WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
Accepting Suffering, Part 3
Biblical Worldview – Unit 6
Read
Life Issues Booklet 3
(Optional) Recommended Reading: Joni Eareckson Tada’s, When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty
Leader Resources
Exercises
- Review the memory verse of the week, and talk about how it relates to the Truth section.
- Review the Pentateuch, Historical books, Poetic books, Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament.
- Include time for one or two JG members to recite all 66 books of the Bible.
Suggested Discussion
- TRUTH AND EQUIPPING – This week your discussion on suffering should focus on the following points. You can open your discussion with the 2nd and 3rd Equipping questions.
- GROANING – This is Paul’s expression for feeling the reality of one’s sufferings and expressing our response. Make sure your JG understands that the Christian response to suffering is neither escapist, nor a false idealism. To spark the discussion, you might ask whether groaning includes complaining. Your JG may give a variety of answers.
- WAITING – This is one way to express our longing for the fulfillment of redemption’s promise.
- HOPING – This is another way to focus our attention away from the troubles of the present age, to the blessing promised in the age to come. You might ask how the relative blessing and prosperity of living in America can impact a person’s hope in the life to come.
- PRAYING – You should discuss praying for healing and miracles, as well as praying for acceptance of, and endurance in suffering. Help your JG to focus on learning to pray according to the love and power of God, while surrendering to His (often unknown) will.
- ACCOUNTABILITY – Allow time for smaller groups of 2 or 3 to ask accountability questions, and pray for one another.
- MISSION – Continue the discussion of helping people investigate Christianity using the Life Issues booklets as a tool for making the gospel known in word. Discuss the question, “Is Jesus Christ the Only Way to God?”, from the third Life Issues booklet.
