NT 11 The Twelve Disciples

Reference: Luke 6:12-16 , Matthew 9:9, John 1:43-51

Story Summary:
     Jesus had twelve disciples. These were men who followed him around wherever he went and learned from him. The first four of his disciples were fishermen: the brothers Simon and Andrew, and the other brothers, James and John. But Jesus selected eight other men to be his disciples.
     Jesus asked a man named Philip to follow him. When he did, Philip told his friend, Nathanael, they he had found the promised savior from God. But when Nathanael found out Jesus was from Nazareth, he said, "Can anything good come from there?" When Nathanael came to Jesus, Jesus showed Nathanael that he knew who he was, even though he had never seen him before. So Nathanael followed Jesus, too.
     Jesus once saw a man sitting at a tax collector's booth named Levi. Tax collectors were despised back then because they would collect extra money for themselves and become rich. But Jesus asked Levi to follow him and he did.
     In all, Jesus asked twelve different men to be his disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John,Philip, Nathanael, Matthew, Thomas, Simon, James, Judas, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Big Idea and Motions: A disciple believes the good news and follows Jesus.
Disciple - Hold up the index finger on both hands. Bounce them to the side, as if they’re walking, with one following the other *
Believes - pretend to grab hold of a rope with two hands **
Good news - pretend to read news in something you’re holding and smile
Follows - march in place
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
* This is the ASL Sign for “Disciple.”
** This is the ASL Sign for “Trust”

Verse / Motions: 1 Timothy 1:15, ESV - ...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Came into the world - trace a big circle in the air with your arms
Save - make the baseball “safe” sign
Sinners - two thumbs down
I am - point to yourself with two thumbs
Foremost - hold up 1 finger (since “foremost” means “number one”)

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What special word does the Bible use for students who follow and learn from a rabbi? // Disciple.
What job did Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John have? // They were fishermen.
Who went and told Nathanael that he had found Jesus? // Philip.
What did Nathanael/Bartholomew do when he heard about Jesus? // Made fun of him.
What was Matthew/Levi’s job? What did people think of them? // A tax collector, and people despised them.
Who was the disciple who wouldn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead until he saw him? // Thomas.
How was Jesus different than a regular rabbi? // God’s Son, perfect, spoke God’s Word, died and rose to save us
How many disciples did Jesus have? // Twelve.
What disciple is always listed first? Why? // Peter because he was the leader
What disciple is always listed last? Why? // Judas, because he betrayed Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - https://goo.gl/KSdxwE
Resources - https://goo.gl/hc57hR

NT 10 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Reference: Luke 5:1-11

Story Summary:
     One day, Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was so great that Jesus asked two fishermen if he could stand on their out in the water and teach the crowd. The boat belonged to the brothers, Simon and Andrew. They also worked with two men who were also brothers, James and John.
     When he finished speaking, Jesus asked the men to cast their nets into the water to catch some fish. "Master," the fishermen said, "we've fished all night and caught nothing! But because you say so, we'll let down the nets." When they did, they caught so many fish, their boats began to sink. They needed their partners to come with another boat to hold all the fish.
     When Simon saw this miraculous catch of fish, he said, "Go away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man!" Simon knew that Jesus couldn't have done such a thing if he was just an ordinary person. Jesus told him to not be afraid. "From now on," Jesus said, "you will catch people." Right then, the four fishermen left their nets and followed Jesus. They became his very first disciples.

Big Idea and Motions: A disciple believes the good news and follows Jesus.
Disciple - Hold up the index finger on both hands. Bounce them to the side, as if they’re walking, with one following the other *
Believes - pretend to grab hold of a rope with two hands**
Good news - pretend to read news in something you’re holding and smile
Follows - march in place
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
* This is the ASL Sign for “Disciple.”
** This is the ASL Sign for “Trust”

Verse / Motions: Mark 1:17, ESV - And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Said - make your hand talk like a puppet
Follow me - march in place and swing your arms
I - point to yourself with two thumbs
Fishers - pretend to cast a fishing rod
Men - flex your muscles

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who came to see Jesus? // A crowd of people
What did Jesus do with the crowd of people? // Taught them God’s Word.
What were the names of the fishermen in today’s story? // Simon, Andrew, James, and John.
How many fish did Simon and the others catch the night before? // None.
What did Jesus tell Simon to do with his nets? // Throw them over the side of the boat to catch fish.
What happened when they threw their nets over? // They caught tons of fish.
Why did Simon say to Jesus, “I’m sinful! Go away from me!”? // He saw his power, knew he didn’t deserve to be around him.
What did Jesus mean when he said they would be “fishers of men”? // His disciples would go make new disciples.
Who left everything and followed Jesus in today’s story? // Simon, Andrew, James, and John
Can a tax collector or bully become Jesus’ disciple? How do you know? // Yes, because Matthew and Saul did

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - https://goo.gl/87MRxI
Resources - https://goo.gl/5kkAt7

NT 09 Jesus is Tempted

Reference: Luke 4:1-13

Story Summary:
     After Jesus was baptized, God's Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After Jesus fasted for 40 days, the devil arrived to tempt him.
     The devil told Jesus to take some stones and turn them into bread to eat. But Jesus didn't give in. He said, "God's Word tells us that people don't live on bread alone, but on God's Word."
     The devil then showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. He told Jesus he'd place him in charge of all of them, as long as Jesus would bow down and worship him. But Jesus said, "God's Word tells us to only worship the Lord God." Jesus didn't give into the devil's temptation.
     Then the devil took Jesus to the top of the temple. He told Jesus to jump off of it. The devil even twisted a Bible verse to make it sound like God wanted Jesus to jump off of buildings so angels could catch him. But Jesus didn't give in. He said, "God's Word tells us to not put God to test."
     After tempting Jesus the devil left him. God then sent angels to take care of Jesus.

