Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

Welcome back for the last lesson of our Superbook adventure, “John the Baptist.” John prepared the way for Jesus to bring us God’s salvation. Because Jesus died for our sins on the cross, we are part of God’s Kingdom here on Earth and then in heaven forever! So let’s stand up and praise God as we sing The Salvation Poem.   

Play Video 7: (Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth for today is: “Because of Jesus, I can be great in God’s Kingdom.” Let’s have grades 1–3 shout the first part of the SuperTruth, “Because of Jesus” and then grades 4–6 shout the last part, “I can be great in God’s Kingdom.” Are you ready? Let’s go! “Because of Jesus, ... I can be great in God’s Kingdom.”

That was great! Can you do it again even louder? Yes!

Go! “Because of Jesus, ... I can be great in God’s Kingdom.”

We can become great in God’s Kingdom not through anything we do on our own; it is only because Jesus died for our sins and rose again. When we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior, we have the power to do great things in His kingdom!

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

If you were here for the previous videos, why didn’t Joy think Chris should play the new video games he was given? They were illegally downloaded, which means they were stolen.

Today, we are going to watch a short version of the video. If you’ve already seen it, look and listen for the answer to this bonus question: John said God could make children of Abraham from what? You will have a chance to answer the question during Small Group Game Time. 

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (10 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. John preaches a message of repentance to the crowds, and fearlessly confronts King Herod about his sin. The wicked queen plots revenge by having her daughter dance to entice the king then ask for John’s head as her reward. John faithfully chooses to follow God, and the children learn they can point others to Christ.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse, Matthew 11:11, says:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Let’s all say it together. Children say the SuperVerse together.

Who said these words in our video today? Jesus.

Can you think of some reasons Jesus may have said this about John?

John the Baptist is also called John the Baptizer. He came as a messenger to prepare the way for Jesus. Yet this verse tells us that we can be greater in the Kingdom than John. Why? The answer is in our SuperTruth that we learned before our video. What does the SuperTruth say? Because of Jesus, I can be great in God’s Kingdom.”

We will discuss this more in our Small Group time.

Now, let’s say the SuperVerse together again. Matthew 11:11:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Note: Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. Younger children may not be able to memorize the entire SuperVerse. They may simply repeat it several times, while older children may memorize part or all of it. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch our Signposts video to learn how the life of John the Baptist points to the life of Jesus Christ.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to our Small Groups.

Heavenly Father, thank You for John’s courage, for his humbleness, and for his willingness to prepare the way for Jesus. Help us to humbly obey You, and fill us with Your boldness to tell others the good news about Jesus. In His name, Amen. 

Today in Small Group, we are going to play a fun review game to recall the important things we learned in the story of John the Baptist.   

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Divide the children into two teams. If there are more than 32 children in the class, make three teams. Have the teams line up at the starting line. Hold up an answer box and show the letters on the sides and bottom as you explain the game.

Let’s play a game to review John the Baptist’s story. One player from each team will play at the same time. I will ask a question and give you two or three answers to choose from. The answers may be T for True and F for False; or they may be A, B or C, for multiple choice. Some answers are silly; some may be close to the correct answer, but not quite right. One person from each team will play at the same time.

When it’s your turn, I will give you directions about how to go to your team’s answer box, such as skipping or hopping. Before you begin, listen carefully to the question and the possible answers. Then go quickly from the starting line to your team’s answer box, pick it up, find the correct answer on it, and hold it toward me so I can see it.

Each player who holds up the correct answer will receive two points. In addition, the first player to hold up the correct answer receives a bonus point. Don’t be tempted to look at the other player’s answer; it may not be correct! If you forget the question, I will repeat it for you. The team with the most points wins.

