A Stoning and a Crown

A bleak, windswept moor provides the setting to one of the great dialogue exchanges in film history:

PRINCESS: You mock my pain!

MAN IN BLACK: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

Even if we doubt the wisdom of The Princess Bride, we must admit something in the Man in Black’s statement rings true. Life is pain…

We all know those moments of excruciating pain, whether physical, relational, emotional, or spiritual. And sometimes the moments stretch into seasons that feel like a lifetime.

In those seasons, we all–regardless of our religious background–eventually cry out, “God, where are you?”

On Sunday, we will read Acts 6-7 and hear one of Scripture’s most profound answers to that question in the midst of Stephen’s moment of excruciating pain.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)

Date: October 9, 2016 // Title: A Stoning and a Crown

Scripture: Acts 6:7-8:3

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
We all know moments of excruciating pain, whether physical, relational, emotional or spiritual. And sometimes, those moments stretch into seasons that feel like a lifetime. We all, regardless of our religious background, eventually cry out, “God, where are you?” In the midst of Stephen’s moment of excruciating pain, his story in Acts 6–7 provides profound answers to that question. We encounter a man of God full of grace and winsome character who is able to truly see Jesus advocating on his behalf as he faces accusation and suffering. Stephen loses his life on earth, but as a citizen of God’s unshakable kingdom, he finds true life.

In our everyday lives, we sense God’s heart that we be happy, healed, and whole—even as we seek to find true life in a world that is sad, wounded and divided. This a difficult challenge when we look at the world around us, but it is especially hard when we sense that same tension in our own families. So how do we live in the midst of this tension, and what is the real answer to the question, “God, where are you?” We find a hint of the answer in the story of the stoning of Stephen. His testimony is absolutely stunning as he responds to unimaginable suffering with peace and forgiveness. Even in excruciating pain, Stephen shows the way to see beyond our self, our circumstances, and our suffering to find complete joy and ultimate healing. His genuine hope and wholeness leads to a disposition of true peace and happiness in this life and the next!

THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
When we truly see the face of Jesus, we see the bigger story and can boldly say, “It is well with my soul.”

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?): Stephen, a man full of wisdom and the Spirit, was chosen to help bring healing and restoration to the racial divide in his community. He reminds the people that God is at work everywhere, challenging their limited viewpoint. He shows them that God is accessible to everyone, causing them to react violently. Even in the face of intense suffering, he demonstrates grace and peace that reflects true life in Jesus.
Mirror (Where am I in the story?): : Are there parts of your own story that have become blind spots that prevent you from seeing
others through the truth of God? Has your patriotism, legalism or exceptionalism kept you from seeing where God is at work around you, or led you to react in ways that don’t reflect who Jesus is?
Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): How is God inviting you to see clearly, live rightly, and reflect his kind heart in your neighborhood, with the next generation and among the nations around you? Where is Jesus inviting you to see him as the one who overcomes injustice instead of the one who causes it?

BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Listen to “Crying Holy” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwoWyAZF8_8) together. Contemplate the wonder of who God is. When the song finishes, take a few minutes to express your own sense of who Jesus truly is in your life.
Change IN // Group Activity 10 minutes
Read the story of Stephen together from Acts 6–7, write down one or two areas in your life where you feel like you are being stoned. How is God inviting you to see his sovereignty clearly in those places? How would Jesus respond if He were in your shoes, facing the same situations? Share your thoughts together and commit to one or two ways that you can clearly reflect the disposition of Jesus in those impossible situations this week.
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 10 minutes
Where have you seen or experienced sadness, hurt and division in the world around you this week? Choose one way your group, as a family on mission, can actively and winsomely step into that brokenness and bring healing.

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.