This comic story begins with the storybook, The Gossipy Goose. Here children are introduced to Gertrude, the gossipy goose. She’s a troublesome goose because she gossips all day long on the farm. She flies from one end of the farm to the other talking about this animal and that animal causing all kinds of trouble! It’s a terrible thing, indeed. Until the day she meet Shep, the sheepdog. Shep doesn’t like what Gertrude is doing and explains to her that God doesn’t like it either! That’s the day Gertrude changes from the Gossipy Goose to the Gospel Goose. Instead of gossiping all day she shares God’s Gospel of Salvation all day! Read how it happens, then start the comic story to see what Gertrude is up to now that she doesn’t gossip anymore!
MINI LESSON
Gertrude is no longer the Gossipy Goose and she wants everyone to know it. She’s the Gospel Goose now, because God changed her.
You see the moment someone believes in Jesus God fills them with His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches the new believer everything about God and His Word. They learn that God’s Word is true and the difference between right and wrong.
God also changes the believer’s heart. They no longer enjoy doing wrong things. Instead they want to do everything that God wants them to do. God can change your heart too, if you ask Him.
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.
- 2 Cor 5:17
MINI LESSON
Everyone sins. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that God gives His people the power to overcome sin. Here’s how …
First, the moment a person believes in Jesus, God fills them with His Holy Spirit. Second, the Holy Spirit teaches believers what sin is, the difference between right and wrong. (John 14:26, Philip 1:9-10, Hebrews 5:14, Psalm 119:66). (1 Cor 2:6-16) Third, the Holy Spirit gives believers the power to choose to do the right thing.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 God tells us that when we are tempted He is faithful to help us overcome it. In fact, God says that He will provide a way for us to escape. Have you ever really wanted to do something that you knew was wrong? We all have. But did you cry out to God and ask Him to help you? If yes, great! If not, the next time you are tempted, pray and ask God to give you the power to make the right choice. Then, watch and see how He helps you.
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. - 2 Cor 5:17
MINI LESSON
That’s right! God wants everyone to talk about Him! Why? Because there’s so many wonderful things to say. Number one, God loves everyone so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus the Christ, to save us from our sins. (John 3:16) That’s the best news ever! And, that’s just the beginning. Speaking of the beginning, in the very, very beginning God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. That means that God created the universe, the earth, every animal, bird, and us! You name it, God made it! Doesn’t that just blow your mind?! There’s so many more things to say about God. Can you name a few?
God knows that talking about Him is way better than gossiping. He definitely doesn’t like gossiping because gossipers tell secrets and cause all kinds of trouble. They even hurt friendships. (Proverbs 16:28, 20:19) On the other hand, talking about God brings people joy, increases their faith in Him, and teaches them truth. Talking about God is way better than gossiping!
Jesus told His believers to go and tell everyone in the world about Him. (Matthew 28:16-20) So, who are you going to talk about, God or other people? Choose God! You won’t be sorry.
Detail 1
TALKING! We all do it all day, every day. But, have you ever thought about what you talk about most of the time? Go ahead. Think about it now.
Now that you’ve thought about it, what do you think about it? Is it good, bad, or neither? Well, God has a lot to say about what we say. First He tells us that our words matter. They can help or hurt the speaker and the listener. (Proverbs 18:21) He tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. (James 1:19). And, sometimes, He says, it is wise to say nothing at all. (Proverbs 17:28)
Oh, and God hates gossiping. That’s right. He hates it, and for good reason. (Proverbs 6:16-19) God tells us that gossips go around saying things they should not. (1 Timothy 5:13) They tell secrets, cause trouble and ruin friendships. (Proverbs 20:19, 16:28).
So, what does God tell us to talk about? Well, He says to speak kind, gentle words, words that will bless others (Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 15:1). Most importantly of all, God tells us to use our words to pray, praise Him and tell everyone we know about Him. (Proverbs 105:1, Isaiah 55:6, 1 Thes 5:17) Those words bring life to us and those who hear us. (Proverbs 18:21)
Lastly, always remember that God hears every word you say. So, before you speak, think about what God will think about what you’re going to say. God’s Words are truly words to live by.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” - Psalm 19:14
MINI LESSON
IT’S TRUE! GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT HIM! And there’s so much to tell! At the top of the list is: God loves you! In fact, He loves you so much that He created this entire world just for you and me, all of us! God also wrote this amazing book called the Bible that is filled with His message to the world. There’s so much in the Bible to learn and tell others about, which is exactly what God wants us to do!
