Why Do We Send Missionaries?

Tuesday:Why Do We Send Missionaries?
Bible Lesson: Daniel and the Satraps: God expects faithfulness.
Memory Verse: 1st Corinthians 15:58
Missions Concepts: We work together with other believers to fulfill the great commission.
Missions Examples: The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages: Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17
Introduction: Missions Marathon
[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]
Today we're going to talk about why we send missionaries. In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure at first why he was going to run the Missions Marathon, but he learned that we send missionaries because Jesus said to go and make disciples from every nation. The church works together as a group to fulfill this commission, because every person can't go to every place.
Example: The Macedonian Call
In the Bible, when the apostle Paul was traveling as a missionary, he had a vision of man from Macedonia (a place north of Greece) saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us! Paul and his companions went to Macedonia, because God wanted them to, and they shared Jesus with the people there and started several churches.
Paul went to Macedonia because there were people there who needed to hear about Jesus, and God sent him as a missionary to tell them. If Paul hadn't obeyed, they might never have heard.
Application: Today
So today we decide to send missionaries based on the fact that people need to hear the gospel. If they need to hear, then somebody needs to tell them. God told us to tell people all over the world, to make disciples from all nations, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded. That's why we do missions.
Invitation: Missions
Invite any children who want to be involved with missions to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What is a Missionary?

Monday:What is a Missionary?
Bible Lesson: David and the Lord's Anointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.
Memory Verse: 1st John 2:3
Missions Concepts: Missionaries tell people about God, what he expects of them, and how they can be forgiven for their sins.
Missions Examples: Paul in Athens
Bible Passages: Acts 17
Introduction: Missions Marathon
[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]
In the skit, Earnest didn't seem to be real sure exactly what missions is. That's what we're going to talk about today: what is missions, and what is a missionary?
A missionary is a Christian who tells other people the good news of how Jesus came so that we could be forgiven of our sins and go to heaven.
Example: Paul in Athens
In the book of Acts, we read about a time when the apostle Paul came to a city called Athens, which is in Greece. He found a whole city full of people who had never heard of the true God. They didn't know who Jesus was, or how they could be forgiven of their sins. They didn't even know that God had created the world.
So Paul got up and told them about God, about how he had created the world, and about how God expected certain things of them, and that they needed to change their beliefs, change the way they were acting, and follow God. Some of the people did believe, and Paul helped to start a church.
Paul was being a missionary in Athens. He was running his missions marathon for God.
Application: Today
If you are going to be a missionary, you might not have to go to Athens, but you do have to find people who don't know about God and about what he expects of them, and tell them.
Invitation: Missions
Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Five

Skit:Missions Marathon
Friday:Joining the Missions Marathon
Missions Lesson: Who can be a missionary?
Missions Examples: [personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:
[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest: Wow, this is great! Some of these people we've been talking to have decided to join the race for Jesus!
Kristina: Yeah, it's really great to see them serving God in the church.
Earnest: A couple of them were asking me if they can join in on this Missions Marathon, too, but I'm not sure what I should tell them. Can just anyone join in the Missions Marathon?
Kristina: Well, you said they already joined the race for Jesus, right?
Earnest: Yes, they're serving the Lord now in the church, but they want to do missions, too. How can they join up?
Kristina: Remember how I pulled you out of the bleachers?
Earnest: Oh, yeah. I was waiting to join the Missions Marathon, but I didn't know what I needed to do.
Kristina: Right, so I told you to get out of the bleachers and start running the course, and you've been running all week.
Earnest: Oh, I see. So once somebody is saved, once they have given their lives to Jesus, they can start running the Missions Marathon any time?
Kristina: Yep, they just have to get on the course and start doing it.
Earnest: [Point to audience.] So, what about these people sitting in the bleachers here, watching us? Can they join the Missions Marathon?
Kristina: I hope they do!

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Four

Skit:Missions Marathon
Thursday:Running the Race in a Particular Place
Missions Lesson: Where does a missionary go?
Missions Examples: Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:
[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest: So how long is this Missions Marathon, anyway? We're still in Ohio, right? How long will it take us to get to another nation?
Kristina: That could take a while. Ohio's a pretty big place, and then there are forty-nine other states in the US...
Earnest: So, do you think we can finish telling everyone in the US about Jesus by this time next year?
Kristina: I doubt it. I think we'd better stick with Ohio for now.
Earnest: But, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations! How many nations are there?
Kristina: I think there's more than a hundred.
Earnest: More than hundred! I'll be an old man by the time we get to all of them, even if we only spend one year in each nation. I'll be running this marathon with a cane!
Kristina: Well, of course you will. You don't want to stop just because you get a little bit older, do you?
Earnest: I guess not.
Kristina: You know, there are different marathons in different places, right?
Earnest: Oh, yeah, my aunt Lucy once ran in the Boston Marathon.
Kristina: Right, but we're not in Boston. We're running a marathon race for missions right here in Ohio.
Earnest: Well, how can I run all those different marathon races at once?
Kristina: I think it's okay to start with just running the one you're in now. Other people can run the race in other places.
Earnest: Different people run the same race in different places?
Kristina: Well, there are people in many different places. So God needs missionaries all over the world. We can be missionaries right here in Ohio, but Zambo Salamon is a missionary in Cameroon, and Pastor Jusleimar is a missionary in Brazil, and Paul Rajan is a missionary in India. Just like there are marathon races all over the world, missionaries are all over the world too.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Three

