Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Jesus Calls His First Disciples by Jennifer Tolbert

This is the story of how Jesus began his ministry on Earth. He began by calling his first disciples, or friends, that he would teach about God's kingdom. 
Key Concepts:
1. We should choose good friends. 
2. Jesus's chose friends who were humble; He did not go to the kings or rulers. 
3. Jesus began his plan by teaching people about God's kingdom. 

Memory Verse

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:7-8

Songs

Books of the New Testament
Jesus Called Them One By One (Apostle Song) 
Fished All Night and Caught No Fish
Fishers of Men
If You Love Jesus
My God is So Big
This Little Light of Mine

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time
 
Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Fishing Game: Let kids fish for questions about choosing a good friend. It can be scenarios or yes/no questions about the qualities of a good friend. The fruits of the spirit are good examples of the attributes of a good friend. You can let them pull fish shapes out of a net or set up a fishing game. 

2. Fishermen Game: Two kids are designated "Fishers of Men." They must catch all their friends. They can tag them or you can give them a sheet as a "net." As they catch their classmates, they have to put them in a designated area known as the boat. If the game is being played inside, make a rule where no one is allowed to run, they have to slide or "swim" by not picking up their feet. SAY: Today, we are talking about how Jesus became friends with 4 fishermen and he said they would not catch fish anymore, but they would catch men. 


Story: After Jesus was baptized and he stood up against Satan's temptation, it was time to begin his special rescue plan. First, he wanted to build a team of people to help him with his mission. He would need friends he could teach all about God and his new kingdom. These people would be known as his disciples. 

If you were going to begin a new kingdom, who would you choose to be on your team? Would you choose the smartest? The wealthiest? Maybe the ones with the most power? 

That is not who Jesus went to at all. Let's learn who Jesus went to for his first friends.  
 
READ Luke 5:1-11 in your Bible or tell the children about the Calling of the Four Fishermen. -
EMPHASIZE that:

• Jesus began his ministry by choosing friends to help him. 
• Jesus teaches us that it is important to look on the inside, not the outside. 
• Jesus demonstrated that God's kingdom is an upside down kingdom. 

Visual Aids

jesus_calls_his_first_disciples.pdf
File Size:	4447 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Saddleback Kids: Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Life Kids: Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Review

1. Where was Jesus teaching at the beginning of our story? 
2. What job did the first disciples do? 
3. Is the who the people would have expected the Messiah to call? 
4. What were the names of the first disciples?
​5. What did Jesus say their new job would be? 

God is...

Connect the story back to God and his character. Explain how this story fits into God's overall story. 

Activities

1. Fish Craft from Trueway Kids

2. Fishing Handprint Craft from Busy Bee Kids Crafts

3. Fishers of Men Craft Kit from Oriental Trading