Among the last words of Jesus to Peter, John 21 provides teaching for church leaders on loving the people of God. Part 1 of 3.
Lecture Outline Detailed Outline Remember ItJesus had been crucified and raised, and now the disciples were in the 40 day period where Jesus appeared intermittently to them. The disciples had gone fishing after the resurrection, and after a night of fishing there was no catch.
John 21 is, in a sense, a reconfirmation of the calling of the disciples to the life of one who follows Jesus fulltime.
1) We can be assured of His presence and care, 2) We can be assured of His abundant provision for our ministry, 3) Being a follower of Jesus involves evangelism, 4) Pursuing our own agenda in our own strength never works.
- Try to put yourself in the sandals of the disciples (especially Peter) at this point in time. What might some concerns or fears be, and how does this event address them?
- With all that John could have written (John 21:25), why do you think he included this fishing story? How does this story impact/relate to your being a disciple of our Lord?
- We know that these seven disciples were together (John 21:2). Where do you think the other disciples were? Is this important? Why does John include such details?
- Make a list of five people you have shared the gospel with in the last year. Write their names down. Then write down the names of 10 people that you plan to witness to in the next 12 months. Pray and commit yourself to reach out to those people.