THE Q and the Twelve PAX, 3rdF Bible Study – Session 2

THE Q and the Twelve PAX, 3^rd F Bible Study Group

Session 2, 1/23/2018: The Men Jesus Called:  Perfectly Average, Outstandingly Ordinary

Welcome – Introductions (Task, Condition, Standard); Small Group Rules of Engagement

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian or ordained minister.  I’m a lay leader facilitating this topical study.  Attendees should respect each other and the fact that we will have men with different levels of biblical knowledge and from different faith backgrounds attending.

Schedule (See Separate Page)

Warm Up:

• Opening Prayer
• Quick Summary/Review of Session 1: THE Q; the PAX; the AO; the Task

Mark 3:13-19 (ESV) The Twelve Apostles

¹³ And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. ¹⁴ And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and have authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); ¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); ¹⁸ Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,^{[a] 19} and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

The Thang:

• The Twelve
• The Training
  • Progression of Training(pg 3-5):
    1. Conversion
    2. Ministry (joined)
    3. Apostleship (internship, two by two, baby steps)
    4. Calling (after resurrection with Holy Spirit “to infinity and beyond!”
  • Why the learning was so difficult (pg 26):
    1. Lacked spiritual understanding
    2. Lacked humility
    3. Lacked faith
    4. Lacked commitment
    5. Lacked power
  • “aggramotoi…idiotai” – greek for literally, “illiterate ignoramuses”

Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

1. What does this text reveal about the kind of people God typically uses to do His work?
2. Identify the categories that are contrasted in these verses.
3. How do the twelve apostles’ qualify as “foolish” and “weak”?
4. Who comes to mind when you think of unlikely people God has used in your life?
5. If nobility and might are not prerequisites for being called by God, how does that reality alter your assumptions of what God might have in mind for you?
6. What parallel “lack of qualification” similar to the apostles do you see in your life?
7. Based on His track record with the disciples and many others, how does Jesus view your abilities or lack thereof?

Read Matthew 4:18-20

1. What are the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ first encounter with Peter and Andrew?
2. What did Jesus say to them?
3. What is curious about the way Jesus challenged them? How might He have tweaked His invitation to you (given your occupation)?
4. Imagine yourself in Peter’s sandals. What thoughts would be going through your head when Jesus asks you to follow Him?
5. What would have been your response to such an unexpected invitation? Describe the moment when you decided to “follow” Jesus. (if you have)
6. What caused you to respond as you did?

Read Acts 4:13

1. What was it that stood out about the apostles to the people of Jerusalem?
2. What two words describe the “ordinariness” of the apostles in this verse?
3. Although the apostles’ dialect was a dead giveaway that they were Galileans (from “the wrong side of the tracks”), what else was apparent to those who witnessed their behavior and their insight?
4. In what ways did being “with Jesus” affect the disciples?
5. What kind of activity would make it possible for those who observe Christians today to be able to say, “They have been with Jesus”?
6. How important is spiritual maturity as one of the measurements in gauging your personal effectiveness or success?
7. What would it take to make that objective your most important measurement of progress?

COT / Prayer Requests: King Pin’s sister (cancer); Yukon burst appendix recovery; DH Conley HS student death; Splinter (sharing with friends at funeral tomorrow

Moleskin:  Great sharing and deeper dive tonight into God’s way of using seemingly “ordinary” people to accomplish His will.  With the foundation set for the study series, YHC looks forward to the weeks ahead as we spotlight a different disciple each week.

 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)

 ²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,^[a] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being^[b] might boast in the presence of God.

Zechariah 4:6 (ESV)

 ⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Matthew 4:18-20 (ESV)

 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

 ¹⁸ While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

 Acts 4:13 (ESV)

 ¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Tentative Schedule – as of 1/22/2018

Date                Lesson Number                      Character Presenter               Other Remarks

1/16                1, The Master…                      Hot Pursuit                             Intro

1/23                2, The Men …                         Hot Pursuit                             Intro 2

1/30                3, Peter                                   Charlie Brown

2/6                  4, Andrew                               Mayhem & Gamecock                        Meet at NC Armory*

2/13                5, James, Son of Thunder      Past Due

2/20                6, John                                    King Pin

2/27                7, Philip                                   Splinter

3/6                  8, Nathanael                           Woodchuck (May Need Substitute)

3/13                9, Matthew and Thomas       Dirty Bomb & Circuit Rider    Location TBD*

3/20                10, James (the Less),              Early Bird and Bambino

Simon (the Zealot, and

Judas (son of James)

3/27                11,Judas                                  Underdog & Rambo

4/3                  12, Looking Back –                                                                  Now what?

The 13^th Disciple (YOU)          Hot Pursuit

* Need alternate meeting location and Q/facilitator.  HP out of town.