Follow the Leader was not Meant for Just Two People (Epiphany 2B Gospel)

Download a PDF of the Word One Bible Study for Epiphany 2 Gospel.

Text: John 1:43-51 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, Lectionary Series B

OBJECTIVES

Participants will:

1. Be able to verbalize their feelings regarding invitations to friends to share experiences.
2. be able to identify obstacles in their own lives that prevent them from including others in their faith journey.
3. Be able to enlist God’s help to free them from the inhibitions of inviting others to come, see, experience Jesus.

GROUP GUIDELINES

This Bible study is designed for a small group setting. The group should be no larger than eight people. If your group is larger than this, divide into more groups. Each group will need a designated leader. Find the person in your group who has traveled the greatest distance and designate them the leader. The leader’s role is to make sure every individual has the opportunity to respond to each question. This may mean limiting some members in the time of their responses. As leader, one needs to be sensitive to the group members. Encourage them to participate but if they are truly reluctant to speak, allow them the freedom to pass.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

1. Each member in the group should begin by telling the most memorable invitation that they have ever received and why it was memorable to them.

The Scripture lesson that you will be exploring today includes two significant invitations. Listed below are events and experiences for which invitations are extended. As a group, add two more activities to the list. Have each member in the group rate each listing on the ease that they would feel in personally extending that invitation to someone they know (1=the activity that would be the easiest to invite a friend along and 2=the activity that would be the most difficult for them to invite a friend along). After a few minutes, have members share their top two and bottom two and explain what made the difference for them.
Concert                                                           Party
Dinner in your home                                        Movie
Library                                                              Youth Group Fun Event
Family Vacation                                              Worship Service
Mall                                                                 Bible Study
___________                                                     ____________

LOOKING AT GOD’S WORD

Read John 1:43-51 aloud with each person taking a turn.

1. Upon personal reflection of these verses, which has had a greater impact on your faith journey and why?
   1. an invitation to come and see the Messiah
   2. reliance on personal experience rather than other people’s testimonies
   3. the knowledge that Jesus knows you intimately and loves you
   4. the promise of God’s miraculous presence and power in your life
   5. God using people to accomplish His mission on earth
   6. Is there anyone in your life for whom you have been or could be their “Philip”?
   7. Why might someone be reluctant to share their relationship with Christ with those they know?
   8. How would you describe Jesus to someone you know, staying away from “churchese”?
   9. What have  you discovered about yourself from this study?

CLOSING

2 Timothy 1:7 reads, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Close with prayer, asking God for that same spirit of power and love and self-discipline. Have each member specifically pray for a “Nathanael” in their life.

by Becky Brockman

Originally published in Discovery Bible Studies 19, 1996.

 Updated for youthESource in January 2014