Great Commission

Teaching Goal:  Christians are called to share the good news of Christ at home, in the community and around the world.

Scripture:   Acts 1:8 You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Materials:

• Target (included with this activity).  *Please refer to page 4 of downloadable PDF for a printable image of a target.
• Pen

1. Play theme song
2. Pray
3. Review last lesson
4. Lesson and discussion

• Words written in bold are when the leader is speaking. Feel free to use your own words.

Have you ever heard of the Great Commission? After Jesus was raised from the dead and right before he went back through the clouds to heaven, Jesus gave those who believe in him the Great Commission!

Jesus said, “I want you to tell others about me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jerusalem is the city or neighborhood in which they lived. Let’s use the name of our city or neighborhood. Say the city name. Judea was the region or state in which they lived. Samaria was a state next to Judea. Let’s use the name of our state and the United States to represent Judea and Samaria. Say your state name and the United States. To the ends of the earth still means everyone in the world. So we can say “around the world.”

Jesus would say to us, “I want you to tell others about me in city, and in all state and the United States, and around the world. This is our great commission!

Have each child say their great commission several times.

ACTIVITY: Another way to view the great commission is to look at our relationships. Jerusalem can represent “our closest relationships.” For example, family members and close friends. Judea and Samaria can represent people we know but they aren’t our closest friends. And “ends of the earth” can represent people we don’t know.

The Great Commission can be said as, “Tell your closest friends, others that you know and even people you haven’t met about Jesus.”

Give a copy of the “Tell them about Jesus” target to each person. This target has three circles. Inside the center circle we are going to write names of our family members and closest friends. Inside the second circle we are going to write names of people we know but they are not our closest friends. Inside the larger outside circle we will write the names of 10 countries or other states where we know about missionaries and Christian workers who are involved in telling others about Jesus.

Do this activity one circle at a time. While everyone is filling in the inside circle with names of family members and friends talk about different ways we can tell them about Jesus. Listed below are some questions to encourage discussion:

Questions and comments for filling in the center circle.

Do your best friends know that you are a Christian?

Are family members reminded of Jesus when they see the way you behave toward others and the things you do? What could you do more and what could you do less?

Can you give an example of a conversation with your friends about Jesus in the last week, month, year?

Is there a friend that you would invite to Sunday School or Family Time?

Questions and comments for filling in the middle circle.

Not everyone can be a close friend. That doesn’t mean that our other friends aren’t important, they are! Write down other friends you know from school, church, the neighbors, sports teams.  

Have you had a conversation with these friends about Jesus in the last week, month, or year?

Is it harder or easier to talk with these friends about Jesus? Why?

Is there anyone in this circle who you might invite to church or Family Time?

Questions and Comments for filling in the outside circle:

How can we tell people we don’t even know about Jesus? Missionaries, Christian organizations.

Do we currently support missionaries or organizations that tell others, people we don’t even know, about Jesus?

How can we get to know people in the outside circle so that they can become a part of our middle circle?

This week we are going to pray and ask God to give us an opportunity to talk with a friend about Jesus. You don’t need to force the conversation. Just ask God to let you know when the time is right to talk with someone you know about Jesus.

A fun way to talk about Jesus with your friends is to tell them about a Family Time. Explain what you did in the Family Time activity and the lesson you learned. Tell them that Family Time is something you do at home to learn more about Jesus and being a Christian.

Another fun way to talk about Jesus is to tell your friends about Sunday School and what you learned this week. Then ask them if they go to church. You might find that your friends go to church and you didn’t even know it!

Memorize:

Tell everybody, everywhere you go

About Lord Jesus so that they will know.

Close in Prayer