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After Jesus rose from the dead, he came to his disciples and delivered this final message: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” You and I are the results of Jesus’ charge to His apostles. Our faith is the result of the successful handing down of the faith, generation by generation. What a joy it is to get to participate in this call to let others know who Jesus is and what it looks like to follow Him!

For Group Leaders

1. Begin in prayer. Welcome the Holy Spirit to the group and invite Him to lead, guide, and convict your group as you meet together.
2. Reflect on Sunday’s sermon as a group. What were some highlights? Was anything particularly helpful, convicting, or confusing?
3. Consider the following questions and pick a few to focus your discussion.

Examine the Word

• Read 2 Timothy 2:1-7.
• Read Deut 6:4-9.
• Read Romans 10:14-15.

For Discussion

• What/who is a disciple? How would you describe a disciple of Jesus?
• Paul tells Timothy to “entrust” the faith to others. What is the difference between entrusting a message and simply delivering it?
• Moses says in Deuteronomy 6 that the people of Israel are to pass on the faith in several ways. What are those ways?
• One of our DBC values is “intentional relationships not passive familiarity.” How does this connect with disciple-making?
• Talk about how you became a disciple of Jesus - the people, churches, books, and groups that helped you mature and grow as His follower.
• Talk about how you’ve been involved in the process of making disciples. Share stories (good and bad) of how you’ve learned to entrust your faith to others.

Practice

• Consider: We are all intentional with things that we value. Who is the recipient of your intentionality to pass on the faith? Write down one person to whom you could begin entrusting your faith.
• Join: Small groups are the major way that we help one another develop as disciples of Jesus. Are you involved in a small group? If not, what is stopping you from joining?
• Show & Tell: For those who have children, you can help them become disciples of Jesus by implementing a Christian version of “show & tell” in your household. In other words, make sure that you show by your actions what it looks like to be like Jesus and live like Jesus, not just tell them what to believe.
• Pray: “Lord, help me to find others who want to pour into me, showing me what a mature follower of Jesus looks like. And then help me have someone who I can pour into as well.”

For Family Discussions

• Take some time to talk about the sermon together. What did you learn that was
• new? Were there any parts that were confusing?
• Get creative with your family! What are some ways that you can integrate your faith into your everyday activities like car rides, dinners, game nights, homework, etc?
• Some resources to consider for family discipleship:
• The Bible Project
• Parent Cue (they produce the Orange curriculum that DBC uses in Kids and Kids Jr. ministries)
• RightNow Media (email [email protected] for a log-in)
• The book “Family Discipleship” by Matt Chandler & Adam Griffin
• The Disciple Maker’s Podcast

This week, we’re in Practice #7: Go Evangelize. On Sunday, our guest preacher Kyle Martin shared with us four steps to take when sharing the gospel with someone new: Love - Listen - Discern - Respond.

Today, let’s consider what RESPOND looks like in the context of sharing the good news about Jesus, continuing on from yesterday in Acts 17:24-31 (NET):

The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination. Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Having discerned who the Athenians are and what they believe and worship, Paul begins to declare the faith to them. He makes several things clear to them: first, that there is a Creator God; second, that God is Lord over all; third, that once we know who God is, we must repent; fourth, that judgment is coming through the resurrected Jesus. Notice how clear Paul has been in his messaging about the character of God, the person of Jesus, and the need for humans to repent before God.

When we have done the work to love, listen, and discern those around us, we are ready to speak the message of the gospel. This means that it’s time to open our mouths and declare the truths of who God is and what He’s done for us in Jesus. There’s no one way to tell others about the good news, but it’s important to communicate who God is, what Jesus has done, and then to call that person to faith. 

Think of a person in your sphere of influence who does not follow Jesus. What have they been told about Jesus? How can you help them have a clear understanding of what God has done through the work of Jesus on the cross?

