Date: April 19, 2026
Session Title: A Mission Full of Opportunities
The Point: We intersect daily with people who need Christ.
Podcast—Bible Studies for Life: Adults
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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 unexpectedly been helped by a stranger?
- How would you describe your typical day in terms of people you encounter?
- What’s the most memorable random conversation you’ve had with a stranger?
Acts 3:1-4. See the opportunities your encounters with people provide.
- What can we learn from the disciples looking intently at the lame man and wanting him to return their gaze?
- What steps can we take to be intentional about engaging with others?
- How many times have we passed up the opportunity to be a blessing to others?
Acts 3:5-8. Share the love of Christ through those encounters.
- How can we keep the focus on Jesus when serving others?
- How does Christ’s love move you to share His love with others?
- Who do you know who has mastered the ability to turn a conversation toward the gospel?
Acts 3:9-10. One encounter often leads to more opportunities to share Christ.
- When have you seen one encounter lead to more opportunities to share Christ with others?
- What practices or habits can prepare us to be used by God?
- How have you responded when God did something that amazed you?
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:
On April 1, New Jersey State Patrol officers responded to reports of an abandoned bear cub off a major interstate. The young cub was rescued without incident and taken to the station before being released to the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency for evaluation.
Officers posted photos, both of the cub sitting in the police car and being held by officers. Commenters kept saying how small the cub was, with jokes being made that the animal was arrested for “excessive cuteness.” With the cub being so small, this meeting was a sweet, albeit interesting, one.
While not everyone gets to meet a bear cub, all of us have multiple interactions with strangers on a daily basis. Just like how the officers may not have known how picking up the cub would go, we never know how our own encounters with others will proceed. But each interaction is a chance to share the love of Christ with those around us.
For a summary of this news illustration or to read more about this story, search “bear cub on I-78 New Jersey”
Study the Bible
Read after discussing Study the Bible—Question 2:
Historic flooding in Hawaii has left over 2,000 people without power during the final week in March. Winter storms brought heavy rainfalls on already-saturated ground, causing raging waters to sweep away cars and infrastructure. Per current estimates, damages could be in excess of $1 billion, though that number could climb significantly if the Wahaiwa Dam fails. Officials are monitoring the dam’s water levels and say they are out of the danger zone for now.
Natural disasters leave behind a massive need for everything from rebuilding to medical care. Relief efforts are headed up by local governments and organizations, with some immediate needs even being met by those in the community. Though the physical needs are pressing, relief efforts are excellent vehicles for ministry work as well. Sharing the love of Christ while meeting physical needs is an effective form of ministry.
Thankfully, natural disasters aren’t the only time meeting needs can be a ministry opportunity. Helping meet any need in your community, like volunteering to serve at a food pantry, is a good way to minister to physical needs. And when physical needs are met, people are more open to having their spiritual needs met as well.
To read more about this, search “Hawaii flooding March 2026.”
Study the Bible (Option for Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, play a song like “Does Anybody See Her” by Casting Crowns that captures the importance of seizing opportunities to share Christ with people who are hurting. Invite the group to pray for people they’d like to have a gospel conversation with this week. Then close in prayer.
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.]
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