Jesus' followers are beginning to experience purposeful persecution. As church history demonstrates, persecution was a pervasive reality for the first few centuries. Publicly acknowledging or professing what they believed could get them jailed or killed. However, for most American Christians, this is almost incomprehensible. We tend to complain about our most minor discomforts, without ever knowing such a threat. And yet the term 'persecution' gets thrown around a lot in the US, despite very rarely having the same goal: namely, to share Jesus with people who do not yet know him, even if it costs deeply. How did the disciples go from cowards who abandoned Jesus to taking a stand like this? And how might we get that kind of courage and joy? Let's talk about how Christ transforms his disciples into “Lionly Cowards” (Acts 5:17-42).
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the sermon this week?
In our society today, why is comfort so important to us? What do you think is the root cause of this? Talk about ways that the world views comfort versus how the Church views comfort. Do they view comfort similarly, differently?
How would you define real courage? What would real courage look like in our society today? Is there someone in your life that displays real courage? How do they inspire you to live that out?
Read Jesus’ prayer for His followers in John 17:14-21. What stands out to you? What specifically does Jesus pray for? Does anything surprise you in His prayer? In response to Jesus’ prayer, what would it look like for us to engage with our culture around us and be a “bridge-builder”?
Read John 15:12-13. What would it look like to live this passage out this week in your home, in your family, in your workplace, even among your enemies?
Read Hebrews 12:1-2. How does it make you feel that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith? In light of His amazing forgiveness and grace, how should that spur us on to live out our faith this week?
