A Shepherd's Priorities: Teen Discussion Questions for Missions Lesson, Day Five, God's Sheep

Friday:	A Shepherd's Priorities
Bible Lesson:	Shepherded Sheep (Leading and Following)
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries must teach the Bible, not cultural norms.
Missions Examples:	Craig and Sara Noyes
Bible Passages:	Acts 20:27-32; 2nd Timothy 2:2; Galatians 1:6-9, 2:1-5; Proverbs 30:5-6; Deuteronomy 12:32

1. Can you think of some things people traditionally think missionaries should do?
   Which of these things are really important?
2. What are some practical things Craig and Sara will need to do at first when they arrive on the mission field?
3. Why is it important for people to have copies of the Bible in their own language?
4. Once the Bible is translated into a people's language, isn't that enough?
   Why can't they figure everything out for themselves from that point on?
5. We tend to take our own cultural background for granted and assume that it's normal. How can missionaries tell the difference between necessary things that the people need to be taught and unnecessary American cultural baggage that would just weigh them down?
6. What would be the harm in having people in other countries do church the way we do it here? Why shouldn't we go ahead and teach them to install stained glass and steeples and pianos?
   If it works for us, wouldn't it work just as well for them?

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

Unwatched Flocks: Teen Discussion Questions for Missions Lesson, Day Four, God's Sheep

Thursday:	Unwatched Flocks
Bible Lesson:	Sheep Security (The Good Shepherd)
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries train local pastors.
Missions Examples:	India: Orissa
Bible Passages:	2nd Timothy 2:2, 1st Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9

1. Can you think of some specific dangers that a church would suffer if they don't have a pastor?
2. What kinds of things does a man need to learn before he can be a pastor?
3. Are there other requirements? Can just anyone be a pastor, if they study the right things?
4. If there are already a number of new churches without pastors, and not enough men training to be pastors for all of them, should missionaries stop evangelizing new areas for a while? Why or why not?
5. Does the Bible actually tell us to train pastors?
6. Where did our pastor receive his training? How can we know if it was good enough?
7. Why don't men from India just come to America and attend school here to train to be pastors?

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

Lost Sheep of Israel: Discussion Questions for Teen Missions Lessons, Day Three, God's Sheep

Wednesday:	Lost Sheep of Israel
Bible Lesson:	Stolen Sheep: Saul and the Spoils
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries can and should take the Good News to anyone.
Missions Examples:	Jeff Kran
Bible Passages:	Matthew 15:21-28, Romans 9-11 (especially 9:8, 15, 27, and 32; 10:1-3 and 8-15; 11:1-6, 13-14, 19-21, 23, and 25-27), Galatians 2:11-5:12, Acts 1:8, Acts 15, Romans 3

1. What did Jesus mean when he said he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Mat. 15:24)? Does this mean Gentiles cannot be saved?
2. Why does the Bible compare people to sheep? What is similar about them?
3. How does a missionary find people who need to know about Jesus? How can he tell which people need to hear the good news?
4. In the early days of the church, most of the people in the church were Jews. Today, most of the people in the church are Gentiles. How and why do you suppose this could have changed?
5. What kind of impact can a people's cultural background have on how a missionary might need to present the good news to them?
6. One of the ten commandments is to keep the Sabbath day holy. Why doesn't the Christian church observe this?
7. If they still need to hear the good news, does knowledge of the Old Testament give the Jews any advantage at all?

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

Where the People Are: Discussion Questions for Teen Missions Lesson, Day Two, God's Sheep

Tuesday:	Where the People Are
Bible Lesson:	Lamb of God (Isaac and the Ram)
Missions Concepts:	A missionary goes wherever there are people who need to hear the good news.
Missions Examples:	Craig and Sara Noyes
Bible Passages:	John 10, Acts 16:6-15, Matthew 28:18-20, Isaiah 52, Romans 10:8-15

1. Why don't we need foreign missionaries to come to Galion from other countries and minister to us?
2. Why aren't there any full-time missionaries at the research stations in Antarctica?
3. Why is it important for people to have copies of the Bible in their own language?
4. Why is it important for every local church to have a pastor from their own language and culture?
5. What are some things you would need to do before you could translate the Bible into a language that doesn't already have a Bible translation?
6. Sometimes missionaries say that they feel lead by the Holy Spirit to go to a certain place.
   Is there any support in the Bible for this?
7. Do missionaries really need to be sent out by churches? Can't they just go on their own? Why?

