Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 1
Close Encounters – Part 1
At times it may feel like we are living on cruise-control and just going through the motions. Finish school? Check. Find a job? Check. Earn money? Check. Start a family? Check. Drive within the speed limit? Check? But the life that God has for us is far more than that. Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10b). Life is better with Jesus, and it begins when we first encounter Him.
Discuss
- If you were to excel and top the ranks in your field (or any field), would it change the way you see life? Why or why not?
- In our reading, who is Nicodemus? What sort of authority or position does he have within the Jewish society? Why did he step out of his way to meet Jesus?
- Pastor Mark says that although Nicodemus was a religious and prestigious man, he was empty. How was that possible? How much did Nicodemus know about Jesus (John 3:2)?
- What is your understanding of “an encounter with Jesus”? Have you seen someone who has been transformed by their encounter with Jesus? What did or didn’t you notice? If you have experienced it yourself, share your own Spirit-led transformation.
- Pastor Mark teaches that when we step out of our way to meet Jesus, we need to be ready to leave our past life and values. Why? What are some of the things that are difficult for you to let go?
- As Jesus’ followers, we are not to live just to ‘tick the boxes’. What are some areas in your life right now that feel like boxes to be ticked? What can you do differently?
Respond
Following Jesus is not about being religious. It is not about simply obeying rules to attain a certain rank. Those things will not bring us to the Kingdom of God. It is about being born again in Spirit – accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour, living a Spirit-filled life. Have you invited Jesus to come into your life?
If you haven’t, your Life Group leader can pray with you, or you can talk to one of our pastors about your desire to accept Jesus. If you have accepted Jesus, how can you live a Spirit-filled life this week?
Part 2
Close Encounters – Part 2
After encountering Jesus, many of His followers are moved to give up their old lifestyle and follow a new life with Jesus at the centre. This was certainly true for the woman who brought the alabaster jar and anointed Jesus. After an initial encounter with Him, our challenge as believers is to let Jesus through the Holy Spirit continue to change and transform us in every living moment. As we submit to Him daily, we become more like Him and more obedient to His calling on our lives.
Read Luke 7:36-50
Discuss
- What is a Christian? What traits do you believe a Christian should have? Do you reflect these traits?
- Have you ever had your “Sacrificial Threshold” tested by Jesus as to how much of your time, energy, money, or resources you were willing to give up for Him? Share this with the group.
- Read Luke 7:36-50 out loud twice, using two different Bible versions, then retell the story aloud in your own words. What stood out to you in this story? Why?
- Read verse 44. What was Jesus saying to Simon when He asked, “Do you see this woman”? Of whom is Jesus asking you, “Do you see this person”? What can you do about this question from Jesus?
- Pastor Ben quoted that, “proximity breeds empathy, distance breeds suspicion”. Where have you seen this happen? What can we do to change this? Who do you need to be closer to, in order to gain a different perspective on their life?
- Read verse 47. What does this verse say to you? Why could this be hard to accept for some people?
- Read verse 50. What does it mean to be saved by faith? Why was this important for the woman to hear? Whom do you need to tell this to?
Respond
A true encounter with Jesus will change our life forever. From this time on, we should see and interact with the world around us differently to those who are yet to meet Jesus. Pastor Ben suggested we may evaluate our Christian priorities and values by looking at where we spend our time and money in a week, and consider how this aligns with our proclaimed Christian faith.
What is one thing you could change this week to better align your time and finances with your values as a disciple of Jesus? Commit to making the change this week.
Part 3
Close Encounters – Part 3
Levi’s close encounter with Jesus was a spontaneous interaction of grace and redemption. Levi (who later became known as the disciple Matthew) was a despised tax collector, hated by his own Jewish community. Yet Jesus saw through his pain and rejection to bring him into a place of forgiveness, restoration and purpose. Our past mistakes do not stop us from knowing Jesus, nor do they define us. How have you encountered Jesus in your life? How can we be instruments of grace to help others encounter him too, especially those who are marginalized by society?.
Read Luke 5:27-32
Discuss
- Have two people in the group read the above passage from two different translations, then have another person retell the story from memory in their own words. From the passage, what stands out to you as personally applicable to yourself?