Question and Answer Sheet: John the Baptist—Answers in Bold

1. Go to your team’s answer box by hopping on your left foot, then answer this question. The Bible says that John ate:
   1. Pizza.
   2. Rice and beans. 
   3. Locusts and honey.
2. Go to your team’s answer box by walking backward. You can turn your head to make sure you don’t run into anything! John said something would soon be here; was it:
   1. Christmas.
   2. The Kingdom of Heaven.
   3. Passover.
3. Go to your team’s answer box by taking giant steps and swinging your arms up and down. True or False: John’s mission was to prepare the way for Jesus.True.
4. Go to your team’s answer box by hopping on both feet. The word repent means to:
   1. Turn away from sin and toward God.
   2. Relax.
   3. Share the Gospel.
5. Go to your team’s answer box by skipping. Centuries before John was born, the Prophet Isaiah said he would be:
   1. A great religious leader.
   2. A voice in the wilderness.
   3. A Gentile.
6. Go to your team’s answer box by hopping on your right foot. True or false: John wanted everyone to believe that he was the Messiah.   False.
7. Go to your team’s answer box by sliding your feet without lifting them from the floor. What did Jesus ask John to do?   
   1. Baptize Him.
   2. Introduce Him to Herod.
   3. Prepare a meal for Him.
8. Go to your team’s answer box by walking sideways. John always preached about:    
   1. Moses.
   2. The truth.
   3. Healthy eating.
9. Go to your team’s answer box by spinning around as you walk. John said:    
   1. He must decrease but Jesus must increase.
   2. He must increase and Jesus must decrease.
   3. His clothing was itchy.
10. Go to your team’s answer box by walking backward. You can turn your head to make sure you don’t run into anything! What did Herod do to please his wife?    
    1. Put Jesus in prison.
    2. Get baptized by John in the Jordan River.
    3. Arrest John the Baptist.
11. Go to your team’s answer box by taking giant steps and swinging your arms up and down. John pointed others to:  
    1. Jerusalem.
    2. Abraham.
    3. Jesus Christ.
12. Go to your team’s answer box by spinning as you hop on both feet. True or false: When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Him.  True.
13. Go to your team’s box by skipping with your hands up in the air. Jesus said that of all who ever lived, no one was greater than: 
    1. The Apostle Peter.
    2. John the Baptist.
    3. Noah.
14. Go to your team’s answer box by hopping on your right foot while clapping your hands. I can be great in God’s kingdom:   
    1. Because I am such a good person.
    2. Because of Jesus.
    3. Because I do nice things for other people.
15. Go to your team’s answer box by sliding your feet without lifting them from the floor. John said he wasn’t worthy to untie someone’s sandals. Who was he talking about?
    1. Gizmo.
    2. Elijah.
    3. Jesus.
16. Go to your team’s answer box by walking sideways while pumping your hands up and down in the air. This is the bonus question from Large Group. True or false: John said God could make children of Abraham from puppets. False.

After they answer, ask: For two bonus points, what is the correct answer? Stones, rocks.

SuperVerse

Let's say our SuperVerse for today. Matthew 11:11:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Many prophets in the Old Testament longed to see the promised Messiah, the Holy One of God. John was privileged to see Jesus and to prepare the way for His ministry. John lived a life of truth and risked his life to preach boldly about the need to repent from sin.

John was a great man—yet Jesus said that even the least person in the kingdom of God is greater than John. How can this be? John died before Jesus was crucified and rose again. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can receive forgiveness for our sins. He gives us the right to become children of God! When we ask Jesus to live in our hearts, His Holy Spirit gives us power to accomplish great things for Him. Jesus gives us the right to come boldly to the throne of God and ask our Father in heaven for His help. Nothing that we have done makes us great in the kingdom—it is all because of what Jesus has done for us! 

Have the children say the SuperVerse together while looking at the board. Next, have them turn their backs to the board as you erase two or three key words, such as “truth,” “lived,” “greater,” “John the Baptist,” or “least.” Have them face the board and say the verse again, filling in the missing words from memory. For each subsequent round, erase two or three additional words while they have their backs to the board.

Note: Younger children may not be able to memorize the entire SuperVerse. They may simply repeat it several times, while older children may memorize part or all of it. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Conclusion: Remember, we have the opportunity to be great in the Kingdom of God because of Jesus!

