Fishers of Men teen lesson

Friday:	Fishers of Men
Main Passages:	Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 28, Acts 1:6-11
Other Passages:	John 14:1-4, 2nd Peter 3:9, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:1-12
Objective:	We should share Christ with others.
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19-20, Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him.

Introduction: Fishing

Have you ever been fishing for something besides fish? Did you ever lose money behind the couch cushion and had to fish down behind for it? Did you ever have to fish through your backpack to find your homework paper? What does it mean to go fishing for something? Are you always looking for fish?

Story: Fishers of Men

One day, Jesus was walking along beside the sea, and he saw Peter and Andrew out in a boat, fishing. Now Peter and Andrew were trying to catch fish -- they were fishing for fish, because that was their job. Jesus said, Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Right away, they got out of their boats and followed him.

Application: Seeking People

What did Jesus mean, when he said he would make them fishers of men? (He meant that instead of trying to get fish, they would be trying to reach people for Jesus.) Why would Jesus call them away from fishing for fish, for food, to fish for people, for Jesus? (Because, people are more important.) Jesus didn't want anyone to die without knowing him. So he called disciples to help him reach other people.

When did these disciples become fishers of men? Did it happen right away?

Story: Great Commission

Right after Jesus died and rose from the dead, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and some other women went looking for him in the tomb, but Jesus wasn't there. An angel, a messenger from God, told them Jesus had risen from the dead, and was going to Galilee to meet the disciples. They met him in Galilee and he said, Go and make disciples of all peoples..., and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Application: Make Disciples

When you fish for men, you're hopefully not going to catch them in nets or on hooks. What does he mean, then, by fishing for men? Are we supposed to just present the gospel, pray a prayer, and leave them with no other Bible knowledge and no church? No. We are supposed to teach them. What does Jesus want us to teach people? (To obey what he has commanded.) Do we teach people to obey just some of what Jesus commanded? (No, all of it.)

Story: Ascension

After Jesus had been raised for a while and seen by lots of people, he was getting ready to go back to heaven, to make a place for us. We call this the ascension. But he left instructions for the disciples: You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth. Then after he said this, he was taken up into heaven and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Application: Witnesses for Jesus

What does it mean to be a witness? (To show people something.) They supposed to show people how to live for Jesus. They were supposed to do this all over the earth. Where are some places you could witness for Jesus? (School, neighborhood, etc.)

When Jesus went up into heaven, the disciples kept watching, even after the cloud hid him, but two men dressed in white came and gave them a message: This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

We are to keep witnessing for Jesus until he comes back. We are to train the next generation, and teach them everything, because we may not still be here.

Invitation: Fishers of Men

[Invite any teens who want to talk about becoming fishers of men to stay and discuss it further.]

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.