Five young missionaries landed in the Ecuadorian jungle to reach a tribe even their neighbours called wild and dangerous, none of them came back from the second encounter. That shattering story opens a reflection on Jesus’ missionary discourse (Matthew 10), where he sends his disciples out like sheep among wolves and never once hides the cost from them. The sermon speaks about the price of confessing Christ: from persecution in North Korea and Somalia to a friendship quietly broken off right next to us. Listen if you want to count honestly what telling others about Jesus really costs.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jesus sends out the Twelve without a bag, a spare tunic, or a staff. What do these instructions in Matthew 10:5-33 reveal about the attitude the disciples were to have, and how might the first hearers have understood them?
- Jesus speaks of sending His disciples like sheep among wolves and warns of courts, floggings, and even betrayal by family. Why does He say His followers should expect the same treatment He received?
- The preacher noted that we love hearing about evangelistic success but hear less about the cost. How does knowing that Jesus spoke openly about this cost from the start change the way you think about sharing your faith?
- In our part of the world we rarely lose our lives for our faith, but it is easy to go silent for fear of rejection, like the preacher whose close friend cut off contact. What fears most often hold you back?
- Jesus talks about sparrows and about every hair on our heads being counted. How can this truth about God's care help you overcome the fear of people when you speak about Jesus?
- Jim Elliot wrote that he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Who could you share the good news with this week, even if it costs you some comfort?
