Q1. Up to this point in your life, would you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ? Why do you say that? Do you see evidence of your faith as described in Luke 6:40?

Q2. Read Ephesians 2 carefully and take some time to consider the truths it presents. Do you trust in the death of Christ for your salvation? Do you ever struggle with believing you need to do something to save yourself?

Q3. Evaluate your approach to following Jesus. Would you say that you view Jesus as your Lord, Master, and Owner? Why or why not?

Q4. As you look at your life, how would you say that your love for God is shown in your actions? (If you’re having trouble coming up with an answer, take some time to think through some changes you may need to make in your lifestyle.)

Q5. If you choose to obey Jesus’s call to follow, what might it cost you? (Avoid being vague. If following Jesus would cost you specific possessions, comforts, or relationships, list them below.)

Q6. What might hold you back from following Jesus at this point? Are you willing to let go of these things if necessary?

Q7. Before you end this session, spend some time in prayer. Ask God to work in your heart and prepare you for what is ahead. You don’t need to have all the answers or know specifically how God will use you. He simply calls you to follow wherever He might lead. As you pray, be honest about your doubts, hesitations, and fears. Ask Him to give you the strength to proceed and follow Him no matter what the cost. In other words, place your faith in Him.

Q1. Stop for a minute and read Matthew 28. Try to place yourself in the disciples’ shoes as they witnessed these things and heard these words from Jesus. How do you think you would have reacted?

Q2. Assess your church experience in light of Jesus’s command to make disciples. Would you say that your church is characterized by disciple-making? Why or why not?

Q3. Have you identified yourself with Jesus through being baptized? If so, why do you think this was an important step for you to take? If not, what is holding you back from being baptized?

Q4. Would you say that you’re ready to commit yourself to study the Scriptures and investing in the people around you? Why or why not?

Q5. What excuses tend to keep you from following Jesus’s command to make disciples? What do you need to do in order to move past these excuses?

Q6. Whom has God placed in your life right now that you can begin making into a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Q7. Who has God placed in your life for you to partner with in making disciples?

Q8. Spend some time praying that God will make you into a committed and effective disciple-maker. Confess any feelings of unpreparedness and insecurity. Ask Him to empower you for the ministry He is calling you to. Ask Him to lead you to the right people to partner with and the right people to begin discipling.

Q1. Take a moment to examine your heart. In all honesty, why do you want to make disciples? Do you struggle with wanting your actions to be noticed by others?

Q2. Read James 3:1–12 and meditate on James’s warning. How do these powerful words affect you? How might you need to adjust your approach to making disciples?

Q3. Up to this point, would you say that your desire to make disciples has been motivated by love? Why or why not?

Q4. Describe your love for the people God has placed in your life. What evidence can you point to that shows that you love the people around you?

Q5. In addition to praying fervently, what practical steps can you take to increase your love for people?

Q6. Would you say that your life is being transformed by the truth of God’s Word? Why or why not?

Q7. What changes do you need to make in order to live the truths that you will be teaching other people?

Q8. The things you’ve been thinking through in this session are not easy to address—there are no “quick fixes“ here. End your time with this session by praying that God will give you the proper motivation to make disciples, increase your love for Him and the people around you, and empower you to live out the truths that He has called you to teach to others.

Q1. Why do you think the New Testament places such a priority on Christians being committed members (or parts) of local churches? How can this priority best be reflected in your life?

Q2. Read Ephesians 4:1–16. How should this passage affect the way you view your responsibility to other Christians in the church?

Q3. Think about your unique setting and identify a few opportunities that God has given you to minister to the people around you. Have you taken advantage of these opportunities?

Q4. Take a few minutes to meditate on Galatians 6:1–2. What would it look like to help bear someone else’s burden? Is there anyone in your life right now whom you should be helping in this way?

Q5. Why do you think we tend to focus on external circumstances and behavior when we try to help people change?

Q6. Using your own words, try to explain why it is essential to get to the heart of the problem rather than merely addressing the circumstances and behavior.

