~Open in prayer~
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Personal growth, submissions, honor, and struggles faced within families are some of the major references in the sermon this week. Pastor Ron talks about Ruth and Boaz and then moves into what it’s like to feel disconnected from God, instructors vs. anchors, and the personal family pain he’s experienced. We are a church seeking spiritual guidance, being open to receiving wisdom, and learning to navigate the difficulty of finding peace when family is hurting.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Mentorship vs. Experience (If you aren’t listening to wisdom, God’s other option is to teach you in experience)
(Read Ruth 3:5)
Ruth responded to Naomi “All that you say to me, I will do.” Do you think it is counterculture to submit to a mentor/authority figure? How do you choose to honor those around you and ahead of you; do you listen?
- Being an heir with Christ means there is something God has prearranged as an inheritance to give. There is an age – a level of maturity to be reached before an heir can receive their promise. (Read 1 Corinthians 13; “when I was a child…” “…but when I became a man, I put away childish things”
Are you able to take your thoughts captive (think correctly), control your tongue (speak correctly), and align your emotions with your your Spirit (perceive correctly)? Are one/all 3 of those holding you back from the Father being able to release blessings (inheritance) in your life?
Would a mentor (Spiritual father/mother) help ‘anchor you’ to a more Godly character?
1. Feeling disconnected from God can lead to self-reliance and being less open to wisdom from others and submission to authority.
Take a moment for true self-reflection. Do you still feel spiritually ‘fresh’ – or has your connection been lost due to busyness and life distractions?
- Pastor Ron speaks openly about the drug addiction his son experienced. While he was maintaining the church and the outward appearances to keep those around him encouraged, he struggled to find peace and joy for himself.
Are there struggles you have in your own family?
Is there internal pain that tends to overshadow all the good? Has the pain overtaken you and now you don’t even see the good?
Let’s encourage each other in the hope of our faith, and the peace that only comes by knowing Christ.
Bible References for peace (if needed):
Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”
Romans 5:3-5: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, character, and hope.”
CONCLUSION
As we seek mentors (spiritual fathers), grow in our abilities to control ourselves (maturity), and respect/honor those who can ‘anchor our character’, we’ll remember that the grace of ‘peace in pain’ is our promise of inheritance.
Challenge: Continue searching your own heart in how you (or if you are able) receive wisdom. If you do not have someone ahead of you, in the direction you feel called, reach out to them this week- submit to a voice that carries enough weight to help you grow and strengthen the areas where you feel weak.
END IN PRAYER