Search

Being On Mission Takes Effort

Please note that Future Flying Saucers uses affiliate links.

Share with your friends!

What is our purpose in life? What was the purpose of Jesus? Helping our children know what Jesus’ mission was is a step in the right direction on the narrow path of godliness. {Deuteronomy 5:32}

Mission EffortScripture Focus: Luke 4:17-19, Luke 22:42, Isaiah 61:1-2

Materials: building materials such as megablocks, blocks, etc. {I used megablocks. Depending upon how many children you are teaching, give a pile of equal amounts of building materials to each group.} Make a list of all the actions Jesus is reported as doing throughout the book of Luke. Subtitles in a Bible make this easy. Find a few biographies, or videos, about missionaries or other leaders in the church or society over the years.

Free Poster:  Click on the image below and print.

Week 8 poster smallBackground: Jesus returned to Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry. He was surrounded by people who knew him. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, but this time it was different.

Object Lesson on Effort:

Tell the groups that you are going to give them 1-2 minutes to work with their team to build a cross out of the supplies. Warn them that you will be coming around trying to destroy their work. They will need to work together to build, protect, and possibly rebuild. If they get a cross built, then they will need to protect it!

{As the kids work, go around and “tear down” their legos or blocks. You could also “steal” some of their supplies. I had 2 other adults help me. This activity was very loud. The kids really got into protecting their crosses!}

After the time, see what progress has been made. Ask these questions:

  1. Were you given a mission, or a job, to do?
  2. Was it simple or complicated to build the cross?
  3. What made it difficult?
  4. What emotions did you feel as the activity went on?
  5. Did you ever want to quit?
  6. How come?

Bible Lesson on Effort:

Jesus was given a mission. In Luke 4, Jesus was given a scroll to read and he read the prophecy from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. (Isaiah 61:1-2a)

After Jesus read these scriptures he told those who were listening that the prophecy was fulfilled. According to these verses, what was Jesus’ job? (preach the good news, heal the brokenhearted, tell about freedom to captives, freedom for sinners, proclaim the year of the Lord) Did he do these things? It’s important to look for the evidence if someone is claiming that he fulfills a prophecy.

{Go through the list of Jesus’ actions. I wrote them on the board. As you read through them ask, “Did Jesus do this? Does it fulfill the prophecy?”}

Were these easy things that Jesus did? (No) No, in fact while he was in the garden before he was arrested, he asked God to take the cup of suffering away from him. Jesus did not want to go through the awfulness of what he knew was coming. But he put his desires to the side and chose God’s will instead.

Could Jesus have walked away? What if he had gone through the Passover meal and then said, “Later, men! I’m out of here!” and disappeared? Could he have done that? What if he decided to not go to the cross? What if Jesus changed his mind and said, “You know what Pharisees? You’re not worth my time.” Could Jesus have chosen not to die on the cross at any time? (Yes, he could have left us.)

But he didn’t because he loved us.

Jesus had a mission to bring liberty to captives. We are the prisoners. We are prisoners to our sins.

Did Jesus finish his mission? (Yes)

Was it easy? (No)

Was it hard work? (Yes.)

Was it frustrating some times? (Yes)

Yes. But Jesus did the mission anyway.

Life Application for Effort:

You have been given a mission. Many times kids think, “I’m just a kid. What can I do?” God used Samuel. God used David. He can use you, if you let him! Every person has been given a specific mission. Your job, as a young person, is to learn. You are to learn in school and church. You are to learn your skills. You are to learn what you enjoy doing the most. God will then teach you what you are to do for him and he will use what you love and the skills you have developed to glorify himself.

But your mission will not be easy. Don’t think you are by yourself in this. In fact, you can learn from those who came before you. We have all of the people we learn about in scripture, but then there are others we can read about to see how God has used them and their mission.

{Pull out the missionary books and videos you collected. Show the covers and mention the names. Whet their reading appetite by not really telling what each person’s mission was. I had kids asking me for books and videos when the lesson was over!}

{Hold up the poster. Read it aloud.}

If you come to church, read your Bible, listen to your Sunday School teachers, but do nothing that the Bible tells you to do, then you are wasting your time. You have a mission and that means you must DO what God wants you to do. There is a time for everything. A time to learn. A time to sleep. A time to play. A time to eat. A time to work hard. Working hard takes effort. Jesus worked hard at his mission and was successful.

We can do the same thing. So let’s work hard!

What can we learn from Jesus and his mission? If we want to be godly, then we must choose to work hard and put effort into doing our mission well.

{Display the poster in the room throughout this series and read it each week.}

This lesson has been UPDATED and is a part of my book Walk This Way: Ethics and Sanctification Lessons for Kids. CLICK ———> HERE for more information.

CAUGHT IN THE

What to teach next spiral?

Sign up below for three lessons from the Victory in Jesus book you can use now to jump start your object lesson Bible teaching plan. 

bible object lessons

We help Creative Bible Teachers to train children and youth by using Object Lessons.

Scan for free lessons
what god is doing

Sign up below for a Sample LESSON from What God is Doing: Old Testament Object Lessons for Kids (16 pages!). 

Have you read these yet?