Q7. How should the truth of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit affect the way we approach helping people change?

Q8. Would you say that your church body is characterized more by defeat and isolation or the power and transformation of the Holy Spirit? Why do you say that?

Q9. What steps can you take right away to help your church function more as God intended?

Q10. Would you say that you have been playing your part in the body of Christ? If so, how might you still need to grow in this? If not, are you ready to get involved? What steps might you need to take?

Q11. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to give you confidence in the Spirit’s power to use you in ministering to other people. Ask Him for the wisdom to know what to do and the discernment to recognize people who need help. Pray that God would use you and your church to continue His plan of redemption in your unique setting.

Q1. Would you say that your church is more inwardly focused or outwardly focused? Why do you say that?

Q2. Read 1 Corinthians 13. Would you say that the life of your church is characterized by love? Why or why not?

Q3. What steps can you take to be an example of love in your church? Whether you are an official leader in your church or not, how can you lead others in being more loving?

Q4. Read John 17. Pay careful attention to Jesus’s desire for His followers. Would you say that your church could be characterized by this kind of unity? Why or why not?

Q5. Take some time to think about your church and your unique cultural setting. What would it take for your church to be united, and for that unity to be displayed to the unbelieving world?

Q6. Do you ever feel like a salesperson when sharing your faith? What steps can you take to change this?

Q7. What would it mean for your church to live as a compelling community—a group of people who demonstrate love, unity, and hope in such a way that the unbelieving world is compelled to find out what is going on?

Q8. Read 1 Peter 2:4–12. How should Peter’s description of our calling as the church affect the way we think about and interact with our surrounding community?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. God’s calling for your church is too important to neglect, and it’s too important to take on without the power of the Spirit. Ask God to so fill the life of your church with His Spirit so that your community notices a difference. Ask Him to equip you for the role He has called you to play in His plan of redemption.

Q1. In your own words, why is it important to think about God’s plan of redemption in global terms?

Q2. When you think about the mission of your church, does the rest of the globe factor in at all? How so?

Q3. Take some time to think about the passages above (Romans 15:20–21, Isaiah 52:7–10, Romans 10:12–15). How should these truths affect the way we think about our calling?

Q4. Have you given much thought to the unreached people groups around the world? If so, how does this affect your thinking and lifestyle? If not, why do you think you have never thought about it?

Q5. Take a minute to pause and ask God what He wants for your life. Ask Him to break through any excuses you may be hiding behind and idols you might be clinging to. Ask Him to make you willing to follow Him in whichever direction He might lead. If you have any thoughts based on this time of prayer, make a few notes below.

Q6. How would you describe your role in furthering the gospel around the world? If nothing comes to mind, write down a few things that you can begin to pursue in order to make missions a part of your life.

Q7. In order to faithfully follow Jesus and play your part in God’s plan of redemption, what should your life look like right now? (This is a huge question, but try to write down a few things to guide you as you seek to put the things you’ve learned into practice.)

Q8. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to help you submit to Him entirely. Ask Him to guide you and empower you in anything He calls you to do. Pray that God would use you in your neighborhood and around the world in any capacity that He sees fit.

Q1. Take a few minutes to examine your motivations and write down a few thoughts below.

Q2. Take a minute to think about your past experience with studying the Bible. Which of the wrong motivations listed above are you guilty of? Can you think of any others?

Q3. Take a minute to think through why God gave us the Bible. How should these things affect the way you think about studying the Bible?

Q4. How do you tend to respond to the Bible’s teaching? Would you say that you approach it humbly with a desire to change? How do you need to adjust your approach to studying the Bible?

Q5. Rather than thinking about all of the arrogant people you know, take a minute to consider whether or not your efforts in studying the Bible have simply puffed you up. How has studying the Bible changed you? Are you more arrogant, argumentative, or judgmental? Write down a few thoughts.

Q6. Take a minute to meditate on 1 Peter 2:1–2. What would your life look like if you desired the Word as Peter described?

