Jesus’ First Followers
(John 1)
October 11, 2026
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
Jesus’ calling to His first disciples follows the same pattern our Savior uses today. His invitation for us to follow Him remains steadfast as He asks—and answers—the same question He extended to His earliest disciples: “What are you looking for?” (John 1:38). We find Jesus Himself to be the all-sufficient answer to the question of what we seek; He is the only One worthy of our following.
Christ intentionally met His disciples in their curiosity. He extended an invitation to come and see His life and ministry for themselves, to join Him on mission to fulfill His Father’s will. We read that John, the writer of this Gospel account, remembered what time it was, down to the hour, when he first met Jesus—the moment his life was forever changed (John 1:39).
It was through hearing Christ’s words and inviting others to hear Him for themselves that the earliest followers were brought into His fold. Jesus sought out His first disciples, saying to them, “Follow me” and revealing His deep desire to abide with them—not just in the present—but for all eternity. In experiencing the closeness and intentionality of Christ, the first followers of Jesus proclaimed, “We have found the Messiah,” “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law,” and “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
Christ’s invitation to follow Him was simple enough to understand for people who had received little education. His question, “What are you looking for?”, is the same one He extends to people today—even young children!
We see from this passage that Jesus knows us—beings who have been lovingly created by the Father. Even more, He desires that we know Him and trust Him to be the answer for all we seek.
It was through word of mouth that even more people heard about Jesus and were invited into a saving relationship with Him. May the boys and girls in your care accept Jesus’ invitation to trust in Him for salvation and be empowered to share His love with others.
***Next Week: Jesus’ First Miracle (John 2)
Family Discipleship Plan
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Family Discipleship Plan •
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Read John 1 from the Bible.
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Have you ever played “Follow the Leader?” In the game, one person is the leader, and the rest of the group must imitate whatever actions he or she does. If the leader jumps up and down, then the group must jump up and down. If the leader clucks like a chicken, everyone must also cluck like a chicken. The point of the game is to pay special attention to the leader and mimic what they do.
Thinking about the rules of this game helps us understand what Jesus meant when He said to the disciples, “Follow Me.” Jesus was inviting them to walk with Him and watch Him teach people about the kingdom of God. Along the way, Jesus would also be teaching them and showing them how He is the Son of God. Then, Jesus would give them power and opportunity to share in the work of telling others about the kingdom of God.
One day, these followers of Jesus would have the chance to tell the world the good news about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. This small group of disciples led to hundreds of followers, and after Jesus’ resurrection the number of believers grew into the thousands! Today, there are billions of people who have accepted the invitation to believe in Jesus and follow Him!
Jesus still calls people to follow Him today as His disciples. Everyone who repents and trusts that Jesus died and rose again for their sins is His disciple. Jesus is worth following, no matter what we have to leave behind.
***Pray: *Jesus, You are the Son of God. You are the King who lived a perfect life, died as a sacrifice for sin, and rose again as the King above all kings. Help us believe in this good news and to share it with the world who needs to hear it. Amen.
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Preschool:
“The Word became flesh and lived among us.”John 1:14
1st-5th:
“The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NiRV
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Mornings
Think about the invitation Jesus gives when He says, “Follow Me.” Ask Him to give you courage to accept the invitation and strength to continue following Him even when it’s difficult.
What does it mean to follow Jesus? How does accepting His invitation change our priorities?
Evenings
Praise God for the promise that when we share the gospel and teach others from His Word, it always fulfills His purposes. The Bible is powerful, and the truth of Jesus can change lives.
Pray for those who have never heard, and for those who have never believed, to be changed by the power of the gospel.
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For Fun
Host a family dance party. Call out the name of a family member to show off their unique dance moves and have the rest of the family imitate those moves. Allow each family member to lead the dance party at least once. Talk with kids about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Remind them that it begins with faith in Him and leads us to a mission of telling others about Him.
To Serve
Pray for unreached people groups around the world. Pray for the people, for missionaries who are attempting to reach those people, and for the good news of Jesus to be revealed to all these groups of people.