Advanced Level, Block 9—Jesus’ Closest Followers
Week 82
Andrew sharing with Simon Peter
Point to Emphasize: It is totally normal to share what we talk about in children’s meetings with family and friends; do you talk to others about God or the Bible?
Reference Reading: John 1:35-42
Memory Verse: For I am not ashamed of the gospel… (Romans 1:16a)
Sample Story
Last week we were asked a very important question. If you were to live at the time Jesus was living on the earth, would you have been just one of the thousands in the crowd who were watching and listening to Jesus or would you have been one of His close followers, one of the 120? During our meeting today, we want you to ask yourself this question again. As you read in the New Testament the accounts of the ones who closely followed Jesus, you will clearly see what kind of persons they were. We can all choose to be like them. Today we will see that one of the characteristics of those who closely followed Jesus was that they loved to talk about Jesus with others. Andrew was one of them.
Have you ever been so happy about something that you can’t stop talking about it? When I was about your age I got a racing bike, one with handles that curved down. I was so excited that I wanted to tell everyone! The next day at school, during recess and during lunch, I told everyone about the color of my bike, the labels and stickers I had added, how comfortable the seat was, and how fast it would go in just seconds! Oh, it was so easy for me to open my mouth and speak to others about my new bike. [Storyteller, insert a personal example of you easily talking to others about something exciting that happened to you.] When something really good happens to us, it is really easy to open our mouths and speak about it with others. Oh, just talking about it makes you feel even happier and happier. Even if you are not that talkative, if you have really good news, it is hard to keep it to yourself.
Now, back to our story. One day Andrew heard something really great! Here is what happened. He and his brother, Peter, were young men who were followers of John the Baptist. John the Baptist had been saying that a man was coming after him, the Messiah (the Christ, the sent One), and that this man would soon be made known to all of the children of Israel. On this particular day, Andrew was listening to John the Baptist, and Jesus walked by. Right away, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the One they had been waiting for. Andrew went and found out where Jesus was staying. After finding out, Andrew went and found his brother, Peter, and told him that he had seen the Messiah. Andrew then took Peter with him so that they could both listen to Jesus.
Andrew did the most normal thing. He went and told someone about Jesus. Now, what about us? Is it easy for you to speak to others about God or what you have learned in children’s meetings? When I was your age, I was somewhat ashamed to tell others what I had learned in children’s meetings. When I was at school it was so easy to talk to my classmates about many things, but it was SO hard to talk to them about God. My sister on the other hand never hesitated to tell others what she had learned in children’s meetings. She didn’t consider herself brave. It was just normal and easy for her to tell others about God. One day she was with a classmate who was not having a good day. My sister started singing to her one of the songs she had learned in children’s meetings. Her friend felt so happy, and they both kept singing the song. As I grew older, talking to others about God became easier and easier. When I was in junior high I wrote a speech concerning how I felt about knowing God and read it in front of the whole class. In high school, I would bring my guitar and join other young people to sing the songs we had learned in the young people’s meetings for others to hear about God. [Storyteller, share your personal example of talking to others about God at an early age.]
What about you? Have you ever been like Andrew, telling something about God to a family member or a good friend? Maybe you read something interesting in the Bible with your parents or heard a story at a children’s meeting that hit home. Did you share what you learned with your classmates the next time you saw them? If not, why didn’t you? Was it because you felt ashamed? Were you ever afraid that your close friend or classmate would think that you were strange or weird because you liked something from the Bible or about God? If you ever felt this way, you can simply talk to God and tell Him you are sorry. You can tell Him that next time you learn something from the Bible or about God, you want to tell others about it. You want to be normal just like Andrew, who told others about Jesus.
Since it should be so normal for us to talk to others about God and the Bible, I’d like to encourage us all to set our hearts on not being ashamed of talking to others about God and the Bible. Then, as young people in junior high and in high school, we will easily be able to speak to others and even invite them to come.