Following God discussion questions

Thursday:	Following God
Main Passage:	John 21
Other Passages:	John 15:10, 1st John 5:3
Memory Verse:	Colossians 1:10-12, And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

1. When did Peter jump into the water? Why?
2. Why did Peter ask about John?
3. What was Jesus asking Peter to do? Why?
4. Have you ever been like Peter, more worried about other people's behavior than your own?
5. What are some things you know you need to be doing to follow God?
6. What kinds of things distract you from doing your best to follow God?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

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

The Fish and the Coin discussion questions

Monday:	The Fish and the Coin
Main Passage:	Matthew 17:24-27
Other Passages:	Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 22:15-22; John 1:1-4, 9-14, 29-34; Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6; John 5:17-23; Matthew 16:13-17, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 23:24-25, 24:19-22, John 14:5-14
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16

1. Jesus was the Son. He was exempt. Why did he have Peter pay the temple tax for him?
2. Did God really care whether the Jews worked on the Sabbath? Why?
3. What does Jesus mean when he says, "Whatever the Father does the Son also does"? Does that really mean everything? Did the Son participate in, for example, the creation of the world? What is Jesus talking about?
4. Why didn't the Pharisees accuse Jesus and his disciples of stealing the grain they were eating?
5. If no one has ever seen God the Father, how could Jesus make him known to us?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

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

The Fish and the Coin teen lesson

Monday:	The Fish and the Coin
Main Passage:	Matthew 17:24-27
Other Passages:	Matthew 12:1-8, Matthew 22:15-22, John 5:18, John 1:1-4, John 1:9-14, Hebrews 1:8, Isaiah 9:6, John 5:17-23
Objective:	Deity of Christ
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16-17, Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

Introduction: The Fish and the Coin

[Read Matthew 17:24-27]

Discussion: Who is Taxed

Why didn't Jesus have to pay the temple tax? (Because he was God's son.) What does it mean that Jesus was God's son? (It means he was equal with God.) Turn to John 5. [Have volunteers read v.17-23]

Story: Lord of the Sabbath

Another time, Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grainfield. His disciples were hungry and began to pick and eat some of the grain. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, Look! Your disciples are picking grain. They're working on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had many strict rules of things they could and could not do on the Sabbath. They were busy watching everyone to make sure they followed these rules. They included things like not cooking, because that would be too much work, and counting your steps to make sure you don't walk too much. (But even the Pharisees made exceptions to these rules when it suited them, see for instance Luke 14:1-5.) Jesus said, Haven't you read in the law that the priests in the temple work on the Sabbath, but are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here... For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Main Point: Lordship

What does it mean to be Lord of something? What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord of the Sabbath? Only God could be Lord of that. Who could be greater than the temple? (Only God.)

What did Jesus tell Peter to do about the tax? Catch a fish, open its mouth, take out a coin, and pay it. How likely is it that when you go fishing, you're going to find a gold coin in the fish's mouth? What are the odds? One in a million? One in a billion? Has it ever happened to anyone else besides Peter? There are a lot of more likely ways to get a coin. Jesus could have sent Peter to work for a few hours. Why did he do a miracle? (Same reason he did most miracles: to demonstrate that he is God.)

Closing Point: Who is the Son of Man?

[Read Matthew 16:13-17. If there's loads of spare time, also look at John's testimony about Jesus (John 1:29-34).]

Invitation: Lordship

Invite any teens who want to acknowledge Jesus as God and as Lord of their lives to stay after 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.

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.

Following God, Teen Lesson

Thursday:	Following God
Main Passage:	John 21
Other Passages:	John 15:10, 1st John 5:3, Matthew 7:1-5
Objective:	We should follow God.
Memory Verse:	Colossians 1:10-12, And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Story: Fish in the Morning

After Jesus raised from the dead, he appeared again to his disciples by the sea of Galilee. [Show map.] The disciples were sitting by the sea, and decided to go fishing, since several of them were fishermen. They fished all night and caught nothing. In the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but they didn't recognise him. He called out, Friends, haven't you caught any fish? No. Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. They did, and the net got so full that they were unable to haul it in. John said, It is the Lord! Peter jumped in to swim to shore, and they followed in the boat.

They landed, and Jesus said, Bring some of the fish you have just caught. He had a fire they had fish and bread for breakfast.

Then Jesus talked with them. He talked with Peter and said, Follow me. But Peter saw John and said, What about him? Jesus said, What is that to you? You must follow me.

First Point: Lordship

When the net was full of fish, John and Peter recognised who Jesus was. What did John say? (It is the Lord.) What does it mean that Jesus is the Lord? [Discuss.]

