The Struggle Is Real (Part 3): Wrestling As A Church

TO START:

This week, we finished a series focusing on what it means to struggle and to wrestle as a part of our Christian identity. Start with this series of questions:

  • Were you competitive as a child? Are you still competitive? Who is the most competitive person in your family? What has competitiveness led you to do?

TO READ & DISCUSS

In particular, the sermon started with a scene from There Will Be Blood. In this scene, Daniel, the main character has been corrupted by the cutthroat business of oil prospecting, he’s seen the worst of people and the worst in himself. In particular he says, “I have competition in me, I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking.”

  • What stands out to you in these words? Do you think competitiveness and success define you more than community??

  • What does community mean to you? Are you prone to avoid certain people and to dislike certain people?

Even more, this week, Matt pointed us to the story of Jacob and Esau which we’ve looked at in these last few weeks. Esau is the brother of Jacob who was deceived and betrayed by Jacob and yet Jacob find himself forced to return to Esau with fear and anxiety. And Esau responds in such an unexpected way.

Read Genesis 32:22-30, 33:1-4 together. Then answer these questions:

  • What do you think about the Esau’s reaction to Jacob?

  • What does it mean for God to give us a new identity in naming us Israel?

Additionally, Matt argued that we have found ourselves at a crossroads at church and we have to ask ourselves, “will we be a people who engage with God and with one another even when it’s dangerous and hard? Or will we be a people who disengage, who choose apathy and atrophy?” He argued that separation and disengagement is not an option, engagement with God and others is what we signed up for when we decided to follow Jesus.

Read Hebrews 12:12-15 together. Then explore the following questions:

  • Do you agree? As a Christian, did you sign up to wrestle with God and for one another?

  • Do you believe that separation and isolation is contrary to God’s vision for us? Do you feel like the world pushes you to disengagement?

  • Do you believe that our engagement with God and one another leads to flourishing? How so? How do we live into that? Are we better together?

To end Matt’s sermon, he asked us to consider two questions as we seek engagement… feel free to answer these in-person or to think about them this week…

  • Where is the river we need to cross with God and for one another?

  • Where is the river you need to cross? Who is the person or the people that God is saying I need you to love him, her or them no matter what?

TO PRAY

Pray for God to show up in a way that pushes your small group and our church to be people of wrestling and struggling with God and for one another. Ask God to make it clear how he wants to use each person in your group to engage in order to bless the world. Is he using someone in their job? In their neighborhood, in their school? In your hobbies? In your fostering and/or adopting? In your friendships or parenting?

Matt DeLano