Big Idea and Motions: Jesus was tempted, but he never sinned!
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Tempted - put a sneaky look on your face and make a “Hey, come over here” gesture with your hands
Never - wag your finger “no”
Sinned - two thumbs down

Verse / Motions: Hebrew 2:18, ESV - For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
He - form a cross with your forearms (because “he” is Jesus)
Suffered - wring your hands and look like you’re in agony
Tempted - put a sneaky look on your face and make a “come here” gesture with your hands
Help - reach down and pretend to pull someone up from the ground.
Being tempted - same as above

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Where was Jesus in today’s story? // The desert/wilderness.
What did Jesus not do for 40 days? // Eat.
Who came to tempt Jesus? // The devil.
How many times did the devil tempt Jesus? // Three
What did the devil tell Jesus to do to the stones? // Turn them to bread.
The devil said he’d make Jesus king of the world, if he would...? // Bow down and worship the devil
What did the devil tell Jesus to do at the temple? // Jump off the top, see if God would send angels to catch
When Jesus said, “It is written...”, what did that mean? // He was saying something from the Bible.
Did Jesus ever give into any temptation? // No
What are the things we should remember when we’re tempted? // Jesus will help us, God gives a way out, The Devil will run away if we stand up to him, Jesus died to pay for our sins

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - https://goo.gl/2WhupS
Resources - https://goo.gl/C4OatP

NT 08 The Baptism of Jesus

Reference: Matthew 3:13-17

Story Summary:
     John the Baptist preached in the wilderness. He told the people to repent of their sins and be baptized. One day, Jesus came to John and asked to be baptized.
     John couldn't believe this. "I shouldn't baptize you," he said. "In fact, I need to be baptized by you!" But Jesus told John that it was important for him to be baptized, to fulfill all the righteous and good things God wanted him to do. So, John agreed to baptize Jesus.
     When John brought Jesus out of the water, the heavens opened. The Spirit of God came down from heaven and rested on Jesus' shoulders like a dove. And God the Father spoke from heaven, "This is my Son; I am very pleased with him."
     All of the other people John had baptized were sinners who needed to repent of the times they had disobeyed God. But Jesus never sinned, so he didn't have anything to repent of. But Jesus was baptized because he came to save us. And to save us, he needed to do two things. He needed to obey God perfectly in our place and die to pay the punishment for our sins.

Big Idea and Motions: Jesus came to obey perfectly and die for sinners.
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Obey - form an O with your arms above your head
Perfectly - make the A-Okay sign with the thumb and index finger of one hand
Die - cross your forearms in an X over your chest and tip your head forward
Sinners - two thumbs down

Verse / Motions: 1 Timothy 1:15, ESV - ...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Came into - gesture with your arm like you’re waving someone over
Save - make the baseball “safe” sign
Sinners - two thumbs down
I am - point to yourself with two thumbs
Foremost - hold up 1 finger (since “foremost” means “number one”)

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who did Jesus go to in today’s story? // John the Baptist
What did Jesus ask John to do? // Baptize him
What did John say to Jesus when he asked to be baptized? // I can’t baptize you; you should baptize me
What did Jesus say after John said ‘No.”? // It’s the right thing to do; it’s part of God’s holy plan
What did the heavens do when Jesus was baptized? // They opened
What did the Holy Spirit do when Jesus was baptized? // Came down and rested on him like a dove
What did God the Father say when Jesus was baptized? // This is my Son, I love him, I’m pleased with him
Did Jesus need to repent of his sins or be forgiven? Why or why not? // No, because he never sinned
What special word means that God is three persons in one? // Trinity
Who are the three persons who are God? // The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - https://goo.gl/j71BqI
Resources - https://goo.gl/iXqST3

NT 07 John the Baptist

Reference: Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:1-8

Story Summary:
     Before John was born, an angel told his father that he would be a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord. Hundreds of years before John was born, the prophets Isaiah and Malachi wrote about John, that he would be God's messenger, who would prepare the way for the Lord.
     When John grew, he lived in the wilderness and people came to hear him preach. He wore camel-skin clothes, and ate locusts and honey. When John preached, he told the people to repent, or turn from, their sins. When they did, he would baptize them in the Jordan River, dipping them under the water and bringing them out again.
     One time when John was preaching, he said that someone greater than him was going to come, someone who was so great that he wouldn't be worthy of untying his shoes. That person was Jesus, God's Son, who came to earth to die for our sins.
     Because John baptized so many people, we call him John the Baptist. He was a messenger who helped prepare the way for Jesus by telling people to repent of their sins.

Big Idea and Motions: Repent of your sins and be baptized.
Repent - take a step in one direction, pivot your feet and turn around
Sins - two thumbs down
Baptized - pretend to take hold of a person’s body, dunk them under the water, and bring them back up

Verse / Motions: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ESV - Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...
Christ Died - form a cross with your forearms
Sins - two thumbs down
Scriptures - pretend to open a book
Buried - pretend to dig with a shovel
Rose - gesture upward with both palms
Third - hold up three fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Where did John preach? // In the wilderness.
What did John wear? // Camel-hair clothes.
What did John eat? // Honey and locusts.
What did John tell the people to do? // Repent, be baptized.
What did John say God would do if people repented? // Forgive their sins.
What does it mean to be baptized? // Dunked under water in God’s name.
What special name do we give to John? Why? // John the Baptist, because he baptized people
What does baptism show us? // Our sins have been washed away, Jesus died and rose again for our sins.
Who is baptism for? // People who’ve repented of their sins and believe in Jesus.
What does baptism show us? // Our sins have been washed away, we’ve died and risen with Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/w00CLX
Resources - http://goo.gl/aQzML5