EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – My Encounter with Jesus – Session 6

Date: April 9, 2023

Session Title: Jesus Rose Again to Give Me Life

The Point: Jesus’s resurrection offers eternal life for me.

Get Into the Study

After discussing the icebreaker question, ask: Have you ever thought about what your funeral will be like? Who will be there? What music will you want played?

It’s probably safe to say that most of us don’t spend a ton of time thinking about death or our funerals. However, how much do you think about your life? How long you will live?

Share the site How Long Will I Live? and invite a few willing group members to take the survey. and share their results. (The life expectancy  results are based on 400,000 surveys from the National Institute of Health data.) Ask: How do you feel about your life expectancy? 

Say: Hopefully, we each have a long time before our own funerals. But I want us to consider, as we move into the Scripture passages in this study, to think about the length of your life and ultimately, what we should do with whatever amount of time God gives us on earth. The Point of this study is that Jesus’s resurrection offers eternal life for me. Let’s pray and then look at what God has for us to learn from John 20.

Study the Bible [Option from the Adult Leader Guide, p. 70]

Play the “Who’s Your One?” video from the North American Mission Board. Encourage group members to identify one person with whom they can share the hope of the resurrection this week.

Live It Out

As you close the study, point out that the average American life expectancy is 88. If you google a term like “oldest living person right now” you’ll find a CNN article from January 26^th, 2023 identifying Maria Barnes who is age 116.

We are not promised to live as long as Maria Barnes, but Jesus offers us eternal life when we place our trust in Him and His work on the cross. Even though we can change our life expectancy by living healthier or changing our lifestyle, we are still human. We can do whatever it takes to add a few years to our lives. But even with our best effort, one day, we will still die. But physical death doesn’t have to mean the end of life, because Christ has made eternal life possible for us. He conquered death when God raised Him from the dead, never to die again. He offers eternal life to us when we trust in Him. No matter how many years we have left to live, we should share with those we meet the great news of the resurrected Christ.

Live It Out [Option from the Daily Discipleship Guide]

Use this activity to reinforce your group study of John 20 by challenging participants to listen to the Scripture content on their own this week.

 This option gives group members an opportunity to revisit the content of John 20 by listening to it be read aloud sometime during the week as a time of personal worship.

https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

Live It Out [Option from the Adult Leader Guide, p. 74]

Play a song that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Invite a volunteer to lead the group in worship. Then close in prayer.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

• What does the empty tomb mean for us today?
• Why do people struggle to believe Jesus rose from the grave?
• What are the biggest questions you would like to have answered about Jesus’ resurrection?
• What are some ways people have attempted to discredit or distort Jesus’ resurrection throughout history?
• Why was the resurrection a significant moment in history?

 John 20:1-2

• What questions come to mind when you consider the empty tomb?
• Why do we sometimes fail to fully understand how God is working in a situation?
• What do you appreciate about Mary Magdalene from this passage?
• What are some ways people have attempted to discredit or distort Jesus’s resurrection?

 John 20:11-16

• When have you had an encounter with God that you did not initially recognize?
• What emotions come up in your own heart as you read this passage?
• What can keep people from recognizing Jesus?
• When have you felt personally known by Jesus?
• What do you remember most about your first encounters with Jesus?

 John 20:17-18

• In what ways does Mary’s message about the risen Christ show how we can witness for Him?
• What are some opportunities we have to share the message of Christ?
• What steps can our group take to be better witnesses for Christ?
• How has your life been changed because of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave?
• What obstacles have prevented you in the past from sharing the good news of Jesus’ resurrection?

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:

Would You Recognize Jesus?

Magazine Article

This article complements the study. Share this link with your group members.

• Mature Living – Anchored to the Throne

Podcast

Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.

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