5-Day Family Discipleship
Helping all people know Jesus, love Jesus, and follow Jesus—together.
Day 1: Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life
Scripture Reading: John 11:17–44
Read and Reflect
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Martha went out to meet Jesus, grieving and struggling to understand why He had not come sooner. She believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus, but she was about to learn something even greater: Jesus had authority not only over sickness but also over death.
Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He did not merely promise that resurrection would happen someday. He showed her that resurrection life is found in Him. Then Jesus stood before Lazarus’s tomb, wept with those who were grieving, and called Lazarus out of the grave.
This passage reminds us that Jesus is not distant from our sorrow. He weeps with those who weep, yet He also possesses power over the greatest enemy we face. Lazarus’s resurrection pointed forward to the day when Jesus Himself would conquer death through His own death and resurrection. For everyone who trusts in Him, death will not have the final word.
HEAD — What Do We Need to Know?
What did Jesus tell Martha about Himself?
What does Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead teach us about His power?
How does this miracle point us toward Jesus’s own resurrection?
HEART — What Should We Believe or Feel?
When have you felt sad, afraid, or confused about something you did not understand?
How does knowing that Jesus has power over death help us trust Him?
What does it mean to believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
HANDS — How Should We Live?
How can we bring our sadness and questions honestly to Jesus?
Who do you know that is grieving or afraid and needs encouragement?
What is one way your family can show the hope of Jesus to someone this week?
Pray Together
Jesus, thank You for being the resurrection and the life. Thank You that You understand our sorrow and are powerful over sin and death. Help us trust You when we do not understand what You are doing. Remind us that because You died and rose again, everyone who belongs to You has the hope of eternal life. Amen.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Day 2: Jesus Understands Our Sorrow
Scripture Reading: Psalm 34:15–22
Read and Reflect
The Bible never tells us that following God means we will never experience sorrow. God’s people face trouble, grief, fear, and disappointment. Yet Psalm 34 reminds us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
When Jesus arrived at Lazarus’s tomb, He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Still, Jesus wept. His tears show us that sorrow matters to Him. He did not treat Mary’s grief as foolish or tell the mourners that they should simply stop crying. He entered into their sorrow.
Jesus is both powerful and compassionate. He does not always remove our pain immediately, but He invites us to come to Him in our pain. At the cross, Jesus entered the depths of our suffering and bore the judgment our sins deserved. Because He died and rose again, we can grieve with hope, knowing that He is near to His people and will one day make all things new.
HEAD — What Do We Need to Know?
What does Psalm 34 say the Lord does for the brokenhearted?
What does Jesus’s weeping at Lazarus’s tomb teach us about Him?
How can we know that God cares when we are hurting?
HEART — What Should We Believe or Feel?
Is it sometimes hard to believe that God is near when you are sad?
How does Jesus’s compassion encourage you to bring your sadness to Him?
What comfort can we find in knowing that sorrow will not last forever for those who belong to Jesus?
HANDS — How Should We Live?
How can you comfort someone who is sad without trying to fix everything?
What could you pray when someone you love is hurting?
How can our family be a safe place to share sadness and seek Jesus together?
Pray Together
Father, thank You for being near to those who are hurting. Thank You that Jesus understands sorrow and cares for those who grieve. Help us bring our pain to You and comfort others with the same compassion You show us. Give us hope in the promise that Jesus will one day put an end to death and sorrow. Amen.
2 Timothy 3:16–17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Day 3: Jesus Is Greater Than Our Doubts
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:14–29
Read and Reflect
A father brought his suffering son to Jesus, desperate for help. When Jesus spoke to him, the father cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” He trusted Jesus, but he also recognized how weak his faith could be.
We see something similar in John 11. Martha believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus, but she struggled to understand what Jesus was doing. Even after Jesus told her that He was the resurrection and the life, she had difficulty imagining what He was about to do at the tomb.
Faith does not mean that we never have questions or fears. Faith means bringing those questions and fears to Jesus and depending on Him. Our hope is not in how strong our faith feels, but in how strong and trustworthy Jesus is. He is patient with His people and calls us to trust Him even when we cannot see what He is doing.
HEAD — What Do We Need to Know?