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

Feeding the Sheep: Discussion Questions for Teen Missions Lesson, Day One, God's Sheep

Monday:	Feeding the Sheep
Bible Lesson:	Straying Sheep: Everyone has sinned, and sin has a penalty.
Missions Concepts:	A missionary must teach God's word.
Missions Examples:	India: Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	Psalm 23; John 21:15-18; Numbers 27:12-21; Jeremiah 23, Matthew 2:6, 9:16; Psalm 100; Isaiah 40:9-11; Jeremiah 3:15; 2nd Samuel 5:2; Acts 20:27-31; Jude:12

1. How is the teaching of God's word similar to feeding? What do these two activities, one physical and one spiritual, have in common?
2. What is the difference between a pastor and a missionary?
3. Why would Paul Rajan ask a group of people if anyone had ever come to tell them about God?
4. Why do people need someone to teach them about God?
5. Is it better for the people to have a foreign missionary teach them, or a local pastor who is one of them? Why?
6. How does God feel about shepherds who don't take proper care of the flock? What about pastors who teach people the wrong things?

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

A Shepherd's Priorities (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Five)

Friday:	A Shepherd's Priorities
Bible Lesson:	Shepherded Sheep: The church needs leaders. We must follow Jesus, and we must follow our leaders.
Memory Verse:	Ephesians 2:10
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries must teach the Bible, not cultural norms.
Missions Examples:	Craig and Sara Noyes
Bible Passages:	1st Corinthians 2:1-16

Introduction: Sheep

What's the most important thing for a shepherd to do? Dye the sheep's wool? Tie ribbons and bows around their necks? What about teaching the sheep to bark? [No.]

The most important thing is making sure the sheep have enough grass to eat.

Main Point: Teaching the Right Stuff

It's like that for missionaries too. Some people think missionaries need to help the people all build nice houses, build them a big beautiful church building with a steeple and stained glass, teach people in other countries to be more like Americans, and all kinds of other things. Some of those things might actually be good things to do, sometimes – but they're never as important as the main thing missionaries are supposed to do: they have to feed the sheep.

Missionaries have to teach the Bible. That's the most important thing.

Example: Craig and Sara Noyes

We said on Monday that Pastor Craig and Sara Noyes are going to training to learn how to do missions work among people who have never heard about Jesus before. When they finish their training and arrive where they're going, they'll have a lot of things to do. They will need to find a place to live, learn the language, get to know the people and understand how they do things there, find food to eat, ... They'll be busy. But they will have to always remember why they are there: to tell the people about Jesus and how they can have their sins forgiven. That's the most important thing.

They'll probably do other stuff too. They might teach some of the people to read, so that when they get the Bible translated, the people will be able to read the Bible for themselves. But teaching people to read, by itself, isn't missions, and it's not why Craig and Sara are going. The main point is to teach the people about God.

Counter-example: Early American Indian Missions

When missionaries from Europe came to the American Indians, sometimes they forgot why they were here, and they taught the people the wrong things. They taught them to speak English, and told them not to speak their own language any more. They made some of them cut their hair the European way, instead of the way they were used to. They made them wear boots instead of moccasins. Then, when the Indians looked the way the missionaries wanted them to look, they finally remembered to teach them a few Bible verses. Was that the right way to do missions? [No.]

If they had remembered what missions is all about, they wouldn't have bothered with boots and special haircuts at all. Those things aren't important.

Instead, good missionaries would have worked mostly on teaching the people what the Bible says – especially the good news about how Jesus died for them so their sins could be forgiven. That is what missions is supposed to be all about.

