THREE SPECIAL FRIENDS OF JESUS

 

memory verse for this unit

“You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14, NIV*).

objectives of this unit

This unit will help the children:• Know what it means to “Follow Jesus”.• Understand why Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God.• Be sensitive to discovering the importance of loving others and following Jesus Christ.• Decide to be followers of Jesus, as the Holy Spirit guides them.• Seek God’s help to love and serve others as Jesus did.

the reason we teach this unit

Your children have a broad sense of friendship; maybe some already have a group of friends who are becoming an influential factor when they are making decisions.

There are some popular adages that say, “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.”; or “A rotten apple rots others.” And although it seems a bit radical, the friendships that children choose can influence their behavior now and may even define much of their future.

This is one reason why your children need to study this unit, so they can learn how to choose their friends.

Explain to them that we do not get to decide everything, such as: what family we’re born into, who our neighbors will be, or who our classmates at school will be.

It is very important for them to understand that they can decide who their friends will be. This unit will help your children value good friendships; but, above all, to understand that Jesus wants to be and should be your best friend. We can have a personal relationship with him because he is not far from us.

Another important thing to teach children is that they can serve others. Some of these lessons will help them begin to identify with other people and to look for ways that they can help them.

We learn to serve others by example or by following a leader. When children see their Sunday school teacher, their parents, the pastor and other Christian leaders serving others, they will understand better how they can do the same.

Put in the hearts of children the desire to want to be like the one who is the Best Leader: Jesus Christ.

* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™