I Wanna GoIntroductory and Concluding Remarks of Pastor or Coordinating Presenter for

the Day.

Following Opening Prayer Lead by a Child or family in the Church

Introduction:

Throughout history God has given His followers important jobs to do, and told them to go.

Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Gideon, Paul, Philip, the disciples, and the list goes on and on.

Today I have a number of friends with me that want to tell you about their decision to go where Jesus sends, and to remind you of the amazing experiences of God’s messengers from the past.

Before they come forward, please open your Bible with me to Mark 1.

I want you to see how Mark started his Gospel and how he ended it.

Mark 1:38-38

Mark 1: 35Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He (Jesus) went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

38But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

From the very first chapter in Mark, we hear Jesus telling Peter and the other disciples that he was here for a purpose. He was on a mission. “I wanna to go to the next towns and preach to them also.” He said. “That’s why I came.”

With Mark . . . Matthew, Luke, and John all tell the wonderful stories of what happened as Jesus went from place to place telling people about God and inviting them to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Then in chapter 16, the last chapter of Mark, we come to his last story.

Jesus had been crucified, but he had come back to life and walked out of the tomb where he had been buried. Then, starting in verse 14 we read

Mark 16:14-16AMark 16: 14Later He appeared to the eleven (disciples) as they

sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved;”

From the beginning Jesus told his disciples, “I wanna go preach.” Then just before he went back to heaven did you hear what he asked the disciples to do?

He said, now I want you to “Go to the entire world and preach the gospel!”

The gospel is the good news that Jesus loves us; He wants to forgive us and teach us to make right choices, He went to heaven to make things ready for us And He is coming back to get everyone who accepts Him and His

kingdom.

We need to go tell the world of Jesus love.They need to know all the good things He has done.

We need to be teaching, preaching, loving, leading, sharing what we know.We need to go tell the world of Jesus love.

How old do you have to be to be a messenger for Jesus?

If you’re old enough to talk you’re old enough.

And as soon as you know about Jesus you have something to say.

One day about noon, Jesus met a Samaritan woman and visited with her beside a water well. As they talked she learned who Jesus was; the Son of God.

“Go get you husband and bring him back with you,” Jesus told her.

“I’m not married she said,” but Jesus already knew this. Then she ran to town and told everyone she saw, “come out to the well. You have to meet the man that’s there. Come see if this is the Savior we have been waiting for.”

Soon there was a big crowd at the well talking with Jesus.

They invited him to into the town and stay with them for several days and teach them about God.

Do you think he accepted their invitation?

He sure did!

It all started with just one lady being sent to invite her friends and neighbors to come out to the well. She didn’t know a lot about Jesus and the Bible; but because she told people what she did know, soon almost the whole town heard about Jesus and knew he had come from heaven to save them.

In those verses we read in Mark 16 a moment ago, Jesus was talking with His disciples when he told them to go to the entire world telling people about Him, but that assignment is for you too. You have a part that no one else can do as well as you.

Jesus always wants us to tell our friends about Him, and sometimes he sends us to people we don’t know. Every time we go tell someone about Jesus, we’re doing what He asked.

Now, I’m going to let some of my friends tell you about people from Bible times that went on special assignments for God.

Select from the stories provided or add some that aren’t already included. The number of young people presenting and the time you have will determine how many stories to tell. Children and adults can participate. If only a small group is involved, an order can be planned where more than one story is told by each. The pastor or lead presenter can also be a part of the schedule.

When a story is ending and a question is asked, all participants should respond “I wanna go” or “we wanna go.”

Isaiah is first because its message is a good starting place. Adapt each story as you see best or present it just as printed.

Concluding Remarks.

There’s so many ways that we can spread the good news that we know.We can sing of Jesus love everywhere we go;Raise money for the poor and help those in our neighborhood;Let His love shine through what we say and everything we do.

We need to go tell the world of Jesus loveThey need to know all the good things He has done.