Q7. Close this session by praying. Ask God to purify your heart with regard to Scripture. Ask Him to produce in you a longing for the pure milk of the Word.

Q1. Describe your experience with studying the Bible. What approaches have you tried? What has been effective? What has been ineffective? What have you learned in the process?

Q2. What does it look like to take joy in reading the Bible? Have you ever experienced this? If so, what is it like? If not, why do you think you’ve never enjoyed the Bible?

Q3. Read through Psalm 119. What do you find striking, challenging, or encouraging?

Q4. In practical terms, what does it mean to study the Bible prayerfully? What can you do to build prayer and dependence on God into your study of the Bible?

Q5. Take a minute to think through the commands that you know God wants us all to be doing (for example, loving the people around you, forgiving others, praying, etc.). Write down a handful of these things below.

Q6. Take a minute to examine your life in light of what you already know about the Bible. If you find that you haven’t been applying biblical truth to your life, then what changes do you need to make to the way you study the Bible?

Q7. In your own words, explain what it means to study the Bible with faith. Do you see this playing out in your life? How so?

Q8. Take a minute to consider everything you’ve thought through in this session. What changes do you need to make in the way you study the Bible?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to give you a heart for His Word. Ask Him to help you approach His Word devotionally and obediently.

Q1. Think about the way you tend to study the Bible. Would you say that you make an effort to seek out what the Bible is actually saying? Do you pay attention to the context? If so, how has this helped you? If not, how do you think this might change the way you read the Bible?

Q2. In your own words, why is it important to distinguish between interpretation and application?

Q3. In your own words, why is it important to look for the plain meaning of each passage rather than seeking out a deeper meaning?

Q4. Would you say that your study of the Bible is focused on finding the plain meaning of each passage? Why or why not?

Q5. Do you have a tendency to interpret the Bible allegorically or figuratively? If so, why do you think you tend to do this?

Q6. In your own words, explain why paying attention to the grammatical and historical context is important. How should these concepts shape your study of the Bible?

Q7. What would it mean for you to read the Bible with an awareness of your own baggage and a willingness to get rid of those assumptions for the sake of understanding God’s truth more clearly?

Q8. In light of what you have thought through in this session, how do you need to change your approach to reading and studying the Bible?

Q1. Read Genesis 1–2. As you read, look for elements that will help orient you to the biblical story. Who are we introduced to in this section? What is being emphasized? What seems to be the point? After reading these two chapters, make some notes below.

Q2. Take a minute to reflect on what you read in Genesis 1–2. What do God’s actions in this passage reveal about who He is?

Q3. How should God’s eternality and power in the creation account affect the way we view and relate to Him?

Q4. How should God’s power, authority, and ownership affect the way we view our place in this world?

Q5. In your own words, describe why it is significant that God created us “in His image.” How should this affect the way we view ourselves and the people around us?

Q6. What can we learn about human beings and their relationship with God and each other by reading Genesis 2?

Q7. Take some time to consider the picture of the world presented in Genesis 1–2. Why is this picture so appealing? Which aspects of life in the garden of Eden should we long to see restored in our world?

Q1. Read Genesis 3. Based on the first three chapters of Genesis, why was it such a big deal for Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Q2. Analyze the sin in your life in light of the rebellion of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Do you see the same tendency toward independence and rebellion in your actions? How so?

Q3. Think back to the world of Genesis 2. Spend a few minutes imagining what our world would look like without sin if everything had stayed the way God intended it to be. Make some notes below.

Q4. Now consider the ways that sin has affected our world. How is our experience of the world shaped by the fall? Be specific and describe how it affects you today.

Q5. Think about the current state of the world. In what ways is humanity still caught in the rebellion that led to the flood and the tower of Babel?

Q6. In what ways are you involved in this rebellion?

Q7. As you think back over Genesis 1–3 (and even the events we discussed from chapters 4–11), briefly describe how these chapters lay the groundwork for what is to come in the biblical story.

Q8. How should our understanding of the first chapters of the Bible affect the way we view ourselves and the world around us?

