Look up and discuss the following Scriptures:
James 3:7
Colossians 3:19
Romans 12:16
James 4:10

Family goal:
We will show humility this week by: ____________________
[Be sure to pick a measurable goal involving a task so that children will know when they have completed it.]

Weekly verses:
Philippians 2:3-4, NLT – “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Family activities:
• Why not make some cookies to take to someone else?
https://www.foodnetwork.com/.../simple-chocolate-chip...
• Make a “Servant Hands/Humble Heart” poster
• We have Christmas because Jesus humbled Himself and became a human—born as a baby in a barn. Colour the picture of Joseph, Mary & baby Jesus.
​
~ Pastor Jane

"Doing Life with Jesus” - During 2022, Hope Chapel is going to be focusing on what it means to be Jesus’ disciples and where better to begin than with Jesus’ life on earth? But first, today, we will learn what the apostle Paul has to say about living for Jesus.

Today’s Lesson - “Living for Jesus”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwlzTpQOw3M (Young Hearts Ministries – Rooted in God)
Follow, Grow Roots & Build Up – All at once?!

Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

How can you ‘follow,’ yet become ‘rooted’ all at the same time? The roots that the Apostle Paul told us that we are to grow are not like the roots of a tree that grow into the ground so that we become incapable of moving; rather, we are to grow ‘roots’ of knowledge and faith in Jesus, so that nothing can take us away from Him.
​
People who know Jesus and choose to make him Lord need to be busy doing the kinds of things Jesus did. If we don’t know much about Jesus, how can we properly follow Him? We can’t! Which is why Paul tells us that we need to ‘grow deep roots’ into Jesus so that our faith will be strong. Like a mighty oak, God wants us to be so strong in our belief in Him, that no wind of doubt will ever be able to knock us over.

Not only that, we are also to ‘build our lives’ on Jesus. God doesn’t want us to merely focus on growing an amazing root system so that nothing can cause us to doubt what Jesus has done for us; we are also to ‘build up’ and let others see what God is doing in our lives. We are to live out our faith for the sake of others. Jesus doesn’t just want us to love Him, He wants us to love people and to treat them the way we want to be treated. That’s where the ‘building’ comes in. Does what people see in your life, help them to want to get to know God?

Jesus never had a problem drawing a crowd. Not everyone appreciated what He had to say, but many experienced His love and concern and it caused them to follow Him…to want to change. The same is true today. As we grow deep roots, we can get to know Jesus better and experience His forgiveness and love; as we build our lives on His, we will extend that same grace and mercy to others; and as we follow Him, He will show us the areas that He wants us to do His good work.

As followers of Jesus, it isn’t good enough to give Jesus some of your life, time and energy. We need to learn, to work and to follow Him with our whole lives!

Engage:
• Paul tells us to ‘grow deep roots’ into Jesus. What is he talking about?
• Large trees can stay strong if they have deep roots. What sometimes causes a tree to fall over? What might cause a Christian to stop believing in Jesus?
• Growing deep roots of faith helps us not to be easily discouraged from following God, but we also need to ‘build up.’ How can our lives show people who God is and why a relationship with Him is a good thing?
• Jesus lived His life always obeying God, spending time with Him and showing people how they could be friends with God. How can we ‘follow’ and be like Jesus?

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for Jesus and thank you that I can have a relationship with you. Please help me to grow strong in my faith, so that I can trust you as much as Jesus did and never doubt you. Help me to be a good follower of yours so that others will want what I have…God as my Father and friend!
​
~ Pastor Jane