There are millions of stories like the ones we’ve heard today. These are just a few that became part of the Bible. Most of the stories weren’t written

down. We don’t know the names of most of the people that decided they would go for Jesus, but we do know that every one of them made a difference.

When we get to heaven we’ll get to learn all of those stories, and we’ll have our own stories to tell about how we accepted the mission Jesus gave us.

Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  John 14:1-3

And before he left he said,

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

I wanna go!

I wanna go to heaven when Jesus comes back and I wanna go invite everyone I can to come with me.

Moms and Dads, teach your children so they will have a message to share.

Kids, there’s no one better to tell other kids than you. Don’t think you have to grow up before you start preaching, teaching, loving and leading.

I wanna go and I wanna go now. Are you with me? I wanna go!

If you wanna go; if you wanna be a part of God’s people spreading the good news about Jesus to the people you meet each day will you stand with me as we pray.

The closing prayer can be preplanned so that each of the presenters of the day have a line to say.

Include in the prayer that as we each do our part, Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to the whole world will be accomplished.

Isaiah – (270)

In a vision the prophet Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne, high and lifted up.And he saw angels who cried out   “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

Isaiah was concerned that since he was a sinful human, seeing God could cause Him to die, but an angel flew to him with something that looked like a piece of coal on fire, and touched it to Isaiah’s lips. Instead of it burning him, the angel told him that his sins were forgiven and gone.

Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, saying:    “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

I want to be like Isaiah. Do you?

When God needed someone to give an important message to the Israelite people, Isaiah volunteered.

It would have been nice if the people would have been happy to hear Isaiah’s message from God, but they weren’t. Of course, what he told them was true. This made him well known, but very unpopular. Even so, for almost 60 years Isaiah kept getting messages from God and telling people about those messages.

Years later, after Isaiah had been killed, the things he told them about happened, and those people were happy to read what he wrote and learn the lessons God wanted to teach. Now the messages he gave are part of the Bible and we can all read them.

I’m glad Isaiah volunteered when God wondered who he could send.

I want to be like Isaiah.

I’m willing to be sent by God.

Are you?

Joshua (403)

Joshua and his family were all slaves, but he was just a young man when Pharaoh finally set him, his family, and friends free to leave Egypt. He saw the miracles God did, like turning the Nile River into blood, and then the plague of frogs, and then lice, then flies, and finally the night that all the oldest children in the family died if blood from a lamb had not been put over the door of their house.

That lamb represented Jesus who would someday die to save us.

Joshua always believed that God was taking care of Him, and when Moses sent him and eleven others to spy out the land that God promised to give them, Joshua was happy and eager to go.

All twelve of the spies were excited when they saw what nice place God was leading them too. The gardens and vineyards in the Promised Land grew some of the best and biggest vegetables and fruit they had ever seen. And oh how good it tasted. But there was one big problem. There were already people living there and they were big and strong and didn’t want to leave.

When the twelve spies returned they gave their report, and they showed some of the things they had brought back. However, when they told about the big strong people that lived there almost everyone got scared. “We’ll never be able to make them leave,” most of the spies said.

But Joshua, and his friend Caleb told everyone that God had promised them the land and they should be brave. “I wanna go to this wonderful place were God wants us to live,” they said. But the people wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t trust God.

So God said everyone would have to wait for 40 years before He would give them the land. Now they were sad and wanted to go, but it was too late.

During that 40 years all ten of the spies that said they couldn’t take the land died.They never got to go back. They never got to live in the Promised Land.

When the forty years of waiting were almost over, God told Moses that Joshua would be the next leader the Israelites. Soon Moses died, and after everyone took some time to miss him, Joshua said, “I wanna go to the Promised Land.” This time all the people went with him.

Esther – I’m Afraid but Pray for Me and I’ll Go. (406)

Esther was the Queen of Persia, the mightiest kingdom on earth at the time. But there was a big problem.

Haman, an evil and treacherous advisor to the king had convinced him to have all the Jews in the whole kingdom killed. A date was even set when it would happen. What he didn’t know, and even the king didn’t know, was that Queen Esther was a Jew.