Teaching

For each of the four Signposts, select a different child to come up and pull the correct craft stick in sequential order, 1–4, out of the water. He/she will then read aloud the text on the craft stick and hand it to you. Discuss each Signpost, using the information below. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

John’s assignment from God was to prepare the way for Jesus, the coming Messiah, as we saw in our Signposts video today. Let’s discuss these events together.

Hold the cup low enough so children can see the sticks inside. Can you see what is drawn at the top of the sticks? Faces, numbers.

Does anyone have an idea why the sticks with faces are in the water? If a hint is needed, ask: What did John the Baptist do?

The sticks with faces represent how John baptized others, including Jesus, in the Jordan River.

Signpost 1   The King is coming!

John quoted the Old Testament book of Isaiah about a messenger who would clear the way for the Lord. John knew he was that messenger! In the video, we learned that workers were sent ahead of a king to clear the road for his journey. John prepared others to receive Jesus, the king, by calling people to repent of their sins and to be baptized in water. This helped prepare the way for people to follow Jesus and obey His teaching. John understood that he was only the messenger, and that the coming King is far greater than he was.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 FOR DISCUSSION 

Isaiah 40:3–5

³ Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! ⁴ Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. ⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

Luke 3:16

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be His slave and untie the straps of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Signpost 2   The King is here!

The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned; we have all fallen short of God’s standard—which is to be perfect! And the punishment for sin is death! So God sent His Son—who was perfect and sinless—to take the punishment for our sins.

After John baptized Jesus, God spoke from heaven saying Jesus is His beloved Son. John’s disciples asked Jesus if He was the Messiah they were waiting for. Jesus sent them back to John to tell him that Jesus indeed was and had done many miracles to set people free.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 FOR DISCUSSION  

Isaiah 40:1–2a

¹ “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. ² “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned.”

Matthew 3:16–17

¹⁶ After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on Him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.”

Matthew 11:2–6

² John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ³ “Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” ⁴ Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen — ⁵ the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. ⁶  And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of Me.’”

Signpost 3   Both deaths foretold!

In the very last two verses of the Old Testament, the Prophet Micah predicted that another prophet, like Elijah in the Old Testament, would come. Jesus said that John the Baptist was that prophet! Jesus said that the people did not recognize John as that prophet, and that John would be mistreated and killed. Jesus also predicted His own death, too.

John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. When Jesus went under the water, it represented His death. When He was raised up from the water, it represented His resurrection from the dead—coming out of the grave and back to life. Because Jesus came back to life, He conquered sin and death for all of us!   

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 FOR DISCUSSION  

Malachi 4:5–6

⁵ “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. ⁶ His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Matthew 17:10–13

¹⁰ Then His disciples asked Him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” ¹³ Then the disciples realized He was talking about John the Baptist.

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Signpost 4   Believe and prepare others.

John lived a life of truth and called people to repent of their sins because the Kingdom of God was near. He had a very important job to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah.

We have a great opportunity to believe in Jesus, and to ask Him to forgive us and to be our Lord and Savior. We want to live a life of truth that will point others to Christ and prepare the way for them to follow Him. And right now, Jesus is preparing a place for all of us to live with Him forever in heaven!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 FOR DISCUSSION   

Matthew 3:1–2

¹ In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

John 14:1–3

¹ “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Hold up the sticks with faces toward the children. John’s entire life pointed to Jesus. He baptized people in water to prepare them for the coming of Jesus, the Savior of the world.   

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Our goal as followers of Christ is to become more like Him—that is how we can become great in God’s Kingdom! When we have more of Christ in our lives, we can do greater things for God. We want others not to see us but to see more of Jesus. God gives each of us His Holy Spirit so that He can produce God’s characteristics or fruit in our lives. Galatians 5:22–23 lists nine fruit of the Spirit.

Who can name the first six fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness.

Last time, we talked about patience, kindness and goodness. Did any of you pray about being patient, kind and good in the past few days? What happened when you did? Give children a chance to share their experiences.

Your Discipleship Challenge for the coming week is to think and pray about the last three fruit—faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.    

Faithfulness means that you can be counted on and trusted to do the right thing. What is the opposite of faithfulness? I’ll slide the scale of the Fruit of the Spirit craft to see. Slide to unfaithfulness. This is when someone can’t be trusted or counted on.

