John 1:35-51
Life Group Questions:
1. If you were not able to hear this week’s sermon, consider going to the church website and listening to it. What are some main ideas that you gathered from the sermon? What, if any, questions did the sermon cause for you or do you desire to have additional clarification?
2. In John 1:35-51 we have three episodes that describe what some refer to as the first disciples’ “conversion experiences.” What are some commonalities and differences you see in each of the conversion experiences? How was your conversion experience similar or different from these? Explain.
3. Read John 1:1-37 and describe the kind of person John portrays John the Baptist as being. What traits or characteristics do you see yourself sharing with John? In which areas of life do you wish that you could grow to be more like John?
4. Why do you think these men referred to Jesus as “Rabbi (cf. John 1:38, 49)? Why do you think that John, as the writer of the Gospel account, felt he needed to provide the translation for “rabbi” to his readers? When you think of Jesus and your relationship with him, to what degree do you think of him as “teacher?”
5. According to this passage, Andrew and John came to know Jesus before Peter. Andrew was also the one who introduced Peter to Jesus. Yet, Peter is the one that became prominent among the disciples and apostles. Do you think any of these men struggled with this situation in their lives and subsequent ministry roles? Have you ever struggled with seeing others being chosen for a more prominent role than yourself? If so, describe how you deal with that.
6. Why do you think that after Simon encountered Jesus his name was changed? Can you think of any other disciples or people who had their name changed as a result of their encounter with Jesus? If so, list them.
7. In vs. 43 we are told that Jesus “found” Philip. Yet, in vs. 45 Philip tells Nathanael that “we” (he and others) “found” Jesus. How are we to balance these two statements that some might call inconsistent? When you think of your salvation experience, do you consider yourself finding Jesus or He you? Explain.
8. In each of these three episodes we see a common sequence occurring after people encounter Jesus: find others, tell others, bring others to Jesus. How are you doing in each of these areas of responsibility? Where do you need to grow the most? Pray and ask God to help you improve in the area of telling others about Jesus.