It was from her Uncle Mordecai that Esther learned of the evil plot. She sent servants to find out what was so wrong that he would sit outside the palace crying, with ashes all over himself and his clothes ripped up.

They came back with news of the evil command.

Esther was shocked with grief and fear, but there was more. Uncle Mordecai wanted her to go tell the King that she was a Jew and ask him to save the life of all her people.

This made her even more afraid because it was against the law for anyone to walk into the room where the king was without first being invited. Anyone who broke this law would be killed, even the queen, unless the king held out his scepter and welcomed them. This was something he didn’t do very often, but in order to save her people she agreed to go. Before going, she asked all the Jews in the whole kingdom not to eat for three days and to pray and pray and keep on praying for her and for God to save them all. “After those three days,” she promised, “I will go to the king, and if I perish I perish.”

God answered their prayers.

King Ahasuerus held out his scepter and welcomed Esther to his side. He wanted to know what was so important that she would risk her life to come see him without being invited.

She didn’t tell him right then, but instead invited him and Haman to a special banquet. When the king later learned how Haman had tricked him into making such a terrible order to kill all the Jews he was furious.

Haman ended up dead and the Jews were saved.

Esther, had been afraid, but she knew what she needed to do and she did it.

I want to be brave like Queen Esther. I wanna go where God wants me to go!

Do you?

Jonah – I Don’t Want to Go (432)

Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. That was the capitol city of Assyria, the enemies of Israel. They were evil wicked people and Jonah did not want anything to do with them. But God had said, “Jonah, go to Nineveh and tell them that because of their wickedness, in 40 days they will be destroyed.” So Jonah bought a ticket and got on a ship. Not a ship going to Nineveh. It was going the other way. Jonah was running away from what God told him to do.

But God meant what he said. He wanted Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh, so He sent a big huge storm. The people on the ship were afraid that it was going to sink and they would all die. Jonah told them that it was because he was disobeying God that the storm came. He told them that if they threw him overboard their lives would be saved. Now they were really afraid, but that’s what they did. They threw him off the ship into the stormy ocean waves and Jonah sank out of sight.

This seems like the place where the story of Jonah would end, but God really wanted him to go to Nineveh; so as amazing as it sounds, a big fish, maybe a whale, swallowed Jonah.

For the next three days as the fish swam toward Nineveh, Jonah floated in the fish’s stomach with all the other things it had eaten. He kept his head in an air bubble above the yuk.

Jonah for sure thought this was the end of his life. How he wished he had obeyed God. He prayed for God to forgive him. Oh how he wanted to go to Nineveh now. Then to his surprise, the fish threw up and out he came, right on shore. He was still alive, and he was so happy. Now he headed right for Nineveh, the city of his enemies, and warned them just like God had asked Him to.

Jonah still had a lot to learn. When the people stopped doing the evil things he told them about; when they started praying to God to forgive them, Jonah wasn’t happy at all. He wanted God to wipe them out, but instead God answered their prayers and they weren’t destroyed.

In the end, I think Jonah leaned a big lesson too. After all, he wrote the story so we could learn from his mistakes.

I think for the rest of his life when God asked Jonah to do something he said, “OK, I’m ready and I wanna go.”

What do you think?

Moses – (366)

When God told Moses to go on a special mission, Moses did not want to go. He came up with lots of excuses. But when God has a job for someone to do, He also has answers for all the excuses.

Years before, when Moses was 40, he killed an Egyptian man for beating an Israelite slave. The next day he realized the secret was out so he left Egypt, running for his life.He got away and spent the next 40 years being a shepherd. During that time he got married and had children.

Then one day he saw a bush on fire, but it didn’t burn up. This was very strange, so Moses went to take a closer look. What he found out was that it wasn’t really on fire. It was God at the bush waiting to talk to Him.

When he realized it was God, Moses was afraid to look, so he hid his face. But God had come to send Moses on an important mission back to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free.

