Gone Fishing Bible Lesson
In A Nutshell
In this Bible lesson, children learn what tools are available to them to be good Fishers of Men.
Ages
Elementary, Tweens
Scripture
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18
What You Will Need
- Fisherman Gear for leader to wear
- Rod and Reel (optional)
- Tackle Box
- Box filled with:
- A Bible
- Cross
- Paper that says "Good Deeds"
- Printed Lord’s Prayer (See Downloads below).
- Church Bulletin
- A Bridge to God handout (optional) (See Downloads below).
- 10 Commandments handout (See Downloads below).
Preparation
Leader should arrive dressed like a fisherman with vest, hat, boots, rod and reel, etc. and carrying a tackle box.
Lesson
Today we are going fishing. I’ve got my boots, my hat, my rod and reel. What else do I need? (Tackle Box). What kinds of things would you have in your tackle box? Open tackle box and pull out items like hooks, bobbers, fake bait, lures, etc. Did you know that God wants us to be fishermen? Let’s see what the Bible has to say.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18
If Simon and Andrew were fishermen, why did they throw down their nets to follow Jesus? (Because they didn't need them anymore. Before meeting Jesus, their whole life was about being fishermen. It was their job. It was their food. They depended on it, and their net was their tool. Now that they had found Jesus, He became the center of their life). When we make the decision to follow Jesus, what kinds of things will we no longer need? Or what things won't be as important? (Sinful things. Things that separate us from Jesus and make our life too busy for him).
So, what kind of fishermen did Jesus want Simon and Andrew to be? (Fishers of men). What does that mean? (Discuss the meaning of bringing others to Christ). As Christians, what kind of fishermen does God want us to be? (Fishers of men).
As fishermen, Simon and Andrew needed a net, but now they had a new job. They were going to be fishers of men. If we were going to put together a tackle box to be fishers of men, what kinds of things would we need in it? Bible, Cross, "Good Deeds", Lord’s prayer, Church Bulletin. How can we use these tools to be better fishermen?
- Pull out the Bible. (Read it to better know what God wants us to do, read it to others).
- Cross: (Wear it so others will know we are Christians. Use it to explain how Jesus died for our sins).
- Good Deeds: (Use these to show how Christians act).
- Lord’s Prayer: (Pray to God for guidance. Show others how to pray).
- Church Bulletin: (Pray for people on the prayer list. Tell others about upcoming events).
- A Bridge To God Handout - explain how Christ is the only path to God.
- Ten Commandments (Talk to people about how God wants us to behave.)
For older children, you can divide them into partners and have them practice using the tools for Christ with each other.
Prayer
Dear Lord, We want to share with others what an awesome God you are. Please help us to use the tools in our tackle box to be good fishers of men. Amen
Extras
We like to team this lesson up with the "Fisher’s of Men Tackle Box Craft (See related items). Children put together their own tackle box to witness for Christ. They can then practice with their own tools. There are several other crafts in Related Activities that could also be included in the tackle box. You can have gummy worms and/or fish crackers for a snack.
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