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30

Love your Neighbour and your God

Luke 10: 25-42

  • Session: 30
  • Week: 5
  • Day: 2
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Introduction

In this session, Luke 10:25-42, Jesus revealed to the agents of transformation what it means to love both the Lord of the harvest and the harvest, which is the target audience (hurting people). He used the story of the Good Samaritan to reveal how agents of change should view hurting people and how we should respond to their hurt and trauma. He used the story of Jesus’ visit to Martha and Mary to teach the agents of change how they should view Jesus and what to do when he visits them.

Objectives

By the end of this session, the learner will have:

  • Understood what it means to love both your target audience, the harvest, and to love Jesus, the Lord of the harvest, by reading the parable of the good Samaritan and the story of Martha and Mary.
  • Appreciated what Jesus did to us when we were attacked by the robber called sin and left for death
  • Identified the most important response for the agent of change when Jesus visited them.

Outline

  • Love for the Lord of the Harvest
  • Love for the harvest of the lord
  • Our view for our Neigbour, harvest of the lord

Group Study Time

Luke 10: 25-42

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

  • What is revealed about the most important commandment? Luke 10: 25-28. How does the agent of change view of both the target audience (the harvest) and the Lord of the harvest?
  • Read Luke 10: 29-37. Who is your neighbor? List the characters (people) mentioned in this parable? What was their role? How did each of them look at the man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho (the hurting man)? What did they do to him, or not do to him?
  • List at least 5 things that the good Samaritan did to this hurting man? Luke 10: 33- 37, list 5 things Jesus did to us when we were attacked by sin and left to die?
  • How do you view the Lord Jesus? What would you do when he visits you? What does it mean to host Jesus, the Lord of the harvest? Read Luke 10: 38-42. What did the two sisters do when Jesus visited them? What did Jesus say concerning their actions towards Him?

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.

Post Lesson Teaching Summary

Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!

Love your Neighbour and your God

Luke 10: 25-42

Luke 10:25-42

Context

  • Jesus instructs disciples on mission reports, emphasizing demons’ defeat but rejoicing more in salvation.
  • An expert tests Jesus on eternal life, leading to the Good Samaritan parable about loving neighbors.
  • Jesus visits Mary and Martha, teaching the priority of listening to Him over busyness.

Loving Neighbors and Prioritizing Jesus (Luke 10:25-42)

  • Expert’s Question on Eternal Life (vv. 25-28): A law expert tests Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks what the law says. The expert replies: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus affirms: Do this and live.
  • Who is My Neighbor? (v. 29): The expert, wanting justification, asks who his neighbor is. Jesus responds with the parable.
  • Parable of the Good Samaritan (vv. 30-37): A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked, stripped, beaten, and left half-dead. A priest and Levite pass by without helping. A Samaritan shows compassion: tends wounds with oil and wine, bandages, transports on donkey, pays for inn care, promises more if needed. Jesus asks who was the neighbor. The expert says the merciful one. Jesus commands: Go and do likewise.
  • Lessons from the Parable: View suffering people with Jesus’ eyes—compassion over judgment. The neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of race or status. True love acts sacrificially, like the Samaritan helping a Jew despite enmity.
  • Mary and Martha (vv. 38-42): Jesus visits Martha’s home; she serves busily while Mary sits at His feet listening. Martha complains; Jesus says she is worried about many things, but Mary chose what is better—the one thing needed—which will not be taken away.
  • Purpose: Kingdom work requires loving neighbors through action and prioritizing time with Jesus over distractions.

Application

  • See the suffering as neighbors needing compassionate action, like the Samaritan; prioritize sitting at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn, choosing the essential over busyness.
Close

How to use these studies

These lessons are designed as short, 25-minute studies based on Bible truths, and meant for self-learning or small group study. The study sets systematically cover different books of the Bible. 

Each lesson follows a simple structure:

  • Introduction (Including the outline and objectives)
  • Step 1: Connecting
  • Step 2: Comprehending
  • Step 3: Committing
  • Step 4: Communicating

These sections include questions to help you reflect on the bible passage and how it applies to your life. 

