God With Us

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray walked the Monday night group through John 14, a chapter where Jesus offers his disciples comfort and hope in the middle of rising political and religious tension, just before his arrest. The evening combined a short teaching with an open conversation, and the group's reflections on grief, peace, the Holy Spirit, and obedience shaped the discussion as much as the prepared remarks did....

Read together

1. John 14 the entire chapter read aloud as the main text for the evening
2. John 3:16 quoted to support that Jesus is wide enough for the whole world, God so loved the world he gave his only son
3. 1 Peter 5:8 referenced when discussing the adversary, your adversary the devil

Talk about it

1. Jesus says 'Don't let your hearts be troubled' at a moment when everything around the disciples was falling apart politically and religiously. When has it been hardest for you to actually trust that, and what helped you hold on to it?
2. Pastor Ray described heaven mainly by saying 'Jesus will be there, and that's why it will be wonderful.' What does it mean to you personally that Jesus wants you to be where he is?
3. Jesus says 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' at a time when people around us say there must be multiple ways to God. How do you hold that teaching with honesty when someone in your life pushes back on it?
4. Several people tonight shared that God's peace is not the absence of sorrow or trial but something that stays in the middle of them. Has there been a time when you experienced that kind of peace, and what did it actually feel like compared to what the world offers?
5. Gary shared the blue bike story to describe what it means to ask anything in Jesus' name. How does walking closely with God shape what we find ourselves asking for, and how have you seen that play out in your own life?