LEADER’S GUIDE
– The Gospel Series –
UNIMAGINABLE LOVE . SIN . GOD’S SOLUTION . TRUST
Download Print Version
Student Notes
Conversation Cards
The BIG IDEA
For us to enter into a relationship with God we must respond with faith. Faith is threefold, involving our mind, our heart and our will.
The PROBLEM
Often we confuse knowledge about God, having positive feelings about God, or doing things for God—such as going to church or saying a prayer—with having a relationship with him. Yet none of these things can save us.
Our RESPONSE
Our part in entering a relationship with God is to respond to his word in faith. Our mind is involved as we understand people have a need for Christ and how God has provided for forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross. Our heart is involved when we move from understanding the facts to personally desiring to turn from our sin to Christ. Our will is involved when we make the choice to personally depend on Jesus to save us.
Why THIS MATTERS
Since the only way to have a relationship with God is to respond by faith to his promises, it is important for us to understand what faith is.
I WANT MY STUDENTS TO:
- KNOW: That becoming a Christian is not just saying a prayer, growing up in church, or having warm feelings toward God. Salvation when we respond to the message with faith. To understand that faith is a simple trust in Christ involving our whole person. To realize that for a person to come to Christ there is a work of God by the Holy Spirit that is necessary.
- EXPERIENCE: A renewed sense of wonder about the Gospel. Freedom from pressure in sharing the Gospel because they understand that it is not all up to us to convince a person to believe.
- DO: Not trust in our experiences or works for salvation, but instead depend on Christ’s finished work on the cross.
The idea box is a place where you can find some creative ideas for leading this study. You might find videos, activities, or great illustrations that really bring the main point home. The ideas come from small group leaders like you, so if you have an idea that isn’t in there, click below to share it with the community!
GET AN IDEA I SHARE AN IDEA
*WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The highest skydiving jump record was made by Alan Eustace on October 24, 2014 over Roswell New Mexico. He jumped from a height of 135,890 feet. (That’s over 25 miles above the earth!) What would it take for you to take the leap?
Allow the group to discuss. Some things to consider: You would want to know the parachute was packed correctly and is in good repair, and what safety precautions will be taken. You would need to trust the experience of the instructor. You would have to have a desire to experience it. In the end you would have to make the choice to step off and trust that your chute will work.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?
*1. Read John 3:1–3. What is happening in this story?
Have them tell the story in their own words.
2. What do you learn about Nicodemus?
- What kind of knowledge of God and scripture would you say he has?
He is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He is a teacher of the Jewish Law. Think about the most religious person you know, the kind of person who wants to do everything right, the one who knows more facts about God and the Bible than anyone else. That’s what the Pharisees were like in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day.
3. What does Nicodemus say he knows about Jesus?
He calls him Rabbi, which is a title of respect for a Jewish teacher or scholar. He says he knows Jesus is a teacher and comes from God because of the signs Jesus has done.
*4. What would you say is the difference between knowing about something and believing in something?
- Would you describe Nicodemus as believing in in Jesus?
- Why or why not?
Allow the group to discuss. Generally knowing about something is just knowing facts, having head knowledge. Believing in something involves a decision to trust. At this point Nicodemus has only head knowledge of Jesus.
*5. According to Jesus, what does it take to enter the kingdom of God?
A person must be born again. (The next question will help give insight into what that means.)
*6. John also talks about this idea of being born again in John 1:12–13. According to this passage, what is our part and what is God’s part in our becoming a child of God?
Our part is to receive Jesus, to believe in his name. The phrase “believing in his name” means believing all that is true about him. God’s part is to make us born of God, to give us new life.
7. Read John 3:4–18. Where do you see our part and God’s part mentioned throughout the passage?
God’s part: v. 5, 6, 7 – being born of the Spirit; v. 16, 17 – God sent Jesus so we could be saved; Our part: v. 15, 16, 18 – we must believe in the Son.
There are a couple of things in the passage that might raise questions for students. As a leader you probably don’t want to bring them up in the study, but in case questions/discussion arises, here are a couple helps.
- For understanding the reference to the serpent in the wilderness, see Numbers 21:4–9.
- If the question “what does it mean to be born of the water and the Spirit?” comes up, Jesus is probably talking about spiritual cleansing from sin which Ezekiel prophesied when he said “I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean… And I will give you a new heart… And I will put my Spirit within you.” (Ezekiel 36:25–27) This was a well known prophecy from Ezekiel and Jesus assumes that Nicodemus should have understood this truth. (v.10) Some people might have heard that this refers to physical birth or baptism, but in the context, neither of these are likely interpretations.
HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
8. Nicodemus had seen the signs that Jesus had done and decides to seek him out to learn more.
- What have you seen or heard about Jesus that makes you want to know more?
- What are you doing to seek him out?
Allow the group to discuss.
*9. How would you compare the experience of skydiving to someone placing their faith in Christ for salvation?
Just like with the decision to skydive, the decision to trust involves our mind (having information), our heart (having a desire), and our will (making the choice to trust). Our mind is involved as we understand that people have a need for Christ and how God has provided for forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross. Our heart is involved when we move from understanding the facts to personally desiring to turn from our sin to Christ. Our will is involved when we make the choice to personally depend on Jesus to save us.
*10. How does it take the pressure off when you are sharing the gospel with someone to know that there is both a God part and a personal response part in a person coming to salvation?
We want to give a person enough understanding so that they can place their trust in Christ, but only God’s work by the Holy Spirit will give them the new life. This is a great place to review the definition of successful witnessing: “Taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”
11. What is one thing that has been most helpful for you from this study today? How can you apply it?
Allow the group to discuss and share personal responses.
Our review cards are an excellent way to review your past lessons with your students before each study. Not every lesson has one yet but if we have them, you can find them on the PRINT page. Check them out and use them each week to help your students grab hold of the truths in these studies.
What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.
Again, these have been great. I’m wondering with these studies, are they intended to be a substitute to using the knowing God personally booklets? or are they being used as a follow up to using those? For me, I used the gospel series as a substitute, so instead of my first meeting with students and sharing the entire gospel, we just started right away into the first study. So with this being the case, on this final bible study of the series, I thought it was important to add in at the end a chance for the students to respond to the gospel. We covered the different circles of lives there are with Christ on throne or self on the throne and then which one they want, leading into the discussion on what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ. Also using the question from 0-100% if you were to die tonight, how sure are you that you would go to heaven? Most people using these studies know how to ask these questions anyways where they see fit for their group, but just coming from having girls for the first time involved in anything Cru in a Bible study, I thought it was beneficial to add. Not sure if this feedback helps, but I thought it was important for the first time covering this. Thanks!
Great comment, Angie. This series is one that we had a few different people write and we weren’t crystal clear on the purpose before we started writing. Some of us wrote with non-Christians as the intended audience. Others wrote as “Christians learning how to share their faith” as the intended audience. The result is a little confusing. We will be revisiting this and rewriting parts of it. The new intended audience will be “Christians learning how to share their faith”. We wanted a study that went a little more in depth on the 4 parts of the gospel so that our students can have a clearer understanding of the gospel. Thanks for your input on the circles. I think it would be good for us to include that in these studies.