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Declaring Hope
Declaring Hope Session One: Separation and Reunion
Scriptures
John 14:15-31; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 3:1-6; Galatians 2:19-21; Galatians 3:23-29
Questions for Reflection
1) Have you ever had a “reunion” that touched you personally? A family reunion, high school reunion, or just a time when you reunited with an old friend, family member, or mentor? What does it feel like to long for that kind of reunion? What does it feel like when it’s fulfilled?
2) What are some of your favorite Biblical stories that involve this theme? Who do we see experience a “reunion” in Scripture?
3) Christ was “high and lifted up” on the cross to bridge the gap between heaven and earth with his body and reunite us with God. It is in him that we find our home. What are some ways that Jesus has led you “home” personally? How have you experienced this reunion with God in your own life?
4) In what ways do you still feel tension, as if you are caught between separation and reunion (longing for heaven but living on earth)?
5) As ambassadors for Christ, what are some practical ways we can respond to the reunion we have experienced and help more people come home to God’s love?
Weekly Prayer Theme
Pray for those who feel separated from God, family, or community.
Declaring Hope Session Two: Conflict and Vindication
Scriptures
Luke 4:14-21; Hebrews 4:12-16; Galatians 5:1-14; Matthew 25:35-40; Matthew 5:1-12
Questions for Reflection
1) Jesus assured us that we will face trouble (John 16:33). When you face personal or interpersonal conflict, how do you typically respond? (For example: Do you try to avoid it, fight it, or yield to it?)
2) Jesus also assured us that he has overcome the world (John 16:33). How did Jesus respond to the conflict all around him, and the conflict that was directed toward him?
3) How does Christ’s love for us displayed on the cross and his victory over sin and death change how we respond to the conflict within ourselves and within the world?
4) When we have unresolved conflict in our lives, we can often contribute more harm to others (“hurt people hurt people”). Is there anything you have been carrying in your life that has been a source of pain? In what ways are you in need of God’s restoration and healing?
5) God has called us to be “peacemakers,” not merely keeping the peace, but actively cultivating deep peace in our own lives and in our relationships (Matthew 5:9). What are some practical ways that we can be peacemakers in our relationships and declare the hope of Christ?
Weekly Prayer Theme
Pray for those living in conflict, that they would experience peace, restoration, and freedom.
Declaring Hope Session Three: Emptiness and Fulfillment
Scriptures
Genesis 3, Psalm 8; Psalm 23; Matthew 6:25-27; Matthew 10:29-31; Matthew 16:21-27; Philippians 1:5-9; Philippians 2:1-13; Hebrews 2:17-18
Questions for Reflection
1) We are often so busy trying to achieve “more” in life and feel “significant” that we miss what matters the most. What have you spent your life working towards? How do you want to be remembered by your loved ones?
2) We often feel scarcity and insecurity in this life, but scripture speaks to our longing for more. What does it mean that we “lack nothing” when the Lord is our Shepherd (Psalm 23)?
3) How does the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus continually communicate that our lives have value? How do we see that God loves the world and loves us as individuals?
4) How can being a follower of Jesus help us escape the trap of needing to feel significant in an earthly sense with money, power, fame, etc.?
5) What has your own journey been like in experiencing God’s love and acceptance? Has it been easy or hard for you? What, if anything, is standing in the way of your fulfillment today?
Weekly Prayer Theme
Pray for those who are feeling empty and insignificant, that they would find fulfillment in Christ.
Declaring Hope Session Four: Condemnation and Forgiveness
Scriptures
Psalm 103; Ephesians 1:1-10; Colossians 1:3-14; Romans Road to Salvation: Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:1, Romans 10:9
Small Group Questions
1) What is one of the most profound stories of forgiveness you’ve ever witnessed or experienced? What made it so powerful?
2) In our world we are very quick to condemn but slow to forgive and reconcile. How is that different from what we see from God’s character and approach to condemnation and forgiveness, even throughout the Old Testament?
3) The enemy-love of God and the radical forgiveness of Christ was a source of controversy and tension for God’s people throughout scripture. What are some stories about Jesus in the gospels that communicate God’s forgiveness in a world that seeks to condemn?
4) Even though God has forgiven us, we can be slow to forgive ourselves. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and rose from the grave so that we could take on a new identity as saints. How does the identity of “saint” or “sinner” resonate with you? Are you drawn toward one more than the other? Do you find either of them uncomfortable?
5) What is the difference between “shame” and “conviction”? How have you experienced them? How has Christ’s forgiveness made a difference in your life? Has it changed how you treat yourself and others?
Weekly Prayer Theme
Pray for those who are living in condemnation that they would encounter, receive, and extend the forgiveness of Christ.
Declaring Hope Session Five: Suffering and Endurance
Scriptures
James 1:1-12; Hebrews 4:12-16; John 11:1-45; Isaiah 53; Mark 15; Romans 5:3-5; Revelation 21
Small Group Questions
1) What stories come to mind when you think of suffering and endurance? What people do you think of in your life, and how have they endured their suffering?
2) Why do pain and suffering present such significant challenges to peoples’ belief in God?
3) How do we see God respond to human suffering throughout scripture? What does the crucifixion tell us about suffering and God’s heart toward it?
4) How does having a relationship with Jesus help us endure suffering? How does he sustain us and transform us in our suffering (Romans 5:3-5)? What hope do we have beyond it (Revelation 21:1-5)?
5) In scripture, God often prioritizes being “with” people over fixing their problems. What does God teach us in times of suffering? What is the power of being “with” someone in their suffering? What are some ways can we care for those who are suffering?
Weekly Prayer Theme
Pray for those who are suffering that they would endure all things with the power, peace, and presence of Christ.