Q1. Take some time to read and meditate on Genesis 12:1–9, 15:1–21, and 17:1–14. What stands out to you from reading the promises that God gave to Abraham?

Q2. What does God’s covenant with Abraham reveal to us about God?

Q3. What does God’s covenant with Abraham reveal about God’s plan of redemption?

Q4. Consider the biblical pattern: people sin, people suffer the consequences, and God redeems. How have you seen this pattern in your own life?

Q5. In Genesis 15, God made it clear that His promises to Abraham were not dependent on Abraham. How should this affect the way we think about God’s plan of redemption?

Q6. In your own words, explain why it is significant that God created a people for Himself. What did God want to accomplish through this “great nation” He promised to form?

Q7. Consider God’s intentions to bless “all the nations” through His promise to Abraham. What implications does this have for the way we view the world today?

Q8. Think about the ways that God has blessed you. How should these blessings be used to benefit the people around you?

Q9. Read Romans 4. Why do you think the New Testament makes such a big deal about Abraham’s faith?

Q10. How should Abraham’s faith affect the way you think about and relate to God?

Q11. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to increase your faith in Him. Ask Him to make you more consistently aware of His plan of redemption and the role He wants you to play in that.

Q1. Read Exodus 2:23–3:22 carefully. It records one of the rare instances when a human being had an audible conversation with Almighty God. What stands out to you about Moses’s encounter with God in this passage?

Q2. Read Exodus 5:22–6:13. What does this passage reveal about God and His relationship to His people?

Q3. How does God’s provision of the Passover Lamb for the Israelites help us understand Jesus’s sacrifice for us?

Q4. Read Exodus 15:1–21. How did the Israelites describe God’s act of redemption immediately after He led them out of slavery?

Q5. What do God’s actions in Israel’s exodus teach us about God?

Q6. The story of the exodus sets the paradigm for what God’s redemption looks like. How have you seen God’s hand at work in your own life?

Q7. What does Israel’s tendency to forget God’s redemption and begin complaining teach us about humanity?

Q8. Make this more personal. Take some time to write about the times that God rescued you. What can you do to keep yourself focused on who God is and what He has done?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to make the story of Israel’s exodus vivid to you. Ask Him for the faith to believe that He will come through on His promises to you no matter how desperate the situation appears. Pray that God would help you trust Him for your salvation.

Q1. Read Exodus 19. Explain the significance of the people’s cleansing themselves and staying clear of the mountain.

Q2. How should Israel’s encounter with God at Mount Sinai affect the way we view Him?

Q3. Read Exodus 20:1–21. What do the Ten Commandments reveal about the character of God?

Q4. What do the Ten Commandments reveal about the way God wants humanity to live?

Q5. Explain the difference between Israel’s keeping the Law in order to earn God’s favor and keeping the Law in order to maintain a relationship with God.

Q6. In your own words, explain why it was important for God to give Israel the Law.

Q7. Read Deuteronomy 28. How do these promises of blessing for obedience and cursing for disobedience help us understand the importance of God’s covenant with Moses and Israel?

Q8. As a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation,” what was Israel’s responsibility to the nations around them?

Q9. We are not the nation of Israel, but God uses similar phrases to describe the church (see 1 Peter 2:5, 9). How should God’s covenant with Moses and the Israelites affect the way we view ourselves as the people of God?

Q10. Spend some time in prayer. Thank God for reaching down into this broken world and choosing to work in and through broken people to accomplish His purposes. Ask Him to give you a heart that is set on obedience and a passion for reaching out to the world around you.

Q1. Explain what you already know about the Old Testament sacrifices. Have you ever thought of Jesus’s sacrifice in light of the Old Testament sacrificial system? How so?

Q2. Why was sacrifice an important theme in the Old Testament?

Q3. Summarize the role that sacrifices played in the way Israel related to their God.

Q4. How should the Old Testament sacrificial system put our sin into the proper perspective?

Q5. Read Leviticus 16. What stands out to you from reading this description of the Day of Atonement?