What did the father ask Jesus to help him with?
How did Martha struggle to understand Jesus in John 11?
Why is our hope ultimately in Jesus rather than in the strength of our faith?
HEART — What Should We Believe or Feel?
Have you ever believed something about Jesus but still felt afraid or uncertain?
What can you learn from the father’s honest prayer?
How does it encourage you to know that Jesus welcomes us when our faith feels weak?
HANDS — How Should We Live?
What is one doubt or fear you can honestly bring to Jesus in prayer?
How can you encourage someone who is struggling to believe?
Practice praying together: “Jesus, I believe; help my unbelief.”
Pray Together
Lord Jesus, You know how weak our faith can be. Sometimes we believe Your promises but still feel afraid or confused. Please help our unbelief. Teach us to trust Your character when we do not understand Your ways. Thank You that our hope rests in You, our faithful Savior, and not in the strength of our feelings. Amen.
Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Day 4: Jesus Has Defeated Death
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58
Read and Reflect
Death is one of the saddest and most painful realities of life in a fallen world. We lose people we love, and we cannot overcome death through our own strength. But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus has done what we could never do: He died for our sins and rose again.
When Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, He gave a powerful sign of His authority over death. Lazarus would eventually die again, but Jesus’s own resurrection points to something greater. Everyone who belongs to Christ will one day be raised to everlasting life, with bodies no longer subject to death and decay.
Paul declares that death will be swallowed up in victory through Jesus Christ. This promise does not mean Christians never grieve. It means grief does not have the final word. Because Jesus is alive, we can face suffering and even death with hope. And because our future is secure in Him, our present lives can be spent serving Him faithfully.
HEAD — What Do We Need to Know?
What victory has Jesus won over death?
How is Jesus’s resurrection greater than the raising of Lazarus?
What hope does God promise to those who belong to Christ?
HEART — What Should We Believe or Feel?
Why can death feel so frightening?
How does Jesus’s resurrection change the way we think about death?
What does it mean to grieve with hope?
HANDS — How Should We Live?
How can the hope of resurrection help you face something difficult this week?
How can you share the hope of Jesus with someone who is afraid or grieving?
What does it look like to be steadfast and faithful in serving the Lord today?
Pray Together
God, thank You that Jesus has conquered sin and death. Thank You that His resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of all who trust in Him. Help us grieve honestly while holding firmly to Your promises. Make us courageous, faithful, and joyful as we live for Jesus, knowing that our labor in Him is not in vain. Amen.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Day 5: Jesus Calls Us Out of Darkness
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1–10
Read and Reflect
When Jesus stood before Lazarus’s tomb, He called, “Lazarus, come out,” and the dead man came out alive. Lazarus could not make himself alive. He depended entirely on the power of Jesus.
The Bible uses a similar picture to describe our spiritual condition. Because of sin, we were spiritually dead and unable to rescue ourselves. We needed God to make us alive. Ephesians 2 tells us that God, because of His great love and mercy, makes sinners alive with Christ. We are saved by grace through faith, not because we have earned His favor.
Jesus’s power over physical death points us to His greater work of bringing sinners from death to life. When we trust in Christ, we receive new life and are called to walk in the good works God has prepared for us. We do not obey Jesus to earn His love. We obey because He has graciously made us alive and brought us into His family.
HEAD — What Do We Need to Know?
How does Ephesians describe our condition before God made us alive in Christ?
Why can we not save ourselves?
What does it mean that we are saved by grace through faith?
HEART — What Should We Believe or Feel?
Why is it good news that salvation depends on God’s mercy rather than our goodness?
How does knowing Jesus has given you new life change the way you see yourself?
What gratitude do you feel for the grace God has shown us in Christ?
HANDS — How Should We Live?
What is one way you can live differently because Jesus has given you new life?
How can our family show grace to someone who has sinned against us?
What good work might God be calling you to do for someone this week?
Pray Together
Father, thank You for making us alive with Christ when we could not rescue ourselves. Thank You for Your great love, mercy, and grace. Help us remember that we cannot earn Your salvation, but we can respond with grateful obedience. Teach our family to follow Jesus and to show His grace to the people around us. Amen.