THE STUDY
LAUNCH
If Jesus appeared to you and told you to do something, how would you respond and why?
EXPLORE
1. Read Matthew 28:16-17. Why do you think Jesus’ followers respond the way they do (verse 17)?
2. Read Matthew 28:18-20. What does Jesus tell his followers to do?
3. Baptism is a way of identifying publicly as Jesus’ follower. Why do you think Jesus wants his followers to be baptized (verse 19)?
4. What might be some reasons Jesus wants his followers to teach new followers of Jesus to do everything he had commanded them (verse 20)
5. Why do you think Jesus wants his followers to help people in all nations to follow him, not just people from their own nation (verse 19)?
6. Jesus tells his followers that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to him (verse 18) and that he’s always with them (verse 20). What difference do you think these things make for Jesus’ followers as they help others follow him?
APPLY
7. How does it feel to know that Jesus–the King of the universe and the most amazing person ever–has called you to help people everywhere know and follow him?
8. What examples do you know about churches, Christian organizations, and missionaries helping people know about Jesus around the world? What would be exciting about going to another part of the world to tell people about Jesus? What would be scary about this? What would make it worth the trouble?
9. How can you as a teenager live out Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations (not just people with the same background as you)?
10. What difference does it make for you personally to know that Jesus has all authority and that he’s always with you as you seek to live out his command to help others follow him?
THE STUDY
LAUNCH
It’s really clear that Pedro is religious. He reads his Bible every day at lunch. He talks about going to church and youth group. And he picks religious topics for papers in his classes. But Pedro’s friend, Jimmy, bullies you just about every day. There always seems to be a mean word or look from him. Pedro sees this but never says or does anything! How does this make you feel about Pedro and the faith that’s seems so important to him? Allow the group to discuss.
EXPLORE
1. Read Luke 19:1-4. What do we learn about Zaccheus from these verses?
2. Read Luke 19:5-10. How does Jesus respond to Zaccheus (verse 5)?
3. How does meeting Jesus change Zaccheus (verse 8)?
4. How does Jesus explain what happened to Zacchaeus (verses 9-10)?
APPLY
5. Look at verse 8 again. What do you learn about what’s important to Jesus?
6. Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. How is Jesus dying for our sins the ultimate example of God stepping in on behalf of people with a great need and righting a wrong at great cost?
7. How does encountering Jesus change us into people who are willing to step in and right wrongs at great cost?
8. Who are some people that you admire who have stepped into some difficult situations to show God’s love?
9. What’s happening in your family, neighborhood, or school that’s an opportunity for you to step in and right a wrong? What can you do in the Spirit’s power to be generous with what you have in this situation?
10. Think of an injustice you see in “the world out there.” How can you step in and help right a wrong in the power of the Spirit when it’s not something you’re experiencing firsthand in your community?
LAUNCH
Talk about the best experience you’ve had on a sports team, class project, or job where you had to work together to accomplish something special. What did you enjoy most about it?
EXPLORE
1. Read Acts 2:41-47, which gives a snapshot of the church in the days shortly after Jesus’ death and return from the grave. What stands out to you as you look at this snapshot?
2. What was true of the church based on verse 41?
3. What were Jesus’ followers devoted to, based on verse 42?
4. How would you describe the attitude in the church based on verses 43-46?
5. What do we learn about Jesus’ church from verse 47?
APPLY
6. How has your understanding of Jesus’ church changed as a result of looking at these verses?
7. If you moved to a new city today and had to look for a new church to attend, what would you look for based on what we learned today?
8. How does it make a difference to know that Jesus’ church isn’t just a local gathering of people but a global movement that spans all nations and cultures? What makes Jesus’ church different from groups like the Boy Scouts or the YMCA (see Matthew 16:13-19 for a clue)?
9. How do you think God wants you to grow as the kind of person described in these verses?
10. What changes do you think God may want you to make related to church as a result of this study?
LAUNCH
If you have a choice to spend time with people who are like you (similar opinions, interests, and backgrounds) or people who are unlike you (different views, interests, and backgrounds), which is easier and why?
EXPLORE
1. Read Luke 10:30, where Jesus begins to tell about being a true neighbor. Describe the situation in your own words.
2. Read Luke 10:31-35. What do the three people who saw this man have in common? What’s different between the first two and the third?
3. What did the Samaritan man do to express his compassion to the man (verses 34-35)?
4. How would you define compassion in your own words based on how the Samaritan responded to the man?
5. Read verses 36-37. What is Jesus’ message to his listeners based on this story?
APPLY
6. Read Romans 5:6-8. How does the story of the Good Samaritan point to Jesus as the ultimate Good Samaritan?
7 .Your campus is made up of students from different social and ethnic groups. What are some of those? Do you have friends in the groups that you’re not a part of? What are their lives like? What are their struggles? What are some ways you might love and serve them?
8. As you think about these people, in what way can you relate to the two men from Jesus’ story that saw the man but passed by on the other side of the road?
9. What are specific ways you can respond with compassion to these people inspired by what we’ve talked about today?
10. Why is it so important to look to Jesus and his Spirit as you seek to live out his compassion toward those who are unlike you?
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