CBC Lesson from 25 th to 31 th of August

Unit 4 - JESUS CHOOSES 12 FRIENDS

BIBLICAL REFERENCE
Luke 6.12-16; Matthew 4.21; John 19:25-27

PURPOSE OF THE LESSON

Teach children that all those who are God’s friends wish to serve Him.

MEMORIZE THE VERSE
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15.14)

INTRODUCTION

Educator, paint the picture of Sunday’s activity which you will use during story time. Start by asking the following: Do you have a friend very close to you that, if one could, one would stay beside you all the time? (Wait their participation) How nice! On today’s story we will hear about 12 men who had a very special friend. Let us find out who were those men? Then listen carefully, it is about to start.

JESUS CHOOSES 12 FRIENDS

THE LORD Jesus was surrounded by many people. Some of them wanted to see Him, others wanted to listen to His prayers and receive the miracles. But among the crowd there were 12 disciples chosen by Jesus to be always with Him. The disciples were: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Among the disciples there was one who was known as the beloved disciple, his name was John, son of Zebedee and brother of James. Both of them, before becoming disciples, were fishermen. We can also be like John, a follower and friend of Jesus.

Jesus wishes us to be His friends. Do you want to know what behavior we should have to be friends of Jesus? We need to accept Him as our Savior and invite Him to live inside our hearts; thus we will have a true friend who will be with us at all moments. And just as the beloved disciple was always with Jesus, so we will be with Jesus and He will be with us.

When Jesus was on the cross to die for all of us, John was the only disciple who stood beside Jesus, seeing the sacrifice His great friend was doing. Despite the pain He felt and the big suffering, Jesus was conquering our victory, the right to go live in heaven. John was with Jesus until the moment of His death.

You know, kids, John was not afraid of being acknowledged as one of the disciples, and did not abandon Jesus. John loved his friend who was on the cross, very much. Jesus knew that, and even on the cross He pointed to Mary, His mother, and said to John: “Behold your mother”. Do you know what John did? He took Mary, mother of Jesus, to his home and started taking care of her as if she was his own mother. How beautiful attitude he showed to his friend Jesus, right?

John truly loved Jesus; he believed in His promises and, later, came to write the Gospel of John telling the wonders he saw Jesus do and speak, beyond three epistles and the book of Revelations which speaks about the return of Jesus.

CONCLUSION

Little friends, if we want to have a great friendship with the Lord Jesus we should do as John being obedient and always be close to Jesus. Have you been friends of Jesus by doing what He teaches, following Him and listening to what He says through His word? No? Then take this opportunity and become friends with Him from today on. Who here wishes it say “me”. Amen! Let us pray then?

FUN CHAT

Educator, you take to classroom a cardboard written with the heading: Kinds of Stores. Below write the following words: clothes store, shoes store, toys store, furniture store, candy store, friends store. Glue with masking tape the cardboard on the board or on the wall. Start this moment by showing the poster for your class by saying: Children, here on this poster I have several kinds of stores; repeat after me. Educator, you read it pointing to the poster and make a surprised face when you get to the friends store and say: Friends Store! Do you know any store which sells friends? (Wait their participation). Of course not, right? There are stores in which we can buy many things like: clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, candies, but there is no such thing as buying friends, for we cannot buy friends, right? We conquer our friends, we make friendships with people. There is no way to go to a store and buy a friend. John became the beloved disciple, friend of Jesus, and has always been beside Him, learning and obeying to what Jesus used to say. And this is exactly what we should do, do you understand? Now, let us pray and ask the Spirit of our Great Friend enters our hearts, amen? Educator, you seek the Holy Spirit with your class and determine that, from today on, they all will walk with Jesus.