By Michael C. Mack
1. To whom did you tell about God’s praiseworthiness over the past week?
2. What have you found yourself asking God for recently?
Ask two people to read aloud Matthew 9:35-38; 10:24-33 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to paraphrase both passages in as much detail as possible.
3. What similes and metaphors did Jesus use in these passages?
4. Based on these passages, what specifically does Jesus want his followers to do?
5. If you could describe Jesus to a friend who doesn’t know him in just one word from these passages, what word would you use, and why?
6. Look again at Jesus’ attitude toward his friends and the people he met along the way. What do you learn about yourself from his viewpoint?
7. Jesus tells his disciples three times to “not be afraid.” Why should Jesus’ followers not be afraid to speak about him to others?
8. How (and when, where, and with whom) will you acknowledge Jesus before others this week?
9. Based on our study and discussion, complete the sentence: “I will . . .”
10. We will end this week by spending some time asking God to be with several groups of people:
- For those in our community or the world who are harassed and helpless in some way
- For those who are going through life like a sheep without a shepherd
- For potential “workers” who God may call to go into his harvest fields
- For ourselves, that we may have boldness to share God’s love with others
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Matthew 14:13-36. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
Author: Christian Standard
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