First Importance (Part 2): Peace In Doubt

TO START

This week, we jumped into part 2 of a series called First Importance, a series that invites us to look at five important invitations from the resurrection of Jesus. Each of which reminds us of the fact that our faith isn't created but rather handed down to us. This week, we took a closer look at the ways that we are invited to experience peace in the midst of our doubts. 

  • What is the best or worst article of clothing handed down to you? (Choose 1) 

TO SHARE

For the entirety of this series, First Importance, we invite your group to have 1 member share a 5 minute response to the following prompt: How was the faith handed down to you?

Reminder: Invite folks to share in advance of your group meeting and maybe start with folks who are less likely to share. This practice will continue for the next 3 weeks of the series: May 8th, 15th and 22nd. 

TO DISCUSS

To get to the heart of finding peace in the midst of our doubt. Read John 20:24-29

  • Do you struggle to be honest with yourself, God and others with your doubt? Is it easier for you to pretend that everything is fine?

  • Where do you go when you have doubts about faith, about yourself, about God, etc.?

Zane argues that part of being in relationship with other followers of Jesus is that some days we need to hear the faith of others when we don’t feel like we have any faith ourselves. In reality, most of our experiences with faith are tied up in the people around us in messy but necessary ways. 

  • Who is an example of someone in your life who has shared their faith with you at a time where you felt empty and without faith? What patterns or practices have you adopted in times of doubt?

To close, Zane points us to the reality that often when we doubt, question or deconstruct our faith, it’s not a product of Jesus himself but rather a product of others and our interpretations of Jesus. Interpretations that are often complicated and formed more by our own opinions, attitudes, postures, etc. than the Gospel itself. 

  • Where have you seen the peace of God show up in your doubt? In God’s silence? In waiting for God? Or in the midst of your struggles?

TO CLOSE

Near the end of Zane’s sermon, he highlighted 3 ways Jesus reveals the peace we can receive in the midst of our doubts based on Jesus’s resurrection interaction with Thomas: 1) we can receive it in the midst of God’s silence, 2) in the midst of waiting on God & 3) in the midst of our struggles. To close, we want to invite your group to pray for God’s peace to become clear and during a moment of silence in the prayer invite each group member who is willing to share out loud where they need God’s peace the most with one of the following:  1) silence, 2) waiting, OR 3) struggles. 

Matt DeLano