Sermons

Week 31 – Matthew 10:5-15 – 9/8/24 How to Talk to People About Your Faith

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a passage where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples. 

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’[a] 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,[b] cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics[c] or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it.13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Today, we read about how Jesus sends out His 12 disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. By taking a look at what He tells them, we too can learn how to go out and talk to people about our faith. 

How to talk to people about your faith:

  1. Experience Jesus for yourself

Matt. 10:1-4, John 10:10, 1 Pet. 3:15, Rom. 1:16

  1. Be prayerfully led

Matt. 10:5-6, 9:37-38, 1 Tim. 2:1, Phil. 4:6-7

  1. Meet spiritual needs alongside physical needs

Matt. 10:7-8, 1 Cor. 9:22, John 13:35, James 1:27, 1 John 3:17-19, Gal. 6:9-10

  1. Trust in God’s provision

Matt. 10:8-10, 6:25-34, Rom. 8:28, Phil. 4:19, Prov. 10:3

  1. Look for those who are hungry for the truth

Matt. 10:10-12, Acts 8:26-40, 5:6, John 6:35, Ps. 63:1, Rev. 7:16-17

  1. Be ok walking away

Matt. 10:13-14, Acts 13:51, 2 Pet. 2:6, 1 John 4:1-21

  1. Remember, God is the ultimate judge

Matt. 10:15, 7:22, 12:36, Rom. 2:5

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 10:1-4 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • What comes to your mind first when you think about the idea of sharing your faith? Do you have certain connotations about it? If so, why and how did that develop? 
  • Have you ever attempted to share your faith before? If so, how did it go? If not, what has held you back from sharing your faith? 
  • Have you ever had to walk away from someone after sharing your faith with them? If so, what happened, and why did you have to do that? How can you continue to pray for that person? 

 

Diving In 

Jesus sends out His 12 disciples and gives them the mission of going to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Spend some time in prayer, asking who God wants you to share your faith with during this season of your life, and write down who you felt led to do so with. 

  • Why do you think God put that person on your heart to share your faith with? 
  • Jesus calls the people of Israel, “lost sheep.” How do you think that reflects how Jesus thought about the people of Israel? How can you have the same mindset about the people that you felt led to share your faith with? 
  • What physical needs do the people that you felt led to share your faith with need, and how can you meet their spiritual needs alongside meeting their physical needs? 

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?



Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?