NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Bible Passage: Matthew 28: 16-20
Discussion Questions: What would it take to remove all doubts from your mind about Jesus? How do our doubts get in the way of us making disciples (sharing Jesus and building other believers up)?
Food for Thought:
Doubts get in the way of our good intentions. We may intend to take action, but then questions about the outcome or our own abilities get the best of us. None of us are immune from doubt. In Matthew 28:17, we are told that even some who saw Jesus after His resurrection had doubts. Let that sink in. These were not casual followers who had nothing else to do that day. The people present had traveled 70 miles on foot to meet with Jesus on this particular mountain in Galilee. Many had seen Jesus after His resurrection, so this was not their first time to encounter the Risen Lord. Yet they still doubted.
Jesus directed this group, doubters and all, to make disciples of all nations. He identified Himself as having all authority and promised to accompany them wherever they went to make disciples. They were to do this in spite of their doubts. One of the biggest tools Satan uses to stop the spread of the Gospel is to plant doubts in the minds of believers. If we doubt, we will not share. If you have doubts about a person or a product, you will not recommend it to your friends who might benefit from what the person or product promises. Doubts keep us quiet with the hope that no one will notice or ask.
How do we overcome these doubts? We make a disciple. Jesus didn’t present a sermon about His identity, nor did He initiate a conversation with those who doubted. Instead, He told them to make a disciple. As we see God work through us, doubts begin to fade. As we see God change the life of a person, confidence in God replaces the doubtful questions that were floating in our head. The weeds of doubt get choked out by the fruit of the Gospel.
Explore the Bible
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
