Continuing in your main group of 8-12, read and discuss the following passages.

Read John 1:35-39. Why did the two disciples of John follow Jesus? What do you think they were searching for?

Read on to verses 40-42. In your opinion, what made Andrew decide so soon that Jesus was the Messiah? What do you think Peter thought when Andrew told him of his discovery? Why did Peter allow himself to be led to Jesus? Why do you think Peter stayed to become one of Jesus’ disciples? What would you have done?

Read John 9:1-34. The Pharisees explored Jesus’ healing for themselves. What was their conclusion, and what made them come to that conclusion? Why do you think they were not open-minded in their examination of Jesus’ actions?

Read Matthew 16:13-16. Who did people say Jesus was? Who did Peter say Jesus was? What do you think convinced him to identify Jesus in this way?

Read Luke 11:9-10. What do you think Jesus means by “asking and receiving,” “seeking and finding,” “knocking and having the door opened to you”? Now read Jeremiah 29:11-14. What does it mean here to “seek and find” the Lord? How does this divine promise to the Israelites also apply to us today?

Try It Out!

“Who is God?” Pose this question to the people around you, and you’ll quickly discover that there are a lot of ideas on the matter. But have you ever thought about it yourself? Likewise, opinions on the exact identity of Jesus are all over the map, but what do YOU think about Him? Who is He to you? Maybe you find it hard to care about this issue, like the man in the illustration, or feel that you already have all the truth you need. But what if there’s more? It all comes down to this: Are you ready to seek God?

Wanting to explore Him is just the first step. The real key to this quest consists of two parts: opening our minds to explore and opening our hearts to God. Opening our minds means being willing to consider every possible truth, no matter how strange or uncomfortable. It’s a commitment to investigate what’s out there, whether we find it in the Bible or hear it from the opinionated people around us. Opening our hearts means approaching the exploration in a spiritually humble way, avoiding a critical attitude, and giving God permission to work in our lives. You don’t have to be a disciple to pray to God and request the help of the Holy Spirit of truth. Think of it as not saying yes to Christ, but not saying no to Him either. Jesus doesn’t force us to pursue Him; He does, however, provide helpful evidence should we choose to explore Him.

Ellen White writes in her book, Steps to Christ, “God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith” (p. 105).

Let’s stop and relate all this to ourselves. Some deep soul-searching is in order. Ask yourself: What’s my view of God right now? How did I get to see Him that way? Have I taken time to really explore God’s Word and character? How open-minded and open-hearted have I been in doing that?

Go back to the groups of 2-3 people that you met with at the beginning. Within each group, ask:

What kind of value is there in exploring Jesus?

Is there something in particular you want to know about God? How would you go about finding the answer?

Within your small groups (2-3), discuss these questions:

What if....you had to give up everything in order to explore Jesus, with nothing holding you back, no distractions? Would you be willing to do it? What would that look like for you?

What if....you found something in the Bible that you found disagreeable, that just rubbed you the wrong way? Would you reject it on account of its unpleasantness? What would you do? Why?

What if....you gave God the chance to work in your life? What do you think would happen?

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 947