Leading Question: What does a person need to do or believe in order to receive eternal life?

Scripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37; James 2:17-22; Matthew 22:37-40; Galatians 5:14; Micah 6:6-8

The Big Idea: According to the apostle Paul, the entire law is summed up in the single command to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is anyone who is in need. So, we must love those who are not like us and thus who we don’t like.

Discussion Questions:

In Luke 10, a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Is the answer Jesus gives the same answer you ...

Leading Question: How much do our motives matter in mission? Can I have lousy motives and still do good work for Jesus?

Scripture Focus: Luke 24:1-12, 36-49; Acts 1:12-26, 2:1-41

The Big Idea: It’s difficult to produce a list of “appropriate motives” for mission. Perhaps God can use us for good, even when our motives are mixed.

Discussion Questions:

What are some examples of less-than-ideal motives for sharing our faith?

What are some of the best motives for sharing our faith with others?

In Philippians, the apostle Paul admits that Christ was sometimes preached out of envy, rivalry, selfish ambition and even ...

Leading Question: What are the most common excuses we use to avoid doing what God has called us to do?

Scripture Focus: Jonah 1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8

The Big Idea: God sends us to those we hate . . . and extends undeserved compassion to them.

Discussion Questions:

Before discussing these questions, it would be helpful to read through the book of Jonah!

God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, a principal city in Assyria, a feared and hated enemy of Israel at this time. The Assyrians were noted in the ancient world for their cruelty, and Nahum later lists Nineveh’s sins as plotting ...

Leading Question: If God came to your house for lunch, what would you feed him?

Scripture Focus: Genesis 18:1-19:29; James 5:16; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25

The Big Idea: Despite his faults, Abraham models the three missional qualities of hospitality, love, and intercessory prayer.

Discussion Questions:

Previously, God had told Abraham that he was to be channel through which God would bless all peoples. In Gen 18, we see Abraham taking the initiative to provide hospitality to three strangers. He brings food, washes their feet, and offers shelter for them to rest, never suspecting that the strangers are the Lord and two angels!

...

Leading Question: What will God do if we refuse his commission to go to the world and spread the gospel?

Scripture Focus: Genesis 11:1-9, 12:1-3, 10-13:1; Acts 1:1-4, 8

The Big Idea: God cares so much for the world that he is willing to move us out of our comfort zone in order to reach others who don’t know of him.

Discussion Questions:

Missiologist Ralph D. Winter suggests that ideally, God’s people would respond to his commission and go out to the world voluntarily. A second possibility, however, is that when his people fail to share the gospel with the world, God ...

Leading Question: Is a “Christian commune” a good thing, or is it an oxymoron?

Scripture Focus: Genesis 12:1-3; John 20:21-22; Matthew 28:16-20; Revelation 14:6-7

The Big Idea: God’s blessing is to be shared with the world. A disciple is called to make disciples.

Discussion Questions:

In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abram and describes his plan to bless Abram and his descendants. The reason for this blessing is clearly stated. God blesses Abram’s family so that “all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” In what ways does understanding God’s purpose both guide our mission efforts and also protect us ...

Leading Question: In Genesis 2:8, we read that Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” What does God sound like when he walks, and why is he walking in the garden?

Scripture Focus: Genesis 1-3; Matthew 1:18-23, 28:18-20; John 1:14-18, 3:16, 14:1-3

The Big Idea: Before we talk about our mission to others, it’s important to realize that our God wants to be with us!

Discussion Questions:

Before we begin a whole quarter ...

Study Guide Prepared by: John McVay

Key Texts: Ephesians 1-6

Key Questions

Reviewing the Epistle to the Ephesians chapter by chapter, what candidates for “life texts” do you see, passages that can inspire and shape Christian discipleship throughout life?

With Paul’s thesis statement in Eph 1:9-10 and his theme of unity in mind, work through each chapter of the letter, highlighting how that chapter helps to develop the theme of unity.

Review stories of people inspired by studying the Epistle to the Ephesians (“The Impact of Ephesians in History: Five Case Studies,” at the end of this study guide), and ask, ...

Study Guide Prepared by: John McVay

Key Texts: Eph 6:10-20, Part 2

Key Questions

In Eph 6:10-20, Paul exhorts believers to adopt an urgent, soldier-like approach to Christian discipleship and witness. How sustainable is such a “battle footing” approach?

How important is the “secret weapon” of Eph 6:10-20, Christian esprit de corps, camaraderie, and community? How can we best signal our support for one another as fellow combatants in the great controversy?

Granted that Paul in Eph 6:10-20 is offering a final metaphor for the church, what may we learn from the passage about our individual battles against sin and temptation?

...

Study Guide Prepared by: John McVay

Key Texts: Eph 6:10-20, Part 1

Key Questions

Since we are now under the authority of the exalted Christ (Eph 1:20-23), why not simply ignore the powers of darkness (Eph 6:12)?

What is the timing of the battle or war Paul imagines? Is it a future one only, occurring on “the evil day”? Or is it continuous, happening throughout the Christian era?

How does Paul elsewhere use military language in describing his own ministry and that of his co-workers? In what type of warfare are they engaged? How does this contribute to our understanding of ...