Disciples in lockdown
Small Group Study, week commencing 30th March
In our small groups this week we're going to be applying what Andy spoke about last Sunday. The incident Andy highlighted is in John 20:19-23 (you might like to read it again).
Jesus gate-crashed the disciples' meeting and his headline message was 'Peace be with you', 'Do not be afraid'.
This is such a frequent message in the Bible that it's worth us tracking some of the key moments when it emerges. Below are some examples from Genesis and Exodus for you to talk about.
In each of these examples, it will be worth looking at the context (some of these may be familiar to you).
Work out why the person was scared. Why did they need to hear 'Peace be with you' or 'Don't be afraid!'?
Why did God (usually) say 'Don't be afraid' or something similar?
Then have a good look at what is said in the sentence immediately afterwards. Often God gives a promise or makes a prediction which shows that fear need not be our default position.
Genesis 15:1; Genesis 21:17; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 46:3; Exodus 14:13
In his message Andy told us a story about how he became caught up in a robbery in a favela. He was being threatened and felt really scared – and with good reason! But he said that, even in that tense moment, 'his fear turned to peace'.
Why don't you share together a couple of examples
Have a chat about a few situations where God has given you peace in a situation where you might otherwise be anxious.
Jesus gave his disciples a commission “As the father has sent me, so I am sending you” (v21) .
When Jesus said 'As the father has sent me' he was using the verb 'apostello' which carries the idea of being commissioned by the Father to represent Him and do his task (hence our word 'apostle'). But the word 'send' he uses for the disciples is different. This one carries the idea of one thing being inserted, or thrust, into another one. So Jesus is thrusting or inserting the disciples back into the very world they were escaping from in their locked room.
That's worth talking about!
Have a chat about the opportunities you feel we might have as we are thrust by Jesus, with the power of His Spirit, into this curious and fear-infected world we're now living in.
And spend some time praying for each other.