Date: March 3, 2024
The Mission of Jesus
The Point: Jesus came to deliver the good news of salvation for all people.
Get Into the Study
Share the following as you discuss the opening question.
Roger Rodriguez Paez had a busy week recently. Within a few days, he became a father to a little girl, completed his United States citizenship, and graduated from Navy boot camp. Any of those events would make for a significant milestone in an individual’s life, but all three must have been overwhelming to behold. Roger was born in Venezuela and desired to become a father, citizen, and soldier.
While hundreds of miles away from home, when all of these transpired, his wife Ashleigh drove from Florida to Illinois to introduce him to little Lyla. This surprise was a much-welcomed one. Due to Roger’s commitment, he missed out on her birth, but Ashleigh wanted to unite her family together for the first time. After getting permission from her doctors, she directed her efforts toward seeing her husband and introducing him to their daughter.
Ashleigh stated, “When he saw us, he was running through the airport, and he gave me a hug. And then I gave him Lyla…It was magic in his eyes.”
If something is good news, it is hard to stay reserved once you become aware. It not only changes your perspective, but it alters the pace at which you move. You aren’t concerned with what others may think around you because you are so motivated by this surprising good news.
Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]
Play a video clip of someone surprised by some good news. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
As you discuss Luke 4:14-19 and the purpose of Jesus’s mission, share the following.
Many have heard of missionaries like Lottie Moon, William Carey, or Jim Elliot. Leland Webb is a pioneer in missions that is less of a household name. He worked for the International Mission Board for 32 years, primarily developing ways to share the stories of worldwide missionary work through print publications. He used his writing and photography to tell compelling stories of mission advances around the world.
Before his work, many church members knew that missions happened, but they weren’t connected with the people on the frontlines. His work moved workers from being unknown among thousands of deployed individuals and families to real people with stories others could connect with as they read. It transformed missionaries into people with translatable stories that others could identify with. This work would successfully increase financial support, prayer initiatives, and future missionary deployment.
We often think of missionary work as those on the field, but we all can and should be involved. Some go, and some send. Some live the stories, and some share the stories. God can use all contributions. When you think about all that Jesus did through His ministry, He sought to preach and proclaim all the work that God was doing (Luke 4:18-19).
Missionaries are doing that type of work in every corner of the world, but without someone sharing those stories, we would miss out on evidence of God’s work among us. https://www.imb.org/2024/01/11/leland-webb-pioneer-of-global-missions-storytelling-dies-at-91/
Travis Agnew is a disciple of Jesus, husband to Amanda, dad to the Agnew 3, and Lead Pastor or Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. He loves writing about faith and family at travisagnew.org.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- When have you been surprised by a piece of good news?
- What’s the best news you’ve heard recently?
- Who is the biggest celebrity you’ve ever met?
- When is a time you had to wait for something and it was totally worth it?
Luke 3:1-6
- What are some ways God prepared your heart to hear about Jesus?
- How did John prepare the way for Jesus?
- What heart attitudes did John’s preaching promote and seek to nurture?
- What do you appreciate about John’s approach to spreading the message about Jesus?
Luke 4:14-19
- How should we live so that we can influence those around us?
- What does it look like to live sent?
- How would you sum up Jesus’s mission on earth?
- What can we learn about God’s character through Jesus’s mission?
- In what ways has Jesus’ mission influenced your life choices?
- Which of the metaphors in this passage best represent how God saved you?
Luke 4:20-21
- What are the implications of the passage from Isaiah being fulfilled?
- What is your initial reaction to the simplicity with which Jesus announces His arrival?
- Why do some people respond so negatively to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah?
- How can believers prepare the way for others to believe in Jesus as Christ?
- How would this passage help you respond to someone who said Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
This helped me understand these scriptures better and the interpretation to our time made me see myself in this moment . What is God’s mission for me?