Even though he was afraid to go, he knew obeying God was the right thing to do.

That’s something that Pharaoh should have learned a lot sooner.

God had to cause many plagues to come before Pharaoh was finally convinced. Moses led over a million people out of Egypt to become the nation of Israel. For the next 40 years He was their leader and told them all the things God told him.

Moses became a great leader and prophet for God. He wrote five books of things God wanted us to know and remember. Those books are now the first five books of the Bible.

I’m glad Moses agreed to do what God asked him to do. I know that even though it wasn’t always easy, he is glad that he did. Because he obeyed, many people learned about God and will be in heaven.

Sometime after Moses died, Michael the Archangel, called him back to life and took him to heaven. Some day all of us who do what God asks us to do will be in heaven with him.

Jesus’ Parable of the Two Sons (219)

Going where you are asked to go, and doing what you are asked to do is so important that Jesus told a story about it one day.

He was talking to a group of people who claimed to be obeying God, but they really weren’t.

The story is in Matthew 21:28-31

“What do you think?” Jesus asked these men.

“A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’” But He refused and said “No, I won’t do it”.

Later he was sorry for being so disrespectful, so he went out and worked in the vineyard like his dad had asked. However, it was just the opposite when the man went to his second son.

“Sure Dad, I’ll do it” was his reply, but he never went.

“So”, Jesus asked the men he told the story to. “Which of the boys did what their father asked?”

“The first one” they answered.

And they were right.

Saying we will go and never going is not obeying, and the job that needs to be done doesn’t get done.

When our Father asks us to go. Let’s say “Okay” and then get up and go.

I wanna go where God sends me! What about you?

Paul – I Want to Go Tell the Gentiles (429)

Paul was the kind of person that wanted to go and get things done when he was convinced it was the thing to do.

When Paul first appears in the Bible, in Acts 8 and 9, his name was Saul. He was upset that some people were saying that Jesus was God’s Son. He was upset because they said Jesus came back to life after he was crucified.

I wanna go, Saul told the Jewish church leaders in Jerusalem. I want to go round up all the people who are telling these lies. I want to bring them back so you can punish them. So Saul was sent the town of Damascus to get the job done. However an amazing thing happened before he got there.

Suddenly there was a light shining on Saul and the men who went to help him. It was so bright that they fell down and could not see. Then Jesus himself talked with Saul. Saul knew that he had been making a big mistake. The light went away, but when Saul opened his eyes, he was blind.

In a vision, God told a Godly man named Ananias where to find Saul. God told him to go put his hands over Saul’s eyes and pray for him and he would be able to see again.

Ananias was afraid because he knew about Saul. God told him that Saul had been chosen to be a special messenger to the Gentiles, and to Kings, and also to the Jewish people. He told Him that Saul was now a Christian.

Gentile was a name for anyone who was not a Jew.

Ananias obeyed and Saul was healed. Now Saul wanted to find the disciples of Jesus for another reason, to learn more about Jesus from them. At first the disciples were afraid it was just a trick. It took several years and changing his name from Saul to Paul, before the followers of Jesus really trusted him. Little by little, the Christians came to trust Paul and were very happy for his dedication and faithful witnessing for Jesus.

It was about 12 years after he became a Christian that God impressed the church leaders at his church in a town called Antioch that it was time for Paul and his friend Barnabas to be sent out as missionaries.

Do you think Paul wanted to go?

He sure did! That’s the kind of person he was.

I want to be like Paul. I wanna go tell people about Jesus.

Jesus – I Wanna Go Save My People (303)

John 3:16-17“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Do you think Jesus wanted to come?

You can know He did.

One day He told a story that to help us understand how much he loved us and how much he wanted to come rescue us from Satan and from sin.

The story is in Luke 15.

He asked the men that were listening what they would do if they discovered that ninety-nine of their sheep were safe in their pen for the night, but one was lost and missing. Wouldn’t you go out hunting and searching for the lost little sheep until you found it? Jesus knew that if they were good shepherds that’s what they would do.

