Leader’s Guide for LESSON 1
Disciples Wanted for a Lifetime Adventure!
Welcome (7 Minutes) Jesus
As the parents/mentors and children arrive, give each a warm Invites Us
To be His
welcome. Encourage a young person to help you greet others
as they arrive. To begin your group time together, invite the
participants to share. Ask: Where have you seen God at work in
your life this past week? (Acknowledge all responses.) disciples
Goals for this lesson
By the end of this lesson, participants will:
• Know what it means to be a disciple
• Feel ready to be Jesus’ disciple
• Respond by saying “yes” to following Jesus now
A disciple of Jesus is someone who lives every day
to love Jesus and bring others to Him.
Lesson One - 1
The Bridge (10 Minutes)
You need
• Cards with trip
descriptions on them
• One set of clues for each
Activity family
Distribute one set of clues to each family group. Ahead
Write the following on index
Say: Follow the clues to find an adventure. cards: Side One: TRIP of a
LIFETIME —1) African Safari
Allow time to work then call the family groups back to see wild animals; 2) Antarctica
together to report to each other. to see Penguins and Polar Bears;
3) Egyptian Pyramids and the
Debrief Sphinx; 4) mountain climbing; 5)
ocean/beach to swim and snorkel;
Ask: Why would anyone want to go on an adventure 6) trip around the world. Side two:
to one of these places? (It would be interesting, 1) Decide which trip your family
exciting, fun, relaxing, etc.) Was it difficult or easy to would like to take together. 2) Be
think of something special to do on this adventure? prepared to tell the whole group
(Acknowledge responses.) In what ways might the why you would like to take this
adventure you planned be like the adventure of trip and what interesting things
following Jesus? (Acknowledge responses.) you would do there.
Say: Jesus invites each of us to go on an adventure Hide the index cards at different
with Him. Just as each family adventure was different, places around the room then write
nobody else’s adventure with Jesus will be exactly like a set of clues to locate each card.
yours.
Prayer: Say a prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you as you begin your small group
adventure in being disciples of Jesus.
Lesson One - 2
Into the Word (25 Minutes)
You need
• A large sign or poster board to be
displayed every week on which
Write this lesson’s Footprint on the board: is written “A disciple of Jesus is
Jesus invites us to be His disciples. someone who lives every day to love
Jesus and bring others to Him.”
• White board or flip chart
• Markers
Option 1 – You need: • Bibles
• Props: Chairs for boats, fishing net • Pens/pencils
or two old sheets
• Characters: Jesus, Peter, Andrew, Ahead
Zebedee, James, John Write the Bible Discovery Scripture
• Costumes: (Optional) Adult size references on separate slips of paper
T-shirts to cover child’s clothes; for distribution among the families. Be
men’s ties for belts; a red scarf or sure to include the number reference
length of cloth to go over Jesus’ for each passage 1-5.
right shoulder.
• Setting: Arrange chairs to form two
simple boats on opposite sides of the
room. Peter and Andrew kneel on Option 2
the seats and lean out of one boat, As a volunteer reads Matthew
pulling in their net. Zebedee, James 4:18-22, pause occasionally to
and John fish from the other boat. OR ask the group experiencing the
story to consider what they would
Read Matthew 4:18-22 as participants have seen, heard, or felt, if they
mimic what is happening in the story. had been there.
Debrief
Ask: Why did Jesus want these men to come with Him? What would you do if Jesus stood right
here right now and asked you to follow Him on an adventure? (Acknowledge all responses.)
Say: Today we are going to explore a Bible story and discover that Jesus calls us to be His
disciples just like He called Peter and Andrew and James and John.
Write on the board: “Disciples of Jesus…”
Lesson One - 3
Bible Discovery
Distribute the Scripture texts to the families and instruct them to look up their verse and be
prepared to read it to the class. Encourage family groups to assign a student to read the verse to
the whole group when called.
1 Read Matthew 4:19. What are the two actions that Jesus asked Peter and Andrew to take?
(Come and follow.)
Write on the board: Come to Jesus
Write on the board: Follow Jesus
2 Read Matthew 4:20. Immediately after Jesus called Peter and Andrew to come and follow
Him, what did they do? (They left their nets.) In other words, they left what they were doing.
Write on the board: Leave what keeps them from following Jesus
Ask: Do you think it was easy or hard for them to leave their work and follow Jesus?
(Acknowledge all answers.)
3 Read Mark 8:34. Who does Jesus want to come to Him? (Anybody.)
Write on the board: Can be anybody
Ask: What kind of people did Jesus hang out with? (All kinds of people: rich, poor, popular,
unpopular, healthy, sick, kind, mean, fun-loving, serious, etc.) People whom others looked
down on.) What does this tell us about Jesus? (Jesus loves all people; He doesn’t look down
on people.)
4 Read Mark 3:14. Jesus appointed twelve people to be His special disciples that we call
apostles. What two things did He want for them? (To spend time with Him; to go out to preach.)
