Discuss

Who first told you about who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for you?

For many of us, there was someone, either a parent, friend or a coach, who first told us about Jesus Christ. For most, it will have been someone we knew well/ had a strong friendship with/had a family relationship with. The Good News of Jesus Christ has spread throughout the generations and around the world because Christians have told one another about it.

• What is the big idea or key theme of this section?
• What repeated words do you see?
• What do you think it means to ‘make disciples’?
• How can Jesus make a statement like this?

• Why do you think Jesus tells his disciples this at this point?
• How does Jesus saying this give assurance to his disciples?

Sum Up

Jesus has ALL authority over everything. This gives us great confidence to speak of Him in a sports culture where there are few Christians and great assurance in the face of opposition.

• ‘Go’: Why did Jesus command them to GO?
• ‘Make disciples’: How does the second half of verse 19 and the beginning of verse 20 act as an explanation of making disciples - describe them in your own words.
• ‘All nations’: How does this apply to sport? What would it look to GO to SPORT to make disciples even in this season of university sport? How might you have to be creative and more intentional in this, given the changes covid restrictions have caused in your sport?

Sum Up

The world of sport is vast, with the majority not believing in Jesus Christ. It is daunting for a Christian to GO into ALL the world of sport with the intention of making disciples. But Jesus (who has ALL authority) says that He is with us ALL the time as we take up this task!

What does this mean for us?

Because of what Jesus Christ has commanded, we can see the importance of making disciples in sport at University. A sports stadium with a running track is a helpful picture of life as a Christian sportsperson. The stadium has a track and stands: we are on the track running the race of faith; those we play sport with are in the stands watching our faith lived out through how we compete and train and in what we say. The training sessions in this group help us run on the track and make disciples of those in the stands! Let’s GO!

All Bible quotations are taken with permission from the NIV:
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.