Date: June 14, 2026
Session Title: Making Others a Priority
The Point: We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
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 Stated
Read after discussing Getting Started—Question 1—Opening question about first credit card purchase/we are hands and feet of Jesus.
Opportunities to share the gospel can pop up in everyday situations. IMB missionary Eleanor James found one when she met a Muslim woman, Faith, at the baggage claim in an airport. Eleanor and Faith exchanged numbers and met for coffee a few days later. Faith opened up about how her on/off relationship with a coworker was negatively affecting her mental health, and Eleanor sensed that the other woman was searching for hope. Eleanor shared encouragement from scripture and the women agreed to continue meeting. Faith eventually asked for more scripture-based encouragement and was gifted a New Testament in Arabic.
While it often takes years for Muslims to leave their faith and accept salvation in Jesus, God is already showing fruit as a result of Eleanor’s work with Faith. Finding a woman to share the gospel with likely wasn’t Eleanor’s priority while waiting to claim her baggage at the airport. But as we go about our daily lives, we come into contact with unbelievers searching for the hope of Christ. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we are called to share the gospel with all people, even at an airport baggage claim.
To learn more about this article, visit IMB.org and search “Airport Encounter Leads to Unexpected Friendship.”
Study the Bible
Read after discussing Study the Bible—Question 2:
What can make it difficult to reach out to prideful people?
In early February, a Florida influencer named Katie posted a story about a traffic stop that ended up going viral. A deputy pulled Katie over during a “distraction free driving” crackdown for allegedly holding her phone in her right hand.
Katie lifted her right arm to show she has no right hand. Instead of admitting his mistake, the deputy doubled down and insisted she’d been holding a phone in the hand she didn’t have, issuing her a citation. Katie pursued the claim and was supposed to appear in court May 27. She arrived at the courthouse and found out the case had been dismissed due to “lack of evidence.”
Katie was unable to reason with the deputy because he was committed to being right, even in the face of irrefutable evidence. Just as it was difficult for Katie to reason with this particular officer that day, it can be difficult to share the gospel with arrogant people, as they’re often convinced they’re always in the right. However, Jesus died to save everyone, regardless of their pride. All we can do is be obedient to God’s calling to share and pray for softened hearts.
To read more about this article, search “Florida woman pulled over for holding phone without hand.”
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.]
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 had someone fulfill a debt for you and how did it make you feel?
- When has a situation or event caused you to be cut off from others?
- Why should we make others a priority?
Luke 7:36-39. Reach out to the religious and arrogant.
- What is your initial reaction to Jesus being willing to associate with the religious elite of His day?
- How can making assumptions about people steal our capacity for love or mercy?
- How can we help others overcome their doubts about Jesus?
Luke 7:40-43. Point to God’s gracious forgiveness.
- How important is it for unbelievers to understand the depth of their sin?
- In what ways do people minimize their own sin and highlight the sins of others?
- How can the memory of our own need for forgiveness help us love others with greater kindness?
Luke 7:44-48. Reach out to the sinful.
- Why do you think Simon invited Jesus to his house, and what does his treatment of Jesus reveal about him?
- What do these verses demonstrate about the danger of judging on appearances?
- What prejudices or barriers (social, economic, racial, cultural, personal) might be preventing you from reaching out to others who need God’s forgiveness?
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