Week of October 25, 2026
Week 6 “Who Do I Tell?”
Warm Up – Picture Telephone
Supplies needed – 1 notebook (or stapled collection of papers) per person, pencils/pens
• Begin the game with everyone writing down either a noun, proper noun, or phrase on the first sheet of paper in their notebook.
• Pass the notebooks one person to the left; that person reads the prompt, flips the page, and draws a picture of it on the second page.
• Pass notebooks to the left again. Have the new person look only at the drawing, then write down their guess of what the drawing represents on the third page of the book.
• Continue this process of drawing and writing until the notebooks make it around the circle. How well (or poorly) did the original prompts survive the process?
After playing a round of this game, ask the following questions:
1. When in the game was the prompt communicated most clearly?
2. When did confusion typically enter the process?
3. Do you ever see similar confusion when communication travels farther from its original speaker?
Introduction
Take some time to discuss any thoughts you have regarding this week’s message.
A first-person story is one of the most compelling forms of communication. The emotions and details, combined with a relational connection to the speaker, amplify the story's effectiveness.
A personal connection to the storyteller often enhances the story being told. As we consider who we will tell our stories to, it may be wise to follow the disciples' lead when they were sent out to share their stories. In Acts 1:8, Jesus charges his followers to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” His followers are told to first go to the people they know, their neighbors in Jerusalem. Once their hometown knows the Good News of Jesus, the disciples are to go to the next town over, and so on, until the whole world hears this good news.
Today we’re going to focus on the importance of sharing with our community.
Who would you include in your community?
Do you think sharing with them, or sharing with someone you don’t know or in a different community, would be easier/more comfortable?
Digging Deeper (Scripture and discussion questions)
John 4:4-43 – The Woman at the Well
Read John 4:4-15
Jesus is acting in an unusual way – by being at the well in the hot midday, interacting with a Samaritan woman, and offering up insight into who He truly is.
• Why might Jesus have started this interaction by asking the woman for water?
• Why would he follow it up with his statement that he could provide “living water”?
Read John 4:16-26
This story is one that a lot of us are familiar with – Jesus encountering a Samaritan woman at the well, sharing that he has living water for her, and then telling her about her own life and history. This deep knowledge that Jesus has of her moves the woman. And when you’re moved, you can’t help but tell everyone.
• Why do you think Jesus selected this woman to be the first person he revealed his messianic identity to?
• How might this choice impact the Good News being spread to all people?
Read John 4:27-30, 39-42
• The woman goes to tell her entire town about how she’s met the Messiah. This town is full of people who know her history. They are why she goes to the well alone in the heat of the day. And yet when she shares her story of meeting Christ and him telling her all that she had done, they are moved to go see this man themselves.
• What might’ve contributed to the people of the town being moved to go see Jesus themselves?
• Why do you think Jesus selected this woman to be the first person he revealed his messianic identity to?
• If you were one of the people in the woman’s town, how would you have responded to her sharing this story about meeting the Messiah?
• Who in your life knows your story? The good and the bad parts?
• Do you think sharing a story with someone who knows you, or with a stranger/new person, results in a more effective Gospel proclamation?
• What relationships might God be calling you to invest in more? Who do you know that needs to hear the Good News you have in Christ?
Taking It Home
What is one key point from this discussion that I want to remember and apply?
How will it impact my life moving forward?
Challenge of the Week
Grab coffee, go for a walk, or go bowling with someone you want to invest in more this week. Pray for God to create opportunities to share the Good News with this person. Prioritize building up that relationship and praying that God would be on the move in their life.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank You for being the Messiah. You see who we are and still choose to use us to spread Your Good News. Embolden us to share our stories of Your goodness with everyone, especially the people we are closest to. Give us the words that will impact people for Your Kingdom. Amen.
