THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. We have been created, called and gifted by God to SERVE OTHERS. We believe serving is at the core of being a Jesus-follower. Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities around you and give you the courage and willingness to step into new areas of service. If you have not found your place to serve, go to AdaBible.info>SERVE to find many different places and ways to serve.
GROUP VALUES. This August, we’re focusing on GROUP GROWTH. Fall is a great season to add new members to your group. Discuss as a group whether your group has space to add new people. Pray and ask God to reveal who needs what you have and who could join your group.
GROW AS A LEADER. Attentive listening is hard work but essential for a healthy, growing community. Read the article THE GIFT OF LISTENING at smallgroups.com for helpful teaching and tips about listening well and creating space for your group members to share openly.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the first week of our sermon series, POLITICS & UNITY. This week, we discuss an interaction between Jesus and Pilate.
ICEBREAKER
If you could have dinner with any political or religious leader from history (excluding Jesus), who would you choose, and what’s one question you’d like to ask them?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read John 18:33-40 out loud.
How would you describe the tone and nature of the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus?
What topics or themes are discussed in the conversation between Pilate and Jesus?
What claims or statements does Jesus make about himself in this passage?
Is there anything else that stands out to you in this passage?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Aaron Buer began our Politics & Unity sermon series by discussing an interaction between Jesus and Pilate. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Why Politics and Unity? Pastor Aaron Buer shared some hopes for this series. 1. That no matter who you vote for, you’d feel welcomed at Ada Bible. 2. That we would see politics through the lens of Jesus and not the other way around. 3. That we’d be curious about why our fellow Jesus-followers hold political views different than our own. 4. That we’d invite God to challenge us through this series. 5. That this series would bond us together as a church during this political season. Why do you think he chose those hopes?
Pilate asks specifically about Jesus being a king. If Jesus is king, what impact should that have on our politics?
Pastor Aaron said the actions of the early church can’t be placed into either the political left or right. What are some of the examples he used in the sermon for the actions of the early church?
One way we can know whether or not we’ve made Jesus king over our politics is to ask ourselves this question: “Are we willing to obey Jesus even if that means rejecting part of our political party’s platform?” What do you think when you hear that?
A second question we can ask is: “Is Jesus king of how we talk about people who disagree with our politics?” How can we hold political beliefs as Christians yet still treat those we disagree with in a way that is gracious and respectful?
A third question we can ask is: “Will we be okay if our party loses the election?” How does this question show us where we are putting our hope?
The text ends with the people choosing Barabbas over Jesus. It’s a choice between political power and Jesus. They chose political power. Spend some time as a group praying that the people of Ada Bible would choose to place hope in Jesus over political power.
WRAP UP
This week, we discussed the implications of Jesus being king. What from this conversation or the sermon encouraged or challenged you the most, and why?