Jesus Desired Their Good – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Christians should mingle with people to show Christ’s character of love – to care for people and want the best for them.
Jesus Desired Their Good – August 13, 2016
1. Have a volunteer read Matthew 5:43-48.
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a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. How do we understand the idea that God wants us to be kind to the wicked and ungrateful?
c. Personal Application : Do you know someone in your life that you have a hard time forgiving or praying for, let alone loving? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your elderly female relatives states: “I can be nice, but if you mess with me or my family, I’ll be all over you in a heartbeat. I raised my kids not to let anyone walk all over them.” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read Mark 8:22-25.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. What is significant about the man’s answer to Jesus’ question concerning if he saw anything?
c. Personal Application : How could members of the church need eyesalve that they may see, even though they understand the prophecies of the Bible? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “Why did it take Jesus two tries to heal the blind man? Was the man’s faith weak? Was there a motive behind Jesus healing in two stages? Didn’t Jesus have enough power to do it once?” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read James 2:14-17.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. Is it wrong to seek a person’s spiritual good while working for their physical good? Could their be any negatives?
c. Personal Application: What can we do to help from developing compassion fatigue? How do we keep from getting tired of helping people without seeing any positive results? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your neighbors states, “Is Jesus talking about literal food and clothing, or is He talking about spiritual food and Christ’s white robe of rigteousness? How would you respond to your neighbor?
4. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 13:3.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What does this verse tell us about what love is and isn’t?
c. Personal Application : In what ways does your church seek the good of the community? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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