“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” When Jesus spoke these words to Peter and Andrew, they were kind of busy! They were carrying out important responsibilities, actually. However, when these men recognized the source of the call, they stopped what they were doing and they responded immediately. Having faith in the Lord also means having faith in His timing. For example, a prompting from the Holy Ghost to serve someone might come at an inconvenient moment. We will experience many moments like this throughout our lives, and our children will too! We hope that as you study the examples of these faithful fishermen, you and your children will be inspired to respond quickly whenever you hear the Lord speaking to you!
LESSON BUNDLE DOWNLOADS:
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 K A R A O K E V I D E O : "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N:
You will need a roll of masking tape, some stuffed animals, and a timer with an alarm sound. You’ll also need a simple activity that kids could work on together, such as toy blocks or a puzzle.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Before the lesson, use the tape to create a pretend “ladder” on the floor with several rungs. Place the stuffed animals at the “top” of the ladder. Explain to the children that they are going to be part of an emergency rescue team! Tell them that they can spend some time playing with the blocks (or puzzle) together, but they must listen for the alarm! When they hear the alarm, they must “climb” the ladder as fast as they can, work together to rescue the stuffed animals, and bring them back down the “ladder” to safety.
After the timer and the rescue is complete, invite the children to return to their seats and then discuss the following questions:
1) When real rescue workers hear the alarm, what do they do? (They respond right away!)
2) What if they are in the middle of playing a game? Would they finish playing their game first? (No! They need to act quickly so that they can make it to the rescue in time!)
3) What if a fireman hears the alarm when he is eating dinner? Should he finish eating his dinner first before he goes to put the fire out? (No! The fireman needs to act quickly so that the fire doesn’t get too big!)
Explain: Jesus taught us to love one another, and when we decide to follow Jesus Christ, we are kind of like rescue workers! Sometimes, someone might need help right away - even when we are in the middle of our dinner! Or, someone might need some kindness right away - even if we are in the middle of playing a game!
🎥 V I D E O : " I Will Make You Fishers of Men | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about following Jesus Christ! Let’s watch and see if the people in the video follow Jesus right away, or if they wait until later.”
[Watch Video: “I Will Make You Fishers of Men | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids”]
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) What did Peter and Andrew do when Jesus asked them to follow Him? (They left their fishing nets right there in the water and they followed Jesus right away!)
2) What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? (Following Jesus Christ means we are trying to do the things He taught us to do!)
3) What did the boy who was building blocks do when he had a chance to follow Jesus Chirst? Did he wait until later to show kindness? Or did he show kindness right away? (He showed kindness right away.)
4) What did the girls who were playing soccer do when they had a chance to follow Jesus Christ? Did they wait until later to be helpful? Or did they help right away? (They helped right away.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the scripture verses below and discuss the questions that follow.
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
1) When Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men” what did He want Peter and Andrew to learn to do? (To help gather people, and bring them to Jesus Christ!)
2) What did Peter and Andrew do when Jesus asked them to follow Him? (They left their fishing nets and they followed Jesus right away!)
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded…
1) What did Nephi do when the Lord commanded him to do something? (He obeyed the commandments of the Lord.)
2) What does this scripture teach us about the creation? (It teaches us that Jesus Christ was the creator of all things.)
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
1) Who is speaking in this verse? (Jesus is speaking.)
2) Who sent Jesus to be our teacher and savior? (Heavenly Father.)
3) Was Jesus doing what he wanted? Or was He obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments? (He was obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments.)
➤ C O L O R I N G P A G E
Pass out the coloring page, one to each child. Invite the children to color the coloring page of Peter and Andrew fishing. Use this time to talk about obeying quickly when Jesus invites us to follow Him.
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
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