6 Sessions on John 4: Engaging in Spiritual Conversations

Start each small group over food, hanging out, and conversation. This small group series is meant to be very
intentional and challenging for our students. We want to push them outside their comfort zones in the context of
community & conversation.

Start off each night with a follow up from the previous week. Make sure you are asking the students to share
their experiences. If a student chose for some reason not to pursue the given/agreed upon mission, feel free to
ask and expose (gently) the reasons they chose not to or truly could not complete their mission.

At your first small group, after the conversation section, you may want to establish the rules of the group and
the purpose of “missions.”

Rules of the group

- Missions are discussed with specifics. Who are you talking to? Who are you visiting/challenging? When are
you doing it?
- Option to veto a mission if the group doesn’t feel it’s challenging enough.
- If a person doesn’t attempt for 2 consecutive weeks, (use discretion) they may be asked to leave until this
series is completed.
- If you have a student who occasionally attends, feel free to ask them to either commit to the group and
mission or not. (Again, use discretion. Is the group a priority to the student? What are their reasons?

Purpose of missions
- Creates an opportunity for accountability in living out the love of Christ.
- It is an attainable goal – a short commitment with an endpoint.
- Pushes you and your students outside of your comfort zone.
- To have students in the practice of sharing their faith in all circumstances (1 Peter 3:15)
- These challenges/missions are directed towards students who either do not know Christ or we are unsure
where they are with Christ.
- The goal of every challenge, regardless of its boldness, is to open the door to discussion. We need to
challenge our students to take those opportunities that they are being faced with everyday!

Good Ideas for Leaders.

- Come prepared with a notebook so that you can write down the group’s agreed upon missions.
- End the small group with praying for the missions
- Text/call your students weekly to remind them you’re praying for them.
- The “Unheard of” curriculum that many leaders when through in Jan 2011 is a great start for helping your
students in sharing their faith. Here is where it can be found. (http://edgequarterlife.com/library)
PART 1: Go Through Samaria Read John 4:1-4
TALK: Start Out this week with a reflective conversation:
1. Who has been the most influential person in bringing you here? How did they? What was different, or what
attracted you? Why did you come?
2. How have you seen your relationship with God affect your life? Views? Relationships? Identity?

What are some things you “have to do?” Think about your answers – do they reflect a necessity, a burden, or a
drive? What’s the difference?

While it’s true that Jesus necessarily “had” to go through Samaria to get where he was going, there’s more
involved. Going through this region wasn’t a necessity – Jews in Jesus’ day hated the Samaritans so much that
they wouldn’t talk to them, associate with them, and frequently traveled around the region instead of through it.
They believed that the Samaritans were outsiders, far from God. In fact, it was almost “out of Jesus’ way” to
break the norm and go directly through.

Why do you think Jesus “had” to go through Samaria? Could it be that he was driven there because there was a
conversation he needed to have?

Anytime we choose to go our own way, there is risk involved – a price to pay. What are some of the things
Jesus’ path may have “cost” him? (Time? Comfort? Reputation?)

INSPIRATION: “The gospel arrives at you on its way to someone else.”

We are all here because someone shared the gospel with us so we’re launching into this series with a challenge
to share the gospel with others.

Who are the people in your life that are far from God? How might God be asking you to go “out of your way,”
or risk something, to have a spiritual conversation with them?

Write the names of the 3-5 people God is bringing to mind. Commit this week to praying for them daily &
going out of your way to talk with them. Come back next week with stories.

MISSION: There will be 3 missions listed every week. Each one of us (leader included) will take on 1 of those
missions over the next week, then come back prepared to talk about your successes, challenges, questions etc.
If you’d like, feel free to create your own mission!

1. Participate an event @ www.50daysofnew.com. Bring 5 friends w/ you.

2. Pay it forward – buy a friend a lunch & tell them about the campaign. (Invite them to your one:movement,
50 days event, or edge!)
3. Invite someone to coffee to share your faith & hear where they’re at.
Special: Wednesday, February 16th there is a one:movement launch for worship & prayer at Bethesda Christian
Church. The service starts at 7:30pm. Be there with your group. If you haven’t already, be a part of or help
launch the one:movement at your school.

CONCLUDE: Have every person choose his or her mission

If they chose number 3 have them specify whom. Pray over these choices, it is about to ignite the hearts of our
students toward kingdom growth & challenge their faith.
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PART 2: Sit Down, Have a Drink Read John 4:5-8
TALK: Share stories from the previous week’s mission. Jot down notes in your notebook. What was your
mission? What was the person’s response? How did you feel afterward? What questions did you have coming
out of the experience? How will you follow up?

Make sure you are talking about these experiences. There are going to be students who didn’t complete their
mission; ask them why. Let the other students challenge each other as well.

