LifeGroup Notes

BIG IDEA

There come times in life when we are persecuted by those around us, and Jesus was no different. Throughout His ministry Jesus is consistently coming into conflict with those around Him who questioned Him, spoke out against Him, plotted against Him, and ultimately killed Him. In this study we will dive into three versus on what Jesus states about persecution.

Passages we’ll review:
Matthew 5:10-12

OPEN
As you open up tonight, think of times when you have been in conflict with others because of your faith in Christ? How did you approach these circumstances?

What jumped out at you from the message this week? What led you to really think or even better, to change your actions?

[WATCH THE VIDEO]

Make sure everyone can see the screen and the audio is at a comfortable level.

What jumped out at you from the video in this session? What are some of reasons we are persecuted by follwing Jesus?

READ

Read Matthew 5:10-12
In versus 10 we learned that we are persecuted for righteousness sake which is because of what Christ has done, not from our own doing. As we follow Christ, we live our live as a reflection of how he lived His, and in doing so come into conflict with our culture and world around us which tells us to live a different way.

in what ways do you feel persecuted for following Christ? How do you react when persecuted for your beliefs?

Also, in versus 10, Jesus speaks of being blessed for being persecuted within righteousness. In the video we learn that the blessing comes during righteousness because who He was, what He taught and what He did.

When you are in the middle of persecution, what of Jesus’ teachings or examples help you stay true to Him during those times?

In verse 11, Jesus continues to tells us that we are blessed when others speak or act against us for following Him. The persecution we go through is not because who we are, ultimately, but because of who Christ is.

In times of challenges or trails the Book of James tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

What comparisons do you find between Matthew 5:11 and James 1:2-3? What outcomes in James 1:3 do we have to look forward to when going through trials or by being persecuted?

In verse 12, we learn that persecution is nothing new, and that believers in God throughout the Bible are persecuted for following God, living differently from the world around them, and also speaking out against authority for not ruling under God’s command.

Who are some of your favorite people throughout the Bible that you look to for Godly example of how to live in the face of persecution?

LET’S PRAY
Throughout persecution we should pray to God for His guidance through these hard times. We should pray that we react in way tht reflects Christ and that the Holy Spirit bear in us self-control to not react in the same way we are persecuted. This week, specfically pray for those who persecute us, that they may see the error in their ways, and find a savior in Jesus Christ!