STUDY GUIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF JASPER 11.07.2010 to 11.28.2010 LUKE 10:1 to 11:13
... ON THE HARVEST Luke 10:1-24 After this the Lord appointed seventytwo others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." BIG IDEA The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Open It 1. How would you treat the representatives of a famous person? 2. What difficult project have you worked on recently? 3. How do you feel when you complete a difficult task? Explore It 4. In what manner were the seventy-two followers sent out? 5. According to Jesus, why were His followers to pray for more workers? 6. To what did Jesus liken His followers? 7. What instructions did Jesus give the seventy-two concerning their departure? 8. What were Jesusʼ followers to do about accommodations? 9. What were the seventy-two sent out to do? 10. To what could unbelieving towns look forward? 11. What did the disciples report upon their return? 12. What authority did Jesus give His disciples? 13. Why were the seventy-two to rejoice? 14. What was the Fatherʼs pleasure? 15. Who was envious of the disciples? Why?
Get It 16. What was life like for the seventy-two disciples? 17. Which of the jobs done by the seventy-two do we see in action today? 18. What instructions has Jesus given you? 19. When have you been rejected as a representative of Christ? 20. What are the trappings of being "wise and learned"? 21. What are the benefits of being like "little children"? 22. What can we see and hear about God that the disciples, prophets, and kings could not? Apply It 23. This week, how can you observe children to help you understand more of Godʼs revelation? 24. When can you set aside time to pray regularly to learn your place among those whom God has sent out? 25. Whom else can you encourage in your church or fellowship group to join you in prayer and service?
... ON YOUR NEIGHBOR Luke 10:25-37 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.ʼ" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." BIG IDEA Who is my neighbor? Who do we show the love of Jesus to?
Open It 1. What are the greatest inconveniences in your life? 2. When has someone gone out of his or her way to help you? 3. What do you think motivates most people to do good? Explore It 4. What did the legal expert ask Jesus? 5. Why did the legal expert ask a question about eternal life? 6. How did Jesus turn the question back on the legal expert? 7. How did the legal expert summarize the demands of the Law? 8. What did the expert ask about loving oneʼs neighbor? 9. What did the legal expert want to do? 10. How did Jesus reply to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" 11. What did the priest and the Levite do to help the man who was robbed and beaten? 12. What was the Samaritanʼs response to what he saw? 13. Why did the Samaritan help the beaten man? 14. What relationship did Jesus use to characterize the Samaritanʼs behavior? 15. How did the legal expert define the neighbor in the parable? 16. What did Jesus command the expert to do in response to the parable? Get It 17. What different motivations do people have for asking questions about God and of God? 18. How effective is this parable in communicating love for oneʼs neighbor? 19. What natural inclinations make it easier for you to act like the priest and the Levite than like the Samaritan? 20. How practical was the Samaritanʼs approach to the man in need? 21. How does it feel when someone has mercy on you? 22. In what ways can we as individuals and as groups of Christians be more like the Samaritan? Apply It 23. What step can you take to help meet someone elseʼs physical needs? 24. What people who have helped you in times of need do you want to thank this week?
... ON GOD Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." BIG IDEA Are we distracted or have we chosen what is better? Open It 1. *What is your home like shortly before guests arrive? 2. What do you enjoy about formal or informal dinners? Why? 3. What is involved in clean-up at your house? Explore It 4. What did Martha do for Jesus and His disciples? 5. Who was Mary? 6. Where was Mary while Jesus was talking? 7. What did Mary do while Martha attended to household preparations? 8. How much could Martha concentrate on Jesusʼ words while preparing for her guests? 9. Of what did Martha accuse Jesus? 10. Of what did Martha accuse her sister? 11. What did Martha want Jesus to do? 12. How did Jesus try to calm down Martha? 13. *What did Jesus think of the sistersʼ choices?
Get It 14. How would you describe the "Marys" (male and female) that you know? 15. To what extent do you resemble the hurried, frantic personality of Martha? 16. If you had been Martha in this situation, how would you have reacted to your sisterʼs choice? 17. What did Jesus mean when He said that "only one thing is needed"? 18. Why did Jesus favor Maryʼs choice? 19. In what way do you identify with Maryʼs choice in your relationship to Jesus? Apply It 20. What events or opportunities are coming up in which you can focus on being a student of Christ? 21. What steps can you take this week to help a friend with domestic tasks so that he or she can have more time to pray or read the Bible?
... ON PRAYER Luke 11:1-13 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, When you pray, say: ʻFather, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.ʼ Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" BIG IDEA Prayer is simply talking to your father.
Open It 1. What are children like when they want a certain toy? 2. How do you react to someoneʼs relentless requests for something? Explore It 3. What was Jesus doing when one of His disciples approached Him? 4. What was the discipleʼs request? 5. Who had taught his disciples to pray? 6. What topics did Jesusʼ prayer cover? 7. With what is Godʼs forgiveness of us linked? 8. Why did the person in need go to the friend at midnight? 9. Whom does the friend in the house represent? 10. Why did the friend eventually grant the manʼs request? 11. What cause-and-effect connection did Jesus use to follow up on the parable? 12. How do most parents respond to their childrenʼs requests? 13. Why do parents grant their childrenʼs requests? 14. How is God the Father like and unlike human fathers? 15. What does God give to us? Get It 16. Why did the disciples need to be taught how to pray? 17. Why do we need to learn how to pray? 18. What opinions have you heard on how God responds to our prayers? 19. How can we ask, seek, and knock when we approach our heavenly Father? 20. What kinds of things do we individually and collectively usually ask for? 21. How might this passage change your expectations of prayer? Apply It 22. Whom can you call today or tomorrow and offer to pray on his or her behalf? 23. When can you plan for an extended period of prayer in the next few months? All Scripture verses taken from New International Version
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