Sermon Discussion Guide - Come and See - Week 4 - The Empty Chair

What is something you have not been able to stop talking about lately? A team, a show, a hobby, a restaurant, your kids. Tell us why.

How are you actually doing this week? Give us one word, then one sentence.

Before you move on, pray for one another. Keep it short and specific.

Accountability

Last week Russ preached on Nicodemus and said that not prepared does not mean not willing. What did you do with that this week?

Tell us a story. Since this series started, who have you prayed for, reached out to, or invited? What happened?

Do this before anyone opens a Bible. We are not here for information. We are here because God speaks, and we are expecting Him to speak tonight. Leader, pray out loud first, then ask two or three others to pray as well.

Setting the Scene (read this to the group before you read the passage)

John 1 happens at the very start. Jesus has been baptized, but He has not preached, healed, or done a single miracle. Nobody in the country knows who He is. The only person talking about Him is His cousin, John the Baptist, out in the wilderness by the Jordan River. Over four days, five ordinary men meet Jesus, and every one of them ends up bringing somebody else. This is how the church started. Not a building, not an event. People telling the people they already knew.

Read John 1:35-51 aloud together, twice, slowly. The first time, just listen. The second time, ask everyone to note the one word, phrase, or verse that stands out to them.

Highlight

Which word or verse stood out to you? Say it out loud, then tell us why you think it caught your attention.

Explain

In verses 41 and 42, what are the first two things Andrew does after he meets Jesus?

In verse 46, Nathanael pushes back hard. What does Philip say instead of arguing with him?

Leader note: the word "found" shows up over and over in these verses. In Greek it is heuriskō, and it means finally locating something you have been searching for. Andrew found Simon. Philip found Nathanael. Found people find people.

Apply

Before anyone answers, take one or two minutes of silence. Do not rush the quiet. That is where people hear.

Somebody told you about Jesus at some point. Who was it, and what did they say?

Who came to mind while we were reading this passage? Say the name out loud if you can.

Respond

What is one honest thing you can say back to God about the person you just named?

Practice out loud, right now. In sixty seconds, tell the group what your life was like before Jesus, how you met Him, and what is different now. Time each other. Everybody goes.

Now practice the actual invitation. Say out loud the sentence you would use to invite your person to church. Then let the group help you make it shorter and simpler.

Leader note: if someone says they are afraid of being asked a question they cannot answer, have them practice saying this out loud: "That is a really good question. I honestly don't know. Let me find out and let's talk about it again."

Setting Goals

Write down one name before you leave tonight. One person, not a category.

Text or call that person in the next 24 hours. You are not explaining the gospel. You are asking them to come with you.

Pray for that person by name every day this week. One sentence is enough.

Leaders: have everyone write their goal down before they walk out. We are looking back on these next week.

Pray Together

Confess the times you had an opening and stayed quiet. Say it honestly to God.

Ask the Holy Spirit for courage, and for the right moment this week.

Go around the circle and pray for each name out loud, one at a time.

Leaders, keep praying for your group and their names during the week. Text them mid-week and ask how it went.