Jesus Called Disciples

Mathew 4:18-22; 9:9-13
Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14; 3:13-19
Luke 5:27-32; 6:12-16

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. In Sunday’s Bible account, kids will learn how Jesus called His disciples. In the first century, Jewish students would seek out a rabbi—an expert in the law of Moses—and ask to follow him. A rabbi would choose only a few highly-promising students to be his disciples. If a student was not accepted by the rabbi, he likely returned home to learn a trade. Those chosen to be a rabbi’s disciples followed him everywhere. They learned from the rabbi how to think and how to act. They trusted the rabbi, and attempted to become just like him.



When Jesus chose His disciples, His strategy was unusual. Rather than waiting for students to come to Him, Jesus sought out His disciples among the people who followed Him. He found some of them working,fishing and repairing nets. Some of Jesus’ disciples were introduced to Him by their friends. He approached these ordinary men and said, “Follow Me.” Their response? “Immediately they left … and followed Him” (Matthew 4:20,22).



The Twelve—Peter; James, son of Zebedee; John; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon; and Judas—spent time with Jesus during His ministry. Jesus taught His disciples to teach others about Him. The good news about Jesus is too great to not share with the entire world! Jesus came to save people from their sin.

Jesus Was Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13



Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account takes place immediately after Jesus’ baptism. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days, and He was hungry. The Devil (the agent of temptation and the father of lies) said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”



If You are the Son of God? The Devil knew who Jesus was. He challenged Jesus to prove it. The Devil wanted to ruin God’s plan of redemption which was set in motion in Genesis 3. In the garden of Eden, Satan used a seemingly innocent question to arouse doubt in Eve: “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Adam and Eve ate the fruit God had forbidden them to eat, and sin entered the world. Jesus came to reverse the curse, to succeed where Adam failed. The Devil’s aim was to get Jesus to sin, to disqualify Him from the role of sinless Savior.



Jesus did not give in to temptation. Each time Jesus was tempted, He remembered God’s Word. The Bible includes several verses about temptation. For example, God does not tempt anyone. (James 1:13) We can pray to resist temptation. (Matthew 26:41) When we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. (James 4:7) But what happens when we do give in to temptation? We can boldly approach God’s throne to receive grace to help us through temptation, and mercy and forgiveness when we sin. (See Hebrews 4:14-16.)



The writer of Hebrews said that our high priest—Jesus—can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tested in every way we are, yet He never sinned. Jesus was tempted, but He never sinned. Jesus is perfect and righteous. A perfect sacrifice was required to take away sin. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice. He died on the cross to free us from sin and to give us the power to say no to temptation.

Jesus Was Baptized

Matthew 3: 13-17; Mark 1: 1-11; Luke 3: 21-22; John 1:19-34

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible story focuses on Jesus’ baptism by John. John the Baptist grew up in the wilderness; his ministry began when God’s word came to him, and he began preaching near the Jordan River. John got people ready for Jesus’ ministry, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy, “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness” (Isa. 40:3). John called the people to repent of their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. Wait a second. John was calling people to a baptism of repentance. Sinners need repentance, but Jesus never sinned. (See Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21.) So why did Jesus come to be baptized? John was right when he said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?” (Matthew 3:14). Jesus answered John, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus never sinned, but He was baptized just like sinners are baptized. Baptism reminds us of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It reminds us that when we trust in Jesus, we turn from sin and start a new life—a life lived for Jesus.

Jesus at the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. The Book of Luke records just two narratives about Jesus’ childhood: His dedication (Luke 2:21-40) and His time at the temple when He was 12 years old (Luke 2:41-52). Both reports set the stage for Jesus’ ministry on earth as an adult. Sunday, our Bible account is about Jesus’ trip to the temple as a 12-year-old.

Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews. They had dedicated the baby Jesus according to the law of Moses, and they traveled to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. God had commanded the men to appear before Him three times a year to observe certain festivals. (See Deuteronomy. 16:16.) Once a year, those who followed God’s law would travel to Jerusalem, often in large groups.

In Bible times, a Jewish boy became a man around age 12. His father would train him to take on all the responsibilities of adulthood, both social and spiritual. Joseph was a carpenter, and he likely trained Jesus in his trade. When Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem, Joseph might have taken Jesus around the city to teach Him the significance of the temple and explain the purpose of the Passover feast.

Jesus’ parents started the journey back home after the feast. They assumed Jesus was among their traveling companions, but He wasn’t; Jesus had stayed behind at the temple. Mary and Joseph traveled for a day before they noticed Jesus was missing. They went back to Jerusalem and found Him at the temple. Mary—a frantic mother—asked her preteen son why He would treat them that way. Didn’t Jesus know they were worried sick?

