Week 1: Jerusalem, Waco

This month we are going to get ready for mission's emphasis week at Greater Waco Baptist Church. To help put us in the mission minded focus, we are going to talk about missions and what missionaries are. Who can tell me what a missionary is? Can anyone name a missionary family? In order for you to become a missionary, what do you think would be the first thing that you have to do? Be saved, is the very first thing that a missionary has to do! It would be really hard to tell others about a Great God, that you dont know much about. Can kids be missionaries? Think about it, there are missionary families that have kids and the kids can learn the language faster than their parents and they can reach other kids in a way that their parents are not able to. So can kids be missionaries? Yes! Of course! How about here, in your home and at school? Can there be missionaries in Waco? Well, that would depend on your definition of a missionary, correct? According to www.thefreedictionary.com, a missionary is, "One who attempts to persuade or convert others to a particular program." Even though the words mission, missions and missionary are not in the Bible, the concepts of world missions are there for each. The word missionary comes from the Latin missio meaning to send. The linguistic equivalent of the Greek apostolos is sent ones. So how many times is the word, missionary mentioned in the Bible? None, is the correct answer! Each week in October we will talk about being witnesses or missionaries to each region. Today we are going to talk about our Jerusalem. Jerusalem, which to us is the greater Waco area. Jesus Jerusalem was Jerusalem, did you know that Bethlehem is only six miles from Jerusalem? Thats like Bellmead to the heart of Waco. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Juda, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. If kids CAN be missionaries, do you know any kids that did stuff for God? Well, the one that I am thinking of is Jesus. Did you know that Jesus was a kid? Its hard to think of Jesus that way. It is easy to think of him as a baby because we celebrate his birth every year at Christmas time. We also hear a lot about Jesus doing miracles, but Jesus is also mentioned as a child. What do you think Jesus was like when he was a child? All of these are good guesses, but to know what Jesus was really like we must look in the Bible. And the Bible tells us! In our lesson today, we will find out what Jesus was like when he was a boy. Jesus is our best example of what God wants you to be like as a child and a missionary. In Luke 2:41-52. Read Luke 2:41-52: The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Questions from the Lesson:

How did Jesus obey God? Who did Jesus teach while at the temple? Did they look down on Him? What two ways do you think showed that they were listening to Him the twelve year-old Jesus? Was Mary surprised where she found Jesus? What did Jesus say to Mary? How many days did it take for Mary and Joseph to realize they were missing Jesus? In Matthew 28:18-20 it says, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
How do we as a church fulfill the GREAT COMMISSION? There are MANY things that we do for our community! Can anyone tell me one thing that we do as a church? Well, we have a food pantry, a clothes closet, we have a bus ministry to pick up people who want to come to church, but I think the biggest way that our church as a body reaches the city of Waco is through our Spark of Grace program as well as our morning radio broadcast. Spark of Grace is the outreach ministry that groups of people go out and witness to people on Monday nights. We have seen many people come to the Lord this way. We have a church that has a heart for the Lord and wants people to know Him as well. While our radio broadcast is only available through 1010 AM, anyone can listen in their cars or homes through the radio. We also have live steam on the internet, but we will talk about that later.

El Gato Y El Raton (Optional Game)

Five or more players The name of this Puerto Rican game is pronounced EL GAH-toe EE EL rah-TONE and means The Cat and the Mouse. 1. The children name a player to be the Cat and another to be the Mouse. The rest form a circle. 2. While the Mouse stays inside the circle, the Cat runs around the outside of the circle and tries to break through the childrens clasped hands to catch

the Mouse. 3. If the Cat breaks in, the children can allow the Mouse to escape the circle by raising their hands. They can keep the Cat inside in the same way. 4. When the Mouse is caught, a new Cat and Mouse are named. The game starts again.