The next fruit is gentleness, which is to be humble and meek. It doesn’t mean being weak, but rather being strong in Christ and showing His love toward others. What’s the opposite of gentleness? Slide scale to rudeness. Rudeness is the opposite of gentleness. Rudeness is being offensive and pushy. Being rude is acting selfishly and not caring about the feelings of others. This is certainly not how we should act when we are called to be like Jesus and serve others!  

The last fruit is self-control. This means keeping ourselves under control—our emotions, actions and reactions. It is putting careful thought into what we do and say. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we will live our lives in the right way. What is the opposite of self-control? Slide to carelessness. Carelessness means to not be careful in what we say and do—it is not thinking about the consequences of our actions. Careless is being reckless and thoughtless with our choices.

So in the coming days, continue to pray for God to fill you more and more with His Holy Spirit so His fruit will grow in your lives. Before we speak or act in hurtful ways, we should ask the Holy Spirit to work in us and to display His fruit.

Hand out a Fruit of the Spirit Pattern to any child not present for the previous lessons, and explain how to make it at home. 

Prayer

Read 2 Corinthians 12:9b:

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

When we lean on Jesus and rely on His mighty power, we can be great in God’s Kingdom! He replaces our weakness with His strength! It isn’t about us—it is all about Him! 

Have the children pray silently, telling Jesus anything they are having difficulty with. Ask them to think of something they need help with at school, at home, or somewhere else. Have the children ask Jesus to give them strength in their weakness to bring victory over this problem. Next, ask them to see themselves as great in God’s Kingdom—no matter how they see themselves, or what others have said about them. Remind them that because of Jesus, they are destined for greatness in His kingdom!

Allow time for children to pray then close with a group prayer. Dear Jesus, we praise You for working through our human weakness. When we feel weak, You will make us strong! Because of Your strength, we can be great in Your kingdom. Thank You for making us a part of God’s Kingdom—here on Earth right now, and forever up in heaven! In Jesus’ name, Amen.   

SuperVerse Game

Let’s say our SuperVerse. Matthew 11:11:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Note: If you have a large class, you may make additional sets of cards, use additional assistants, and have more groups play at the same time.

Kingdom greatness is not about our own talents, knowledge, and natural abilities. In fact, as John said, we need to decrease so Christ can increase! We want to allow Jesus to work in our lives so we can be great for God! Jesus called John great because of his humbleness, truthfulness, and obedience to God. That is what our SuperVerse tells us.

Do you remember in the video what live food John caught and ate? Locusts.

Well, today we are going to hunt and catch locusts too! You’ll be happy to know we aren’t going to eat what we catch! These locusts have the words of the SuperVerse on the back. You will work in groups to find all of the locust cards to build the SuperVerse. Show the front and back of a card to the children. 

Divide the children into teams of 2–3, depending on class size. Have all of the teams stand or sit at one end of the room. Select two teams to play first. Give each team a bag with handles. Place all 16 cards, “locust side up,” around the room in random order. Tell the children that they will be timed as they “hunt” the locusts, then “catch” only the eight different cards needed to build the verse. As they “catch” each card, they must determine if it is a duplicate card they have already “caught.” If so, they must leave it in place for the other team. Once teams have found eight different locust cards and placed them in their bags, they will return to where they started the game, dump out their cards, and place them in the correct order to build the SuperVerse, with the reference from Matthew 11 at the end of the verse. The group that has the fastest time wins. After both teams have finished and times are recorded, mix the cards up and place them around the room for the next two groups. Play more rounds with different teams racing against each other if time permits.      

Conclusion: Good work on hunting those locusts! Remember that because of Jesus, we have the ability to do great things in God’s Kingdom! It is not up to us; it’s up to Him.

Balloon Object Lesson

We have been talking about how to can become great in God’s Kingdom. Hmmm, let me think: can I become great because of my talents, abilities or skills?

Can I become great in God’s Kingdom because of all the good things I have done?

Oh—is it because I am clever or smart?

