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Peacemakers and the Persecuted – A study

Some questions from Russell, based on his sermon: Peace and Persecution

Read Matthew 5:1-12

What is a Peacemaker? Why are we called to be Peacemakers?
Discuss the difference between Peace the world offers and what Peace God gives?
Choose an example and discuss why you chose it.
Read Luke 6:27-28 – What ways can we as Christians show peace to those who are indifferent?
What is persecution? Have you ever experienced it in any form? And how did that make you feel?
Looking at v11 – What is our response to this? And why is there such great joy and blessing from such suffering?
Take a moment or two and pray for our brothers & sisters caught up in persecution.

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve had a look at two of the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12; sermons can be found here:

What has been going on before this ‘sermon on the mount’?
Who is Jesus talking to and how have his words here been twisted and misconstrued by people from other faiths, atheists and even Christians?
Take some time discussing the first two statements of Jesus about being poor in spirit and mourning, don’t rush through the discussion but try and deal with each in as much depth as possible and consider how we should apply each to our lives today.
Spend some time seeking the Lord in Prayer for the life and work of New Connexions

Reading: Leviticus 23:33-44

Take a quick tour through the first 6 feasts and relate what they looked back to and also what their prophetic fulfilment is or was.
This feast is known as The Feast or The Great Feast – why do you think that is?
In the Sermon we looked at again at the number seven in relation to this feast, the feasts in general and God’s plan. Discuss as a group how much of this you can remember and how it all fits together.
Jesus (John 7 specifically v.37-39) taught at this feast. How do Jesus words look to the fulfilment of the feast of tabernacles and how does it fit with Zechariah 14:4-9.
What should we, as a church today, take and apply to our lives from our study on the feasts.
If as a group you have unresolved questions on this study please don’t be afraid to ask Pastor.

Study based on the sermon: Jewish Feasts part 1

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath? How might we either be too legalistic or too liberal in this?
Are these feasts in Leviticus 23 really relevant to us today? If so how, and why don’t we celebrate them within the modern church?
As a group discuss each of the first three feasts; how are they a reminder of past things and in which ways do they speak of things that were to come.
In the sermon we looked at the dates of Passover, preparation, selecting the sacrifice etc. and how the prophecies of Daniel 9, Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9, Luke 11:29 form part of the picture. Discuss how all of this fits together in God’s plan, how tradition has confused things and what this might teach us about the importance of studying the whole of scripture.
Please use the points below to guide you in a time of prayer.

This term’s prayer pointers:

Give regular thanks for answered prayer;
Pray that The Lord will build His Church at New Connexions: spiritually, physically and numerically;
Seek the Lord for direction as to outreach in the year ahead.