Small Group Questions for Sermon Series Gospeler Session 2: Unschooled and Ordinary

SESSION GOALS

Every session has a point—what each participant should walk away from the discussion knowing, feeling, and doing.

 

Main Idea: God empowers ordinary people, like us, with his Spirit to share the good news of Christ with others.

 

Head Change: To know that others should see Jesus’s influence reflected in our lives.

 

Heart Change: To feel emboldened to talk to people about our faith.

 

Life Change: To share at least one aspect of our faith with someone new.

OPEN

What situations make you nervous? Do you have any silly, irrational fears?

 

It’s common to feel nervous or afraid of certain things. A fear of heights, public speaking, or snakes can cause our hearts to race. But, for many of us, few things make us more nervous than sharing the gospel. We may feel like we don’t know what to say, that our stories are unremarkable, or that we are just the wrong person to talk to about Jesus.

 

But as Willie is going to show us in today’s session, God has always used ordinary people to spread his Word. You can be a gospeler.

VIEW

Before viewing the session, here are a few important things to look for in Willie Robertson‘s teaching. As you watch, pay attention to how he answers the following questions.

 

What made Jesus’s earliest followers qualified to share the good news with others?

 

What needs to happen to us before we can start telling others about Jesus?

 

Watch Session 2: Unschooled and Ordinary (8 minutes).

REVIEW

Not only does Jesus open his family to all who would believe in him, but he invites every believer to share his good news. And, despite how we may feel, we don’t need any special qualifications to share the gospel. Have you ever felt like you were too ordinary to make an impact on how others see Christ? What qualifications did you think you needed to tell others about Jesus?

 

Willie described the church as a movement rather than a spectator sport. We are not called to watch from the sidelines but to participate in God’s work. Why do you think it is common to be a spectator in the church? Do you feel like you are more of a spectator or a participant? Why?

 

Willie described the disciples as “some of the most common people of that day—a ragtag group.” When you think of Jesus’s disciples, what characteristics do you typically assume they had? In what ways do you think they were different from you?

 

Willie identified with the fishermen who followed Jesus. He spent his childhood fishing for fun and much of his early adult life as a commercial fisherman. He knows what it’s like to catch a fish and then catch the fever to keep doing it. Sharing the gospel is similar. When we include Jesus in our conversations it can motivate us to keep telling people about him. Have you or someone you know felt a sense of excitement after helping someone understand Jesus better? If so, how did that feeling encourage future discussions about Christ?

 

Peter and John exemplify the common lifestyles of most of Jesus’s disciples. When they were seized by the religious leaders, Peter began preaching boldly, and the priests “realized that they were uneducated and untrained men…” (Acts 4:13). Peter’s life shows us that we do not need to be highly educated, even in spiritual matters, to be a powerful witness for Jesus. It’s Jesus who makes us qualified. How have you allowed your lack of training or experience to stop you from expressing your faith? What would it look like for you to talk about Jesus more boldly?

 

Willie emphasized that God can use anyone to further his plan, whether we are ordinary or famous, unknown or powerful. Like Shelly, Willie’s friend who reluctantly led his evangelism class and was able to lead two people to Jesus that day, we don’t need to have all the answers. We simply need to introduce people to the Jesus we know. When you heard Shelly’s story, how did her example impact you? If you let yourself dream big, what could God do through you if you shared the gospel more freely?

 

One of the simplest ways to be a “gospeler” is to tell our Jesus story and the way he has changed us. If you think you don’t know enough Bible verses or theology, why not share what he’s done in your life? What is your Jesus story? Whom could you tell your story to?

BIBLE EXPLORATION

Many of us don’t know where to start when it comes to sharing the gospel. Sharing your story of salvation is a great place to start. Use this section to think through your story and how to share it with others. Read 2 Corinthians 5:15–21.

 

The gospel is defined by love. God loved us so much that he died so that we might be forgiven. Christians love God so much that we live for him instead of ourselves. In what ways has God shown his love to you?

 

Paul says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (5:17). When we are united with Jesus, we become new. We change—for the better. In what ways are you different now than you were before knowing Jesus? How do you feel about telling other people about the good changes God has made in your life?

 

In verse 17 Paul says, “the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” We may have to say goodbye to old ways of living or relationships that were unhealthy, but in doing so we embrace the good new life that God intends for us. That’s good news we can tell others about. What is it about God’s way of living that has been good for you? What makes you pursue his righteous ways over your old, selfish, sinful patterns of living?

 

When we trust Christ, we not only change but become part of the family of God. We join a new community of fellow believers. In what ways has the church, or the people of God, supported and cared for you as you have grown in your faith? What would you tell people about the church as they consider trusting Jesus?

 

Consider the way you answered the previous questions. God has shown his love to you through Jesus’s death and resurrection (Romans 5:8) and, as a result, you were made new and became a member of his family. Take a moment to combine the elements of your story. What is your story of salvation?

 

In verses 18–19, Paul proclaims that Jesus has the power to make the world—including each of us—new. The gospel message is not just about what God has done for us but what he can do for others. Just as Paul told the Corinthians that they were made new and reconciled to God, we should tell others that they can be reconciled to him. We are God’s messengers. What’s your first reaction to the idea that you are part of God’s plan to bring more people to spiritual freedom and peace?

 

In verse 20, Paul describes us as God’s ambassadors. An ambassador is a representative of their country, living in a foreign land and sharing their way of life in a different culture. We are citizens of God’s kingdom, representing his way of life in the neighborhoods and offices where we live and work. What godly qualities would you most want your neighbors to see in your life? In what ways could you more clearly represent God’s character and the gospel in your habit of life?

 

While it is important to represent God with our lives, godly living is not a replacement for sharing the gospel. We are to “plead on Christ’s behalf” with people so that they might be reconciled to God (v. 20). It’s up to us to tell people about Christ. What excites you about sharing your faith story? Whom can you share the gospel with this week?

LAST WORD

The idea of telling others about Jesus can be intimidating. We might wonder if we know enough or are “spiritual” enough to be a gospeler. But in this session, we’ve seen how God uses all kinds of people to spread his good news. We don’t need special qualifications or training to tell others how he has impacted our lives. We simply need to share our story.

 

God has called all of us to be his ambassadors, no matter who we are. God has placed you in a unique sphere of influence so that more people might know him. You are his ambassador, a gospeler. 

DEEPER WALK

Read: Read Chapter 2, “Family Impeller,” from Willie Robertson’s book, Gospeler.

 

Memorize: Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’”

 

Write: Write down your salvation story that you could share with others. What are the high points, the main events, and the people involved? Be sure to include the basic elements of the gospel: your need for salvation, Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection, accepting his gift of forgiveness, and turning from sin to follow him.