Our SuperTruth has the answer to how we can become great. Who can say our SuperTruth? “Because of Jesus, I can be great in God’s Kingdom.”

Yes, that is our answer!  

There is nothing I can do or be on my own that makes me great in God’s Kingdom. Jesus is all we need. In fact, the weaker we are, the stronger we are! Let’s read what God told the Apostle Paul.

Read 2 Corinthians 12:9–10:

Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Blow up the balloon as full as possible without it breaking. Let’s say this is someone who is trusting in their own “greatness”—their own strength. The Apostle Paul wasn’t talking about this kind of strength. He didn’t say I am strong when I feel powerful, did he? No!

Let the air out of the balloon and hold it up. No, he said when I am weak I am strong! This balloon doesn’t look strong does it? No! If this was you, do you think you would want to boast about your strength? No!

However, Paul said he would boast in this weakness—knowing that He couldn’t accomplish greatness in the Kingdom without help!

Blow up the balloon, again. This is when Jesus can now work in our lives! Now the balloon is filled and strong again—not in our natural strength or ability, but in Jesus’ power and strength! In this strength we become great and can do great things in God’s Kingdom! 

Coloring Activity

Let’s look at the board and say our SuperVerse together from Matthew 11:11:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Give a coloring page to each child and distribute the crayons/markers. As children color their pages, use the questions below to lead a discussion.

• Why is Jesus walking toward the river in the picture? To be baptized by John.
• Do you remember why Jesus said He must be baptized? To do all God told Him to do, to obey God.
• Who said John was the greatest of all who had lived? Jesus.
• How can you become great in God’s Kingdom? Only through Jesus.
• Imagine you are John the Baptist; what would it feel like for Jesus to come to you to be baptized?
• Do you think you can be great in God’s Kingdom; why or why not?

Bible Study

Choose two or three Scripture passages below for your class. Assign the passages to children to look up and then allow volunteers to read them aloud—splitting up multiple verse passages among children. Then lead a discussion using the questions and comments below.

1. Matthew 5:19

“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

What does this verse say about the importance of living a life of obedience to God’s word?

According to this verse, how can we be called great in God’s Kingdom?

Do you think we can be great just by going to church?

Does this mean that we all have to be teachers and preachers? How can we teach without speaking?

Can we keep God’s commandments in our own ability and strength? Do we need help?

2. Matthew 20:26–28 (cev)

CEV and NKJV say “great,” NLT says “leader.”

²⁶ “But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. ²⁷ And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. ²⁸ The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give His life to rescue many people.”

Explain to the children that Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who would hold the highest positions of honor and be considered great next to Jesus. This was Jesus’ reply to them. 

In verse 26—do you think that Kingdom Greatness is the same or different than worldly greatness? How?

What does Jesus say we must become to be great, or first in the Kingdom? Servant.

Do you think the world would think of a servant as great in most cases?

In verse 28, what did Jesus call Himself, and what did He say He would do? Give His life to rescue others.

Does this change your view of being great in God’s Kingdom? How?

3. John 14:12

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

What does this verse say we must do so we can do great works for the Kingdom of God?

How do you think we could do even greater works than Jesus? Because of His supernatural power in us—He helps us. We have God’s Spirit in us.

Do you ever look at what others did in the Bible and think that you can’t possibly do the same?

Have you ever heard someone say that great works like Jesus and His followers did were just for that time in history and aren’t done today? What do you think? Are Jesus’ words still true for us?

4. John 15:20

“Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you.”

According to this verse, if we are great in God’s Kingdom, will everything be smooth in our life?

If Jesus experienced persecution and problems, what can we expect?

Do you ever feel like you are doing something wrong if you ever experience struggles or have a tough time?

According to this verse, will everyone believe what we say about the Gospel, about Jesus and His Kingdom?

Conclusion: The world in many cases defines greatness differently than greatness in God’s Kingdom. In this world, people such as athletes, political leaders, TV and movie actors, wealthy business men and women, or musicians are often called great. But, this is not how God looks at greatness. Being great in God’s Kingdom is defined as trusting in Jesus’ strength and ability to obey God’s will for our lives and to serve others.