Before the Session
Facilitator: In advance of the session
- Review today’s scripture text and the session activities to help better facilitate the discussion.
- Have the Bible Background Video ready to view.
- Encourage your group to listen to the Faithelement podcast ahead of the next session (Share the link via email or social media).
Context
Watch this video from New England. Then lead a conversation using prompts like these:
- What is some kind of skill you were taught as a kid and who taught it to you?
- How do remember the person who taught you this skill?
- Do you still use what you were taught?
- Why did the person take it upon themselves to teach you this particular skill?
- Is it important to teach others what you do well?
Content
Read together Matthew 4:12-23, then watch the Bible Background Video and ask:
- What do you think of Jesus’ action after the first verse?
- Does it seem odd how the passage starts?
- How have you always been taught what the significance of picking fishermen means?
- What do you think the disciples thought fishers of men meant?
- How do you think the disciples reacted to the happenings right after they accept the call?
Closure
Say: We often say following Jesus requires a high cost, which it does. But what if we are making it too difficult?
Then ask questions like these:
- What if Jesus says “fishers of men” because he knew this was something they would understand and using their talent.
- Think back to the video we earlier, would the man be doing something considered “fishers of men”?
- In the accompanying podcast with this lesson, the leaders suggest asking if Jesus was to ask us to use our talents to follow him, what could we be doing ?
- Has the church made the phrase “fishers of men” scary and that we have to talk to bring others to Christ?
- If we were to use our talents, does that make it less scary?
Close with a prayer that we will use our talents to be “fishers of men.”
Writer: Steve McClain