Splink | The Gospel Demands to Be Shared

Pass It On

Memorize John 17:3 with your family. This verse holds the secret to the power to do what God has asked.

What did Jesus pray? (That people would know God (the only true God) and His Son, Jesus)

Review the verse with a game. Gather everyone in a circle and pass around a small ball or stuffed animal. To begin, give the ball to one person and ask him to say the first word in the Bible verse. He will pass it to the person on his right who will say the next word. (You may need to write the verse on a piece of construction paper for them to refer to as they say it.) Continue passing the ball and saying the verse. The one who says the last word gets to pick who starts the verse the next time.

Say the verse together as a prayer for those (you know) who do not know Jesus.

Go and Find

Play Sardines, a variation of Hide and Seek. Choose one person to hide while everyone else closes their eyes and counts to 25. When the counting is completed, each person searches for the hider. When someone finds the hider, he or she doesn’t say anything but quietly crawls into the hiding spot. Try to wait until no one is nearby before crawling into the space, so the spot can remain hidden.

The hiding place will become more cramped with hiders. (Now you know why the game is called Sardines!) The game ends when the last person finds the “sardines.”

The first one to find the hider gets to be the hider in the next round.

After playing, ask:

What made this a fun game?

How does this game remind us of Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel (good news) to every creature” (Mark 16:15)?

We must go and find the people who don’t know Jesus and befriend them, so we can tell them the good news about Jesus and His love.

Too Good NOT to Share

Items Needed: A candy bar, ice cream bar, or food “treat” for each person in the family

As your family is sitting around watching TV or hanging out, open a candy bar (or other treat) and start eating it in front of your kids. (Oooh and aaah about how good it tastes.) If they ask you for a bite, simply reply, “I wish you could taste how good this is!” Do not share the candy with them.

Ask them:

How did you feel when I ate the candy bar and didn’t share any with you? (Left out; disappointed; sad; hungry for one; etc.)

Say something like:

God wants us to share the good news about Jesus with others so they can have forgiveness and go to Heaven. 

How could not sharing the candy be like not sharing the good news about Jesus with others? (If we don’t share God’s love and peace with others, they may feel sad. Others will never know how to go to Heaven if we don’t share this good news with them.)

How can you share the good news about Jesus with others? (Share a testimony of how you prayed to receive Jesus; invite them to church; share a tract with them; invite them a special Christian concert or event; etc.)

Encourage your kids to be bold—tell them it’s not like you’re asking these people to go to the dentist with you. You are sharing the best news in the world! (Praying for and with your child can be another way for them to gain courage.)

Give each person his or her own candy bar or treat!