Q6. What does the Day of Atonement teach us about the nature of sin and the reality of forgiveness?

Q7. How should God’s emphasis on the heart of the worshipper affect the way we approach God in our worship and in our everyday lives?

Q8. Read Hebrews 9:11–10:25. In light of what you’ve studied about the Old Testament sacrificial system and what you read in Hebrews, how does the Old Testament system of sacrifice and atonement help us to better understand the significance of Jesus’s death?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to affect your heart with the significance of the sacrifice that Jesus offered on your behalf. Ask God to break your heart over the sin in your life. Ask Him to give you the strength and motivation to identify and uproot that sin. Pray that your life would be the “living sacrifice” that Paul described in Romans 12:1. And most of all, thank God for sacrificing Jesus as a substitute for you.

Q1. Why is the presence of God so important for humanity?

Q2. Read Exodus 25:8–9 and 17–22. What is so significant about the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant?

Q3. Read Exodus 33:1–6. What makes this such a devastating pronouncement for the Israelites?

Q4. Consider God’s presence in your own life. How would you respond to the prospect of God’s blessing apart from God’s presence? Forget about how you “ought” to answer this, try to answer honestly.

Q5. Read Exodus 33:7–23. What stands out to you about Moses’s response?

Q6. As you think of the experiences Moses and Israel had with God, how might it affect the way you interact with God?

Q7. Read 1 Kings 8:1–13 and 27–30. What does this passage reveal about God’s glory and the significance of God’s dwelling among His people?

Q8. Read 1 Kings 9:1–9. What does God’s warning to Solomon teach us about what it means for God’s presence to dwell in the midst of His people?

Q9. How does what you have studied thus far help you understand the significance of God becoming man in Jesus and of the church being identified as a dwelling place for God?

Q10. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to help you understand the significance of His presence on earth, and to help you live together with the other Christians in your life in a way that reflects His presence and glory in your midst.

Q1. Take a minute to think about what you learned about God by reading Genesis 1 and 2. How is God’s kingship established and displayed in the creation account?

Q2. Read 1 Samuel 8. What does this passage tell us about the significance of Israel’s choosing to be ruled by a human king?

Q3. Read 2 Samuel 7. What promises did God make to David in this passage?

Q4. Spend some time thinking about these promises of a coming King (consider looking up the passages mentioned in the last two paragraphs). How does the concept of a King arising from the line of David set the stage for Jesus’s arrival in the New Testament?

Q5. Read Jesus’s birth announcement in Luke 1:26–33. How does the language use here help us see Jesus in light of the Old Testament kingdom?

Q6. Why is it important for us to see Jesus as the culmination of the kingly line of David?

Q7. How should the kingship of God and of His Anointed affect the way we view our relationship with God and His Son?

Q8. Spend some time in prayer. Pray that God would help you to lovingly submit to His rule as the King of creation. Pray that God’s reign over this world would be established and that this rebellious world would see Jesus as the true King.

Q1. Read Deuteronomy 28. Based on what you have studied in the previous sessions, how did the blessings offered in verses 1–14 become a reality in the life of Israel?

Q2. Summarize the judgments in verses 15–68 that God said would come upon Israel if they disobeyed.

Q3. Read 2 Kings 17:1–23. This passage describes Israel’s being taken into exile. The author did not simply describe the event; he included a theological explanation for what happened. According to this passage, why was Israel sent into exile?

Q4. In light of Israel’s persistent rebellion, why do you think it still grieved God to send them into exile?

Q5. Read Ezekiel 36:16–38. Why was God promising to restore Israel? Why is this significant?

Q6. Look closely at verses 25–27. God promised to cleanse His people, give them new hearts, and empower them through His Spirit. What is the significance of these promises?

Q7. Take some time to meditate on Ezekiel 36:25–27 and Jeremiah 31:31–34. What makes this new covenant so unique and important?