Now, set a time to get together with them. Lead with love, listening, and discernment. And then, speak with boldness. Tell them about who Jesus is and what He’s done. Ask them if they want to follow Him like you do. Pray for courage for yourself and openness for them. And then trust that the Holy Spirit will bring them to faith, in His way and in His timing.

This week, we’re in Practice #7: Go Evangelize. On Sunday, our guest preacher Kyle Martin shared with us four steps to take when sharing the gospel with someone new: Love - Listen - Discern - Respond.

Today, let’s consider what DISCERN looks like in the context of sharing the good news about Jesus, beginning with Acts 17:16-31 (NET):

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols.So he was addressing the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue, and in the marketplace every day those who happened to be there. Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking, “What does this foolish babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? For you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)

So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you...

If you look at the pattern of the apostle Paul’s missionary encounters in various Greek and Roman cities, you will see that his first step is always to observe. He acts as a detective - watching, listening, discerning. In the text we just read, we see Paul observing the Athenians. He notices their religiosity. He takes the time to understand the practices of worship they engage in. He reads their religious materials. This is all toward the goal of discernment.

Consider how discerning you are with regard to the people around you. Do you know their values? Their goals? Their priorities and patterns? Discerning how and what God may be doing in someone’s life is a key step in sharing the good news about Jesus with them. Since God is inviting them into relationship with Him, we can model that relationship through intentional discernment and friendship. Ask God to make you a willing discerner of the people around you. Pray that as you discern a person’s wants, needs, and desires, that God would open up a conversation for you to tell them about Jesus.

This week, we’re in Practice #7: Go Evangelize. On Sunday, our guest preacher Kyle Martin shared with us four steps to take when sharing the gospel with someone new: Love - Listen - Discern - Respond.

Today, let’s consider what LISTEN looks like in the context of sharing the good news about Jesus, beginning with Matthew 20:29-34 (NET):

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them. Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” The crowd scolded them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Notice that Jesus’ first response was a question: “What do you want me to do for you?” I’m sure Jesus, being God, knew exactly what these men wanted. I’m sure the crowd, being observers of the men, knew exactly what they wanted, too. And yet, Jesus asked a question.

Listening happens when we close our mouths and engage our ears. It often is prompted by a simple question such as “How are you?” or “What can I do for you?” Listening is the gateway to real dialogue, not just a one-way speech.

Jesus prompted people with questions at least 300 times in his ministry. He led with listening. Consider your own relationship with others. Do you lead with questions? And then, when answers come, do you really listen? How can you grow in this area?

Ask God to give you one person that you can listen to today to show the love of Jesus. Be prayerful that God will open a door for you to care for them and share with them the gospel.

This week, we’re in Practice #7: Go Evangelize. On Sunday, our guest preacher Kyle Martin shared with us four steps to take when sharing the gospel with someone new: Love - Listen - Discern - Respond.

Today, let’s consider what LOVE looks like in the context of sharing the good news about Jesus, beginning with Matthew 22:36-40 (NET):

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The first and greatest commandment has its origin in Deuteronomy 6, where Israel is instructed in the ways of their God Yahweh. The language of loving God with one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength is aimed at the idea of wholeheartedness. God wants our exclusive, all-in loyalty. To use a metaphor, God is to be the sun and his people are the planets that revolve around Him.

The second commandment shows us that while our our first priority is to center ourselves on God, the next priority is to love ourselves and others as image-bearers of God. This kind of love is not a feeling as much as it is a loyal intentionality to act kindly toward others.

“Love your neighbor.” This is so much easier said than done. Do we really love our neighbors - those people around us who bear God’s image just as we do? Those people around us who we like...or maybe don’t like? Those people who are easy to love...and hard to love?

The first step in sharing the good news about Jesus is loving people genuinely. Spend some time considering the people in your life. Make a list. Do you regularly and intentionally act in love toward them? How? How can you grow in this area? Ask God to give you one person that you can show the love of Jesus to in a tangible way today.