Jesus First: 40-Day Challenge · 36 of 41
Day 35: Talk it over
No new reading today. Take the week to someone else.
This week you read:
- Day 29, Matthew 9:35-38: The harvest
- Day 30, Luke 10:1-11: Look for the person of peace
- Day 31, Acts 3:1-16: What I have
- Day 32, John 4:27-42: Fields ready for harvest
- Day 33, Mark 5:1-20: Go home and tell
- Day 34, Acts 8:26-40: Do you understand what you are reading?
If you meet with a friend or a group
- Recap the week. Take turns retelling one of the passages. Which one stayed with you, and why?
- Who did you notice? Who did God put in front of you this week? Did anyone seem open, curious, or hungry?
- Serving with intention. Where could you serve someone this coming week with your eyes open for a person of peace?
- Practise the question. Take turns saying out loud, in your own words: Would you like to learn how to study the Bible? It gets easier the second time.
- Pray together. Pray by name for the people you each noticed.
For whoever is leading: receive what people say about the church without defending it, and without piling on. Let the passage do the teaching rather than explaining it yourself. If someone’s answer drifts away from what the passage says, gently bring the group back by asking, “Where do you see that in the passage?” Two things to keep in mind every week. If someone describes something in their church that is not right, such as abuse, manipulation or false teaching, the counsel in this class to stay does not apply to them; encourage them to talk about it with someone they trust. And if someone has felt numb or hopeless for a long time, gently encourage them to get help beyond this group as well.
Talk it over
Today there is no new reading. Take what you have read and done this week and talk it over with someone. Pick whichever fits.
Scripture quotations are from the Open Translation Bible (OTB), used under CC BY-SA 4.0.