Yes, and when you finally find it you would be so happy that you would pick it up, put it on your shoulders and carry it home. Then you would call your friends and tell all of them the good news. You might even have a celebration party. Yes, that would be a happy day.

“That’s the way it is for me.” Jesus was explaining.

I came to rescue my lost sheep; my people who will follow me. And when they are rescued, there will be a big celebration in all of heaven.

“I am the good shepherd.” Jesus said. “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

We can be sure! When God needed to save all of us from sin, Jesus said, “I wanna go!”

Aren’t you glad He did!

Wise Men from the East (333)

We don’t know their names and we don’t really know how many there were but we know their story.

They were called Magi. They were wise and well-educated men who read and studied what the prophets had written.

One night they saw a bright shining star. “What could it be they asked? Could it be what the prophet Balaam said?” It’s written in Numbers 24:17 “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” “Could it mean that promised baby has been born?”

“I wanna go find out” they said to each other, so they did.

They packed their things and traveled every night for many many nights following that star. It lead them to Jerusalem.

They entered the city and began asking where they could find the baby that was born to be king of the Jews.

Soon King Herod heard about them and their questions. He sent soldiers to get them. You see, King Herod wanted to make sure that only he and his sons would ever be kings. However, he pretended to be nice and even helped them. He learned from the priests what the prophet Micah wrote. “But you, Bethlehem . . .    Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,   Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel,    Whose goings forth are from of old. From everlasting.”

“Then we wanna go to Bethlehem,” they said.

That very night they left Jerusalem, and can you believe it, there was the star again.

This time the star led them right to the house where they found Jesus.

They knelt before Him and knew that He was the promised Son of God. They gave him expensive gifts and then went back home, never telling evil King Herod where Jesus was.

I want to be like those wise men.

I want to read my Bible and I want to find Jesus too.

Jacob Wants to Go Home (534)

It had been 20 years since Jacob had run away from home. He did not leave without telling his family. Actually, his parents sent him away. They told him where to go so he could find a wife. But the real reason he left is that he had lied to his dad and had stolen from his brother Esau. His dad was really disappointed and his brother was really mad. Esau was so mad that he planned to kill Jacob after their dad died, so Jacob ran away.

Now years had passed. Jacob was married and had lots of kids. He had become a very successful and wealthy shepherd. He had lots of people working for him, but in his heart, he knew there was something he needed to do. Then one day God told him it was time for him to go back home.

I want to go home he told his family. I want to go make things right with my brother. I don’t know if he will forgive me but I want to go. God told me it was time and I need to go.

The day came when everything was packed and ready. Jacob was not going by himself and he was not just going for a visit. He and his family were moving back to where he had been raised, but he was worried. How would Esau take the news?

When they got closer to home, Jacob sent messengers to tell Esau he was coming home to say he was sorry and to ask to be forgiven.

Soon the messengers came back. “Your brother is coming to meet you and he’s bringing 400 men with him.”

This was not good news. Now Jacob was really worried. He prayed all that night. He pleaded with God to save him and his family.

The next day he sent one of his workers with a present for Esau. Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats.

Then he sent a second worker with another present. Two hundred ewes, (female sheep) and 20 rams. (male sheep)

Then he sent a third man with a third present. Thirty milk camels each one with a colt.

Then he sent a fourth man with a fourth present. Forty cows and ten bulls.

Then he sent a fifth worker with a fifth present. Twenty female donkeys and ten baby donkeys.

“When you meet Esau,” he told each one, “tell him these are from your servant Jacob.”

Again, he prayed all night again.

The next day he saw Esau coming and he still had the 400 men with him. Jacob was afraid Esau would kill him and all his family, yet he knew God had told him it was time to go home. In his heart, he wanted to go ask for forgiveness. He would be brave.

He walked out ahead of everyone and bowed down seven times, and waited.

When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to him and hugged him, and welcomed him home. Together they cried tears of happiness.

I want to be like Jacob. When God asks me to go make things right, I wanna go. What about you?