When Jesus came to the well, he sat down and did something unheard of. He not only began a conversation
with a Samaritan woman (something a good religious guy of that time would never do) but he asked her for
something. It may not sound so strange, but we’re talking about Jesus – God in the flesh. He’s the guy that
turns water into wine, feeds 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish, and has the capability to turn
rocks into bread. Do you really think he needs to ask this woman for anything?

Why did he?

Have you ever argued with someone about faith? Has someone ever tried to convince you of something you
didn’t believe? How did it turn out?

Share your reactions, thoughts, & questions to the following statement:

“All truth is God’s truth.”

When it comes to spiritual conversations, our posture (attitude) matters. Too often, Christians act as if they
have all the answers (or feel pressure to in order to have a conversation in the first place!) We ask spiritual
seekers – people who are on a faith journey – to step OFF that journey, to what feels like a destination. To not
ask questions & settle for answers that may or may not make any sense.

How have you learned from/grown in your faith because of an unbeliever?

If humility and learning are fundamental parts of what it means to follow Jesus, what does that mean for your
faith?

How does that affect your conversations with people outside of the faith?

Be a good listener this week. Ask questions. Find out what the people in your life believe. Be open – allow
them to ask questions of you too, challenge your faith, or inspire you with who they are/what they’ve done. Be
willing to say you don’t know, or learn something together.

Come back next week with stories. Know where your friends stand when it comes to faith. (Refer to the
Unheard Of Training Curriculum.) What have you learned? What questions do YOU now have? How were
you challenged? How did you grow?

MISSIONS Have every person choose one or create their own. Be specific.
1. Create a 50 Days event (with the help your campus director) – that will your friends would be at &
where you’ll creatively communicate the gospel.
2. Videotape your story & post it to www.50daysofnew.com or www.didyouhearmacomb.com. Then,
post it to your facebook/twitter too.
3. Join in the one:movement at your school (or start it if it isn’t already happening.)
Part 3: Your Reputation Goes Before YouRead John 4:9
TALK: Share stories from the previous week’s mission. Jot down notes in your notebook. What was your
mission? What was the person’s response? How did you feel afterward? What questions did you have coming
out of the experience? How will you follow up?

Make sure you are talking about these experiences. There are going to be students who didn’t complete their
mission; ask them why. Let the other students challenge each other as well.

How would you describe how people who share their faith are perceived? What’s their (or your?) reputation
when it comes to Christianity?
(Pushy? Hypocritical? Fundamentalist? Stupid? Shady? Radical?)

Share stories of spiritual conversations you’ve had with others, or others have had with you.

The Samaritan woman clearly had some previous experience with Jews.
How might she have been treated in the past? (Disrespect? Excluded?)
How do you think she may have felt about that? (Hurt? Angry? Bitter?)

What was it that made this time different?

When it comes to spiritual conversations, we have to realize that our reputation – whether it’s deserved or not –
goes before us. Think about the things you said before… For many people, spiritual conversations, church
stuff, or even the label “Christian” have very negative connotations. They may have even had bad experiences
themselves.

What can we do, as Christians, to combat these (mis)perceptions?

What do you think about this phrase?

“Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” – Francis of Assisi

How does our character, attitude, actions, or treatment of people affect others’ perception of and openness to
Christianity?

What might be your reputation? What about your groups?

Part of edge’s one:campaign is to show one loving action to someone each day. Talk together about who you
will show love to every day this week, what you’ll do, and when you’ll do it.

How can your group show love together?

MISSIONS Have every person choose one or create their own. Be specific.
1. Head out to a mall or public area to have some conversations. (Man on the street questions – ask these 3
questions to start a conversation:
i. Do you think there is a God? What is he like?
ii. Who goes to heaven? How did people get there?
iii. What do you think about Jesus?
2. Bring a friend to edge who hasn’t been before.
3. Do a serving project with 2 of your friends that don’t know Jesus. (Try a soup kitchen, collect canned
food for a food pantry, or raise money for a worthy cause.

Part 4: Find Common Ground Read John 4:10-15

Talk about pick-up lines. What’s the best one you’ve ever heard?
TALK: Share stories from the previous week’s mission. Jot down notes in your notebook. What was your
mission? What was the person’s response? How did you feel afterward? What questions did you have coming
out of the experience? How will you follow up?

Make sure you are talking about these experiences. There are going to be students who didn’t complete their
mission; ask them why. Let the other students challenge each other as well.

Jesus wasn’t picking this woman up, but opening lines are important. They weren’t at the temple, Jesus hadn’t
been teaching, and this woman wasn’t asking spiritual questions. So how do conversations start? For Jesus,
everything is spiritual, and God is waiting to move in the normal, everyday, even the mundane.

How have you seen God in something normal or every day?

How did the last spiritual conversation you had start out?

Have you ever really thought about how just about any place, any topic, any situation, or any conversation
could turn to spiritual things?

Refer back to the Unheard Of Training curriculum. How might you be able to start a conversation with
someone at different places in their journey? What common ground might you have?

