Unshakable Resolve, part 2

CELL MATTERS

Unshakable RESOLVE: Living for the applause of One.

Opening thoughts:  Jesus said, “I do not accept praise from men.” (John 5:41)  Is this realistic?  Don’t we all need to get kudos once in awhile?  How was Jesus able to live without depending on the praise of other people?  We’ll explore this in our lesson tonight.

OPENING QUESTIONS:

1. Is peer pressure something that only kids deal with, or do adults wrestle with it also?
2. Can you share any examples from your own life about how peer pressure affects you?

GOING DEEPER:

1. READ John 5:43-44.
2. What accusation does Jesus level at these religious leaders?
3. How did their desire for each other’s praise prevent them from believing in Jesus?
4. How does the crowd of our world prevent people from believing in Jesus?
5. SKIM John 6:1-15. (We read this on Sunday, so just a quick scan through it is all that is necessary.)
6. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus knew they wanted to make Him king by force.  Would this be a good thing or a bad thing?  Why?
7. How did Jesus respond to this crowd?
8. What does this say about how Jesus feels towards the crowd?

GETTING PERSONAL:

1. How much do other people’s opinions of you matter? 
2. Talk about a time recently when you caved to social pressure and it affected your faith.
3. What does this say about your relationship with God?
4. How could getting alone help you to get refocused?

GROUP PRAYER:

1. Pray for one another to be strong, to live for Jesus no matter what the cost.  This is a great night to recommit ourselves to Christ’s Lordship in our lives.
2. Remember to pray for your friends who do not yet know Jesus.

MAKE A PLAN:

1. The annual “Christmas in April” is coming up on April 24.  The sign up for this has already begun.  Please call the church office if you are looking for details on how to get your group involved.