Zacchaeus – I want to go see Jesus. (347)

Zacchaeus was not a happy man even though he was very very rich. Almost no one trusted him. He cheated people and made them pay more tax to the Romans than they owed, then he would keep the extra for himself. When heard about Jesus and how He was willing to forgive people and give them another chance, he started thinking. Even one of Jesus’ disciples had been a tax collector! Oh how Zacchaeus wished things could change for him. Then he heard that Jesus was coming to Jericho where he lived.

“I wanna go see Him. I’ve gotta go see Him,” Zacchaeus decided. But as Jesus walked through town, there were so many people crowded along the road that poor Zacchaeus could not see. He was too short to see over all the people and no one would let him through to the front. What could he do?

Then he had an idea. He remembered a tall tree Jesus would be walking past. Running ahead, he climbed the tree and waited. Soon he could see Jesus coming closer and closer. To his great surprise, Jesus stopped right by the tree and looked up. He could hardly believe his ears when Jesus said his name. “Zacchaeus! Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Zacchaeus was so excited that words hardly explain how happy he now was. While he and Jesus visited, he made a promise that he was sure to keep, a promise about somewhere else he now wanted to go. “Jesus” he said, “I want to go make things right with all the people I have cheated. I will give them back four times the amount I stole from them, plus I want to give half of my wealth to help poor people.”

I want to be like Zacchaeus. I want to choose Jesus. I wanna go make things right with those I have not been honest with. I wanna tell them that Jesus loves me and forgives me and loves them too.

Boy with Sack Lunch – I Want to Go Hear Jesus (345)

We don’t know his name, or where he lived. We don’t know if he had any brothers and sisters and we don’t even know if he went by himself or with his family. But we do know he was there because he wanted to go. He was part of a huge crowd of people that went out to hear Jesus and the wonderful things He taught about God and His Kingdom.

All day long they listened to the stories Jesus told. All day long sick people, blind people, even crippled people were brought to Jesus and were healed.

Late in the afternoon the disciples were surprised when Jesus said they needed to feed the people before sending them home. “There’s no way” they said. “Even if there were a store nearby we don’t have near enough money to buy food for all these people!”

And this is where we learn about him.

It was the disciple Andrew that said. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” 

“Have everyone sit down” Jesus said. Then he prayed thanking His Father in heaven for the little sack lunch the kind boy had given him. After prayer Jesus started breaking off pieces of the bread and pieces of the fish and handing it to the disciples. The disciples went around sharing it with the people. All five thousand people had all they wanted to eat and twelve baskets of leftovers were collected. It was another amazing miracle. I’m sure that boy went home that day with more leftovers than he had to start with. And I’m sure that for the rest of his life he was glad that he had gone to hear Jesus.

I too want to go where I can learn about Jesus and hear the stories He told.Like the little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus, I want to give Jesus what I have, because that’s when miracles happen.

Ruth (313)

Ruth’s decision changed her life forever.

She had married a wonderful man named Mahlon and was part of a happy family. There was his bother Chilion and Chilion’s wife Orpah, and Mahlon’s mother, Naomi. They were a happy and close family. Then their happy lives were shattered when both Mahon and Chilion died.

Times were now very hard and Naomi decided it would be best if she moved back to Judah, the land of her family. She told Ruth and Orpah to go back to their families; that surely they would find new husbands and have their own families someday. Orpah agreed and went home, but not Ruth. She loved Naomi, her mother-in-law and wanted to take care of her. Ruth had learned about God from Mahlon and from Naomi. Now Mahlon was gone, but Ruth knew that Naomi could help her too. Naomi would help her live her life for God.

So when Naomi again told Ruth she should go back home, this is what Ruth said.

“Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

I’m glad Ruth wanted to go where she could be close to Naomi and even more I’m glad Ruth wanted to go where she could stay close to God.

This decision changed Ruth’s life forever.