Use these lessons to disciple others by journeying together over time and allowing God’s word to penetrate your heart and bring transforming change to your life. As a leader, pray for wisdom in leading and for modelling the truths in your own life.

Sharing offline

  • Mobile Friendly PDF
  • Print Friendly PDF
  • Full Study PDF

Each lesson has three buttons allowing you to download a easily saveable and shareable PDF version of the study. You can choose either a Mobile-friendly PDF version, and Print-friendly PDF version, or a print version of the Full Study PDF (for example all the lessons in the current book of the Bible).

These are free and can be easily copied and shared from one person to another!

Gathering a Small Group

Start small to build a safe space for sharing and growth.

  • Pray first: Ask God to show you 3-6 people who need encouragement in faith, like family, neighbors, or fellow believers facing hardship.
  • Invite personally: Meet one-on-one, explain how the lessons are designed to help people grow in their faith and knowledge of God and his Word.
  • Keep it simple: Meet in a home or quiet spot; no need for fancy setup – just willing hearts.
  • Aim for consistency: Suggest weekly meetings, but be flexible for busy lives or safety concerns in persecuted areas.

Trust helps everyone open up, reflect, and apply truths without fear.

  • Start with sharing: In the first meeting, share simple stories of your own faith struggles to show vulnerability.
  • Set ground rules: Agree to listen without judging, keep stories private, and focus on encouraging each other.
  • Build bonds: Begin each session with a short prayer or song inviting God to be present with you.
  • Be patient: Trust grows over time – encourage quiet members gently, and celebrate small steps of honesty.

Good preparation makes the lesson flow and helps discipleship.

  • Read ahead: Study the lesson before; pray over the Bible passage and think how it fits your group’s challenges.
  • Adapt for the group: Use simple words; if literacy is low, read aloud slowly and explain questions or stories.
  • Gather basics: Have a Bible (in your language) and paper for notes.
  • Reflect personally: Ask yourself the study questions first – lead from your own growth and experience.
  • Pray: Pray for your group members.

Guide the group through the lesson structure to encourage discovery and commitment.

  • Step 1 – Connecting: Start the group meeting by praying together. Thank God for his Word and ask for open hearts to receive it. Read the Bible passage together (Read it aloud twice; ask someone to repeat in their words.)
  • Step 2: Comprehending: Use the provided questions to help you grapple with the truth of the Bible passage.
  • Step 3 – Committing: Consider how the passage might apply to your lives and what simple steps of obedience you can commit to. The goal of these studies if life-change! Not just knowledge!
  • Step 4 – Communicating:  Think of who you can share the truths you have learned with.
  • Close with Prayer: Let group members pray short prayers of thanks or commitment. Pray for one another.

For many of the lessons, there is a short summary teaching voice-note at the end of the lesson (together with a text summary). This is designed to be a recap and reminder of the key lessons you should have learned through the lesson. 

As a leader, you might like to use these summary teaching resources to help you in preparation for leading your group, though ideally not before you have spent time prayerfully reflecting on the passage.

This is an ongoing discipleship journey aiming to transform lives and help people to live victorious Christian lives. Focus on growth, not just finishing lessons.

  • Meet regularly: Join together at least once a week. Review past actions at each start to build accountability.
  • Encourage reflection: Between meetings, urge personal time with the lesson – read, pray, and try complete commitments made.
  • Support one another: If your group members are facing challenges, use lessons to pray together and share burdens; become “agents of change” by helping others in your community.
  • Multiply groups: As trust grows, encourage members to start their own small groups with family or friends.
  • Keep it short: Stick to 15 – 25 minutes per lesson to fit busy, challenging lives.
  • Handle challenges: If fear or hardship arise, encourage members by always pointing back to God’s love. 
  • Stay safe: In persecuted areas, meet discreetly; focus on heart change over big displays.
  • Celebrate progress: Note how people have grown in faith; allow time for sharing testimonies of what God has done. Take note of what you pray for, and give thanks when God answers prayer.

Final encouragement

Leading these lessons is serving like Jesus – humble, loving, and truthful. As you journey together, God will build growing faith into each person’s life. Pray often, and watch lives transform!

If you would like to share stories of faith from your own communities, please get in touch with us!