Sermon Response October 15, 2017
The Text: John 17:13-26
In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself – that He would be glorified by His death, and He prays for His disciples – that they would be one, and He prays for future believers. In this prayer, He reveals the purpose and mission He has for His disciples.
Discuss:
Why do you think we are slow to make disciples when we know that we are supposed to do it?
Read John 17:13: Why would these words that Jesus prays in John 17 bring us complete joy?
Read John 17:14-19: What does it mean to be “of the world”? What does it mean to be “out of the world”? Which one do you tend to lean towards? Why would Jesus not want us to be either one?
What does it look like to be sent “into the world”? How can we do that and not lose our integrity as followers of Jesus? How would this change our effectiveness as disciple-makers?
Read John 17:20-26: How does being “one” with Jesus help us fulfill our mission? How does it help the world “believe” and “know” that Jesus is God’s Son?
Respond:
Name the people in your life who need to know Jesus or who need someone to walk with them so they can grow in their faith.
List ways in which you can approach them, invest in them, meet with them, disciple them.
How can you learn to “abide” with Jesus more so that you can be a more effective disciple-maker?
Choose to do one thing that you listed above with one person that you listed above. Tell the group what and who.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I know that you have called me to make disciples, and that you have placed people in my life who need to know you. Please help me to be strong and bold with the help of your Spirit, so that I can speak the truth of the Gospel to my family, my friends, my co-workers, my neighbors. I pray that they will respond to the truth of your word and the good news that you died to save them. Don’t let me give up if they do not respond, but let me walk with them and
do life with them and love them so that when they are ready, they might respond. Amen.