Post by Admin on Feb 6, 2020 7:13:53 GMT
Tonight’s video with Max relayed the story of a man who was struck with a devastating illness and faced critical surgery, and then delved into the scriptural story of Paul on the sea in the storm, on the way to Rome, among a ship’s crew who had tried everything to save themselves, and thought they were doomed. In the case of Paul’s story, Paul assures the men that - in the midst of tumultuous seas – an angel had come to him and reassured him. And that was the key to having God’s peace: knowing He is with us in the storms. Ultimately, the man in Max's video had no recourse to his fears save to rest in the arms of the Lord.
After the video, we launched our discussion by reading John 14:27, in which Jesus assures us that He gives us His peace. We discussed what differentiates the “peace” found in the world, which is temporary and untrustworthy, from God’s peace, which is consistent and reliable. One is a cessation of trouble, possibly with a manipulative motive and almost certainly short-lived. The other is calmness in the midst of trouble, a serenity we can tap with confidence because we know it will be there. The next passage we discussed was Matthew’s version of the time Jesus was asleep on a boat and it ran into such heavy seas that the disciples were afraid they would drown. After they woke Jesus, He reprimanded the disciples before he rebuked the sea itself. Both actions were designed to bring stillness, first to the anxiety of the disciples, secondly to the waves and wind. On the surface, this incident reminds us that with Jesus, we do not have to fear; He is in control. On another level, it suggests that we need to surrender our desire to have control of every moment of our lives and know our future; we must trust that God has authority over the future. Most revitalizing for us was to consider in what aspects of our lives fear has become a burden we carry unnecessarily, over which Jesus would stand up and tell us, “have faith.” Another passage, from Hebrews, describes God as a father who in love disciplines his child. Does knowing that God allows troubles in our life, often self-inflicted because of bad choices and failings, to stimulate our growth, give us peace? Many in the group felt that it did, as it is proof of God’s love. Even if the immediate troubles were not much fun.
In the video and in the discussion, we parsed Paul’s comment in Acts 27:23, and talked about each of the elements. An angel came to Paul – only after two weeks of torment on the sea and a ship at the breaking point; we need to know that God is on our side even when circumstances, or our own lapses in judgement, need to be endured longer than we wish. Paul knows he is God’s child; we have the security of a loving Father. Paul also knows that he is God’s servant and that he has a mission God has assigned him; what is our “mission,” and does our assignment give us confidence?
After the video, we launched our discussion by reading John 14:27, in which Jesus assures us that He gives us His peace. We discussed what differentiates the “peace” found in the world, which is temporary and untrustworthy, from God’s peace, which is consistent and reliable. One is a cessation of trouble, possibly with a manipulative motive and almost certainly short-lived. The other is calmness in the midst of trouble, a serenity we can tap with confidence because we know it will be there. The next passage we discussed was Matthew’s version of the time Jesus was asleep on a boat and it ran into such heavy seas that the disciples were afraid they would drown. After they woke Jesus, He reprimanded the disciples before he rebuked the sea itself. Both actions were designed to bring stillness, first to the anxiety of the disciples, secondly to the waves and wind. On the surface, this incident reminds us that with Jesus, we do not have to fear; He is in control. On another level, it suggests that we need to surrender our desire to have control of every moment of our lives and know our future; we must trust that God has authority over the future. Most revitalizing for us was to consider in what aspects of our lives fear has become a burden we carry unnecessarily, over which Jesus would stand up and tell us, “have faith.” Another passage, from Hebrews, describes God as a father who in love disciplines his child. Does knowing that God allows troubles in our life, often self-inflicted because of bad choices and failings, to stimulate our growth, give us peace? Many in the group felt that it did, as it is proof of God’s love. Even if the immediate troubles were not much fun.
In the video and in the discussion, we parsed Paul’s comment in Acts 27:23, and talked about each of the elements. An angel came to Paul – only after two weeks of torment on the sea and a ship at the breaking point; we need to know that God is on our side even when circumstances, or our own lapses in judgement, need to be endured longer than we wish. Paul knows he is God’s child; we have the security of a loving Father. Paul also knows that he is God’s servant and that he has a mission God has assigned him; what is our “mission,” and does our assignment give us confidence?