Q8. As the Old Testament comes to a close, we see that God promised to send a King in the line of David and to make a new covenant with His people. How should these promises affect our lives today?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to address the sin in your heart and to give you a heart that loves Him and submits to His rule. Thank Him for His promises of redemption and for the amazing reality of the new covenant established in the blood of Jesus.

Q1. Read Mark 1 slowly and thoughtfully. As you read, consider what it must have been like to have seen Jesus say and do these things. What stands out to you from reading this description of Jesus?

Q2. What are some of the answers people in our culture give to Jesus’s question “Who do you say that I am?” Why are these answers inadequate?

Q3. Why is it important to understand that Jesus was fully human? How should this reality shape the way you think and speak about Him?

Q4. Why is it important to understand that Jesus was more than a man—that He was, in fact, divine? How should this reality shape the way you think and speak about Him?

Q5. Why is it important to recognize that Jesus was fulfilling the promises and prophecies made in the Old Testament?

Q6. Based on what you studied in the session on the kingdom of God in the Old Testament, why is Jesus’s proclamation of the kingdom of God important?

Q7. How should the concept of the kingdom of God and the reality of Jesus as the King affect your daily life now?

Q8. Carefully read Ephesians 2:1–10 and Colossians 2:13–15. If you are familiar with these passages, force yourself to read them slowly, as though you’ve never read them before. What do these passages say about the significance of Jesus’s death and resurrection?

Q9. According to these passages, how should we relate to Jesus?

Q10. Spend some time in prayer. Pray that God would take the truths you have been thinking through and use them to affect your heart. Ask God to help you respond to Jesus appropriately—whether you have never considered Jesus’s call to follow Him or you have been walking with Jesus for many years.

Q1. Read Luke 24 and Acts 1:1–11. As you read, place yourself in the scene and try to feel the significance of these events. How do the circumstances surrounding the Great Commission add significance to Jesus’s words?

Q2. We can get so caught up in our own personal relationships with God that we forget to think about the global implications of the Great Commission. Why is it important to see the mission of the church as a global calling?

Q3. Why do you think Jesus would give us the strategy of disciple-making as the means for accomplishing our mission on earth?

Q4. Take a minute to consider the significance of baptism. Write down some thoughts below. If you have been baptized, including some reflections on your own experience with baptism.

Q5. What role should teaching play in our Christian lives and in the life of the church?

Q6. Most likely, you already believe that God’s presence is with you as you seek to honor Him in this world. But take some time to meditate on that simple truth: “I am with you always.” How should this statement affect your daily life and the way you view your God-given mission?

Q7. Have you ever tried to follow Jesus apart from the power of the Holy Spirit? Why is this approach bound to end in frustration?

Q8. Given your specific setting, what would it look like to pursue the Great Commission through the power of the Spirit?

Q9. Read Revelation 7:9–12. This passage gives us a vision of the end of the story. This life will conclude with an enormous community of redeemed people from every nation, tribe, people, and language praising God together for His salvation. How should this vision of the end of the story affect the way we think about our mission now?

Q10. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to affect your heart with the urgency of the mission He has given you and the other Christians in your life. Ask Him for the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to pursue His mission in the strength of His Spirit.

Q1. Take a minute to consider the significance of the promise of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel 36:25–27. Explain why this promise is so important in the history of redemption.

Q2. How should seeing the Holy Spirit as a person and as God Himself change the way you relate to Him?

Q3. Read Acts 2 carefully. As you read, pay attention to two things: (1) references to Old Testament truths and promises and (2) references to the Holy Spirit. What references do you see in Peter’s sermon to some of the key concepts you studied in the Old Testament sessions?

Q4. What does this passage say about the Holy Spirit? How was the Holy Spirit working at this significant moment in redemption history?

Q5. Read Romans 7 and 8. What does Paul’s comparison of these two ways of living say about the role of the Holy Spirit and our need for Him?

Q6. How have you seen the Spirit of God working in the life of your church? If you are having trouble identifying the work of the Spirit, why do you think the Spirit’s work isn’t being clearly seen in your church?