Second Point: Resurrection

Why were they surprised that Jesus was there? Why didn't they recognise him at first? (Because he had died.) We talked yesterday about Jesus walking around on the earth after he was raised from the dead.

Application: Following God

Peter was a lot like we are. He should have been concerned about his own spiritual condition, but instead he was looking at John. We should follow Jesus because he loves us, and because he died for us, and just because he is the Lord.

[Have a volunteer read John 21:15-17.] Jesus was telling Peter to make sure that the church was looked after, to make sure that their spiritual needs were met. Basically, he was calling Peter to be a pastor. Peter needed to do this to follow Jesus.

Then Jesus tells him something else. [Have a volunteer read v.18-21.] Peter is still more worried about somebody else (John) than his own task. Instead of asking Jesus how he can do his job, he's asking about the other guy. Jesus sets him straight. [Have a volunteer read v.22-23.] Jesus was telling Peter to worry about what Peter needed to do, to follow Jesus. We can go through live worrying about whether everyone else is following God, ignoring our own spiritual needs, but we need to follow God ourselves first. Only when we are obeying God can we help others.

[Look at the Matthew 7 passage if time permits.]

Invitation: Following God

[Invite any teens who would like to talk about how they can follow God to stay after the lesson 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.

Raised from the Dead, Teen Lesson

Wednesday:	Raised from the Dead
Main Passage:	Luke 24:36-49
Other Passages:	Mark 16:9-11,14, John 20:11-25, Luke 24:13-32, Matthew 28:16-20, 1st Corinthians 15:5-7, John 19:34
Objective:	Jesus rose from the dead.
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10, This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Introduction: Death and Burial

What do most cultures do with the body of a dead person? [Briefly discuss burial, cremation, embalming, etc.] Different cultures bury the bodies in various ways, but you have to do something, because if you just leave the body laying around, it gets gross. Emergency workers do not like discovering a body that has been dead for a week and not cared for. There was a period of time when some people would put bells inside the caskets. Does anyone know why they did this? (In case the person was in a coma, not actually dead, and woke up.) Today, we can tell the difference between coma and death. When someone is dead, do they wake up? (No.)

In the middle east, they usually bury the body. This is what they did with Jesus' body. Remember yesterday, we talked about Jesus being in the heart of the earth for three days? He died, and they put his body in a stone tomb. We know from scripture that Jesus was not just in a coma. When the soldiers pierced his side with the spear, his blood had already separated. He was dead.

Story: Resurrection

Three days after Jesus' body was sealed in the tomb, he got up. Now we know that's not what generally happens three days after you bury a dead body. Jesus was able to get up, because of who he is (see John 10:18). We talked the first day about the power Jesus had because he is God.

What did Jesus do, when he got up? [Accept a couple of responses.] Did anyone see him walking around? (Yes: two men traveling, Mary, James, the disciples, and more than 500 others.) In the closing, they're probably going to ask where the fish was in the lesson. Did Jesus do anything with a fish, after he raised from the dead? Luke 24 tells about a time Jesus came to the disciples, and they were startled and frightened. They thought they were seeing a ghost, because as far as they knew, Jesus was dead! They didn't expect to see him alive, because dead people don't usually come back to life. But Jesus said, Why are you worried? Why do you doubt that I'm here? Look at my hands and my feet. It's me. Touch me: a ghost doesn't have flesh and bones, like I do.

Why did Jesus tell them to look at his hands and feet? (Because, they could see the nail marks, from when he was crucified.) They were amazed, and still couldn't believe he was alive, so he asked, Do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it, while they were watching. Then he told them, This is what I told you while I was still with you. I had to suffer and die, and raise again, and you will preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all peoples in my name.

Application: Forgiveness

Like we said yesterday, Jesus had to die and be raised so that our sins could be forgiven. Why did someone have to die, for our sins to be forgiven? (Because, there is a penalty for sin.) Because Jesus raised, it proves the whole penalty is paid. Because Jesus is raised, we also can be raised, and can be with God forever some day.

Invitation: Salvation

[Invite any teens who are unsure of their salvation (or are sure they are not) to stay after and discuss the matter 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.

Sign of Jonah: Discussion Questions

Tuesday:	Sign of Jonah
Main Passages:	Jonah 1-3; Matthew 12:38-41
Other Passages:	Matt 27:59-63, Luke 24:5-6, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Jonah 4
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

1. Why did God want Jonah to preach against Nineveh?
2. Why warn them? If they were as wicked as all that, why not just destroy them and have done?
3. Why didn't Jonah want to preach against Nineveh? What did he think would happen?
4. If Jonah had repented, why was he upset when God forgave the people of Nineveh?
5. Have you ever tried to avoid something you believed God wanted you to do? What happened?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

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

Coin in the Fish's Mouth Preschool Lesson

Monday:	Coin in the Fish's Mouth
Story Passage:	Matthew 17: 24-27
Other Passages:
Objective:	Jesus is God
Visuals:	Available

Introduction: Temple Tax

Some tax collectors, who didn't like Jesus and were trying to cause trouble, came to Peter and asked, Does Jesus pay the temple tax? Peter said, Yes, he does.

