(Luke 15:1-32)

1-1. ‘Jesus and the religious leaders related to
‘sinners’ in different ways. ("Sinners" were numbered
among his friends, but church-people tended to have only church-folk
for their friends)…’ Why? How might church-people differ like
this today?

1-2. Summarize the main lessons of the parables in
this chapter. Do modern people regard themselves as ‘lost’? How
can our non-Christian friends/neighbours be made more aware of
their need of God? In the light of this chapter’s teaching, how
should we feel about the ‘lostness’ of those without Christ?

1-3. ‘The hero of the story of the prodigal son is
the dad.’ True? Why? List all the things he did when the son returned.
‘Just as well the son met the father before he met his brother.’
How can we recognize the ‘elder brother syndrome’ in our lives?
(A homosexual said to a Christian leader: ‘You hate us – not just
our lifestyle – don’t you?’ Would he have said that to Jesus?
Why/ why not?).

1-4. ‘Churches today, like the elder brother (= the
Pharisees), tend to keep sinners out rather than include them
in.’ Is that a fair comment – in general and in our church? How
can our churches be more welcoming to non-Christians? And how
can we develop a greater compassion for the ‘lost’ as Jesus had?

2. CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS

(John 1:29-51)

2-1. Two of John’s disciples wanted to know more
about Jesus. Why? How did Jesus respond?

2-2. What was Andrew’s first response following his
discovery of Jesus? What did Philip do? How did Nathaniel react
(and how did Philip handle this)?

2-3. ‘In some cultures and periods of history people
got more excited about becoming Christians than they do in ours
– and are/were more communicative about it.’ True? Why/why not?
(Note that in this chapter it was quite natural for people to
tell others about Jesus).

2-4. ‘I don’t go to church anymore because they condemn
me.’ ‘How did they do that?’ ‘They told me I shouldn’t be living
with my boyfriend: they’re just as hypocritical, but in other
ways.’ How do you respond to this ‘excuse’?

2-5. Share with the group the names of the people
you would like them to pray for. Briefly: what special approach
are you taking with each of these persons? Form prayer-triplets
to pray for each others’ friends.

3. HOW CAN I HELP MY FRIENDS FIND FAITH? LEARNING
FROM JESUS

(John 3 & 4)

3-1. These two stories demonstrate very different
approaches to evangelism. List the contrasts between Jesus’ method
in each case.

3-2. Why do you think Nicodemas came at night-time?
What do you think of his approach to Jesus? What did Jesus mean
by his ‘Spirit/wind’ analogy? What is the Bible’s understanding
of the role of the Holy Spirit in a person’s being ‘born again’?

3-3. The phrase ‘born again’ is commonly used in
our language about all sorts of people and their changes. Is this
good/bad? Why doesn’t this idea appear commonly elsewhere in the
New Testament? List all the images that come to mind in the N.T.
relating to conversion. What can we learn from this great diversity?

3-4. ‘The Samaritan woman should have fled from Jesus
when she learned he was a prophet…’ Why didn’t she? What was
there about Jesus that encouraged her to commit her life to him?
Why aren’t many people like this entering our churches these days?

4. HOW CAN I HELP MY FRIENDS FIND FAITH? LEARNING
FROM PAUL

(Romans 1:1-4, 5:6-9, 6:23, 10:9-17)

4-1. Individual exercise: summarize in 40 words or
less your summary-understanding of the Christian gospel. Share
it with the group, and explain why you chose your wording. How
did Paul do it?

4-2. ‘For Paul, the death of Christ was very important
to his understanding of the gospel. In our culture we need other
emphases.’ Agree/disagree? Why?

4-3. Discuss Romans 6:23 in the light of your friends’
response to these ideas. What do people today understand by ‘sin’?
Are people less afraid of ‘death without Christ’ today? What can
be done about this situation?

4-4. ‘How shall they hear without someone communicating
to them?’ How would you answer the common question: ‘What happens
to those who’ve never heard the gospel?’

4-5. ‘If the people of our neighbourhood don’t hear
the gospel from us they may never hear it at all, and we will
be held responsible…’ True?

4-6. What suggestions would your group have for our
church about being more effective in evangelism?