Q7. How are you partnering with other members of the body of Christ to be used by the Spirit in fulfilling God’s mission on earth?

Q8. Spend some time in prayer. Thank God for the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. Pray that you would be empowered to pursue and rely on the Spirit’s power in your life. Pray that God would work through the life of your church to bring healing, hope, and change to the world around you.

Q1. Read Acts 2:42–47 slowly. After you read it, spend a few minutes meditating on what characterized this group of people. What stands out to you?

Q2. Why do you think the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching? What implications does that have for the church today?

Q3. Why was fellowship so important for the early church? Why is it important for the church today?

Q4. In your own words, describe why the Lord’s Supper is significant. Does communion carry this significance in your church? Why or why not?

Q5. Explain why prayer is essential to the life and mission of the church. What would a devotion to prayer look like in the life of your church?

Q6. Read 1 Corinthians 12. How should Paul’s analogy of the church as a body affect the way we think about the church?

Q7. Does the life of your church look anything like the body that Paul described in 1 Corinthians 12? How so? If not, why do you think this is?

Q8. What do you find most compelling about the way the book of Acts describes the life of the early church?

Q9. Does your church possess these compelling characteristics? If so, briefly describe them and thank God for them. If not, why do you think these characteristics are lacking?

Q10. What do you think the Holy Spirit would want your church to do in an effort to fulfill the church’s mission in your unique setting? If you don’t have an answer for this, make it a priority to pray and seek the Spirit’s guidance on this issue.

Q11. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to guide and empower your church for the mission He has given you. Pray that the church today would be everything that God designed it to be.

Q1. How should God’s heart as revealed in the Old Testament and in Jesus’s ministry affect the way we think about and relate to those people who seem “unreachable”?

Q2. Read Acts 15. How is the global aspect of God’s plan of redemption demonstrated in this passage?

Q3. Take a minute to meditate on Galatians 3:28–29. Why do you think Paul made such a big deal about the relationship between Jews and Gentiles?

Q4. What does it mean to be a “fisher of men”?

Q5. Is there anything about your life that would identify you as a “fisher of men”? If so, what? If not, what can you do to grow in this area?

Q6. How would you describe your church’s attitude toward and participation in spreading the gospel to all nations? How might you encourage your church to work toward this end?

Q7. What is your own involvement with missions? Are you at all involved in going, sending, training, supplying, praying, etc.? What changes might you need to make to this area of your life?

Q8. How does this picture of a multiethnic multitude worshipping God at the end of history affect the way you think about our task of reaching out to the nations?

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to give you a burning desire to see the good news of Jesus Christ embraced in every corner of the world. Ask Him to show you what part He wants you to play in seeing His name spread around the world.

Q1. Have you done much studying or thinking about how and when the world will end? If so, what has been your impression of the end times? If not, why do you think you haven’t approached this issue in the past?

Q2. Read Romans 8:18–25. How does this promise affect your view of the world?

Q3. Read Revelation 1. Based on this description of Jesus, how will Jesus in His second coming be different from in His first coming?

Q4. Read Revelation 21–22. As you read this beautiful description of the New Creation, don’t get caught up in trying to interpret every detail. Instead, try to picture and feel the beauty and peace of the scene that awaits us. What stands out to you most from reading this account?

Q5. Based on what you read in Revelation 21–22 and what you read and discussed in the session on creation, how will God’s new creation reflect the reality of God’s initial creation before the fall? How will it be better?

Q6. How should the promise of judgment at Jesus’s return affect the way we think about and interact with the non-Christians in our lives?

Q7. Is there anyone in your life whom you need to be more purposeful in reaching out to? If so, spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to give you confidence and wisdom in reaching out to this person with the gospel.

Q8. How should the end of the story affect the way we live today? Be as specific to your own situation as possible.

Q9. Spend some time in prayer. Thank God that Jesus will return to set the world to rights and that His plan of redemption will be completed. Ask God to affect your heart with the reality of what the future holds. Ask Him to guide you and empower you to live as a faithful disciple-maker at this moment in history.