Before you start · for whoever is leading
Sessions 4 and 5 promise power and sending, and somebody in the room has already prayed for a healing and watched nothing change. If the leader has no answer, the study loses them. Nothing in these sessions promises that every prayer gets the result we asked for. What they promise is that God is present and at work when we pray, which is a different thing. Prayer is participation, not performance, and Romans 8:26 says the Spirit is praying through us even when we don’t know how. The honest answer is that we keep praying without pretending, and we don’t tell someone their faith was the problem.
He gives them a short list of things to say and a shorter list of things to do.
Read both lists, and then read the one sentence He adds about what it cost them.
Then read what Jesus does with His own breath in John 20, and what He says right before it.
Matthew 10:5-8 | John 20:21-22
Tap a tool, then tap words. Highlight what gets your attention · underline what God is doing or saying · circle a repeated or unfamiliar word.
Read it aloud, then give everyone two minutes to mark it in silence.
Read both passages slowly. Notice what Jesus tells them to say, the four things He tells them to do, what He says about what it cost them, and what He does with His breath in John. What details stand out? What surprises you?
Mark it:
- Underline what God is doing or saying.
- Circle a word that repeats, or one you don’t understand.
- Highlight whatever gets your attention, even if you can’t say why.
Matthew 10:5-8
5
6
7
8
John 20:21-22
21
22
Matthew 10:5-8
5
6
7
8
John 20:21-22
21
22
NET Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. netbible.com
What stood out?
Go around the room. Each person reads one thing they marked. If you know why it stood out, say so. If you don’t, “it just stood out” is a complete answer. Nobody explains, nobody corrects.
Your markings are saved on this device and will be here when you come back.
Bringing the Kingdom Near
Jesus did not merely announce good news. His ministry also demonstrated the reality of God’s Kingdom. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and set people free. His words and actions revealed that the Kingdom of God was not a distant idea but a present reality breaking into the world.
He then turned to His followers and gave them the same mission. In Matthew 10, He sent them to proclaim the Kingdom and demonstrate it by healing, delivering, and loving with power. In John 20, He sent them again, breathing His Spirit on them to make it possible.
This is still our calling. The Spirit empowers us to do what Jesus did: speak truth, bring hope, care for the hurting, and live with compassion and boldness. When we live this way, the Kingdom of God comes near through us.
The Kingdom is both proclaimed and demonstrated by word and action together.
Jesus passed His mission on to His followers and then gave them His Spirit.
Wherever we go, we are carriers of God’s presence, power, and purpose.
Our lives become signs of God’s reign when we act in love, power, and truth.
The Kingdom advances every time love, justice, and healing are released through us.
Read this one out loud.
Discussion questions
- What does “the Kingdom of God has come near” mean to you in everyday life?
- When have you seen God’s Kingdom show up through compassion, healing, or justice?
- Which comes more naturally to you; sharing truth or showing compassion? Why do you think that is?
- Where is God inviting you to bring His Kingdom this week: in your home, friend group, workplace, or community?
- What helps you stay aware that you are sent by Jesus and filled with His Spirit?
Write it out.
Write freely. Your words are saved in this browser only, on this device, as you type. Nothing you write is sent to us.
Email opens your mail app. We do not store your notes.
Let’s pray together
Ask the Spirit for boldness to proclaim and humility to serve.
Speak out the name of someone you feel led to bless this week.
Pray: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done; in us, through us, and around us.”
Closing prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for sending us with power and purpose. Let Your Kingdom come through our words, our actions, and our love. Show us who to serve, what to say, and how to act in step with You. Amen.
- “Where are You sending me this week?”
- “Who needs to experience the Kingdom through my words or actions?”
- “What part of me needs to come under the rule of Your Kingdom again?”
Leave space for silence, listening, and Spirit-led prayer. If someone senses a word, a Scripture, or a picture for another, offer it gently and pray into it.
Let’s pray
Breakthrough is when God’s Kingdom breaks into your reality: His healing where there is pain, His freedom where there is bondage, His presence where there is loneliness. Jesus is King; His freedom, peace and purpose are available now. Pray from that Kingdom, not toward it.
Be still for a moment. Open your hands and simply pray: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Ask the Spirit the three questions and write down what comes. Then pray for boldness to proclaim and humility to serve, say out loud the name of the person you feel led to bless this week, and pray His prayer over them: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done; in us, through us, and around us.
You can pray more than once. Stay present, and trust that God is at work. Take your time; there is no hurry.
Choose one. Say it out loud so someone else hears it.
Next time you gather, share what you practiced and how God used it, not for pressure but for encouragement.
The reminder downloads as a calendar event. Open it and it lands on your calendar for tomorrow morning.
Done.
Wherever Jesus sends us, we can bear witness to His Kingdom.