The Gospels • Set 24

Small Group Discussion Questions

Icebreaker

1. Who is someone who helped you take an important step forward in your faith, work, family, or personal growth? What did they do?

Digging Into the Text

2. Why do you think Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” How does this conversation connect with Peter’s earlier denial?
3. Jesus restored Peter, but He also gave him responsibility to care for His people. What does this teach us about grace, restoration, and renewed purpose?
4. What might Peter have been tempted to believe about himself after his failure, and how did Jesus’ words challenge those beliefs?
5. Jesus told Peter to follow Him rather than compare his future with John’s. Why is comparison dangerous for discipleship?
6. In Matthew 28, what authority does Jesus claim before giving the Great Commission? Why does His authority matter for the mission?
7. What does it mean to make disciples rather than merely gain converts or invite people to church?
8. How do going, baptizing, and teaching obedience work together in the process of making disciples?
9. Jesus promises to be with His disciples always. How does His presence strengthen ordinary believers for a global mission?
10. In Acts 1, why did Jesus tell the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit instead of immediately beginning the mission?
11. What does Acts 1:8 teach about the identity, power, and expanding reach of Christ’s witnesses?
12. After Jesus ascended, why was it important for the disciples to stop staring toward heaven and begin obeying what He had told them?
13. What do the disciples’ prayer, unity, waiting, and attention to Scripture teach us about preparing for God’s work?
14. What did the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost reveal about God’s power, presence, and mission to the nations?
15. Why is it significant that people from many nations heard the good news in their own languages?
16. How did Peter’s boldness in Acts 2 contrast with his fear and denial before the crucifixion?
17. What did Peter emphasize about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, exaltation, and identity in his sermon?
18. The listeners were “cut to the heart.” What does genuine conviction look like, and how is it different from temporary guilt or emotion?
19. Peter called people to repent and be baptized. What do repentance, faith, and public identification with Jesus communicate?
20. What commitments marked the life of the early church in Acts 2:42–47?
21. How did devotion to teaching, fellowship, shared meals, prayer, generosity, worship, and witness shape the church’s life and mission?
22. Looking across all five readings, how do restoration, discipleship, Spirit-empowerment, community, and mission fit together?

Leader Note

The Gospel story does not end with Jesus rising from the dead. The risen Jesus restores failed disciples, gives them a mission, promises His presence, sends the Holy Spirit, and forms His followers into a new community devoted to His Word and witness.

Notice the progression: Peter is restored so he can shepherd others. The disciples receive Christ’s authority and commission. The Holy Spirit empowers their witness. The gospel calls people to repentance and faith. New believers are gathered into a devoted community that learns, worships, prays, gives, serves, and shares together.

The mission is not accomplished by gifted individuals working alone. Jesus forms Spirit-empowered disciples who make disciples together through the life and witness of His church.

Love God

23. What truth about Jesus’ grace, authority, presence, or mission encouraged or challenged you most this week?
24. Is there a past failure that continues to define you even though Jesus offers restoration and renewed purpose?
25. What would deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit look like in your daily walk with Christ?

Connect with Others

26. Which commitment of the early church—teaching, fellowship, shared meals, prayer, generosity, worship, or witness—does your spiritual life most need right now?
27. Are isolation, conflict, pride, busyness, or individualism keeping you from deeper life with God’s people?
28. How can this group become more devoted to helping one another follow Jesus and make disciples?

Serve Others

29. Jesus called Peter to care for His sheep. Who has God entrusted to you to encourage, guide, teach, protect, or serve?
30. What gift, opportunity, resource, or influence could you use more faithfully for the good of Christ’s church and mission?

Share the Gospel

31. What does it mean for you personally to be a witness for Jesus where you live, work, study, worship, or spend time?
32. Who is one person you can intentionally pray for, move toward, and help take one step closer to Jesus?
33. What specific action can you take this week to participate in making disciples rather than only learning about discipleship?

Closing Challenge

The risen Jesus restores His followers, sends them to make disciples, empowers them through the Holy Spirit, and forms them into a devoted, witnessing community.

Peter’s failure was not the end of his story. The disciples were not called to remain spectators. The church was not formed merely to gather, consume, or stay comfortable.

Jesus restores His people so they can serve. He gathers them so they can grow. He fills them so they can witness. He sends them so others can become disciples.

Where is Jesus sending you this week, and who is He calling you to help take one step closer to Him?

Small Group Accountability

Weekly Heart Check

How to Use These Questions

These questions are designed to move the conversation beyond information and into transformation. Answer honestly, listen with grace, maintain confidentiality, and pray for one another. The goal is not perfection, but growing together as restored, Spirit-empowered disciples who follow Jesus and help others follow Him.

Love God

1. How has your time in God’s Word and prayer been this week?
2. What did these readings reveal to you about the risen Jesus?
3. Have guilt, shame, failure, or comparison kept you from following Jesus with freedom and purpose?
4. Have you depended on the Holy Spirit, or have you attempted to follow and serve Jesus mainly through your own strength?

Connect with Others

5. Have you been meaningfully connected to other believers this week?
6. Have your relationships reflected the devotion, generosity, unity, and care seen in the early church?
7. Is there anyone you need to encourage, forgive, reconcile with, invite into community, or help grow spiritually?

Serve Others

8. How have you used your gifts, time, resources, or influence to care for God’s people or serve His mission this week?
9. Have comfort, fear, busyness, insecurity, or comparison kept you from serving faithfully?

Share the Gospel

10. Did you have an opportunity to witness about Jesus or help someone take a step toward Him this week?
11. If so, what happened?
12. If not, who is one person you can intentionally pray for and move toward this week?

Honest Accountability

13. What fear, shame, selfishness, disobedience, distraction, or hidden sin has weakened your walk or witness this week?
14. Are you actively helping anyone follow Jesus, or have you treated discipleship mainly as something you receive?
15. What is one specific way this group can pray for you today?

Leader Reminder: This final set should move the group from completing a journal to continuing a life of discipleship. Keep pointing everyone toward Jesus’ restoration, authority, presence, mission, and promised power. Encourage each person to identify a practical next step in following Jesus, participating in His church, depending on the Holy Spirit, and helping someone else become a disciple.