Week 17: Who should I tell about Jesus?
Last week we learned how exciting it is to introduce people to Jesus. But there are so many people – where should we start? The Bible gives us examples of the people that the early Christians told about Jesus. Let’s see what we can learn from Andrew and Peter, two brothers who helped to spread the Gospel of Christ.
Be ready to read the following passages:
Let’s start it.
Who is the first person you want to tell when something really good has happened? Why do you tell that particular person?
Let’s learn it.
We begin this week’s Family Time with a passage we looked at last week. Check out John 1:35-42 again to remind you who Andrew first told about Jesus.
The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus was to tell his brother Peter. That’s how the Gospel began to spread. Jews who believed Jesus was the Savior Israel had been waiting for started telling the people closest to them. However, God had something much bigger in mind. He wanted the Jews to share His love with more than just the people they loved and shared common interests with. Who did God send Peter to talk with in Acts 10:19-23? Why does the Acts 10:27-35 passage say this was so unusual?
God sent Peter to a group of people who were very different than he was. You see, out of all the nations on Earth God had chosen Israel to be His special people. In the Old Testament He gave them commands and laws to follow. Certain animals, people, and situations were considered unclean according to Jewish law (Leviticus 11), but the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross made it possible for both Jews and Gentiles to be clean before the Lord. By sending Peter to the Gentiles, God was showing that He loved all people and wanted to have a relationship with them too.
Andrew and Peter were faithful to share Jesus with the people they were the closest to and people who were very different than they were. In both passages we looked at this week, God used one person’s salvation to affect more people for His kingdom. Think about it. Over 3,000 people in Jerusalem received Jesus as their Savior when Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost – all because Andrew told him about Jesus. Then every person in Cornelius’ house received Jesus, and the Gospel began to spread to the Gentiles. God cares about the people who are closest to us, and He cares about people who are different from us. That means we should care about them too!
Let’s discuss it.
- Who first told you that Jesus loves you? Who was the first person you told?
- Think of people at school, work, or in your neighborhood who are very different from you. How can you show them this week that God loves them?
Let’s do it.
Just like Andrew, the best place for us to start sharing Jesus is with the people we love the most. Who in your family doesn’t yet know Jesus as their Savior? Decide right now to pray for them regularly, and then look for a time to tell them how you met Jesus and how knowing Him has changed your life.
Will you also pray for the courage to witness to someone that you don’t have as much in common with? Make an effort this week to pay attention to people that you might not have noticed before – like someone who eats lunch alone or who others don’t talk with much. God loves that person just as much as He loves you. If you don’t tell him or her about Jesus, who will?