Conclusion: Good Missions

That's what Craig and Sara Noyes will do. They won't care what color of clothes the people wear, how they cook their food and do their laundry, or what time of day they meet together to pray, or what day of the week. They just want to teach them the Bible and see them become God's sheep.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Unwatched Flocks (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Four)

Thursday:	Title
Bible Lesson:	Sheep Security: Jesus is the good shepherd and always looks after his sheep. (The Good Shepherd)
Memory Verse:	John 10:28
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries train local pastors.
Missions Examples:	Orissa
Bible Passages:	2nd Timothy 2:2

Introduction: Sheep

We've been talking this week about sheep and shepherds. The shepherd is the person who takes care of the sheep, leads them to good grass and to water, protects them from wild animals and other dangers, and so on.

What would happen to a group of sheep if they didn't have a shepherd? They might get hungry. They might get lost. Some of the sheep might be hurt, or even killed. A wolf or a lion might eat some of the poor sheep.

Main Point: The Need for Pastors

It's bad for a church not to have any pastor to look out for them. How can the people learn the Bible if nobody teaches it to them? They can try to study on their own, but there are all kinds of things that can go wrong. Without a pastor, there's nobody to make sure the people are getting good teaching, nobody to protect them from false teachers who would tell them wrong things about God, nobody to bring them back into the fold if they wander off.

Every flock of sheep needs a shepherd, and every church needs a pastor.

Example: Orissa

In India, there are Christian believers with no local pastor in their town. Missionaries from other cities came and told them a little about Jesus, and then the people who they told went to their friends and neighbors and told more people, so now there's a group of believers, but they need a pastor. The missionaries can't stay in all the different towns, because there aren't enough of the missionaries to go around. They need more shepherds.

Some of the new Christians in India want to be pastors, but they don't know how. They need to know more of the Bible. They need to know how to study the Bible. They need to know how to lead and protect a church.

So now the missionaries are teaching men how to be pastors. They teach them how to study the Bible, how to teach it, and how to look out for a church – all the things a pastor needs to do.

Conclusion:

When missionaries first go to an area, like Craig and Sara Noyes are planning to do, they have to be the shepherd themselves – they have to teach the people, and lead people to Christ, and start churches.

But the job isn't done as soon as they have sheep. The sheep need shepherds. A missionary's job isn't finished until there are local pastors who can lead the new churches. Part of missionaries' job is to train these local pastors, so they can shepherd the new flock. Only then do the missionaries move on to another place.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who are interested in doing missions work someday to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Lost Sheep of Israel (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Three)

Wednesday:	Lost Sheep of Israel
Bible Lesson:	Stolen Sheep: We should obey God's instruction. (Saul and the Spoils)
Memory Verse:	1st Samuel 15:22
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries can and should take the Good News to anyone.
Missions Examples:	Jeff Kran
Bible Passages:	Romans 9-11 (especially 9:8, 15, 27, and 32; 10:1-3 and 8-15; 11:1-6, 13-14, 19-21, 23, and 25-27), Galatians 2:11-5:12, Acts 1:8

Introduction: Sheep

This week, we've been talking about sheep and shepherds. Did you know that there are different kinds of sheep? There are black sheep, white sheep, bighorn sheep, sheep with different kinds of wool, ... all different kinds of sheep. But they're all sheep, and they all need to eat, and they all need a shepherd to look after them and lead them to grass.

The Bible compares people to sheep. Just like sheep, there are all kinds of people. People come from different places, speak different languages, look different, and know different things. Some of the people are God's sheep, who believe in Jesus and follow him, and some are not his sheep; but all the people need Jesus, the good shepherd, and they all need someone who will teach them about Jesus and lead them to follow God.

Main Point: The Good News is for Jews and Gentiles

The Bible says that the good news about Jesus is for Jews and Gentiles. A Jew is a person who comes from Jacob's family – Israel. A Gentile is someone who does not come from Jacob's family. Most of us here are Gentiles, and we need a shepherd. (Fortunately, we have one. We said on Sunday night that Pastor Jeff is our shepherd here.) But we Gentiles aren't the only ones. Jews need a shepherd too. They also need someone to teach them about Jesus.

