Scripture: Matthew 28:16–20

Key Teachings:

• Jesus’ final command was not a suggestion; it was a commission. Every follower is sent to make disciples who follow Jesus fully.

  • What is a disciple? (Read: Acts 11:25-26)

• The authority behind this mission belongs entirely to Jesus. We go not in our own strength but under his rule over heaven and earth.

• His promise—“I am with you always”—means we are never sent alone. His presence sustains the mission from beginning to end.

Reflection Questions:

1. What do you think the disciples felt when Jesus gave them this calling?

2. Do you think the disciples already knew how to make disciples? Where would they have learned what discipleship looked like?

3. If someone asked you today, “How do I become a disciple of Jesus?” could you walk them through it using Scripture? What would you say?

4. Have you ever been taught to obey the teachings of Jesus, or mostly taught to know them?

5. Have you ever helped someone else learn how to obey Jesus’ teachings in real life? If so, what did that look like?

Scripture: Mark 1:14–20

Key Teachings:

• Jesus’ first invitation was a call to purpose. “Follow me” was never an invitation to comfort—it was a summons to mission.

• The disciples left everything immediately. Following Jesus demands a willingness to reprioritize what we hold on to.

• Jesus doesn’t just rescue us from something—he sends us toward someone. Salvation and mission are inseparable.

• Evangelism is not about having a loud personality; it is about embracing the life of a fisher who actually fishes.

Reflection Questions:

1. What does “fishing for people” look like in your specific life context—at work, in your neighborhood, or among your friends?

2. If Jesus evaluated your weekly schedule, would he see evidence that reaching others is a priority for you?

Scripture: Matthew 10:37–39

Key Teachings:

• Jesus doesn’t ask for part of your loyalty—he asks for first place above every relationship, ambition, and comfort.

• Taking up your cross is not about enduring hardship passively. It’s a deliberate, daily decision to die to self-rule and live under his authority.

• The paradox of the gospel: the life you cling to will slip away, but the life you surrender to Jesus becomes the one truly worth living.

Reflection Questions:

1. Is there a person, dream, or comfort that may be competing with Jesus for first place in your heart?

2. What would it look like this week to “take up your cross” in a specific, practical way?

3. Jesus said that losing your life for his sake means finding it. How might surrendering your life to Jesus help you discover the life and calling he has for you?

Scripture: Luke 11:1–4

Key Teachings:

• The disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them many things: how to preach, how to lead, how to perform miracles, or how to answer critics. But they asked him to teach them to pray. 

• The disciples saw that everything in his life flowed from his prayer life with God.

• Jesus’ model prayer moves through worship, surrender to God’s kingdom agenda, dependence for daily needs, and honest confession. It is relational, not ritualistic.

• Prayer often shapes us before it changes what is around us. It slows us down, softens our hearts, aligns us with God’s purposes, and reveals where we have been trying to live in our own strength.

Reflection Questions:

1. How does your current prayer life compare to what Jesus modeled—does it center on God’s kingdom or mainly on your own needs?

2. What would shift in your attitude, decisions, or relationships if you prayed with this kind of intentionality every day?

3. Are you willing to commit to a specific time and place for daily prayer this week? What would that look like?

Scripture: Luke 14:25–35

Key Teachings:

• Jesus uses strong language about family, possessions, and even our own lives because he is confronting every competing loyalty. Nothing can be allowed to outrank him.

• Counting the cost is an act of wisdom, not fear. Jesus wants disciples who understand the seriousness of the decision and still choose him with open eyes.

• Discipleship is not adding Jesus to a life we already control. It is surrendering control so that he becomes the Lord who defines the whole life.

• The call to “give up everything” does not mean every disciple will lose the same things, but it does mean every disciple must hold everything with open hands.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you truly counted the cost of following Jesus, or have you been following on your own terms?

2. What specific thing are you still holding back from God—a relationship, a habit, a fear, financial security?

3. If Jesus asked you today, “Are you ready to give up everything to follow me?” what would your honest answer be?

Scripture: John 8:31–32

Key Teachings:

• Jesus draws a clear line: true disciples do more than agree with his teaching. They continue in it, hold on to it, and allow it to shape their lives even when obedience is difficult.

• Jesus connects truth with freedom. We do not experience the freedom he promises simply by knowing what is true, but by continuing in his word and letting his truth confront sin, shame, and self-deception.

• It is possible to respect Jesus’ teachings without truly submitting to them. Jesus is calling for more than admiration from a distance. He is calling us to become disciples who trust, obey, and remain in his word

Reflection Questions:

1. Is your relationship with Jesus’ teachings foundational—shaping how you live—or merely informational?

2. Where do you see a gap between what Jesus teaches and how you are currently living? What is one step you could take this week to close that gap?

3. How closely are you holding to Jesus’ teachings in the way you live right now?

4. Where in your life do you most desire the freedom Jesus promises?

Read and reflect on the following passages this week. Let each one challenge your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

• Luke 9:23–26 — Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow him

• John 12:23–26 — Follow Jesus through death to life

Galatians 2:20–21 — Crucified with Christ, now living by faith

Closing Questions:

1. What stood out to you most in this study? Why?

2. Is there a specific area where you feel Jesus is calling you to change? What would that change look like starting today?

3. When would you like to meet again to go deeper?