Think about your story. If you had to say it in one sentence – something that would create interest and/or invite
a question… something like a trailer for your life that would leave people wanting to know how it turned out…
what would it be?
(Example: I was an atheist, or I was a good kid, until God ruined my life.)

This week, start conversations. Pray. Ask God to give you opportunities to tell your story and share your faith.
Keep your eyes wide open for them. Then, take the plunge. Report back next week with your thoughts,
feelings, successes, failures, and lessons learned!

MISSIONS Have every person choose one or create their own. Be specific.
1. Ask your parents/family member/friend whose faith looks different than yours what they believe. Share
your faith with them and what it means to you.
2. Offer to pray for a friend who has an issue or struggle. Pray right then & there.
3. Visit 5 other lunchroom tables and invite them to an event @ www.50daysofnew.com
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Part 5: It’s All in Your Head? Read John 4:16-26

TALK: Share stories from the previous week’s mission. Jot down notes in your notebook. What was your
mission? What was the person’s response? How did you feel afterward? What questions did you have coming
out of the experience? How will you follow up?
Make sure you are talking about these experiences. There are going to be students who didn’t complete their
mission; ask them why. Let the other students challenge each other as well.

At first glance, the Samaritan woman has some serious issues with faith. She clearly isn’t living a “Christian”
life (although that doesn’t seem to disqualify her in Jesus’ book – in fact, Jesus seeks her out) and she throws
out an intellectual question the second Jesus asks her a question.

Do you feel inadequate, or that you don’t know enough or have all the “answers” when it comes to sharing your
faith?

What are some of the most common questions/objections you’ve heard?

How might you normally go about answering them?

There are two things going on here when the Samaritan woman asks Jesus this question. First, Jesus answers it.
It’s important to take doubts and questions seriously. They’re ok and may be legitimate road blocks in some
people’s faith journey. Are you prepared to give an answer for your faith? How can you prepare? If not, are
you willing to learn together?

Jesus doesn’t leave things in the head though, he moves to the heart. He answers her question and immediately
moves into more awkward territory – her life.

Questions/objections aren’t always purely intellectual. Sometimes, we hide behind our questions because we
know that following Jesus would require us to change – and we’re afraid or just plain don’t want to do that.

Did you have difficulty considering the changes you’d have to make in your life before deciding to follow
Jesus? How did you deal with/overcome that?

If you’ve talked with someone who seems to be angry with God or hurt by the church, how might you respond
in love rather than defending or giving an answer? How might your “conversations” change from arguments to
opening hearts if you used your ears & heart instead of your mind & mouth?

This week, focus on the heart. Be in prayer for your friends. Ask God to open your heart and make you
sensitive to people’s needs. Instead of providing an answer, ask a second question. Report back next week with
your experiences.

MISSIONS Have every person choose one or create their own. Be specific.
1. Share your faith with someone at your job or at an extra-curricular activity.
2. Visit 5 other lunchroom tables and invite them to an event @ www.50daysofnew.com
3. Lunch table MOS (man on the street) questions:
i. Do you think there is a God? What is he like?
ii. Who goes to heaven? How did people get there?
iii. What do you think about Jesus?

Part 6: Could this be…? Read John 4:27-29, 39 & 42

One story can change an entire city. That’s what happened in Samaria, and it’s what can happen in your home,
your school, and your county… This is a woman who has been a Christian all of 5 minutes, and what is she
doing? Sharing her faith. Bringing her friends to “come and see.” Influencing everyone around her for Christ.
How is she doing it? The simple power of a story. She had a real experience with Jesus, and she wanted to tell
others about it. Interestingly enough, she didn’t say who Jesus was – she let others do that. She simply knew
her life was changed, told her story, made an invitation, and let people decide for themselves.
Which parts of your life, or what have you seen happen at edge, or a mission trip, or in your family, can you
look at and ask others the question:

“Can this be the Christ?”

What are some of the ways you’ve seen God “show up?”

Tell your story. Help each other see the “God moments,” or themes. Where do you think you might be without
God’s intervention?

This week, share your story. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Simply share how God has changed your life or what
you’ve seen him do. Then, ask the question…

How do you explain that? Could it be God?

Then, make an invitation for your friend to see for themselves. Maybe it’s an invitation to experience the
community you experience with your friends from edge or small group. Maybe it’s an invitation to come see
what God is doing on Sunday morning or Sunday night. Maybe it’s an invitation to see and be a part of the
church in action through service or mission. Maybe it’s an invitation to truly see what this is like & begin a
relationship with Jesus.

Think through where your friend is at, and make an invitation. Go with them, or bring that person with you
next week.

MISSIONS Have every person choose one or create their own. Be specific.
1. Invite someone to coffee/burger to discuss faith & your spiritual journeys.
2. Write a verse out on your hand that means something to you every day. Make it visible.
3. Bring 5 friends to edge who haven’t been before or who have fallen away.
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