Soon she met and married a wonderful Godly man. They had a wonderful baby boy named Obed. When he grew up he had a son named Jesse. When Jesse grew up one of his sons was named David. Surely you’ve heard of him. He became the king of Israel.

When we choose to go where we will be close to God, good things happen.

I wanna go where I can be close to God.

David (371)

David was the youngest boy in his family. He had seven older brothers. The three oldest were soldiers in the army of King Saul and were away at war with the Philistines.

One day David’s Dad sent him to take food his brothers. Arriving at the place of battle he was greatly upset to hear a man named Goliath yelling and saying hateful things about God.

“Send someone to fight me and we’ll settle this whole battle between just me and him,” Goliath shouted. But no one would go. All the soldiers were afraid to fight the giant Goliath who was almost nine feet tall.

“I wanna go,” David said. “Send me to fight him.”

King Saul was quickly told about David. “Why should I let you go?” He asked. “What do you know about fighting giants?”

“I know that as long as I serve God he protects me,” David told him. “I know that when a lion came and tried to take a sheep from my father’s flock I attacked it and I killed it. Also, when a bear took one the lambs I chased it down and killed it too. They were both giants, bigger and stronger than me, and this mean man Goliath will be dead just like them if I go and fight him. I wanna go.” So King Saul agreed.

When David walked out to meet Goliath without any armor, only a sling, and a few stones Goliath was angry.

“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick? Come over here, and I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!”

But David answered. “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s”

As Goliath moved closer to attack, David hurled a stone from his sling and Goliath fell face down on the ground.

David had faith in God even when his life was in danger.

I pray that I will never need to fight the same way David did, but I want to be brave like him. When God needs someone to stand up for Him, I wanna go.

What about you?

Peter – Shall I Obey God or Man? (380)

Peter and his friends were arrested and thrown in jail. “Stop telling people about Jesus,” they were ordered.

That very night an angel came to the jail and told Peter, “Go back to the temple and keep telling people about Jesus.” Then he opened the prison doors and let him out.

The next morning the high priest sent an officer to the prison to get Peter and his friends and bring them in for their trial. Soon he was back with a strange report. “The guards were still standing on duty. The doors were still locked. However, when they went in to get Peter he was not there. The others arrested with him were gone too.”

“How could this have happened?” the priests wondered. “Where could these men have gone?” They did not have to wonder for long. Soon someone came running to them. “The men you put in prison are at the temple again and they’re still telling the people about Jesus.”

Now the officers were sent to the temple to get them. This time they very politely asked Peter to come with them because they were afraid of how the people would react if they were mean to him. The high priest was not so nice though.

“Did we not strictly command you not to teach about Jesus?” he demanded.

Peter bravely answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Peter and his friends were sent to another room while the priests talked about what to do. When they all agreed on a plan, Peter and his friends were brought back in.

“Stop telling people about Jesus” the high priest ordered. Then he gave orders to the soldiers to beat them and let them go.

Do you think this stopped Peter?

No way!

The next day Peter said to his friends. “I wanna go to the temple and tell the people about Jesus.” The other disciples joined in, “We wanna go too.” And they did. That day, and the next, and the next, and they kept on obeying God rather than the men who tried to stop them.

I want to be like Peter. I wanna tell people about Jesus, and not let anyone stop me.

To Emmaus and Back (400)

Cleopas and his friend, whose name we do not know, were tired and broken hearted. Their friend Jesus had been crucified just two days before. Now they were on their way home from Jerusalem to Emmaus, eight miles on a winding dirt road in the dark. As they walked along, they talked about how discouraged they were. Another man they did not recognize was walking down the road with them. He listened for a while then asked, “Why are you fellows so sad?”

“Are you a stranger around here and you don’t know what just happened?” They asked. “They killed Jesus; the one we hoped was the promised Savior of Israel. That was three days ago; then this morning when some women went to embalm his body at the grave it was gone. They said an angel told them Jesus was alive.”

“Then why are you sad?” this stranger asked. Then he started reminding them of all the prophecies in the Bible that tell what would happen when the promised Messiah came. He showed how all these prophecies proved that Jesus really was the Savior they hoped for.

