Passion Week -- John 15

Hey everybody...I'd really encourage you to use this week to spend some time with your family reading, briefly discussing the Easter story day-by-day, and praying together. So in an attempt to help, each day of the rest of the week, I'm going to give you some questions or ideas for what you might be able to discuss with your family that day. I'll use the chapters that Pastor John suggested to use from the book of John (coincidence that he chose the gospel he was named after???).

So, yesterday was John 14. Today's is John 15. Here are some brief ideas (Remember not to bore your family. Keep it light and focused.) You don't have to use all these; I'd probably just pick one:

1. Discuss the picture that Jesus gives of "abiding" in Him. He's the vine. We're the branches who are totally dependent on Him to help us bear "fruit" in our lives...If we separate ourselves from Him, we're going to wither spiritually. (If you have an old apple or banana laying around, use it as an object lesson...Point out that it's been cut off from it's source of life and is slowly dying. The same will happen to us if we aren't daily staying close to Jesus.)

2. Discuss what depth of love Jesus is asking His disciples to display when he says to love one another "as I have loved you." What are opportunities your family has to show love to others in the same sacrificial way that Jesus did?

3. Try to help your family see why the "world" "hated" Jesus and why they might "hate" Christians. Discuss what the proper response is to their rejection of us (remembering that we are to follow the example of Jesus).

Then just talk about your days, struggles, prayer requests, etc. Pray together for a few minutes. And then let them know that you'll do the same thing again tomorrow. What a great time together this can become!