There’s history, science, wisdom, miracles and more. Every page is filled with everything God wants us to know. You see, God knows that the more we learn about Him, the more we will love Him, and the more we love Him the more we will want to tell others about Him because we love them and want them to love God, too! Whew! I know that was a lot. You may need to read that again. Go ahead. Read it again.
Got it? Good. But in order to tells others about God, we have to get to know Him, and we do that by reading His Word, praying and spending time with Him. When we do these things we grow in our faith and belief in Him.
Right before Jesus went to be with the Father in Heaven, He told His disciples to go and tell the whole world about Him so that they will believe in Him, be baptized and obey His commands. (Matthew 28:16-20) This command is called the Great Commission, because God was telling His people exactly what He wanted them to do - tell everyone about Him!
Do you want to tell others about Jesus? If yes, what would you tell them? If you’re not sure then get to know Him better. Open the Bible, read and pray! Then tell everyone everything you learn!
The Great Commission. What is it and what makes it so great? Let’s break each word down. Great describes something or someone that is very important, maybe even very, very important. Jesus is great because He’s God, and everything He says and does is great for that very reason!
The word commission means an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people. In other words, it is a command that someone in power or authority, like a parent, teacher or leader, gives those under their leadership, supervision and care.
Let’s put those two words together - great commission. By definition a great commission is a very important order or command given to a person or group of people. Now, let’s take a look at The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. Here we find Jesus giving His believers a very important message to share with the world. It is called great because Jesus said it.
First, He told them that all power is in His hands because He’s God. That’s the most important part of the message, believing that Jesus is God. Second, He told His believers to go and teach everyone everywhere everything about Him - that He’s the Savior of the world, and that He came and died for the sins of all who believe in Him. Then He said that His believers should be baptized. That’s pretty important because it shows other people that they believe in Jesus and His Gospel message. Lastly, Jesus told them to teach everyone to obey His Word. Then He reminded them that He would always be with them, even to the end of the world!
If you’re a believer in Jesus, then you’ve been commissioned by Jesus to share His Gospel message of salvation with everyone you know. Have you done it? If not, why? Or better yet, when will you start? Here’s a suggestion: start now!
MINI LESSON
Isn’t that absolutely amazing, mind blowing?! Think about that. God knew us, not only when we were in our mother’s wombs, but even before we were there! Just let that sink in.
In the book of Jeremiah God told him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, …” There it is! If God knew Jeremiah before He made him, then He knew all of us before He created us. That makes total sense, right? Think about it like this, before you make something, anything, you usually have an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. You have a picture in your mind of the finished product. Then you get to work making it. Well, God doesn’t just have an idea, He knows what He’s about to create and He is capable of making it exactly how He imagined it.
In Psalm 139 God tells us that He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. Let’s just pause right there for a moment and think about that. God lovingly hand-crafted you inside of your mother’s body. Every hair on your head, every feature of your face, your entire body was shaped and formed by God. He created you exactly how He wanted you to be - perfect in His eyes in every way, because everything God makes is good, because He’s good. Isn’t it wonderful to know that you were created by the same God Who made this phenomenal world we live in.
Now, we’re going to wrap this up with the most wonderful news of all. In Psalm 22:9-10 God tells us that He has been our God from before we were born. Capture that with your heart. God has been your God since before you were born. He loved you even before you were you!!!!!!! If He loved you then, think how much more He loves you now!! He loves you so much that He died for you, that you may live forever with Him. Now that’s love.
Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. - Psalm 22:9-10
More Scriptures to ponder:
Jeremiah 1:5, Isaiah 44:2, 24, Galatians 1:15, Job 31:15
MINI LESSON
THE BIRTH OF JESUS IS THE MOST REMARKABLE AND IMPORTANT EVENT IN HISTORY. It’s remarkable because it is a miracle. God placed Jesus in Mary’s womb to be born into this world. (Luke 1:31-35) It is important because Jesus came to reunite people to God by saving them from their sins. (John 3:16)
THE STORY
Every year Christmas marks a special time for us to read about, reflect on and learn more about the birth of Jesus. Each part of His story teaches us lessons that God wants us to learn. Today we will focus on the shepherds, who were out in the fields with their sheep, like every other night. Except that night something miraculous happened!
THE SHEPHERDS
The shepherds In Luke 2:8-18 were the first to learn about Jesus’s birth, and they learned in a big way. God sent angels to tell them that the Savior of the world, the One they believed in and were looking for, had been born in Bethlehem.
But why would God tell this great news to shepherds? Why would He choose to tell the very people who were looked down upon in society? After all, a shepherd’s job was not fancy. No, they worked out in the fields with smelly, dirty sheep all day and night.
BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE
But if we think deeply we see a beautiful message in this. God chose humble shepherds, who had heard the prophecies in the Scriptures about the coming Messiah, the One who would save all people from their sins. They not only believed, but were eagerly awaiting Jesus’s arrival. God does not despise the lowly people in this world, those who the world often rejects. No, He looks for the faithful. It doesn’t matter what job they have, how much money they have in the bank, or how beautiful they are on the outside. God cares about what really matters - a humble heart that looks to Him.
JESUS, OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Even though society at that time didn’t think much of shepherds, Jesus did. He even compared Himself to them when He called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:7-18). But why would God compare Himself to shepherds? Let’s take a closer look and find out why. First, shepherds develop close bonds with their sheep because they are with them day and night, caring for and protecting them. The sheep come to know and trust their shepherd so much that they will follow his voice wherever he leads them.
Like shepherds, God cares for His sheep, who are His people, day and night. He provides for their every need and protects them from all enemies. (Psalm 121, Psalm 23) The more time God’s people spend with Him (reading the Bible, praying and worshipping Him), the more they get to know Him and trust Him with their lives. (Psalm 23)
THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS
The miracle of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior, is that He came to save His people from their sins, defeating man’s greatest enemy, death, forever. Jesus said that He came to lay down His life for us. (John 10:17) He said that we, His sheep, know Him, know His voice and follow Him. Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, He’s the Greatest Shepherd, because He came to lead His people to their final destination, heaven, where they will be with Him forever. (Psalm 23)
THE SHEPHERDS SPREAD THE NEWS
Good news must be spread and that’s just what the shepherds did. After they saw the baby Jesus they immediately went out and told all about His birth. And everyone who heard it marveled at the wonderful news. God knew who was carefully watching for His arrival and who would tell everyone about it. How about you? Jesus promises to come again. (Mark 13:26,27) Are you watching and waiting for Him? Are you telling others His good news? It would be the best Christmas present you could give someone.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23
It’s the day after Christmas, or two days, or three days or 100 days? Did you know that you can still celebrate Christmas by giving or receiving the gift of Jesus everyday of the year! Yes, you can!
THE ONLY PERFECT GIFT
The Bible tells us that only God gives perfect gifts and He gave us Jesus. God sent Jesus into the world to tell everyone that He is the promised Messiah, the Savior, Who takes away the sins of all who believe in Him. (John 1:29, 1 John 2:2)
WHAT IS SIN?
Sin is doing the things that God tells us not to do. It’s breaking God’s law. Here’s a few - lying, stealing, being mean to someone. Sin is even thinking about wrong things. Now, just think of all of the wrong things you say, do and think every day. Whew, it’s a lot! Now think about this - every sin deserves a punishment. But here’s the good news. Jesus came to take our punishment for us. He went to the cross and died for the sins of all who believe in Him. Then, He rose from the dead, defeating death and opening up the doors of heaven for all who believe in Him. Now that’s a gift!
RECEIVE THE GIFT OF JESUS
Jesus is the perfect gift given to the world because He is only good and loves us more than we can imagine. If you haven’t received the gift of Jesus, it’s not too late. Pray and tell Him that you believe in Him. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to fill you with the Holy Spirit, Who will teach you about God and give you the power to overcome sin. When you receive the gift of Jesus you become part of God’s family. You’ve just received the greatest gift ever.
GIVE THE GIFT OF JESUS
If you’ve received the gift of Jesus, give Him to others by sharing His Good News, so that they too may receive the greatest, most perfect gift ever!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. - James 1:17-18
MINI LESSON
We’re Not Perfect, but God is!
Lucy Goosey can hardly believe her ears! God wants her to tell everyone everything about Him?! How can that be? No one wants anyone to tell everyone everything about them. Would you? Of course not! That’s because we’re not perfect, but God is. There’s lots of things we wouldn’t want people to know about us. That’s what makes gossiping so terrible. People find out the very things about us we don’t want them to know. But that’s not the case with God because God is perfect. He knows that everything about Him is good, pure, absolutely wonderful, and He wants us to know it all.
God Wants Us to Know Everything About Him
For instance, God made the world, including you and me! Amazing! God is love because He created love and He gave us the ability to love our families, friends, and most importantly, to love Him. Really Amazing!
What God Really Wants You to Know
But do you want to know what God really wants you to know? Get ready, because this is the crème de la crème, the best of the best, the greatest fact ever told about Him. Are you ready? Are you listening? Here it is: God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, and when we believe in Jesus, that He is God, and ask Him to forgive us of our sins we will go to live with Him in heaven forever when we die. BAM! It doesn’t get better than that. Just imagine, there’s a whole new life after death waiting for us when we believe in Jesus. No wonder God wants us to tell everyone EVERYTHING about Him. We wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on that really good news, the Good News of Jesus.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. - Deuteronomy 32:4
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. - Matthew 5:48
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. - Psalm 18:30
Lucy Goosey hasn’t quite figured out that gossiping about God is completely different than gossiping about others. Let’s compare the two.
