Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
How many of you are participating in the church-wide fast? How has it been going? What has God been doing?
Discussion Questions:
Have someone read Luke 13:10-17 aloud.
- In these verses, a woman shows up to the synagogue in intense pain because she had been doubled over by an evil spirit for 18 years. Here is a quote from Charles Spurgeon: “I am afraid that, if any one of you had been in such a sad state as that, you would have said, “I shall never go to the synagogue any more;” and that your friends would have said, “We think you had better not go. You are such an object, and you are so unwell, that you will be best at home.” He goes on to say that many people find Sundays to be convenient for sickness or sleeping in or avoiding weather conditions. He says, “It seems as though they thought that cheating God out of his day is a very small matter, but that robbing themselves of even a portion of a day would greatly grieve them.” How convicting is this to you? How easy is it for you to forgo getting you and your family to church compared to you missing work or a kid's game or other activity?
- The first thing God wants us to see through this passage is that CHURCH matters to God. The writer of Hebrews urges us to not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but find ways to encourage each other. Don't stop meeting, but encourage each other. In other words, we need each other! But recently, especially since COVID, more and more people are settling for church online. Online is a good supplement, but it can't do what being there in person does. In what ways do you think this is true? What all might an online experience leave you lacking?
- Next he wants us to know that PEOPLE matter to God. Luke tells us that the synagogue leader was upset with Jesus for healing this poor woman. This man has no doubt seen her pain and suffering, and he's supposed to be someone that would care for his congregants! But instead of having compassion on her, he scolds the Son of God. Jesus' reaction to her is much different. When he sees her, his heart is moved with compassion for her. This synagogue leader has missed the heart of God while trying to uphold the religious rules. This can also creep into our hearts and attitudes. We can get so wrapped up in truth and the law and our convictions that we forget to have compassion and grace towards people that God loves. How have you seen this rear its ugly head in your life or in other Christians you've been around? What negative affects can it have on both people and the Faith?
- The bottom line is that OUR values need to match HIS values. Our thoughts should bend towards his thoughts. Our hearts should break for the same things that break his heart. So that begs the question, how do we accomplish this? How do we know his heart and thoughts and values? For one, he's laid them out in his Word. He demonstrated it in the life of Jesus. And he whispers it through his Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Can you honestly say that your heart is still being shaped by God? Are you continuously bending towards him? Are your thoughts daily being replaced by his? Are you spending significant time in his Word and in prayer so that he might transform your heart?
Prayer Topics:
That we would be committed to gathering together.
That we would have compassion for marginalized people.
That we would seek and emulate the heart of God.
That we would have compassion for marginalized people.
That we would seek and emulate the heart of God.
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