Bible Story: Fishers of MenReference: Luke 5 Jesus had friends who followed him called disciples. These friends believed that Jesus was the Messiah like John the Baptist said. They wanted to learn more about God from Jesus. One of His disciples was a fisherman named Simon (Peter). One day Jesus was teaching people by the sea of Galilee, also called the lake of Gennesaret. Because the people crowded Jesus so closely, Jesus asked Simon if He could teach from his boat. Jesus climbed in the boat. Simon pushed the boat into the water a little bit. Now, everyone could hear and see Jesus.  Jesus taught the people about God while he sat in Peter's fishing boat. (Rock arms) Images courtesy of Good News Productions and FreeBibleImages.org After Jesus finished teaching, He saw that Simon was discouraged. Jesus told Simon and his friends, "Let down your fishing nets now." Simon knew that during the day was not a good time to fish. "We spent all night fishing and didn't catch a single one. But, if you want me to, I'll do it."  Jesus told Peter to put out his net. But, Peter said that they didn't catch any fish last night. (Empty hands) Image courtesy of Good News Productions and FreeBibleImages.org When Simon put down the net, it filled with fish! His brother Andrew and his friends, James and John, had to all help pull up the net. There were so many fish! Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be scared for the future. You used to catch fish, but now you will catch men for God's kingdom." Simon and his friends knew that Jesus was inviting them to work for God. They left their boats and their fishing behind to follow Jesus in God's work.  Then Peter obeyed Jesus and let down the net. Now the net filled with fish! “You will now be fishers of men and work for God,” Jesus said. (Lift heavy net) Image courtesy of Good News Productions and FreeBibleImages.org Prayer Verse and PromptOur Bible story reminds me of the prayer verse, Matthew 4:19, which says, "Then [Jesus] said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men'" (NKJV). Following Jesus is a great life adventure of helping others. He still calls us today to follow Him, even though He is in heaven. We can follow Jesus in His Word, the Bible. As we read it, the Holy Spirit shows us how to be more like Jesus, so we can know Him better and help others know Him better. When we show others the love of God, we have become "fishers of men."
Dear Father God, I want to follow Jesus. Help me read my Bible and obey You. Help me be kind to other people, so they can know You too. In Jesus' name, Amen
Nature Link: Honeybees Bees are important insects that pollinate plants, so plants can make fruit or seeds. Let’s learn a few facts about honeybees.  Honeybees are an important pollinator that help flowers make seeds. Photo #1351713 by Matthijs Roes, courtesy of FreeImages.com Honeybees actually do not live and pollinate in the same place generally. Scouting honeybees travel far distances from their hive in search of flowers to collect their food - nectar and pollen. Then they come back to the hive to tell the other bees where to find the food. How do they "tell" the other bees? They do a little dance! When worker bees drink nectar from flowers, the nectar goes into a special honey stomach that start breaking down the nectar into simpler sugars. At the hive, the worker bee feeds the house bee the broken-down nectar in its stomach. Then that bee’s stomach works on the nectar. After a while of being passed around, the nectar is no longer nectar. Most of the water is gone and it has become honey that is deposited in the honeycomb. Those honeybee scouts remind me of the first disciples of Jesus. John told His followers to start following Jesus, and some of them did. Then they told others. Do you get so excited about sweet Jesus that you want to tell others about Him? Jesus said in Luke 8:39, “Tell what great things God has done for you." Memory Mastery: God's Special BookThis quarter please help your child fill in the blank as you recite facts about God's special book, the Bible.  Jesus taught the people how to understand God's Special Book the Bible. Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org The Bible is God’s special book. The Bible is actually made up of 66 little books all put together to make one big book. The Bible is divided into two big parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Holy Spirit helped each Bible writer to write his book. The Bible tells us the story of salvation from creation until the end of time. If we read the Bible carefully, we will see Jesus leading God’s people in the Old Testament, as well as the New. In fact, when we prayerfully read the Bible, Jesus will lead us, too, in our daily lives, so we can become all God wants us to be. I expect each of you to do great things for Jesus. Hide His Word in your hearts and obey it. Mission Helper: West Central AfricaThis quarter we are helping the world church do mission projects in the West Central Africa Division. We are building a K-12 school in Guinea, an elementary school and urban outreach center in Liberia, and a medical center in Nigeria. If you would like to help makes these projects a reality, please give to the 13th Sabbath mission projects (found in the World section of the online tithe envelope).
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