Joyful Moments in Christ

This Bible study lesson is for people who are learning English (ELL or ESL students). It is made for advanced beginner and intermediate English learners. Children who speak English or adults who prefer easy English may also enjoy it and learn from it.

All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Bible classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Who is a person you look up to or follow because they are kind or wise? Why do you look up to them?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will hear how one of Jesus’ followers said something very important about who Jesus is. We will also learn what Jesus said about following him and what it means to give our lives to God.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

1. Alone — Without anyone else.
2. Ashamed — Feeling bad or embarrassed about something.
3. Chief Priests — The leaders of the Jewish temple.
4. Come Back To Life — To live again after dying.
5. Cross — Two pieces of wood joined together, used to kill people in Bible times.
6. Crowd — A large group of people.
7. Defeated — Beaten or lost.
8. Die — To stop living.
9. Disciple — A student or follower of a teacher.
10. Elder — An older, respected leader in the community or church.
11. Every Day — All days; happening each day.
12. Father — Another name for God.
13. Follow — To go after someone or live the way they teach.
14. For My Sake — Because of me; for my good.
15. Forget — To not think about yourself or your own wants.
16. Gain — To get something good.
17. Glory — Great beauty, honor, and praise.
18. Holy — Special and pure, belonging to God.
19. John The Baptist — A man who preached about God before Jesus started teaching.
20. Kingdom Of God — God’s perfect place where he is King and everything is good and right. It is a real place in heaven, and it also lives in the hearts of people who love and follow him.
21. Life — The time when someone is alive.
22. Long Ago — A time far in the past.
23. Lose — To not keep something; to have it taken away.
24. Messiah — The special person God promised would save his people.
25. Much — A lot.
26. Must — Something that has to happen.
27. One Day — At a certain time in the future or past.
28. Own — Belonging to yourself.
29. Peter — One of Jesus’ close disciples.
30. Praying — Talking to God.
31. Prophet — A person sent by God to tell people his message.
32. Put To Death — To kill someone.
33. Raised To Life — To come back from death.
34. Reject — To say no to someone or something.
35. Save — To keep safe or rescue from danger.
36. Say — To speak words.
37. Seen — To have looked at something.
38. Son Of Man — A name Jesus used for himself.
39. Strict — Very serious about following rules.
40. Suffer — To feel pain or trouble.
41. Take Up Your Cross — To be ready to have hard times because you follow Jesus.
42. Teaching — The ideas or lessons someone shares.
43. Teachers Of The Law — Jewish leaders who taught God’s laws.
44. The Whole World — Every place and everything on earth.
45. Win — To get first place or succeed.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about a day when Jesus was praying alone. His close friends, called disciples, came to him. Jesus asked them what the people were saying about him. The disciples answered that some people thought he was a great prophet, like John the Baptist or Elijah. Then Jesus asked his disciples a very important question: “Who do you say I am?” Peter, one of his followers, gave a bold answer. He said, “You are God’s Messiah.” That meant Peter believed Jesus was the special person God promised to send to save people.

After this, Jesus told them something hard to hear. He said he would suffer, be rejected by the leaders, and be killed. But he also promised that after three days, he would come back to life. This was part of God’s plan to save the world.

Jesus then explained to everyone what it means to follow him. He said that anyone who wanted to follow him must be ready to give up their own way of living and carry their cross every day. This means choosing God’s way, even when it is hard. Jesus reminded them that a person can have many things in the world but still lose what matters most — their life with God.

This passage teaches us that Jesus is the Savior sent by God. It also shows us that following Jesus is not always easy, but it leads to true life with God forever.

Read The Passage

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
18 One day when Jesus was praying alone, the disciples came to him. “Who do the crowds say I am?” he asked them.
19 “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered. “Others say that you are Elijah, while others say that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are God’s Messiah.”
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
21 Then Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone.
22 He also told them, “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will be raised to life.”
23 And he said to them all, “If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me.
24 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it.
25 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but are yourself lost or defeated? Of course not!
26 If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:18-27 (GNT)

Most English learners should use the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) or the Good News Translation (GNT) because they are easy to read. If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions:

• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 9:18-27 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 9:18-27 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 9:18-27 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 9:18-27 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 9:18-27 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. What was Jesus doing when the disciples came to him?
2. What question did Jesus ask his disciples about the people?
3. What did people say about who Jesus was?
4. What did Peter say about who Jesus is?
5. What did Jesus tell them not to do after Peter’s answer?
6. What hard things did Jesus say would happen to him?
7. What did Jesus promise would happen after he died?
8. What did Jesus say people must do to follow him?
9. What did Jesus mean when he talked about saving and losing life?
10. Who will be ashamed if people are ashamed of Jesus and his words?

Application Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him?
2. Why is it important for people to know who Jesus is?
3. What does it mean to “carry your cross” in life today?
4. Have you ever had to do something hard because it was the right thing? What was it?
5. How can we show others that we follow Jesus, even when it is not easy?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus is the Messiah, sent by God to save us.
2. God’s plan for saving people included Jesus’ suffering, death, and rising to life again.
3. Following Jesus means giving up our own way and trusting him, even in hard times.
4. A person can have many things in this world but still lose what matters most without God.
5. Jesus promises true life with God to those who follow him.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus to save us. Help us to follow him every day, even when it is hard. Thank you for loving us so much. Amen.

ELL Resources for the Gospel of Luke

More ELL Resources

You can find more Bible lessons for English learners on the main ELL page.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.