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.

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Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is something you sometimes worry about?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus teaches people not to worry about food, clothes, or money. He reminds us that God cares for us. We will hear how to trust God and think about his Kingdom first.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

1. Afraid — Feeling scared or worried.
2. Always — At all times; happening again and again.
3. Barns — Buildings used by farmers to store crops or tools.
4. Beautiful — Very nice to look at; pretty.
5. Belongings — The things you own or have.
6. Bit — A small amount of something.
7. Body — The whole physical self of a person or animal.
8. Clothe — To dress someone in clothes.
9. Clothes — Things you wear to cover your body.
10. Concerned — Worried or thinking a lot about something.
11. Crow — A large black bird.
12. Decrease — To become less or smaller.
13. Disciples — The people who followed and learned from Jesus.
14. Destroy — To ruin or break something so it cannot be used.
15. Eat — To put food in your mouth, chew it, and swallow it.
16. Faith — Trust or belief in God, even when you cannot see him.
17. Father — A name Jesus used for God, who loves and cares for his people.
18. Feeds — Gives food to people, animals, or birds.
19. Flock — A group of animals, usually sheep or birds, that stay together.
20. Food — Things people eat to stay alive.
21. Gone — No longer here; disappeared.
22. Grass — Green plants that grow in fields and yards.
23. Grow — To get bigger or taller over time.
24. Harvest — The time when crops are gathered from the fields.
25. Heart — The part of you that feels emotions and makes choices; it can also mean what is most important to you.
26. Heaven — The home of God, a perfect place of joy and peace.
27. Important — Something that matters a lot.
28. Instead — In place of something else.
29. King Solomon — A very rich and wise king of Israel in Bible times.
30. Kingdom — A place where a king has power.
31. Life — The time a person is alive.
32. Live — To be alive.
33. Manage — To be able to do something.
34. Money — Coins or bills used to buy things.
35. More — A greater amount.
36. Much — A large amount of something.
37. Moth — A small flying insect that can eat and ruin clothes.
38. Need — Something very important to have for life.
39. Never — Not at any time.
40. Pagans — People who do not believe in the one true God.
41. Pleased — Happy with someone or something.
42. Plant — To put seeds in the ground so they can grow.
43. Poor — People who have little money or things.
44. Provide — To give what is needed.
45. Purses — Small bags used to carry money.
46. Riches — Valuable things like money or treasures.
47. Save — To keep something for later.
48. Seeds — Small parts of a plant that grow into new plants.
49. Sell — To give something to someone in exchange for money.
50. Stay Alive — To keep living; to not die.
51. Storage Rooms — Places to keep extra food or things.
52. Such — Like this; of this kind.
53. Upset — Feeling worried, sad, or angry.
54. Wear Out — To get old and broken from being used a lot.
55. Wealth — A large amount of money or valuable things.
56. Wild Flowers — Flowers that grow by themselves outdoors without being planted by people.
57. Worry — To feel nervous about something bad that might happen.
58. Worth — How valuable or important something is.

Summary of the Passage

This passage is about Jesus teaching his followers not to worry. He told them not to be afraid about what they would eat or wear. Jesus said life is more important than food, and our bodies are more important than clothes. He gave examples from nature to help them understand.

Jesus told them to look at the birds. The birds do not plant seeds or store food in barns. Yet, God feeds them. Jesus reminded the people that they are much more valuable than birds. He also talked about flowers. Flowers do not make clothes for themselves, but God dresses them in beautiful colors. Jesus said that if God cares for birds and flowers, he will surely care for people too.

Then, Jesus told them not to act like people who do not know God. Those people worry about food, clothes, and money. Jesus explained that God knows what people need and will provide for them. He said it is better to think first about God’s Kingdom and trust God to give what is needed.

This passage teaches us to trust God and not worry. It shows us that God loves us and will take care of us. Jesus wants us to focus on loving God and others, not just on collecting money and things.

Read The Passage

Trust in God
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body.
23 Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.
24 Look at the crows: they don’t plant seeds or gather a harvest; they don’t have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds!
25 Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?
26 If you can’t manage even such a small thing, why worry about the other things?
27 Look how the wild flowers grow: they don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.
28 It is God who clothes the wild grass—grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!
29 “So don’t be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink.
30 (For the pagans of this world are always concerned about all these things.) Your Father knows that you need these things.
31 Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.
Riches in Heaven
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.
33 Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don’t wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.
34 For your heart will always be where your riches are.

Luke 12:22-34 (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 12:22-34 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 12:22-34 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 12:22-34 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 12:22-34 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 12:22-34 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Who was Jesus talking to in this passage?
2. What did Jesus tell the people not to worry about?
3. Why did Jesus tell them to look at the birds?
4. What do the flowers in the field teach us about God?
5. What happens to grass after a short time?
6. Who does Jesus say knows what people need?
7. What did Jesus tell people to think about first?
8. Where does Jesus say we should save our riches?
9. Why does Jesus say we should not be afraid?

Application Questions

1. What are some things you worry about in your life?
2. How can thinking about the birds and flowers help you trust God more?
3. What does it mean to focus on God’s Kingdom first?
4. How can you be generous to someone this week?
5. Where do you want your heart to be — with money or with God?

Theological Insights

1. God loves and cares for all of his creation, including people.
2. Worry cannot change our lives or make them longer.
3. God knows everything we need before we even ask.
4. God’s Kingdom is the most important thing in life.
5. Our hearts follow what we love the most, so we should love God above everything else.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for loving us and giving us what we need. Help us to trust you and think about your Kingdom first. 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.