14.
Religion Blocking Access to Mercy
John 5:1-15
- Session: 14
- Week: 3
- Day: 2
Introduction
In this session John 5: 1-15, we ask ourselves a question, “why would sick persons stay at the house of mercy, or grace or kindness (Bethesda) for 38 years and not connect to grace? After Christ helping the man in turning obstacles into steppingstones, he responded by worshipping the healer in the temple and finally went back to make the healer known to the religious leaders.
Objectives
By the end of this session the learner will have:
- Understood what prevents sick people from connecting to God’s grace, though within their reach by looking at the invalid man at Bethesda.
- Appreciated that healing may result to worshipping the healer or the healing
- Been warned that religion always stands in the way of the travelers’ healing and health
Outline
- Sick persons at the house of mercy but not connecting.
- Religion obstructing healing
- God’s grace and mercy
- Healed to proclaim
Group Study Time
John 5:1-15
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- What is God’s grace? What is God’s mercy? and what is God’s kindness?
- Read John 5: 1-15. List three possible reasons why the sick person could stay in the house of mercy, or grace or kindness (Bethesda) for 38 years and not connect to God’s grace? (See his perception to self, perception to others, to Jesus the healer, perception to sins, perception to his enemies etc.)
- How did the 38-year sick man encounter Jesus, experience Jesus and express Jesus to others?
- What did Jesus do to this man to heal him? What is the proof that the man was converted into a worshipper? What lessons do you learn about healing and Worshipping?
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.
Post Lesson Teaching Summary
Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!