unLIKELY: An unLikely Person
PARENT SYNC:
Read John 3-4
God is not attracted to our abilities. He also isn't distracted by our inabilities. He simply wants us to trust Him and to be available to be used by Him. But how can God use us? What are we supposed to do?
One of our key principles that we teach is that "our main purpose for having friends is to point them to Jesus". The key is getting past ourselves, seeing who Jesus is, and recognizing how much we and our friends need Jesus.
This week, we determined that:
God uses unlikely people... to reach unlikely people
In John 3-4, we see 3 unlikely characters:
- Nicodemus: He didn't need Jesus
- He knew all about the Old Testament. He had grown up in the temple and around religious elite leaders. He knew the Old Testament inside and out... and then came Jesus. He goes to meet with Jesus at night... maybe because he was embarrassed. Maybe because he had been busy during the day.
- When he realized that he needed Jesus, we see that he stands up for Jesus in John 7. And he provides expensive perfumes for Jesus' burial in John 19. Nicodemus' belief was put into action
- Samaritan Woman: She didn't deserve Jesus
- Her life was a mess. She was nothing more than an object. And yet Jesus saw something else in her. When she realized that she was loved and accepted, she brought her friends to meet Jesus
- Officer: He didn't know Jesus
- He didn't have to believe what the Jews believed about God. He had his own beliefs. But when life got tough and his beliefs didn't work, he turned to Jesus. Someone pointed him to Jesus. Someone told him about Jesus. And that "nudge" by that someone moved the officer to approach Jesus. And Jesus didn't change the way the officer believed (believe this and that will happen)... Jesus used it to reveal who Jesus really was... and the officer's entire family was changed.
3 unlikely characters. A Pharisee. A Samaritan woman. A Roman... each, when they connected with Jesus, they were changed and pointed their friends to Him.
Discuss the following...
- What makes you unlikely to be used by God?
- Who are some people that you are friends with that either don't "need" Jesus; don't "deserve" Jesus; or don't "know" Jesus?
- What are some things we can invite them to that will help point them to Jesus?