Write on the board: Spend time with Jesus
Write on the board: Tell others about Jesus
5 Read Matthew 28:19. Before He left this earth, Jesus gave His disciples a challenge. What
was it? (Go and make disciples of all nations.)
Write on the board: Make disciples for Jesus
Say: Jesus offers you the joy of helping a friend become His disciple too.
Ask: Why do you think this is important?
Review/Quiz
Steps to follow:
1. Review the summary points written on the board.
2. Cover or turn the board around and quiz the class by asking, “What did we learn about
disciples of Jesus?”
3. Encourage parents to allow students to answer the questions and assist only if needed.
Lesson One - 4
My Choice (5-8 Minutes)
Say: Jesus wants each of us to go on a
discipleship adventure with Him. You need
• One copy of My Choice
Leader Share briefly your experience handout for each family
of saying “yes” to Jesus and following • Pens/pencils
Him as His disciple. What difference
has this made in your life? In what way
has this been an adventure for you?
Distribute one My Choice handout to each family group.
Say: Parents and mentors, move your chairs into a family circle and follow
the instructions on My Choice with your child. When you are finished with My
Choice turn the paper over and continue with My World.
My World (5-8 Minutes)
Leaders: While the families are
working together, the leader and co- You need
leader pray for each of the parents/ • One copy of My World handout
mentors and children. for each family
• Pens/pencils
If some families finish early, as leader
you can: 1) engage those families by
asking them about their family circle time or 2) give a time “warning” to the
other families such as, “Please finish in three more minutes.” Let them know
they can finish their My World time together at home.
Lesson One - 5
Closing (2 Minutes)
Call everyone back together as a large
group. You need
• One Mentoring Moments
Ask: How many of you thought of handout for each family
something to do this week to show
Jesus that you want to be His disciple?
(Acknowledge responses.)
Grace Point — Say: Next week I will invite you to share what you did to show
Jesus that you want to be His disciple.
Say: Let’s say the lesson Footprint together — Jesus invites us to be His
disciples. I’m excited that we are beginning a discipleship adventure together
today/tonight.
Close with a prayer of thanks for:
• Jesus’ invitation
• the discipleship adventure that the group will be experiencing over the next
months together
Distribute Mentoring Moments and instruct the families to use these at home to
build on the concepts developed in this lesson.
Lesson One - 6
My Choice
1. Say the Footprint together: Jesus invites us to be His disciples.
2. Parents/mentors: Review with your child the points made in this lesson by going over them
one at a time and asking, “Do you understand what this means?” or “Do you have any
questions about this one?” Clarify any points as needed.
Disciples of Jesus …
1. Come to Jesus.............................................................................................. Matthew 4:19
2. Follow Jesus................................................................................................ Matthew 4:19
3. Leave what keeps them from following Jesus............................................ Matthew 4:20
4. Can be anybody who wants to follow Jesus......................................................Mark 8:34
5. Spend time with Jesus.......................................................................................Mark 3:14
6. Tell others about Jesus......................................................................................Mark 3:14
7. Make disciples for Jesus............................................................................ Matthew 28:19
3. Parents/mentors: Share briefly a time in your life when you knew that Jesus was saying to
you “Follow Me.” What difference has it made in your life to follow Jesus as His disciple?
4. Parents/mentors: Invite your child to make THE CHOICE — Ask: Would you like to say
“Yes” to Jesus and go on a discipleship adventure with Him each and every day?” If your
child says “Yes,” affirm his/her decision. If your child is not sure or says “No” or “Not now,”
Say: It’s all right if you need time to think about this or want to wait. Ask: Can you tell me
why? Is it okay if we talk about this next week?
5. Pray: Form a family circle and pray together for the decisions to follow Jesus as His disciples
and to go on a discipleship adventure with Him.
A disciple of Jesus is someone who lives every day
to love Jesus and bring others to Him.
Permission to photocopy for local church use My Choice: Lesson One
My World
1. Discuss specific things you can do as a family to show Jesus that you want to go on a
discipleship adventure with Him. Examples: say a praise prayer to Him each morning as soon
as you wake up, sing a praise song as you get ready for the day, draw a picture or make a
banner showing your family following Jesus, etc. List these in the space below.
Ideas for our family to do:
2. Ask: Which one would you like to do as a family this week? Decide how you will do this and
when.
3. Discuss specific things you can do as individuals to show Jesus that you want to be His
disciple. List these in the space below.
Ideas we can do as individuals:
4. Parents/mentors: Share one thing that you will do this week to show Jesus that you are
willing to be His disciple. Ask: What can you do this week to show Jesus that you are willing
to be His disciple? Affirm your child’s ideas and give suggestions as needed.
Grace Point — Next week you will be invited to share what you did to show Jesus that you want
to be His disciple.
Next Week Parents/mentors, you will be asked to share a time when you trusted Jesus with a
specific problem, fear or situation when you were a child or recently.
