[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passages:
Matthew 4:19; 2 Timothy 2:2
Discussion Questions:
— What were you born to do? Explain.
[2]— What does it take for one disciple of Jesus to make another disciple of Jesus?
— Do most Christians reproduce in others the faith and godly obedience they themselves demonstrate? If not, why not? If so, how?
Food for thought:
“Born Free,” the theme song for the 1966 movie by the same name, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. That song, sung by a different vocalist, reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 list and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. A couple of years later, a song reflecting the youth culture of the day, “Born to Be Wild,” resonated with North American youth, hitting number two on the Hot 100 and reaching number one in Canada.
Without addressing whether we are born free or born to be wild, author and pastor David Platt does contend we are “Born to Reproduce.” The booklet with that name by Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, impacted Platt’s life as a college student and continues to shape Platt’s ministry. He hopes its principle has or will shape your ministry as well. Jesus’ call to “Follow Me … and I will make you fish for people” (Matthew 4:19) lays out the call to make disciples. In 2 Timothy 2:2, the apostle Paul gives a strategy for doing so.
The premise is simple: Disciples make disciples (who in turn make disciples who make disciples). To follow Jesus is to teach others to follow Him. But such disciple-making does not occur randomly or by osmosis. Jesus intentionally engaged His disciples, and if we are to make disciples, we must be intentional as well.
We must have a personal disciple-making plan. To formulate such a plan, Platt asks six questions to help guide us:
1) How will I fill my mind with truth?
2) How will I fuel my affections for God?
3) How will I share God’s love as a witness in the world?
4) How will I show God’s love as a member of a church?
5) How will I spread God’s glory among all peoples?
6) How will I make disciple-makers among a few people?
If we will answer these questions and allow God to guide us, we will testify to the fact we are born to reproduce.
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at Lifeway.com/masterwork [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by Lifeway can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool [4] or Lifeway.com [5].