EXTRA Ideas for Adults—Connecting with Others—Extending Grace

Date: July 12, 2026

Session Title: Extending Grace  

The Point: We should be conduits of God’s grace to others. 

Podcast—Bible Studies for Life: Adults

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Additional Teaching Options

Optional teaching ideas that incorporate current news, cultural trends, and real-world illustrations to help your group engage more deeply and view today’s issues through a clear biblical lens.

Getting Started

Read after discussing Getting Started—Question 1:

What group did you want to fit in with as a kid? We should be conduits of God’s grace to others.

A twelve-year-old student named Alon Horowitz found a rare gemstone at an archeological dig site in Galilee. The site is believed to be one of the places linked to Jesus’s ministry near the sea of Galilee about two miles north of Capernaum. Horowitz was part of a community excavation program that allows students to work with archeologists as part of Ariel University in Israel. The young teen said that he found the gemstone on their third day of digging shortly before the day ended.

The stone, identified as a rare variety of agate called Nicolo, was considered a luxury item and likely came from the ring of a local wealthy person. As remarkable as this find is, Horowitz is not the first Israeli child to have found such an incredible archeological artifact. In May, an eight year old from Rehovot found a Roman statuette fragment believed to be around 1,700 years old, and a three year old girl found a nearly 4,000 year old Canaanite amulet while hiking with her family.

Everyone wants to be part of something, to be remembered, and these three children will be remembered forever for their archeological discoveries. Sadly, not everyone can be remembered for finding archeological artifacts, but as a believer, we are part of God’s team. And as part of God’s team, we should be conduits of His grace to others as we join in His work and share the gospel.

To learn more about this article, search “Jesus’ Galilee ministry site reveals rare, tiny stone after student’s surprising find.” or “community excavation program at Korazim National Park.”

Get Into the Study (Option for Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip showing a celebrity who lifts up others. Then ask Question 1.

Study the Bible (Option for Adult Leader Guide)

Read after discussing Study the Bible—Question 5:

When have you seen someone respond with grace because of the grace they’ve been shown?

Ruth is a young Filipina woman who grew up in a religiously confused household. Her father was a Roman Catholic and her mother was an animist who believed that fire and water were gods. Ruth didn’t know what to believe until she first heard and accepted the gospel as a teenager. She said that it was difficult at first to change her old ways, but she learned to surrender to God because He always has a solution. As she read her Bible, she felt convicted by Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples of her family.

Ruth became a member of Nehemiah Teams in 2025, a short-term mission opportunity for students to train, equip, and send out people to share the gospel among unreached groups. She said that being part of the teams and sharing the gospel with other Filipinos eventually gave her the confidence to share the gospel with her mother. Ruth’s mother came to Christ in May 2025, and her sister followed in November the same year. Both women have quit drinking and are heavily involved in their local church.

When Ruth realized the grace God had shown her through Christ, she wanted to share that grace with those around her. Through the IMB, she learned the tools and gained the confidence to share HIs grace with those around her. If you have also been forgiven your sins and walk as a new creation in Christ, you have also been shown great grace from God. Like Ruth, you can respond with grace and share the gospel with those around you, too.

If you want to learn more about this article, visit IMB.org and search “The gospel changes lives in the Philippines.”

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Additional Questions

Optional, thoughtfully crafted questions designed to warm up group conversation and guide engagement throughout each Bible passage—helping your group think critically, connect personally, and process Scripture through a clear biblical lens.

Icebreakers

• When have you received what you deserved, either in a positive or negative way?
• Who is the person in your life you can be totally transparent with and trust to love you anyway?
• What group did you desperately want to “fit in” with as a kid?

Luke 19:1-4 We must be sensitive to the hearts of those seeking Jesus.

• What are some barriers to meeting Jesus today?
• When have you gone to a lot of effort to find answers to spiritual questions?
• How might our relationship with Jesus sensitize us to the spiritual needs of others?

Luke 19:5-6. In His grace, God seeks fellowship with us.

• What do you think Zacchaeus expected of Jesus and how did Jesus surprise him?
• What makes humanity unworthy to be in fellowship with God?
• How is God’s grace evidence of His love and commitment to sinners?

Luke 19:7-10. When we are transformed by God’s grace, we treat others with grace.

• How does Zacchaeus reflect in his actions what he has received from Jesus?
• How has experiencing God’s generosity led you to be generous with others?
• How does God’s grace in our lives transform us?

The week’s writer for EXTRA is Emily Duncan. Emily is a Southern California native who lives in west Georgia with her husband and daughter. God saved her from Wicca when she was sixteen while at a youth retreat. Emily’s a member of Midway Church in Villa Rica and mentors young women as they transition from high school to college.

[Linked material and sources serve as background illustration only and does not imply endorsement beyond our biblical application.]