Jesus answered Mary’s question with a question: “Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” Mary and Joseph did not understand Jesus’ answer. In all this, Jesus did not sin. Jesus went to the temple to worship. He is God’s Son, and He came to do God’s work. Jesus taught people, suffered, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we too can worship God.

Sunday, August 3: Jesus Was Dedicated

Luke 2:21-40



This week in The Gospel Project^® for Kids, our journey takes place about 33 days after Jesus’ birth. Do you remember the first few weeks of your precious child’s life? Mary and Joseph, the proud new parents of the Savior, took Him to the temple as God had commanded.



Long ago, the Lord spoke to Moses: “Consecrate every firstborn male to Me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is Mine” (Exodus 13:2). Consecrate means “to dedicate to a sacred purpose.” God’s people were to set apart their firstborn as belonging to the Lord. The firstborn of sacrificial animals were sacrificed to God, and the firstborn of humans and donkeys were redeemed—a lamb was sacrificed instead. God’s law for the consecration of the firstborn had a purpose: to remind the people that the Lord brought them out of Egypt by the strength of His hand. (See Exodus 13:14-16.)



After a woman gave birth, she was “unclean,” and she would observe a period of purification—a reminder that we are all born in sin. Then she would bring to the priest a burnt offering and a sin offering. (See Leviticus 12:1-8.) This is what Mary did. When Mary’s days of purification were complete, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem, where they presented Him to the Lord and offered a sacrifice. Though Jesus was not born in sin, He identified with sinners even as a baby. This initial act introduced Jesus’ perfect life of obedience to the law.



While Mary and Joseph were at the temple, God graciously revealed to a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna that Jesus was the One—the promised Messiah they had been waiting for. Imagine their joy! Throughout the Old Testament, God promised the arrival of a king who would redeem God's people. When Jesus arrived, Simeon and Anna knew He was the promised Messiah. Today, we have faith that Jesus is God’s Son. We can trust Jesus for our salvation.

Jesus Was Born!

Luke 2: 1-20


Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. In our previous unit, preschoolers learned about God’s plan for John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior. Over the next six weeks, we will learn that God’s plan of redemption is Jesus. This Sunday, we will hear the Bible account of Jesus’ birth. The report of Jesus’ birth is usually told in December, although we do not truly know Jesus’ actual birth date. Sometimes the account of Jesus’ birth gets lost in the shuffle of Christmas lists, familiar carols, and trips to Grandma’s house. This time, though, we can focus on the details of God’s plan to send Jesus to save mankind from sin.


The first Christmas did not take place on a special holiday. In fact, the only real news at that time was that Caesar Augustus had demanded a census to collect more tax revenues. Because of the census, Bethlehem was packed. Joseph—a descendant of King David—and Mary, his pregnant wife, could not find a place to stay. They desperately needed a place to stay—the Savior was ready to be born! An innkeeper let the couple stay in a stable, and Mary gave birth to the King of kings and placed Him in a feeding trough.


Not far from Bethlehem, shepherds were watching their sheep at night. Little did they know, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world was resting in a manger nearby. When an angel appeared, they were terrified! Thankfully the angel gave the best news: the Messiah was born and they could find Him in Bethlehem. (See Luke 2:10-11.) They hurried to find the Savior, just as the angel had told them. After they found Baby Jesus, they returned home, praising God and telling others about Jesus.

John Was Born

Luke 1: 57-80

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account is about John’s birth. Shortly after Mary left Elizabeth and returned home, the time came for Elizabeth to give birth to her baby. For the duration of Elizabeth's pregnancy, her husband, Zechariah, had been mute. His inability to speak was punishment for his doubting the angel who foretold John's birth. (See Luke 1:20.)

Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and her friends and family rejoiced with her—just as the angel Gabriel had said. (See Luke 1:14.) Everyone had assumed the baby would be named after his father, but Zechariah was clear: HIS NAME IS JOHN.

In Luke 1:66, the people wondered, "What then will this child become?" John would grow up to be an evangelist. He would be spiritually strong. John's ministry would be brief, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, he would lead thousands to repentance. He would humbly prepare the way of the Lord with this aim: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John would gain thousands of followers and then joyfully hand them over to Jesus as the groom’s friend who rejoices at the groom’s voice. (See John 3:29.) Then John would go to prison and ultimately be beheaded by King Herod. But Jesus Himself would say, "Among those born of women no one is greater than John" (Luke 7:28).

As you teach kids the story of John’s birth, talk about how John’s birth was prophesied by Isaiah. (Isaiah 40:3) A long time before Jesus was born, prophets said that Jesus would come. The prophets also said another man would come first to say, "Jesus is almost here!" John the Baptist told people to turn away from their sins because Jesus was coming to be King over the whole world.