Then Peter went into the house where Jesus was. Jesus had not heard what they were talking about outside, but he knew, because he is God and knows everything. He asked Peter a question. He asked, Do kings collect taxes from their sons, or from other people? Peter said, From other people, not their sons. Now Jesus is God's son, and the temple is God's house, so Jesus didn't need to pay the temple tax. But Jesus told Peter, So that we won't upset people, I'll pay the tax.

Explanation: Fishing

Have you ever gone fishing with mom or dad or grandpa? What's fishing? [Accept some answers.] What do you take with you? [Accept some answers.] What do you expect to catch? (Fish, hopefully.) Did you know, some of Jesus' disciples were fishermen? That means, they caught fish for a living. That was their job. That was what they did all day before they met Jesus.

Main Story: The Fish and the Coin

So when it came time to pay the temple tax, Jesus told Peter, who was a fisherman before he followed Jesus, Go to the lake and throw out your (fishing) line. Take the first fish you catch, open its mouth and you will find a coin.

Peter went and did just what Jesus said to do. He went to the lake and threw in his fishing line. When he caught the first fish and opened its mouth, what do you think he found? Yes, a coin. And it was just enough to pay the tax for Jesus and Peter. So Peter went and paid the tax.

Now, how did Jesus know the money would be there? (Allow the kids to answer. If they say he hid it there, say no, etc.) Jesus knew the money would be there because Jesus is God, and God knows everything. Jesus could do things nobody else could do. Do you think Peter told his friends what happened?

Copyright © 2004—2007, Jill Eady and the Galion Grace Brethren Church. See licensing for information about rights and permissions. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Sign of Jonah: Teen Version

Tuesday:	The Sign of Jonah
Main Passages:	Jonah 1-3; Matthew 12:38-41
Other Passages:	Matt 27:59-63, Luke 24:5-6, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Hebrews 9:11-23
Objective:	Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin.
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Introduction: Jonah

God told the prophet Jonah, Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. Jonah ran away from God and got on a ship sailing in the other direction. (Bad idea.) He told the sailors he was running away from God, but God sent a great storm. The sailors were afraid they would sink, and they prayed, but the storm only got worse. They threw things off the ship to make it lighter, but that didn't help, so they asked Jonah what to do. Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. When they threw him in, the storm stopped. Of course, God didn't leave Jonah in the water: Jonah spent three days and three nights inside a big fish, praying, and he repented, and the fish spit him out on the land. God helped Jonah change his mind.

First Point: Repentance

What does it mean to repent? (To change your mind and behavior.) Why did Jonah need to repent? (Because he wasn't doing what God said.) When Jonah repented, God forgave him. Jonah still didn't want to go to Nineveh, but he did go, and he preached the message that God gave him: he declared that the city would be destroyed. The people believed God and repented. The king told everyone to stop their wickedness and to pray to God for forgiveness. (Good idea!) God saw that they repented, and he didn't destroy the city.

Why did the people of Nineveh need to repent? They were violently wicked. They did things like kill the babies, deport entire populations and scatter them to places where they didn't speak the local language, build living people into their city walls... Overall they were cruel. They also worshiped false gods. Why did they repent? (Because they believed God.) When they repented, God forgave them. Why? God's like that. [Have a volunteer read Psalm 103:9-12.] The Ninevites feared God's judgment, and they repented, and he spared the city.

Second Point: The Sign

Did you know that Jesus talked about Jonah? He did. One time, some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked to see a miracle. He told them they were wicked, and that the only sign he would give them was the sign of Jonah: Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the big fish, so the Son of Man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

What does it mean to be in the heart of the earth? When was Jesus in the heart of the earth? (When he was dead. After he was crucified.) Jesus needed to die to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could be forgiven. Turn to Hebrews 9. [Have volunteers read v.11-23. Discuss as time allows.]

Conclusion: The Gift (optional)

Your memory verse tonight will be Romans 6:23. [Read the verse.]

What are wages? (something you earn) How do you earn death? (sin) What is sin? (anything you do that doesn't meet God's standards) How many people sin and earn death? Since we have earned death, what can we do to let Jesus pay our penalty? (Romans 10:9, confess Jesus is Lord, believe God raised him from the dead.) Is there any other way to escape death? (No, John 14:6)

Invitation: Salvation

[Offer to discuss this further with any teens who need to make a decision.]

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