Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
Ice-Breaker:
Is there any conflict in you family/friends circle over politics?
Scripture:
Acts 21:17-26
17 When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. 19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. 21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. 24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws.
25 “As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
Paul Is Arrested
26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.
17 When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. 19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. 21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. 24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws.
25 “As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
Paul Is Arrested
26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.
Discussion Questions:
- In Acts 21, Paul and his companions are finally in Jerusalem where they are filling in James and the other church leaders about all God had done among the Gentiles. They responded with praise, but quickly warned Paul of a false rumor that was upsetting to the Jewish believers. There was a growing divide in the church between Jew and Gentile. One thing is certain: Anytime God moves, Satan gets to work trying to disrupt it. Satan will always seek to destroy the good that God does. When God is moving in your life or family, you can expect a significant response from the enemy. Talk about a time in your own life when Satan attacked to try to thwart what God was doing.
- The first takeaway on Sunday was that the DEVIL is in the DIVISION. This is one of the enemies most effective weapons in the church. In a culture that is driven by evil, the god of this world (Satan) will ALWAYS push us towards greater divides. He loves to separate us by race, religion and politics. He loves to demonize the other side so that we assume the worst about everyone. He is an expert at fueling hate. When you look at your life and politics, have you fallen into this trap? Have you allowed the culture around you to push you towards one extreme or the other?
- One thing we must remember is that, in the church, we can disagree POLITICALLY but still love UNCONDITIONALLY and be united MISSIONALLY. There are some things we MUST agree on in order to fellowship together, like Jesus being the only way to salvation, the inerrancy of Scripture, etc. But there are other minor things that shouldn't affect our ability to call someone a brother or sister in Christ. One of those is politics. If we find that we can't over look these kinds of differences, if we can't still love someone and be on the same mission together, then the gospel hasn't taken root in our hearts. Do you find it difficult to love/accept/fellowship with people that have drastically different political views that you? If so, why do you think that is?
- We must understand that it's always GOSPEL over GOVERNMENT. Does your faith inform your politics, or is it the other way around? How SHOULD a Christian decide what side of the issues to be on or which candidate to support? We go to the Bible. Some issues are nuanced and debatable. Some issues are simply NOT debatable. A Christian should vote for the agenda MOST in line with the CLEAREST teachings of Scripture... what scripture actually says, not how it can be twisted it to say what we want. Since neither agenda is completely in line with the teachings of Scripture, a Christian must go with the agenda that is MOST in line with the CLEAREST teachings in Scripture. Whether you consider yourself left, right or middle, can you honestly say that the truth of Scripture is the foundation of your political platform? Where does this create tensions?
- Revelation 19 talks about the return of Christ, when he comes back to judge the world. He will "strike down the nations" and establish His Kingdom on the earth. This is how it all ends! So we must remember that we are CITIZENS of THE Kingdom, not THIS kingdom. Why invest your life and put your hope in something that will become like the chaff of the threshing floor and carried away by the wind? This nation and government will eventually all pass away. In the meantime, we're called to be salt and light. We should influence policy to be more in line with Scripture. We should speak for the oppressed. We should perform ministries of mercy.... all while we preach the Gospel. What is God speaking to you through all this? Are there any priorities, policies or attitudes that might be out of whack? How can you better promote unity among believers?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would remember we are citizens of heaven first.
- That we would love our brothers and sisters in Christ unconditionally.
- That we would value unity.
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