Permission to photocopy for local church use My World: Lesson One
Disciples Wanted for a Lifetime Adventure!
Mentoring Moments for Lesson 1
Mentoring Moments are meant to extend the lesson you studied with your small group. Each
Mentoring Moment choice contains a Scripture, an activity, discussion questions, and a prayer
point grouped around a particular topic. They are perfect for use in family worship. If time does
not permit the completion of the activity, using just the Scripture and discussion questions can
provide a Mentoring Moment anywhere, even in the car.
Choice One
Scripture: John 3:16
Activity: Cut pictures of faces from old magazines and newspapers. Glue or tape them to a piece
of paper or poster board to make a collage and make a caption that says, “Jesus Wants You!”
For Discussion: To whom does Jesus offer eternal life? Is there anyone who is not included in
the offer? Why does Jesus want to give you eternal life? Has anything happened to you recently
that has made you want to get serious about God? This is what an eighth grade student named
Dustin said in answer to that question. “When my principal died. I thought everybody would be
angry with God, but they weren’t. They still had faith. It had an impact on my faith in God and
helped me know that He is with me through any trial.”
Prayer Point: Thank Jesus for loving you and for offering every person the gift of eternal life.
Choice Two
Scripture: Mark 8:34
Activity: Make a list of groups to which you belong. They might include your family, your class,
your school, a sports team, a music group, a church family, etc.
For Discussion: What do you have to do to belong to these groups? Is anyone excluded from
these groups? If yes, who, and why? What do you have to do to belong to Jesus? Is anyone
excluded? If yes, who and why? Why do you think Jesus wants you to be one of His disciples?
Prayer Point:Thank Jesus for calling you to be a disciple and accept His invitation.
Choice Three
Scripture: Mark 8:34-37
Activity A: Look up the word “sacrifice” in the dictionary. Ask each person to define it in their
own words and to give an example of a sacrifice. For example, in baseball, a sacrifice hit is one
where the hitter expects to be called out, but he makes the play so he can drive in a run.
For Discussion A: A sacrifice is something that is given up in order to get something more
valuable. Jesus asks us to both take up a cross and deny ourselves in order to follow Him. What
does it mean to take up your cross? What does it mean to deny yourself?
Permission to photocopy for local church use Mentoring Moments: Lesson One - 1
Would you consider following Jesus to be a sacrifice? What do you get in return that is more
valuable? For parents/mentors: Share with your child a time when you have taken up a cross or
denied yourself to follow Jesus. What were the circumstances? What happened? How did that
experience affect your walk with Jesus?
Activity B: Ask each person in your family to bring their most prized possession. Each person
should share what makes this item so special and how they would feel if it were lost, destroyed or
stolen. (If an item is too big to move easily, the owner should take the rest of the group to see it.)
For Discussion B: Would you be willing to give up your most prized possession to follow Jesus?
Why do you think Jesus might ask you to give it up? For parents/mentors: Share with your
child a time when you have taken up a cross or denied yourself to follow Jesus. What were the
circumstances? What happened? How did that experience affect your walk with Jesus?
Prayer Point: If applicable, confess to Jesus that you may not yet be willing to take up a cross
and deny yourself in order to follow Him. Ask Him to make you willing.
Choice Four
Scripture: John 1:43, John 13:35
Activity: Make a list of things or people in our world we sometimes follow instead of Jesus,
such as athletes, music or movie stars, politicians, etc. Beside those things or people, write the
things those people value, such as money, fame, power, etc.
For discussion: Is it easy to get distracted and follow people or things other than Jesus? What
does our scripture today tell us that Jesus values? (Love.) What things do you think a disciple of
Jesus might be asked to give up when he or she follows Jesus? (Cross items off your list as they
are named.) Jesus promises to give us something even better than fame and fortune. Read John
14:27. He promises to give us peace and love.
Prayer Point: If applicable, confess to Jesus that it is sometimes hard to follow Him instead of
the people who are popular in society. Ask Jesus to help you follow only Him.
Choice Five
Scripture: Matthew 4:18-20
Activity: Eat fish shaped crackers with your family while you find the answers to the following
questions. You will probably need to consult an encyclopedia or the internet. What kinds of fish
are most commonly used for food? How are these fish caught? What must a fisherman know in
order to catch fish? (Where they are, what kind of bait to use, etc.)
For discussion: What did Jesus mean when he told Peter and Andrew that he would make them
fishers of men? How does one go about “fishing for men?” If you were to go about “catching”
a believer for Jesus, what would you need to know? (Where to look, what kind of “bait” to use,
etc.) What are you doing now that would be considered “fishing for men?” What could you be
doing that you aren’t? For parents/mentors: What are you doing to “fish for men?” What could
you be doing that you aren’t? What can your family do together to be fishers of men?
Prayer Point: Ask Jesus to turn you into a fisher of men and to help you know where and how to
catch others for Him.
Permission to photocopy for local church use Mentoring Moments: Lesson One - 2
