Use this free Bible study in your youth group ministry to teach about calling others from Matthew 4:18-22. The discussion and teaching will help High School and Middle School students realize how they are part of Jesus’ plan to invite them youth group or Sunday School.
This lesson is part 3 of 3 in a Bible study on Jesus calling his disciples in Matthew 4:18-22.
Teaching Supplies:
- Time 25-30 minutes
- A candle and lighter/matches
- A White poster board and marker
- The Message Bibles. The youth can also look the scriptures up on their phones. We include the text below for reference.
Lesson Review: Called & Choices
Take a few minutes to recap the past two lessons for students who missed and to refresh everyone else.
In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus describes the Way he is going to move forward. It’s a model for you. It includes you. It’s about you. Is someone willing to read it for us? (I recommend The Message translation for variety on this multi-week message).
Matthew 4:18-22 MSG Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. (19) Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” (20) They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. (21) A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee’s sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, (22) and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.
This scripture is so important! That is why we are spending 3 lessons on it.
Is someone willing to summarize the first lesson on Called.
- (In lesson 1 we talked about how Jesus called each one of us to participate in Youth Group through another person)
Jesus showed the person who influenced you to go to youth group how they could be fishers of young women and young men.
He taught them and then prompted them in helping you to choose to go.
Is someone willing to summarize Lesson on Obeying.
- (In lesson 2 we talked about obeying the calls from Jesus without delay and without questions)
In Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus was calling four of his disciples. You are a follower, a disciple of Jesus like the 12 during Jesus’s time on earth.
Bible Lesson: You Calling Others
What is Jesus’s ultimate goal in this passage of scripture for you as a follower?
To follow him and _____________________________
To teach you the Way and how to be fishers of young women and young men.
- Do you believe that Jesus wants you to be fishers of young women and young men?
- Is Jesus working in your life right now to make that happen?
- Is building a community part of participating in the Kingdom of God?
Did the disciples Simon also called Peter, Andrew, James, and John understand or know how they were going to be fishers of men and women when Jesus called them?
Do you know how you will be fishers of young women and young men?
Know that Jesus will help you
Why?
Let’s read the verses right before Matthew 4:18-22 from the Message translation. Verses 4:12-17
Is someone willing to read them?
Matthew 4:12-17 MSG When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. (13) He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. (14) This move completed Isaiah’s sermon: (15) Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations. (16) People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up. (17) This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
Summarize for the youth
It was prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament.
People sitting out their lives in the dark
saw a huge light,
Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
they watched the sun come up.
(Ask someone to light the candle and say this represents Jesus as the light of the world)
Jesus picked up where John left off. “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here”
The Kingdom of God is here! Change your life, and participate in the Kingdom. And Jesus is calling you to learn so you can help others to know about the kingdom and participate.
Wow!
Will you be an act of love for someone who is hurting?
Do you care about your friends?
It started with Jesus’s invitation and it was written down in the Gospel of Matthew for you to know today. The invitations. Jesus call to you and your expected call to others.
Is anyone willing to share what participating in youth group means to them?
You have an opportunity to capture the attention of those around you so they can see the kingdom, so they can hopefully choose to learn and to follow Jesus.
So how can you capture their attention in simple non threatening ways.
Youth Group Discussion
Let’s break into small groups for 5 minutes and answer these questions. (If the group of students is small just keep them together)
Give each group a white piece of paper with the questions below written on them. Leave space after each question for them to write their answers.
Questions:
How has Jesus taught you to call others?
Invitation
Invite them to youth group
Remember It’s an act of love to help guide someone to Jesus
What tools do you have to give you courage?
Prayer
Ask God in prayer to help you reach someone you know and give you strength to invite them to Youth group. So they can receive what they need through community.
The youth pastor and volunteers to encourage you.
Spiritual gifts
What venues can you use to ask them to come?
Activities during youth group
Fun events/trips at youth group like….
Service projects
Game night
Who would you call?
Friends that don’t attend church
The marginalized at school. Give them hope that someone wants them. Remember how much it means to you when someone invites you to something.
Note: In my time as a youth group minister and then volunteer, we had 2 autistic youth participate. It was a beautiful blessing to them, their parents and the group.
Who did Jesus pay attention to first?
Those who were excluded, marginalized, judged, hurting. He turned the world upside down. Let’s not forget that we have felt excluded, marginalized, judged, and hurt before.
If you broke into small groups, come back together and have them share their answers. Have one of the youth write all the answers on a poster board that has the questions you asked on it. You can hang it on the wall as a future reminder to invite others.
Remember what Jesus has taught us.
He is calling you.
Act immediately on the call.
Learn from Jesus and call others.
Amen!
This week pray everyday asking who you are called to invite to youth group and how to do it.