- Why was Jesus criticized for socialising with tax collectors and ‘sinners’ (which tends to refer to prostitutes in that day)? Have you ever found yourself in the company of society’s outsiders (e.g. refugees or homeless people)? What did you learn from such interactions?
- When Jesus called Levi, he “left everything and followed him.” Have you had to make a sacrifice in following Jesus? What was the outcome?
- Levi became part of the family of God and one of Christ’s twelve disciples. How did you experience community when you became a Christian
- Levi was given new life and a sense of purpose, leaving his old life behind. Did you experience a new sense of purpose when you became a follower of Jesus? Share this with the group.
- People often need to ‘belong before they believe’. What does this mean? Why do you think this is the case? Consider this in the light of Luke 5:31.
- It was said that most of Jesus’s interactions and impact occurred outside of the temple and synagogue; He met people in the streets, market places and other community meeting places. How can we too bring the gospel beyond the four walls of a church building?
Respond
Levi held a ‘Matthew party’ where he invited other tax collectors and sinners to meet Jesus. What can you do this Christmas to invite someone to experience the message and love of God? Begin by praying for God to place a person on your heart. Ask God to show you the best way to engage with them – perhaps they could be invited to the Christmas production or join your Christmas lunch? Perhaps the Life Group could hold a New Year Party and invite them along? Plan how you and your small group can reach out to the ‘Levi’s’ you may be in contact with this Christmas and New Year.
Part 4
Close Encounters – Part 4
Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, we see accounts of Jesus healing all types of diseases; severe pain; demon possessed; seizures; the paralysed; and he healed them all (Mt 4:24). Jesus later sends out 72 disciples telling them to do what they have seen him do. When they returned, they had stories of the miraculous being done through them, in Jesus’ name (Lk10:17). For many people who call themselves Christian (or Followers of Christ), believing that a miracle will actually happen when they pray, is a bridge too far for their faith level. Yet there are many scriptures that teach us to pray the prayer of faith. It is worth noting that, whilst there are many promises that we can claim for ourselves as ‘born again – children of God’, most of the miracles spoken of in the Gospels occurred during the spreading of the Gospel, that is whilst telling people about Jesus.
Read Luke 13:10-17
Introductory discussions
Have 2-3 people in the group share a time when they witnessed a miraculous answer to prayer.
Discuss
- This event takes place in a synagogue on a Sabbath. Despite the evidence of an obvious miracle, the leaders of the synagogue are focussed on the Law of Moses, which to some extent had been fashioned into rules of bondage. Discuss the bondage of the woman (spirit of infirmity) compared with the bondage of the synagogue leader (religious spirit/attitude)?
- Jesus was in the room that day; the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:8), demonstrating the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mk 2:27). What, therefore, is the significance of Jesus referring to the woman as ‘daughter of Abraham’? Is it possible for us to have: unwritten rules; opinions; perceptions; and preconceived ideas, that prevent us receiving healing (spiritual and physical) and praying for others to receive healing also?
- It has been said that unbelief is not the absence of faith, it is the presence of unbelief. Consider this in the context of the Parable of the Sower Mt 13:3-9. Everything that prevents the seed from taking root can be viewed as a form of unbelief. The effectiveness of the seed is never in question, it’s what we do with it. So, what can we do to remove unbelief?
- Unbelief can be as spiritually crippling as that experienced by the daughter of Abraham and the synagogue leader in Lk 13:10-17. The bent over woman could not do what she was born to do, and the spiritual leader could not do what he was called to do. We are ‘born (again) and called to ‘STAND’ . . . Read Eph 6:11-13 (14-18 for further discussion). What does, ‘Standing’ in this passage mean to you?
- Imagine for a moment you had no limit to your faith in God; you had overcome all unbelief and your relationship with Jesus was unshakable. What could you imagine yourself doing for the kingdom of God with your time left on Earth?
Respond
Could you dare to believe that what you imagined was actually possible? So much of what we are called to do involves other people which is the heart of God.
Loving God and loving people is how we can fulfil that which is precious to God. Write down a concrete first step towards what you imagined in the exercise above, in daring to believe and make a commitment this week to do this step.