Conversation Starters: I Am a Minister
Posted by Karah
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: While we can be thankful for the work of our pastors, church leaders or camp counselors, ministry is not just for a select few. Some people are set apart for specific offices and ministries within the church, but we are all given the privilege of doing the work of a minister. The call to follow Christ is a call to serve Him, and we serve Him through the opportunities He gives us to serve others.
Preschool
Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:18-37
LIFE POINT: God had a special job for John. God wanted him to tell people about Jesus. John lived in the desert and wore a leather belt around his waist. His clothes were made of camel hair, and he ate locusts and wild honey. John told the people, “Someone who is more powerful and greater than I will come.” He wanted the people to understand that God had sent him to tell about Jesus. John baptized many people. One day Jesus went to the river where John was. John knew that Jesus was God’s Son. John baptized Jesus, placing Him under the water for a few seconds. Then a dove appeared, and God’s voice was heard saying that Jesus was God’s Son. John did what God told him to do. He taught people about Jesus.
LIVE IT OUT: Your child may want to know more about baptism after hearing this week’s Bible story. If she has never seen a baptism, make an appointment to visit the baptistry in your church. Remind your child that God sent Jesus to earth because He loves us.
Kids
Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:18-37
LIFE POINT: John the Baptist was given a special job by God. He was to tell people about Jesus. John traveled all around the area of the Jordan River, teaching that Jesus was the Savior, the one and only Son of God. He told people to ask for forgiveness for their sins and to be baptized. John told everyone the good new that Jesus was coming soon. One day Jesus went to the Jordan River. John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the God’s Son, who takes away the sins of the world!” John was talking about Jesus. Jesus asked John to baptize Him. John was surprised, but he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God came down from heaven like a dove. Then they heard a voice from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!”
LIVE IT OUT: Depending on the age of your child, the Holy Spirit may be new information for your child. Tell your child that when he became, or becomes, a Christian, the Holy Spirit will always be present in his life.
Students
2 Corinthians 3:4-12
THE POINT: God works through us to make a difference.
• What’s a chore you’d love to “outsource” to someone else?
• What do these verses teach us about our role in God’s work?
• How do we make sure that God gets the glory for our ministry?
• What does it look like to serve Christ with boldness in today’s culture? Discuss the following quote:
“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”(1)—Corrie Ten Boom
LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your student to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out in the Personal Study Guide. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture:
• CHRIST: We serve and love others just as Christ first loved and served us. Discuss with your student ways Christ has ministered to him or her.
• COMMUNITY: How can your family come together this week to serve and minister to others in your community? Consider inviting another family to join you or including other students in your church family.
• CULTURE: People that are not a part of God’s family do not always understand a culture that is not self-oriented. How can your family demonstrate service that is other-oriented?
(1) Corrie Ten Boom, “26 Corrie Ten Boom Quotes,” Christian Quotes [online], [accessed 25 May 2017]. Available from the Internet: https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-author/corrie-ten-boomquotes/#axzz4j62imZnw.
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