Date: October 11, 2026
Session Title: God Speaks and We Respond
In Focus: When we discover God’s will, we are to follow it.
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 Look at Our World and introducing the In Focus Statement:
Forty-six IMB missionaries were commissioned at the Sending Celebration in South Chesterfield, Virginia, on September 16. Included in those who will be leaving to share the gospel around the world are three couples who’ve chosen to follow God’s calling, including some returning to fields they’ve served before and one heading to a region with no prior IMB presence.
John and Hannah Kim are returning to serve as directors of five theological schools in Zambia, where they’ll continue to mentor local pastors and students. They hope to keep making new disciples and establishing more churches in Zambia. Danilo and Hannah Antunes will be among the first IMB missionaries sent to Spain’s least-engaged region. They believe God is calling them there for the long term, not just a short season. Dusty and Ashley Jackson are going to the Philippines to serve at a school that educates missionary children. Dusty will teach orchestra while Ashley leads middle and high school choir, hoping to disciple their students while teaching them music.
Each of the individuals commissioned during this ceremony has their own story of how they accepted God’s call to missions. But the common thread is that they all said “yes” once they realized missions was God’s will for their life. God may be calling you to leave everything behind and go to the ends of the earth to share the gospel. Or He may only be asking you to share the gospel with a coworker or barista. Whatever God calls you to, His will is the only path you should follow.
To read more of this article, visit imb.org and search “Southern Baptists celebrate new IMB missionaries appointed for service among the nations.”
Learn God’s Way
Read after discussing Psalm 119:36-40:
September 13 was Biltmore Church’s annual outdoor baptism service, with around 4,000 people in attendance, 458 of whom were baptized. The North Carolina church has held an annual baptism service for more than twenty years, with this year recording the highest number of baptisms ever.
Included among the individuals baptized were both those who’d accepted Christ that day and those who’d been saved but had never been baptized. People in wheelchairs, a terminally ill man, and families who stepped forward after a child did were also included in those baptized. One man even traveled from New York on his motorcycle to be baptized after coming to faith through the ministry of a Biltmore Church lay leader.
Lead pastor Bruce Frank says that people from all walks of life have embraced Christ at their church lately, and most of those being baptized were adults, thanks to church members sharing their faith with the community. Frank said he’s reminded often that “we do not invite God to be a part of our story. He invites us to be part of His story.” It’s that God-centric mindset that nurtures a heart of absolute devotion to God. We share the gospel and meet needs because we’re partnering with God, not the other way around. When we make God the center of our story, we grow in our devotion to Him, making it easier to hear His voice above all others.
To read more of this article, visit baptistpress.com and search “North Carolina church sees record 458 baptisms in single day.”
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 while at a youth retreat when she was sixteen. 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 do not imply endorsement beyond our biblical application.]
Additional Questions
These optional questions are 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. For full session plans—including additional discussion questions, teaching content, and leader helps built specifically for this study—get the Adult Leader Guide, Daily Discipleship Guide Leader Guide, or QuickSource at biblestudiesforlife.com.
Icebreakers
- What’s something that sounded easy in theory but proved much harder in practice?
- What’s usually harder for you: knowing what to do or actually doing it?
Psalm 119:30-32. Choose to obey God’s will.
- What daily choices most influence your relationship with Christ right now?
- How can you cultivate a heart that says “yes” to God before you know what He’s asking?
Psalm 119:33-35. Pray for clarity and understanding of what God wants.
- Why is it important to pray not only for guidance but also for understanding?
- What has helped you see God’s commands as expressions of His love rather than limitations on your freedom?
Psalm 119:36-40. Desire to follow God more than anything else.
- How can we tell when something good has become a distraction from what matters most?
- What practical step can you take this week to focus more intentionally on God and less on the things that distract you from Him?
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