GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (UNDERSTANDING THE GREAT COMMISSION)

February 14-20 (1st week): Chapter One (The Great Commission, You, and the Local Church)

1. What does the phrase "Great Commission" describe?
2. What is the one imperative verb (meaning of imperative verb?) in the Great Commission? and what are the three participles (meaning of participles?) in the Great Commission?
3. What is a local church?
4. How is the Great Commission normally fulfilled?
5. How do churches fulfill the Great Commission?
6. What is your role as an individual Christian in fulfilling the Great Commission?
7. How is God's promise of international blessing to Abraham fulfilled?
8. In what context did the Lord Jesus say, "I am with you always, to the end of the age”?
9. Is the Great Commission only for the first apostles? How do you justify your answer?
10. What is the encouragement for you to fulfill the Great Commission?
Memorize and recite: Matthew 28:18-20

February 21-27 (2nd week): Chapter Two (God’s Word, God’s People)

1. What do you think about a person who claims to love God and to pursue a relationship with Him, but has no interest in His Word? Do you love God's Word?
2. What is the focus of the whole Bible? What should our response be to God's Word?
3. What is the difference between Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and the Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane?
4. Whom does God mean to save to Himself? Don't just answer in a word. Defend it. 
5. What is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5? What is the significance of the fruit of the Spirit in light of individual and community?
6. What distinguishes God's people from the world?
7. What is a local church in light of the massive gathered assembly in Revelation 7:9-10?
8. What fulfilment does this great heavenly church display?
9. What is the call of the Great Commission?
10. How has this chapter encouraged you in your Christian walk?

March 1-6 (3rd week): Chapter Three (Heaven’s Love, Heaven’s Truth, Heaven’s People)

1. Having read the section "Jesus' Love for the Church", what are the love accomplishments of Jesus for the church?
2. What must the church demonstrate on earth? What is a distinctive of Christ's disciples?
3. What is the normal way for Christians to express our love to God?
4. Who has the authority to baptize and identify people with Christ?
5. If a person claiming to be a Christian has been confronted several times over unrepentant sin, what authority did the Lord Jesus give to the church?
6. What is the meaning of the keys of binding and losing?
7. In what context did the Lord Jesus say “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them”?
8. Who is the great church planter? Why do you think so?
9. What must you not wonder when you are involved in a church?
10. How has this chapter been an encouragement to you?

March 7-13 (4th week): Chapter Four (Preach the Gospel, Gather a Church)

1. When you read the book of Acts, what followed the spread of the Gospel?
2. Who planted the church in Antioch? Make a good observation before concluding. 
3. What did the apostles do in the book of Acts?
4. Who did God provide to the established local churches?
5. Who made major decisions?
6. In what context did evangelism and discipling occur?
7. To whom were the majority of the New Testament letters addressed? What lesson do you derive from this answer?
8 What have the early churches shown for one another? How is this evident in your life as a local church member? 
9. When was Paul's work actually finished? 
10. How did this chapter personally challenge you?

March 14-20 (5th week): Chapter Five (Teaching with Correction and Oversight)

1. How do Christians treat the church like a preaching station/information booth?
2. In what context does the Great Commission envision teaching to be done?
3. What happens when a believer in the church professes faith in Christ but doesn't live according to God's Word?
4. What must the church watch over an individual Christian?
5. Why did God give shepherds to the local church, and what is their function?
6. What is the difference between the teaching of the shepherds in the local church and the teaching through lecturers, podcasters, and online celebrity speakers (YouTube, Internet, Sermon Audio....)?
7. What is the proud and stupid thing a Christian can do?
8.  Why teaching should occur primarily in the context of a local church and its accountability?
9,. How do scattered Christians, unaccountable to anyone but themselves, protect the gospel?
10. How has this chapter personally encouraged you in the Lord?

March 21-27 (6th week): Chapter Six (Membership and a Self-Conscious Commitment)

1. What is the Gospel?
2. Explain why Jesus wants disciples, not professions and merely decisions. 
3. What does it mean to become a disciple of Christ? Can there be true Christians without committing themselves to obedience? Give reasons. 
4. What is a membership triangle?
5.  For whom are pastors/elders accountable to God? For all Christians in the world? For all the Christians in a city? Explain for whom are pastors/elders responsible and accountable. 
6. What is a self-conscious commitment to church membership? Why is it important?
7. What happens during baptism?
8. What do we affirm during the Lord's Supper?
9. What is the meaning of “eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:29)?
10. How has this chapter personally encouraged your heart in Christ?

March-April 28-3 (7th week): Chapter Seven (Four Practices of a Great Commission Church)

1. According to the section "Great Commission Church = Church Planting Church", what are the hallmarks of a Great Commission church?
2. What does it mean for a Great Commission church to cultivate a culture of discipling?
3. Why geographical sensitivity/proximity is essential in a Great Commission church?
4. What does it mean for a Great Commission church to cultivate a culture of evangelism?
5. Are you confident that any non-Christian you bring to your church will hear the gospel? If not, what can you do about it?
6. What does the Great Commission mean to you? 
7. What does it mean for a Great Commission church to work to reach the unreached through missions?
8. What role should you have as an individual Christian helping your church to reach the unreached?
9. What can you do to help strengthen other churches, whether in your area or around the world?
10. How has this chapter personally encouraged your heart in Christ?

April 4-10 (8th week): Chapter Eight (One More Practice of a Great Commission Church)

1. How can we encourage Gospel growth locally?
2. How can we revitalise dying churches and plant new ones?
3. How does Capitol Hill Baptist Church practice prayer, ministerial fellowship, and core seminars? How do you think these practices are helpful?
4. Many Christians make their decisions about whether or not to move in terms of what is good for their education, job, or family situation. Mark Dever biblically suggests that when you come to making these kinds of major life decisions, if you are able, settle on a church first, and then sort out other matters of job, house, schools. Is that how people make decisions? Do you make decisions this way?
5. How can you cultivate a Great Commission mind-set that will change the way you think about life’s big decisions? What do you think about the author suggesting submitting to Great Commission command by intentionally moving to help a new church plant or missions work?

April 11-17 (9th week): Chapter Nine (Should You Stay or Go?)

1. What are the three options that every Christian faces to fulfil the Great Commission?
2. What are the three different categories of people in the church? Who are the suitable people to join for a new church plant or revitalizing project?
3. Out of the twelve factors the author presents, what are the bad reasons to leave the church? (see particularly factors 1, 11)
4. How does geographical proximity help in serving the church? (see factor 8)
5. Who should go (though the cost is high), and who should stay?
6. No matter where you are as a believer, how can you use your life fruitfully for the glory of God and the fulfilment of the Great Commission? How are you fruitful in your current church?

April 18-24 (10th week): Chapter Ten (The Grand Goal of the Great Commission)

1. What is the grand goal of the Great Commission?

2. What is the meaning of the glory of God?

3. What does the church reflect?

4. What are the local churches?

5. Where are disciples made and how?

6. What is the normal business of the local church?

7. How the Great Commission is normally fulfilled?

8. How have you been encouraged and transformed by God through this book reading?