Example: Jeff Kran

Pastor Jeff Kran is a missionary to the Jewish people. He leads Bible studies, and he teaches in churches, but mostly he just goes to places where there are Jews who need to hear about Jesus, and he talks to them. Sometimes he gets a chance to tell them about Jesus right away. Sometimes he talks about other things and gets to know them, hoping to tell them about Jesus later.

Many times Pastor Kran goes to places where he knows there are Jews who do not know that Jesus paid for their sins. Jews already know that they have sinned (that everyone has sinned) because they have the Hebrew Bible – the part of the Bible that we call the Old Testament. Their Bible tells them many things that God wants people to do, and it tells them that if they don't do it, if they mess up even one little time, God will be angry with them and punish them. Jews know about their sin and God's punishment, but they need to know about God's forgiveness: that Jesus died on the cross for them, to take their punishment, so they can be forgiven. Jeff Kran wants to tell the Jews that if they follow Jesus, he can forgive them, and they can live forever with him in heaven.

Conclusion: The Gospel is for Everyone

Everyone needs to hear this good news. Jews, Gentiles, tall people, short people, old, young, black, white, Asian, American, ... Everybody needs Jesus to forgive their sin. So everybody needs someone to tell them. Everybody needs a shepherd.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Where the People Are (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day Two)

Tuesday:	Where the People Are
Bible Lesson:	Lamb of God: Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we don't have to. (Isaac and the Ram)
Memory Verse:	Romans 4:25
Missions Concepts:	A missionary goes wherever there are people who need to hear the good news.
Missions Examples:	Craig and Sara Noyes
Bible Passages:	John 10, Acts 16:6-15, Matthew 28:18-20, Isaiah 52, Romans 10:8-15

Introduction: Sheep

We said yesterday that a shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. So what would a shepherd be if he didn't have any sheep? [Nothing. No shepherd at all.] A person who wants to be a shepherd has to have sheep. You can't just make sheep, out of fluff and paper mache. You have to go where there are some sheep. You can start with just a few, but if you aren't around any sheep at all, you can't be a shepherd.

Review:

Yesterday, when we talked about pastors and missionaries, we said that people are like sheep, and the shepherds have to teach them God's word, which is like feeding them.

Main Point: Where the People Are

But where do they find sheep? Wherever there are people who need to hear about God, that's where missionaries have to go, because that's where they will find their sheep.

Do we have foreign missionaries here in Galion? Do we need missionaries to come from far away and teach us about God? [No.] We have churches and pastors here, and many Christians. There are, of course, other people here who need to hear about God and need to follow Jesus, but we don't need foreign missionaries to come and tell them, because we have people here who can tell them. We can tell them. We can tell our own friends about Jesus, and we can invite them to Bible School and to church, so that they can hear more. So we don't need foreign missionaries.

But some places don't already have Christians. They speak another language, and they don't have the Bible in their own language yet. They don't have local pastors. So who is going to tell them about Jesus? They need missionaries to come and tell them.

Example: Craig and Sara Noyes

Pastor Craig Noyes and his wife Sara want to go someplace where there are people who have never heard about Jesus at all, people who can't even get the Bible in their own language, because nobody has translated the Bible's words over into their language yet.

Here, we speak English. Can you get the Bible in English? Sure, no problem. The Bible was translated into English hundreds of years ago. You can get the Bible in English, Spanish, French, lots of different languages – but not quite all of them.

Pastor Craig Noyes and his wife Sara want to go where the people have never had a copy of the Bible in their language, to people who have never had missionaries come and teach them about God. They want to go to people who have never had a shepherd.

Conclusion:

If you wanted to go, would you know how? Would you know what you'd need to take, how to learn their language, how to translate the Bible for them, and how to teach them about Jesus? Pastor Craig has already studied the Bible. He could teach us, if we needed a pastor here. But he still needs to learn how to do the missions work in places where there is no electricity, no restaurant, and no internet, where he doesn't know the language and there's no Bible in that language.