As they finally got home, Cleopas invited the man who knew so much about the Bible to come in, have supper with them, and stay the night.

What a surprise they were in for.

“Will you pray before we eat,” Cleopas asked.

As the man prayed, both Cleopas and his friend suddenly recognized his voice. They opened their eyes and looked. Sure enough, it was Jesus! Then he vanished right in front of them.

Can you imagine how excited they were? They forgot about being hungry. They forgot about being tired. They forgot about being sad, because now they knew it was true. Jesus was alive and he truly was the promised Savior.

“I can’t wait,” Cleopas said. “I wanna go back to Jerusalem right now and tell the disciples.”

“Let’s go,” said his friend, and out the door they went, running as fast as they could all the way.

They had such good news it just could not wait.

“Didn’t our hearts burn with excitement as he talked with us and reminded us of what the scriptures say?”

I want to be like Cleopas and learn exciting things about Jesus. Then I wanna go tell what I have seen and heard.

I wanna go! Do you?

Philip (370)

One day an angel came from God with special instructions for Philip. “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

Immediately, Philip got up and went. He didn’t know for sure where he would end up or who he would met, but he was the kind of man that said, “OK, I wanna go,” whenever God asked.

Soon a chariot came by. Riding in it was the man who was in charge of the entire treasury for the Queen of the Ethiopians. He was carefully reading a scroll.

The Spirit of God impressed Philip. “Go catch up with the chariot and talk with the man.” So he did.

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“No, I need someone to help me!”

Soon he asked Philip to come up and sit with him in the chariot.

Philip understood what the man was reading. He was reading what the prophet Isaiah wrote.

“Who is Isaiah talking about?” the man asked.

Philip explained how everything Isaiah had predicted had happened to Jesus. He told him how Jesus was the promised Son of God, how he had gone from town to town telling people about being a part of God’s Kingdom, how he had healed the sick, the crippled and the blind. Then he told him how Jesus was crucified just as Isaiah predicted, but that he was alive again. Philip explained it so well that soon the man understood. He knew that it was all true.

Philip also explained about baptism. As they passed by a river, the man asked Philip to baptize him. “I wanna be a Christian and go home and tell my friends what I have learned.”

The chariot stopped. Philip and the man walked down into the water. They prayed together and Philip baptized him, then Philip was gone. The Holy Spirit took him to his next assignment.

Wow! I want to be like Philip. I want God to know that I am willing to go wherever He sends. I want God to know I am willing to tell people about Jesus.

God, do you have somewhere you want me to send me? I wanna go!

I Wanna Go Stories (Word Count)

1. Isaiah – Here I am, Send Me! (270)2. Joshua – Send me to Spy – I Want to Go to the Promised Land (403)3. Esther – I’m Afraid but pray for me and I’ll go. (406)4. Jonah – I Don’t Want to Go. (445)5. Moses – Don’t Send Me (366)6. Jesus’ Parable of the Two Sons – I’ll go, I won’t, but they did the opposite. (219)7. Paul – I want to Go tell the Gentiles (429)8. Jesus – I want to Go Save My People (303)9. The Wise Men – We Want to Go Find the New Born King (333)10. Jacob – I want to go home and make things right (534)11. Zacchaeus – I want to go see Jesus. (347)12. Boy with Sack Lunch – I want to Go hear Jesus (345)13. Ruth – (313)14. David – I want to go fight Goliath (371)15. Peter – Obey God or Man? (377)16. To Emmaus and Back (400)17. Philip – Start Walking South (370)18. Pastor’s Opening and closing Comments (1411)

Written at 3rd Grade LevelJesus’ Parable of the Two SonsJesus – I Want to GoThe Wise MenJacobPeterEmmaus

Written at 4th Grade LevelJonahMosesPaulZacchaeusRuthDavidPhilip

Written at 5th Grade LevelIsaiahJoshuaEstherBoy with Sack Lunch