Series: Encounter...
Intro
Sermon Recap
Luke 10 records Jesus sending out seventy-two
of His followers ahead of Him into the towns and places He intended to visit.
Before Jesus tells them what to say or where to go, He tells them what to see:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” There are people
everywhere who need the gospel. The problem is not that there is a shortage of
people who need Jesus. The problem is that there is a shortage of people
willing to labor for the sake of the gospel.
Luke 10:1-3
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place
where He Himself was about to go. 2 And He said to them, ‘The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of
the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” 3 Go your way; behold, I am
sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Discussion Questions
- What does “the harvest is plentiful” reveal about how Jesus views the people around us?
- What does Luke 10:2–3 teach us about the connection between prayer and obedience?
- How does this passage challenge a consumer mentality toward church?
- God is the “Lord of the harvest” and gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6–7). Why are we still responsible to labor faithfully?
- Why should every disciple be moving toward making disciples?
- How do we make disciples?
- What would it look like for you to step up and participate in God’s mission?
Closing Thoughts
Luke 10:2 reminds us that mission is not
something reserved for pastors, missionaries, or ministry leaders. Every
follower of Jesus is called to live on mission wherever God has placed them.
There are opportunities to make disciples all around us. The people we
encounter each day are not interruptions to our mission — they are often the
very people God has placed in our lives for the sake of the gospel. Living on
mission as a group begins by living on mission as an individual. Instead of
simply seeing a coworker, neighbor, classmate, teammate, or friend, we begin to
see them as someone who needs Jesus and whom God has intentionally placed in
our sphere of influence. We don't have to manufacture opportunities; we need to
be attentive to the opportunities God has already given us. Furthermore, living
on mission as a group means intentionally leveraging your group to be a place
of both authentic belonging and focused discipleship together.
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