This fall, when you go back to school, Craig and Sara Noyes will go to the Missionary Training Center. They're going to take classes there for a year and a half to learn all about how to do the missions work they want to do. They need to learn how they can go where the people are – the people who have never heard about Jesus, because there's no one to tell them, people who can't read the Bible for themselves because there isn't a Bible in their language.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who are interested in doing missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Feeding the Sheep (God's Sheep Missions 2013, Day One)

Monday:	Feeding the Sheep
Bible Lesson:	Straying Sheep: Everyone has sinned. Sin has a penalty. (Moses and the Rock)
Memory Verse:	Isaiah 53:6
Missions Concepts:	A missionary must teach God's word.
Missions Examples:	India: Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	Psalm 23; John 21:15-18; Numbers 27:12-21; Jeremiah 23, Matthew 2:6, 9:16; Psalm 100; Isaiah 40:9-11; Jeremiah 3:15; 2nd Samuel 5:2; Acts 20:27-28; Jude:12

Introduction: Sheep

All week at Bible School we're going to be talking about sheep. Who knows what you call a person who takes care of sheep? [A shepherd.] One of the things a shepherd has to do to take good care of his sheep is to make sure they have enough to eat. If the shepherd keeps his sheep in one place, they eat up all the grass there, and then what? They need new grass every day. The shepherd has to lead the sheep to more grass.

Main Point: Teaching the Bible

The Bible says that people need a shepherd, just like sheep do. Except, our shepherds don't find us grass to eat. Yuck. We can find our own food anyway. But our shepherds have to feed us in a different way: they feed us God's word. We call these shepherds pastors and missionaries. They teach us the Bible. We can feed our own bodies, but our shepherds help feed our souls.

Pastor Jeff is our shepherd here in this church, in Galion; but people in other places need to hear God's teaching too.

Example: India

For example, there are people in India who need to hear God's message. That's why we have pastors and missionaries in India, to teach people there about God.

One group of people in India lives in houses built for them by the government. They used to live in the mountains. When Paul Rajan, a pastor and missionary in India, asked one of them if anyone had ever come to talk to his people about God. He said No. These people need someone to tell them the truth about the only true God.

Pastor Rajan would like to teach them about God, but he has his own church to look out for, in Coimbatore, and there are also many other places in India where people need Bible teachers. There are 327 adults and 161 children in a place called Golamunda, where some men Pastor Paul knows are trying to start a church. There are 103 adults and 24 children in an area called Semala, where a man named Nehemiah lives, and there are 53 adults and 36 children in a place called Umarcot, where a man named Joseph is starting a church. All of these people need someone to teach them the Bible. The missionaries in India have a lot of work to do, teaching the Bible to all those people!

Conclusion: Shepherds Must Feed Their Sheep

If God's people are like sheep, and the people who teach them are like shepherds, and the Bible is like food for their souls, then teaching the Bible is just as important as a shepherd leading his flock of sheep to good grass. It's the most important thing pastors and missionaries do.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Who Can Be a Missionary?

Monday:	Who Can Be a Missionary?
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Rewards in heaven await believers who finish the race. (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8
Missions Concepts:	Foreign missionaries are sent out by the church, but any believer can do the work of a missionary locally.
Missions Examples:	[personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 13

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest was confused about who could be a missionary. He wasn't sure if just anybody could be. Kristina helped him to realize that part of following God for every Christian is to teach other people about how to follow Jesus.

Explanation: Full-Time Missions versus Everyday Missions

While some people are missionaries full-time: it's their job, and they travel to far-away places and spend all day doing just missions, all of us are responsible to help share God's teachings with other people who don't know.

Application: Being Sent

For people who want to be missionaries all the time and move far away, they probably have to be sent by a church, or sometimes by a group of churches. If the churches are going to send offering money to help pay for the work that they're doing, then they definitely have to be sent by the churches.

