"Playing on Jesus' Team" Children's Sermon - 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Use this children's sermon to get students thinking about how Jesus values them and what it means to be a disciple.

Needed: Soccer ball or other playing ball

Lesson: Hold up a soccer ball, and ask the children, What kind of players would you pick to be on your soccer team? (Good runners who can kick the ball well and be cooperative team players)

Would you look for players who couldn't run or kick or pass?

People pick people to be on their team who have great skills. But that's not how Jesus picks who can be on His team. Jesus chose a man named Paul and appointed him to His service, even though Paul says "I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor and a man of violence" (1 Timothy 1:12-13). In other words, Paul was not a good person.

Why would Jesus pick Paul if Paul wasn't a good person? 

Jesus likes to show grace and love to people, and to turn them into good players for the Christian team. 

How do you think Paul felt being picked by Jesus?

Paul was thrilled to be playing for Jesus, and he knew that Jesus made him "an example to those who would come to believe in Him for eternal life" (v. 16). 

So, the Bible tells us that Jesus chose Paul to be on His team, and it also tells us that Jesus wants each one of us to be on His team. All we have to do is say yes to being on Jesus' team and do our best for Him that we can.