WEEK 5 : Winsome Witness
Warm-Up Game: Play a round or two of Chameleon together! You can play it for free below!
Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, please speak to us and teach us today. Help us listen closely and LIVE more like Jesus.
In Chameleon, one player doesn’t know the secret word and has to blend in with everybody else so nobody notices. As Christ followers, our job is actually the complete opposite. We’re not supposed to blend in with the world around us like a chameleon changing colors. We’re called to stand out, in a good way, so that we can bring hope and life to the people around us.
Read 1 Peter 2:11-12
Question 1: Share about a time you went along with the crowd even though it wasn't the best choice OR a time that you were brave enough to do the right thing even though it was different from everyone else. What happened? How did people react?
If our lives look exactly like everyone else's, there's nothing that makes people curious about Jesus. Living like Jesus means our lives sometimes look different and that’s a good thing!
Question 2: Think back to what we read last week about the early Church in Acts 2 and 4 (Week 4). What are some things our church or your family could be known for that would make others curious about King Jesus?
Read 1 Peter 2:13-25
Question 3: What's your honest reaction to the word “submission”? Does it bother you, confuse you, or make sense to you and why?
Question 4: What does healthy respect for authority look like… for God and for the leaders in your life?
Important Note: This passage is not saying it's okay for anyone to be treated badly, enslaved, or abused… that's never okay and God cares deeply about justice for people who are mistreated. What this passage does offer is encouragement for tough moments when life feels unfair!
Question 5: Think of a situation that makes you feel angry or frustrated because it feels unfair. How can you hand that anger over to God, trusting Him to make things right in the end?
Read Acts 5:12-42
Peter and the other early Christ followers were treated unfairly and even punished for following King Jesus… and yet they kept going.
Question 6: What amazes you about Peter and the other apostles in this story?
Question 7: Is there something that the Holy Spirit has been nudging you about lately… something you feel like you should do or change?
Read John 21:15-17
Verse 25 feels random at first but it actually connects back to something huge in Peter’s own story! Before Jesus’ death on the cross, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. However, after Jesus rose from the dead, He ate breakfast with Peter and made sure Peter knew he was fully forgiven.
Jesus also gave Peter a job… take care of God’s people, like a shepherd takes care of a sheep! This moment and the Holy Spirit filling Peter in Acts 2, gave Peter the boldness and purpose to lead and care for the Church.
Take a moment to pray for the pastors and leaders at our church!
Peter knew what it was like to be a sheep who wandered off but he also came to know God as the Good Shepherd who brings us back. Let's pray Psalm 23 together as a family:
LORD, you are our Shepherd - we lack nothing. You lead us to safety, nourishment, and refreshing. You return us to You. You guide us along the right paths for Your name’s sake. Even when we walk through dark valleys we will fear no evil, for You are with us. Your discipline and correction comforts us. You prepare a table of abundance in the middle of the battlefield. You honor and refresh us, our cups overflow. Surely Your goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!
Question 8: If we spend our lives really getting to KNOW Jesus… staying close to Him, aware He's with us, and trusting Him to take care of us, what would other people notice about us?
Family Challenge:
Read one Psalm together each day this week. Read it slowly and try turning it into your own prayer to God. As you do, pay attention to the Holy Spirit's presence in you and ask Him for courage to talk about King Jesus boldly with others!