Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (John 10:1-21), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1-10] To be part of the people of God (the church), and to legitimately minister among God’s people, one must enter through the Door of the Sheep; one must come in the name of Jesus Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ, bearing the message of Jesus Christ. How important is Jesus Christ to you? How important is being one of God’s flock?

• [10-11] Why do the Scriptures so frequently use the shepherd/flock metaphor to describe God and his people? What are some other places in the Bible that help us understand what Jesus is talking about here about being the Good Shepherd?

• [14-15] Jesus being the Good Shepherd means that he leads us into a special relationship with God characterized by intimate mutual knowledge reflective of the Father-Son relationship in the Trinity. If this is the all-important salvation Jesus came to bring us, what significance does it have for the arc of your whole life? For the “obviously spiritual” aspects of your life? For the more “mundane,” daily aspects of your life?

• [16] Jesus reminds us again that the Gospel is intended to bring unity among peoples that exceed the scope of our current group. He brings us in and then turns our faces outward toward others. How do you feel about people from different social strata or ethnic groups than your own becoming full communing members of your church? Why do you feel that way? Are you interested in carrying the Gospel to the nations? How can you participate in this mission of Christ himself?