GOSSIPING ABOUT PEOPLE
Generally, when someone is gossiping about another person they are saying hurtful or embarrassing things about them. Let’s look at some examples:
Number 1: “Did you see what Meghan was wearing today? It was awful.”
Number 2: “I heard Sarah failed the science test. She should have studied harder.”
Number 3: “I heard John and Bob got into a huge fight and now they’re not talking to each other.”
Gossip is usually about things a person wouldn’t want others to know. Sadly, once that information gets out there, it can’t be taken back, and once people know, they are unlikely to forget. That makes it even worse!
FAMOUS PEOPLE
We see this happen a lot in the news or on social media, especially with famous people. Unpleasant stories about singers, actors and other people in the public spotlight get thousands of hits on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms. Sometimes the gossip is good, even praiseworthy. But most often, it is humiliating and upsetting.
GOSSIPING ABOUT GOD
But what does gossiping about God look like? First,
God only does good things. So there’s nothing that can be said about Him that will embarrass Him. In fact, God delights in people discovering who He is, all that He has said and done, and all that He promises to do. In fact, gossiping about God is really a good thing because there’s nothing bad to say. That’s why God wants all of His believers to get the word out on Him.
ALL POWERFUL
You want to know something really cool, so cool it will blow your mind? Here it is. God’s Word is unlike any other word in the world. In Hebrews 4:12 it says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That means that God’s Word, which was written by Him through men He appointed, is alive and all powerful. It’s powerful because it is truth and when people hear it or read it, it has the power to change a person, to make them believe in Him and make them like Him. (Romans 1:16) There’s no other book in the world like God’s Word, the Bible. That’s why God wants every believer to get His Word out to all. So, what do you say, are you willing to help God get His Word out to everyone? He’s counting on you to do it!
Questions: Have you ever been the target of gossip? How did that make you feel? Do you spread good news or bad news? Which is the most fun to spread, good news or bad news? Have you ever spread the Gospel? If yes, what was it like? If not, what’s stopping you?
MINI LESSON
A TERRIBLE THING!
Have you ever seen someone gossiping? They are usually whispering because they don’t want anyone to hear them talking about whoever they are talking about, especially the person they are talking about!
Oh it is a terrible thing, indeed! And, that’s what Lucy Goosey was doing when Gertrude asked her why she was whispering. Lucy was talking about God, but she forgot that talking about God is actually a good thing. In fact, it’s a very good thing. It’s so good that you don’t have to whisper, you can even shout.
SPREADING HIS GOOD NEWS
Talking about God is actually spreading His good news. It’s telling others Who He is and all that He has done.
Like Lucy, sometimes people have questions about God. They question Who He is, what He has done and all that He has said. And that’s okay. In fact, God likes it when people ask questions about Him, because He knows the answers will lead them to believe in Him.
GOD HEARS OUR WHISPERS
It’s pretty interesting that when people are talking about things they shouldn’t be talking about, they whisper. They whisper because they only want certain people to hear what they’re saying, and not others. But here’s the thing, God hears everything, even whispers. There’s nothing that we can hide from Him. So, even if people don’t catch us saying things we shouldn't, God will. Do you want Him catching you saying good things about others, or not so good things? Better yet, would you like Him to catch you talking about Him? If that’s the case, we know it’s all good.
Just remember, when you’re talking about God, you don’t have to whisper. You can even shout!
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
- Proverbs 26:20-22
QUESTIONS: So, have you ever whispered about someone else? What do you think God thought of that? How does it make you feel to know that God heard what you said about someone else He created in His image?
Did you know that there is a good kind of gossip? A good kind of gossip is when we are saying something good about someone. It’s especially good when we are talking about God. That’s the best kind of good kind of gossip.
Give it a try! Think of something you can tell someone else about God. Go ahead. Turn to someone nearby and tell them something you know about God. I’ll wait.
What did you tell them? Did you tell them that God loves them? That’s a good one. Did you tell them that God is real and He can do anything? That’s another good one. How about, God wrote the whole Bible for us to read and learn about Him?! There is so much to say about God.
To learn more about things about God you should read the Bible, attend Sunday school and youth group meetings. You can also watch Christian videos and movies and read faith-based books. There’s so many ways to learn about God, and I promise that the more you learn about him is the more you’ll want to tell others about Him, just because God is so, so good.
