October 12 2024
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE: Matthew 7:13-14
A video introduction using illustrations, personal stories, metaphors, or active learning examples to begin the discussion.
After the video, prompts are supplied for thinking and sharing with others personal perception and experience. This opening activity prompts participants to think about and relate to the topic, and to share with others.
Narrow-Minded Creatures
Think about the narrow way for salmon, sea turtles, and mountain goats.
When it's time to reproduce, salmon swim upstream against the current to return to their birthplace. Salmon swim upstream to ensure they return to their birthplace to lay their eggs in the same stream where their parents laid theirs.
Sea turtle hatchlings have to dig their way out of their nest on their own. They break out of their shells, and once they're free, they head to the sea.
The mountain goats live on the narrow paths all the time. Although their bodies jump over rocks and leap without effort, they take deliberate steps on the edge to find the best food.
Which animal is the more inspiring creature? Why?
The Bible discussion begins with a careful reading of the whole passage, either from your own Bibles, or from the provided images below.
Then participants are to ask:
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE PASSAGE: Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The issues of the broad gate and the narrow way are counter-intuitive. Somewhere along the line, humanity adopted the idea that "easier is good," and most will choose the wide path.
As you explore Matthew 7:13-14, consider the choices you will make in the next 4-6 years. What decisions do we sometimes choose that are “broad paths,” and what might be examples of choosing the “narrow way”? Jesus warns that abundant life comes only from choosing the narrow way.
How do you see the two features of the broad gate and the narrow way show up in your life today? (Friendships, Church, Family, School/Work)
Which is more challenging: Choosing the right way when the easy way is more convenient, or choosing the narrow way when it is unpopular?
Who are some of the figures in the Bible who chose the “narrow” path? How do you envision making similar choices in your life today?
As you consider how to choose well, reflect on pathway words of wisdom: Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalms 16:11, and Psalms 37:23.
A parting video clip with a personal invitation to apply the message to “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ” in the coming week.