Opening

Follow which leader?
Have two or three students (depending on the size of your group) come up and start giving directions to everyone else. Don’t tell kids which leader to follow, but let them choose what to do. Discuss whether it is difficult to pick a leader, and if it’s confusing when multiple voices are trying to direct you.

Bible Story

● Follow along with me as I read Mark 1:16-18
o ‘Come, follow me’, ‘Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for
people.’ At once, they left their nets and followed him.
o A Disciple- is a follower of Christ.
o Discipleship- a situation of being a disciple, a follower or a student of
Christ.
o Gospel- good news that Jesus saves His people.

● Children know the importance of following directions or being obedient (at least in theory!). But what does it mean to truly follow a person? Is it like following a celebrity in the media? Being a fan? It’s important to explain to youngsters that Jesus invites us to follow Him. In this day and age, that entails going against the grain sometimes. It also means studying the Bible to know what Jesus said and did, and praying to ask God for help. These things equip us to be “fishers of men” and tell others about Christ, as well.
● As Christians, we are called to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus. This lesson focuses on becoming a disciple, as well as bringing others into God’s
family. Learners will explore how the first followers came to Christ, and how we can be “fishers of men”, too.
● The cost of discipleship therefore means that there are some “prices” or things we have to let go for the sake of accepting to follow Christ.
● As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, Simon and his brother Andrew were going on with their daily activity of fishing. And as always, they casted down their nets to fish, Jesus told them to leave their nets and follow him. Immediately they left their nets and accepted to follow Jesus.
● From the story above, we can identify that the “fishermen” obeyed the call of Jesus Christ by leaving their fishing activity and accepting to follow Jesus
Christ. As a disciple therefore, we should be ready to accept the call and follow Jesus Christ.
● In counting the cost of discipleship
1. We must accept the call
2. We must be willing to leave all that might hinder us from accepting the call of Christ.
● In the Bible we see the story of Matthew in Matthew 9:9-11, a man who was a tax collector but Jesus reconsidered this because He came for us sinners and called him. Matthew left all he had and accepted to follow Jesus.
● In different instances in the Bible, different characters / individuals accepted to follow the call they heard from God regardless of that which they had or they had owned.
● As disciples, we should therefore accept to pay the cost of discipleship to fully follow Christ. All of us are called to live by Christ’s example and to love and serve Him. Did you know that we can also be “fishers of men”? We can spread the hope and joy of our faith to those around us!

Questions

1. Who is a disciple? A follower of Jesus Christ
2. What does discipleship mean? Learning from and following a master (Jesus)
3. Who were the first disciples of Jesus Christ? Simon and Andrew
4. What are the different costs we as disciples have to pay? Leaving our jobs to do the work of God (give other examples)