LIFE Skill: Getting Closer to Jesus!

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 4 and read verses 19 and 20 together as a family.

Jesus calls His first 4 disciples to Follow Him: Peter, Andrew, James and John. Jesus commands them to Follow Him and promises to make them “fishers of men.” Without fully knowing who this Jesus is or why He is calling them, the 4 immediately drop everything and Follow Him.

Discuss the following questions together.

1. Based off the verses, what do you think it means to be a “fisher of men”?
2. Why do you think the 4 immediately followed Jesus? They left everything – their boats, their fish (which provided their income and food), and even James and John left their earthly father.
3. Jesus has also called us to Follow Him, what do you need to immediately let go of to trust Him more?

Practical: This week in our LIFE acronym, it’s the 3rd week – F, Following the Way of Christ. Pray and ask the Lord for practical steps to Follow Him closer! (ex: watching less tv to read more of His Word).

LIFE Skill: Getting Closer to Jesus!

Open your Bibles to Luke chapter 9 and read verse 23 together.

Jesus says if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. In the verses preceeding, He says we must lose our life for His sake to save it. It sounds upside down but Jesus is saying we are His, and this is opposite from the world!

Discuss the following questions together as a family.

1. What does the Bible say it means to deny yourself? What are practical ways to deny yourself?                                                                           
2. What does the Bible say it means to “take up our cross daily” and how do we do this?                                                                                          
3. What does Jesus mean by “losing our life to save it” ?

Practical: Spend this week asking the Lord what He wants you to let go of in order to follow Him closer, getting to be made more like Jesus!

Happy New Year!

LIFE Skill: Growing closer to Jesus!

Open your Bibles to John chapter 15 and read verse 14 together.

Jesus says we’re His friends if we do what He commands us to do. This sounds like what a terrible friend would say, but now we see that Jesus is saying it. Is Jesus a terrible friend?

Discuss the following questions together as a family.

1. Have you ever had a friend before that has said this to you? How did that friendship turn out?
2. Why do you think Jesus is saying we’re only His friends if we do what He commands us to do?
3. What commands come to mind when you hear this? Are any of them hard to keep, why?

Practical: Begin a New Year’s resolution to specifically grow your relationship closer to Jesus! Remember to keep it practical and be careful to not set yourself up for failure.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 1 and read verse 21 together.

Jesus coming to the earth is very important for our Christian faith, and He did it the same way we did – born from a woman, as a baby.

Discuss the following questions together as a family.

1. How do you think Joseph & Mary felt when they were told that they would give birth to not just any son, but The very Son of God?
2. Would you rather have been there for Jesus being born or when He was resurrected from the grave?
3. What is something that we can do to remember Jesus during the Christmas season?

Practical: Bring a small gift to a neighbor or family member and tell them about Jesus – the reason for Christmas!

Christmas Series: His Name is Jesus!

Open your Bibles to Luke chapter 2 and read verses 10-12 together.

An angel comes to tell nearby shepherds that Christ the Lord and Messiah has come, born as a baby, and he’ll be found lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths. The shepherds go to meet Him with haste!

Discuss the following questions together as a family.

1. Why do you think Jesus came as a baby and not a grown adult man?
2. How do you find Joy with Jesus?
3. How would you of felt if you were there when Jesus was born? What would you have wanted to see or say?

Practical: Invite the person you put on the Prayer Banner (or someone that doesn’t know Jesus) to a Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day service.