The People of Jesus (Part 5): People of Suffering

TO START: In our summer series, The People of Jesus, we’re walking through the letter of 1 Peter. This portion of Scripture offers deep assurance to the people of Jesus—especially when our faith initiates challenges, tension, or unforeseen opportunities.

This week’s message focused on the assurance we have as people of suffering. Over the course of the rest of the series, we will have trimmed down discussion guides in light of being summer as many groups are taking breaks but we wanted to provide a frame for discussion for those of y’all still meeting!

TO READ: 1st Peter 4:12-16

TO DISCUSS:

(1.) 1 Peter 4:13 says, “Rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ.” Can you share a time when trouble, grief, or difficulty led you into deeper intimacy with Jesus?

(2.) Is there a hardship you anticipate—either in your own life or in the lives of fellow believers around the world—that we can pray over as a group, asking for the Spirit of glory and of God to rest, strengthen, and prepare you or them?

TO PRAY

To close small group, we invite you to spend time praying for one or more of the hardships named in response to question 2 and consider closing by naming this Scripture as an assurance of the reality that Jesus knows what it is like to suffer and to overcome suffering in light of future glory that never ends. 

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” - 2 Corinthians 4:17