Skit:Missions Marathon
Wednesday:Making Disciples
Missions Lesson: What does a missionary do?
Missions Examples: Philippi
Bible Passages: Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30.
[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest: I sure am glad we're running this missions marathon.
Kristina: Yeah, it'll be so great to tell those people the good news.
Earnest: If we tell them, do you think they'll run the race with us?
Kristina: Right — and not just this Missions Marathon today, but hopefully they'll run the whole race for Christ — the whole Christian life.
Earnest: Yeah, because I was running that race before, even before I started this missions marathon. This isn't the first time I've run, and it isn't the first thing I've ever done for Jesus.
Kristina: In fact, we wouldn't be very good in this missions marathon if we hadn't been training, by reading reading our Bible and going to church and all the rest of the race that we run.
Earnest: Right. So, what exactly do we have to tell them again?
Kristina: We have to tell them what we learned in the Bible. You know, about how the bad things we do separate us from God, but he loved us and sent Jesus to die and pay the price for us, so we can go to heaven some day and live with God.
Earnest: Oh, right, we're going and making disciples of these people, just like Jesus said, make disciples of all nations. Ohio's a nation, right?
Kristina: Well, Ohio's part of a nation, so it counts.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Two

Skit:Missions Marathon
Tuesday:Let's Go!
Missions Lesson: Why do we send missionaries?
Missions Examples: The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages: Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17
[The race has started. Earnest and Kristina are jogging in place (with exaggerated running arm motions).]
Earnest: Okay, I'm wearing my running clothes, I have my number, I'm on the course, now let's see... why am I going, again?
Kristina: You want to be a missions marathon runner, right?
Earnest: Right!
Kristina: Well, missionaries tell other people the good news about how Jesus came to Earth to save them from their sin. That's what you want to do, isn't it?
Earnest: Yes! But aren't all Christians supposed to do that?
Kristina: Yes, all Christians are supposed to be sharing their faith with others, but sometimes some of them sit around in the bleachers, instead of running the race.
Earnest: Oh, I don't want to be like that. I want to do it. I want to get things done. I want to tell people about Jesus. I want to run this race!Jesus said, “go and make disciples of all nations”, and I want to obey.
Kristina: That's the spirit! [Point.] Look, over there are some more people we could tell about how Jesus died for them.
Earnest: Great! I wonder why somebody didn't already tell them? If we pick up the pace, we can be over there in a few minutes.
Kristina: That's why we're going on this missions marathon: because there are people who have never heard how they can get to heaven.
Earnest: Let's go tell them.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day One

Skit:Missions Marathon
Monday:Get in the Race
Missions Lesson: What is a Missionary?
Missions Examples: Paul in Athens
Bible Passages: Acts 17
[Setting is near the starting line for a marathon race. Kristina is dressed to run in the race, standing on the track. Earnest is also dressed to run, but he's sitting in the bleachers.]
Kristina: Hey, Earnest, I thought you were in this marathon race today.
Earnest: I am! This is really going to be fun. I'm really excited about it!
Kristina: Well, then what are you doing in the bleachers?
Earnest: What do you mean? Isn't the marathon here?
Kristina: The marathon is a race, Earnest. It's down here on the race course. If you're going to run the race, you have to be on the course.
Earnest: Well, look, all these other people are sitting here. Why can't I do the marathon sitting here too?
Kristina: Earnest, those people aren't in the marathon. They're just watching. If you're going to be in the race, you have to run.
Earnest: Oh. I see. So I guess I'd better come down out of the bleachers then, huh? [Join Kristina.] Say, what kind of race is this, anyway?
Kristina: Didn't you read the sign? It's a missions marathon!
Earnest: A missions marathon? What's missions?
Kristina: Missions is how Christians tell other people the good news about how Jesus wants to save them from their sin.
Earnest: Oh, right. That's what I want to do. That's why I came to the missions marathon. But why do we have to run?
Kristina: Well, when we run a marathon race, we have to actually run. We can't just sit around in the bleachers. Just like that, missionaries have to share their faith with others, so they have to go where the people are, who need to hear about Jesus, and then, they have to actually tell them.
Earnest: Yeah, that makes sense.
Kristina: Right. They can't just sit around in church. So the missions marathon we're running this week is a way of reminding ourselves that if we're going to do missions, we can't just sit around. We have to get out and actually do something.

The Finish Line Discussion Questions

Friday:The Finish Line: Heaven
Main Passage: Revelation 1:1-20
Other Passages: 2nd Timothy 4:7-8, John 14:1-14, Revelation 21:1-22:6, Romans 10:4-13, 1st John 2:1-6
Memory Verse: 2nd Timothy 4:7-8, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...
  1. Where's Patmos? Why was John there?
  2. What was John doing while he was on Patmos?
  3. Why did Jesus show John what heaven would be like?
  4. What will heaven be like?
  5. How can you be sure that you're going to heaven?
  6. What happens to people who don't go to heaven?
  7. Who are we running our race for?
  8. What have we learned this week that will help us run our race better?
If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

Things That Entangle Discussion Questions

Thursday:Things that Entangle
Main Passage: Matthew 19:16-30
Other Passages: Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:7-11, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30
Memory Verse: Matthew 19:29, And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
  1. What was keeping the rich young man from running his race?
  2. What did Jesus tell the rich young man to do? Why did he tell him that?
  3. Why did the rich young man go away sad? Explain.
  4. Does that mean Jesus wants all of us to give away all of our money and possessions in order to follow him?
  5. What does Hebrews tell us to do so that we can run a good race?
  6. What are some things that could entangle you if you're not careful? How can you keep that from happening?
  7. Should we feel deprived if we have to stop doing some kinds of things in order to run our race better? How should we regard those things that we throw off?
If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.