Session Five:
‘AN EAGER CROWD’ AND ‘FAMILY BREAKTHROUGH’
In this fifth session we will consider how Jesus appeared to the five hundred as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:6, and then move on to think about his encounter with James mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:7.
Discussion Guide
WATCH VIDEO - Part 1
‘AN EAGER CROWD
Watch the first part of the video where we look at Jesus’ resurrection appearance to the crowd of 500.
Read Matthew 18:20
Discuss: How does this verse impact your expectations of gathering with fellow believers?
Additional Questions
How would you have expected Jesus to have acted if He had come to the five hundred merely to impress them? Do you think that such an approach would have generated more faith?
Are we still limited today by the uncertainties over whether or not Jesus will turn up at our gatherings?
WATCH VIDEO - Part 2
‘FAMILY BREAKTHROUGH’
Watch the second part of the video we look at the relationship between Jesus and his brother, James.
Read Mark 6:4
Discuss: How does this passage influence your own life plans?
Additional questions
When the resurrected Jesus met James, what aspects of their encounter do you think might have caused James to switch from sceptical sibling to future church leader?
What hope might we draw from James’s story in terms of restoring family relationships today?
PRAYER & REFLECTION
End your time as a group, or individually, in a time of prayer.
If it is helpful, below is a written prayer you can use as a reflection on the two encounters that we have looked at in this session.
Lord,
Our physical eyes may long to see You
but Your desire to reveal Yourself may go beyond our natural sight.
Your death and resurrection have global and eternal significance,
but there is a relevance for me that I long to make my own.
Fill me with an expectation of partnering in Your resurrection,
open my heart to Your wider possibilities,
let me grasp the fullness of Your life.
Thank You for those moments in life when You make us face hard truths.
Continue to show us the thoughts of our hearts that we might evaluate them in Your presence.
Continue too to show us the intentions of Your heart
so that we might submit to Your greater purposes.
Never cease to hold us in Your love so that we might relate rightly to You.
Amen
THE BOOK BEHIND
THE VIDEO SERIES
Because I Live
Re-imagining the resurrection appearances of Jesus
‘A beautifully produced, full-colour book to treasure and share.’
‘A great addition alongside the video series’