THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. God created us for community. That’s why we do SMALL GROUPS. New groups will launch across our locations and ministries the week of September 22. Please pray for our small group leaders and all those who will join a group. If you know someone who could benefit from being in a small group, send them to adabible.info>INFO & EVENTS>JOIN A SMALL GROUP to learn more and register.
GROUP VALUES. This September, we’re focusing on our spiritual STORIES. Our stories are powerful tools for encouragement and sharing our faith. This week, consider the IMPACT of your story. Discuss as a group how sharing your faith journey has affected others and how God might use your experiences to inspire fellow believers or reach those who don’t know him.
GROW AS A LEADER. As you get into a rhythm of meeting as a small group this fall, we want to encourage you to A.C.T. A stands for having an ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP with Jesus that is worth following. Pastor Jeff Manion said, “The greatest gift we bring to our group is a heart alive to God and a walk with Jesus worth having.” As you lead, remember to engage in spiritual practices to keep your heart fully alive to God. As you join in weekend services, small group discussions and your chair time with God, may he fill you with love for Jesus that overflows to your group members.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the first week of our new sermon series, IS JESUS WORTH FOLLOWING? This week, we discuss Jesus’s miraculous healings and the challenging call to follow Him.
ICEBREAKER
What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make quickly?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Matthew 8:1-22 out loud.
What stands out about how Jesus interacts with the leper, the centurion, and Peter’s mother-in-law?
How does Jesus’s response to the teacher of the law and the other would-be disciple surprise you?
Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4 in verse 17, saying that Jesus’s healings fulfilled this prophecy: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” What does Matthew reveal about Jesus by making this connection?
What do you think Matthew is trying to communicate by pairing these miracle stories with the interactions about following Jesus?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Jeff Manion began our sermon series Is Jesus Worth Following? by discussing Jesus’s healings and the cost of following him. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Who has been a good example of coming to Jesus with desperate needs? What about their faith inspires you?
Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and she begins to serve Jesus and the disciples. How have you seen God work in someone’s life by restoring them to health or wholeness, leading to them serving others?
Through these three healings, Jesus demonstrated both incredible power and deep compassion. How does this shape your understanding of God’s character and affect your relationship with him?
The teacher of the law and the other would-be disciple seemed to struggle with giving up security and familial affection to follow Jesus. What holds people back from fully committing to follow Christ today?
How can we increase our willingness to follow Jesus, even when it means leaving behind comfort and security?
Jesus’s call to follow him includes placing your security only in him and making him your highest affection. Which of these do you most need to focus on this season and why?
What practical steps can you take to respond to Jesus’s call to follow him this week?
How can our group help each other respond more fully to Jesus’s call to follow him this week?
WRAP UP
This week, we discussed Jesus’s miraculous healings and his challenging call to follow him. What from this conversation or the sermon encouraged or challenged you the most?