THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. This weekend, we kicked off our FILL THE BUS giving tables campaign! Let’s help students in our community start the school year ready to learn. You can help provide school supplies for local students in need. Every backpack and supply donation helps a child in our community start the school year ready to learn. Click HERE to learn more and find the list of needed supplies.
GROUP VALUES. This month, we focus on RELATIONAL INVESTMENTS. We value making connections that help people move toward Christlikeness. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to pursue healthy relationships marked by forgiveness, reconciliation and love. This week’s message challenges us to take seriously how we handle anger and conflict in our relationships, both within our small groups and our daily lives. As a group, discuss how you are doing in modeling Jesus’s teachings on relationships with those who don’t know him yet.
GROW AS A LEADER. Conflict is sometimes inevitable in our relationships, but it doesn’t have to be destructive. As a leader, you can model healthy CONFLICT RESOLUTION by addressing issues quickly and directly. When tensions arise in your group, resist the urge to ignore them or hope they’ll resolve themselves. Instead, follow Jesus’s teaching to pursue reconciliation rapidly. Create space for honest conversation and help group members work through disagreements with grace and truth.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the second week of our sermon series, TAKING JESUS SERIOUSLY. This week, we explore Jesus’s challenging words about anger and the importance of rapid reconciliation in his family.
ICEBREAKER
If you could hang a sign in your home that describes your family’s values or personality, what would it say?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Matthew 5:21-26 aloud.
What specific actions does Jesus say will result in judgment, and how do the consequences escalate?
What might have been surprising or shocking to Jesus’s original audience about these teachings?
Jesus gives two examples to emphasize the urgency of reconciliation. Why do you think Jesus stresses acting quickly to repair broken relationships?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Jeff Manion continued our TAKING JESUS SERIOUSLY series by examining Jesus’s teaching on anger and reconciliation. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Our culture often views anger as a normal and even healthy way to express frustration or stand up for oneself. How does Jesus’s teaching challenge this cultural perspective on anger?
Jesus compares anger to murder, suggesting they come from the same root system. What connections do you see between anger and murder?
Jesus’s teaching reveals that contempt—treating someone as though they’re nothing—dehumanizes others and destroys relationships. How can we guard against developing contempt toward people who frustrate or hurt us?
Pastor Jeff mentioned that Jesus envisioned his community as one that reconciles rapidly and refuses to let anger simmer. What would it look like for us as believers to live this way in our relationships?
Anger is often a secondary emotion. We feel angry because we are feeling something else underneath, such as being ignored, disrespected, or lacking control, etc. Think about a recent time when you felt genuinely angry. What was the feeling underneath the anger?
Pastor Jeff urged us to think about why the thing behind our anger means so much to us, because doing so exposes our idols. Thinking again about a recent situation and the feeling underneath your anger, share as you are comfortable about why this situation matters so much to you and what could be an idol.
In what relationship do you need to pursue reconciliation more quickly, and what would be a good first step to take this week?
WRAP UP
This week, we discussed Jesus’s call to take anger seriously and reconcile rapidly. What from this conversation or the sermon challenged you the most about how you handle conflict in your relationships?