However, all of us can do a little missions work right where we are: telling people about how to follow Jesus. Nobody has to tell us to go tell our neighbors and our friends. Jesus already told us to do that.

[As time allows, let some of the kids give examples from their own lives, of people that they have shared with or would like to share with about Jesus.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Where Does a Missionary Go?

Thursday:	Where Does a Missionary Go?
Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: We need to be dedicated to God, not other things.
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries go wherever there are people who need to hear.
Missions Examples:	Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	[Needed]

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure how much of the world he had to go to in his Missions Marathon. So today, that's what we're going to talk about: where missionaries go.

Explanation: Where the People Are

Do missionaries go to the moon? Do they go to the north pole? Do they go to the middle of the ocean? No, missionaries don't go to any of those places. They don't need to go to those places, because there's nobody living there.

Yesterday, we said that missionaries teach people to follow Jesus. So to do that, they have to go where the people are. That's where missionaries go: wherever there are people. Missionaries don't all go to the same place. Zambo Salamon is a missionary in northwest Cameroon. He went there because he knew there were people there who needed to be taught about God. Paul Rajan is a missionary in India, because there are people there. Both Zambo Salamon and Paul Rajan were born in the country where they are missionaries. Sometimes missionaries go overseas, to a different country where they weren't born. Other times, they stay closer to home. But wherever they go, they go where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow Jesus.

Game: Naming Places

[Set up a white board or the equivalent.] Let's name some places where you could go and be a missionary. Remember, it has to be a place where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow God. [Accept answers from the kids and write them on the board. Make sure they include some that are close to home and some that are farther afield.]

[If there's time, make a separate list and have them name places where they cannot be a missionary, any place where there's nobody that needs to be taught – Antarctica, Mars, deep underground, etc.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What Does a Missionary Do?

Wednesday:	What Does a Missionary Do?
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: The Bible is God's word. We should study it and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries make disciples and start churches.
Missions Examples:	Philippi
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't totally sure what he needed to do to be a missionary. He knew that it might involve talking to people, but he wasn't sure what he needed to tell them. So that's what we're going to talk about today: what missionaries actually do.

Kristina reminded Earnest that those who follow Jesus are to go tell people what they learned in the Bible. People need to know that their sin separates them from God, but also that he loves them and sent Jesus to pay for their sins. Earnest knew that they were to go and make disciples.

The Point: Discipleship

A disciple is a learner, a follower of God. If we teach people how they can have their sins forgiven, they can choose to become disciples, to learn more about God, to follow him and obey his word.

The Bible verse Earnest was quoting from is in Matthew 28. Jesus didn't just say we should tell everybody that Jesus loves them. That's part of it, but he also said Teach them to obey everything I have commanded. That takes time. Missionaries have to make sure that they do the whole thing: it's not enough to just tell the people how to be saved and then abandon them. Missionaries have to do more than that: they have to make sure the people are taught everything Jesus commanded.

Example: Philippi

Remember, yesterday, we talked about when Paul went to Macedonia. Paul spent several days in the Macedonian town of Philippi, teaching people, but that's not all he did. Because of Paul's ministry, a church was started in Philippi.

Paul stayed in contact with the Philippian church, too. He sent them a letter, which we have in our Bible: the book of Philippians. In the letter he taught them more about how to follow Christ. With the letter he sent a Christian man named Epaphroditus, who could help them as well. He also said that he was hoping to send Timothy to them soon, because Timothy would take a real interest in how they were doing. (Timothy was a Pastor whom Paul had trained specially.) Paul also said that he wanted to visit them again himself. For Paul, it wasn't enough to tell the people in Philippi that they needed Jesus: he had to keep helping them until they learned everything they needed to know.

Application: Today

When we tell people about Jesus today, we can't just get them to pray a prayer for forgiveness and then forget about them. We have to follow it through. That's what missionaries do. So if somebody asks you what a missionary is, you should say that missionaries teach people how to follow Jesus.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

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.