Bgroup Lesson Part 2 of 2
After spending about three years ministering, and after his death and resurrection, Jesus gathers his disciples for his final instructions that would help them head in the right direction once he was gone. This lesson will help your teenagers discover what Jesus desires from his followers—specifically, that we share the good news of forgiveness, love, and salvation with others and help them grow once they choose to follow Jesus.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20
Secondary Scriptures: Romans 1:16; 10:14
These verses from Matthew 28 were among the final words Jesus spoke to his followers before returning to heaven—based on that, what do you know was most important to him?
Why is the good news of Jesus such, well, good news?
To fulfill what Jesus is asking us to do, is it enough to simply make sure people know who Jesus is, or is he asking us to go beyond that? Explain.
What about people who have heard about Jesus, but don’t really follow him—what moves us from hearing about Jesus to giving our life to him?
What do you think Jesus meant when he told his disciples to “go to all nations”?
What’s the most important thing we can communicate about Jesus?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: A lot of Jesus’ earliest followers wrongly thought that his love and forgiveness were only for certain people. But in his final instructions to his followers he reminded them—and us—that he came, died, and rose from the dead for everyone. Once we discover how much Jesus loves us and realize what it means to follow him, we have the opportunity and the calling to tell others about this incredible, amazing, good news!
Jesus wants his message of love, hope, and forgiveness to spread to the whole world—so why would he put such an important task in the hands of people like you and me?
If you’ve had the courage to tell a friend, family member, or stranger about Jesus, what was that experience like? How did that person respond?
Read Romans 10:14. This verse makes it clear that God is counting on us to get the message out—how do you feel qualified for that? How do you feel unqualified for it?
For about three years, Jesus had been preparing his followers for the moment when he would return to heaven—and leave the mission to tell the world about him in their hands! They felt scared, unqualified, and under-equipped—but he reminded them of a powerful truth that is just as true today as it was way back then: They weren’t alone in this adventure, and neither are we.
After giving his disciples their marching orders for the incredibly important task he had planned for them, Jesus said something powerful and extremely comforting: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Think about the game we played earlier—how much tougher would it have been to try to accomplish those tasks if you had to do it all alone?
Think about a time when you felt like Jesus wasn’t with you—how did things change once you realized he really was with you?
How has being around other followers of Jesus helped you to do what Jesus asks in the Great Commission?
Jesus’ followers also had the promise that he would be with them the whole time—and he promises the same thing to us! How have you experienced Jesus being with you in the past?
TAKE ACTION: Memorize this Scripture this week! “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
**Leaders, leave 3-5 minutes for prayer at the end of your group time.