FOLLOW
Part 1 of Follow The Way
Welcome to FOLLOW.
Have you ever considered who Jesus is and what it means to have a relationship with Him? In this 1-week introduction to Follow The Way, we’ll start the conversation.
INTRODUCTIONS
Let’s get to know each other …
Where were you born and where did you spend most of your childhood?
What was your favorite activity as a kid when you were in 5th or 6th grade?
What was your favorite subject in high school?
How would you describe your spiritual upbringing?
What have you embraced from your spiritual upbringing?
What have you rejected from your spiritual upbringing?
Who has had the greatest influence on your life?
FOLLOWING JESUS
Let’s explore what it means to follow Jesus and His way of life.
Here’s a story about one of Jesus’ first followers. In this story, we’ll meet a tax collector and the Pharisees.
The people of Jesus’ day hated tax collectors not because they were like IRS agents of today, but because they worked for the enemy—the Romans. The Romans had conquered Israel, occupied their country and used Jewish tax collectors to raise revenue from the subjected people.
Matthew is one of these Jewish tax collectors working for the Romans. As a traitor to his people, Matthew wasn’t allowed to participate in the Jewish religion nor gather with them in their place of worship called a synagogue.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, were as Jewish as you could get. They strictly lived according to Old Testament law and other Jewish traditions. They prided themselves in being the guardians of the Jewish faith. The problem was, their pride made them self-righteous and judgmental.
Now, let’s read the story …
Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV)
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Now have someone retell this story in their own words.
What stands out to you in this story?
Who went looking for whom? Did Matthew go looking for Jesus or did Jesus go looking for Matthew?
Why is Jesus’ choice of Matthew so surprising?
Why are the Pharisees so upset?
How do you think Jesus’ other disciples may have felt about Jesus calling Matthew to follow Him?
Why is Jesus' answer to the Pharisees’ question so encouraging?
Who is eligible to follow Jesus?
Do you think that when Matthew started to follow, he fully believed in Jesus and was totally committed to Him? Or do you think Matthew followed Jesus and over time grew in faith and commitment to Him?
What does this say about following Jesus?
In the Bible, a follower or a disciple of Jesus is like today’s apprentice (or intern, trainee, mentee, medical resident).
What does it mean to be someone’s apprentice?
What’s the purpose and what’s the process of an apprenticeship?
What does this say about following Jesus?
How might the phrase “To be with Jesus to become like Jesus” clarify what it means to follow Jesus?
Jesus is no longer physically present as He was for the original disciples. What would it mean to follow Jesus today?
What questions do you have about becoming a follower of Jesus?
NEXT STEP
Once again, this group is about exploring what it means to follow Jesus and His way of life. And as we have already seen, you don’t have to believe in Jesus or be committed to Him to get started. You just need to be willing to consider the Bible’s teaching about Jesus and what a relationship with Him would be like. That’s what the next part called FAITH and our Discovery Discipleship Group will help you do.
Discovery
First, you’ll read and discuss Christianity’s source material—the Bible. Now, the Bible is a big book, so FAITH will take you on a tour of the Bible’s main events, characters and storyline. Through an 11-week journey, you’ll discover how the Bible finds its meaning and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Here’s what you’ll cover:
Creation
Rebellion
Rescue
Re-Creation
Righteousness
Response
Discipleship
Secondly, instead of just learning and talking about the Story of the Bible, you’ll be asked to put these teachings into practice. That way, you’ll personally experience what it means to be Jesus’ follower and you’ll be able to make an informed decision about following Jesus or not.
Group
Thirdly, you’ll be taking this discipleship journey as a group. You could go through FAITH (and the rest of Follow The Way) on your own. You’ll get more out of it, however, if you work through it with 2 or 3 others. Consider finding a guide to coach you. This guide doesn’t have to be an expert in the faith. They just need to be a few steps ahead of you on the journey to point you in the right direction.
This is a unique opportunity to consider the claims of Christ and His way of life. Are you ready to examine the Bible’s teaching about Jesus and your relationship with Him?
Who’s up for continuing to FAITH?
Is there anyone else who could join us?
When will we meet again?
FOLLOW-UP BIBLE READINGS
After each group meeting, there will be 3 Bible readings to help you dig a bit deeper into what we have discussed.
Here are the Bible passages you are encouraged to read this coming week:
For links to YouVersion Bible App with audio readings and passages click here …