“Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil’” (John 7:6-7).
Looking around at the world and observing all that happens, listening to news cycles, speaking with neighbors and community members, even hearing discussions among pious Christians reveals many varied thoughts on life. Does this surprise you? Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). In a fallen world where sin stains everything, how are you to think about life issues? How are you to discern what is truth? How shall you share that truth, winsomely, so that through all you say and do, the Gospel of forgiveness in our Lord Jesus Christ remains preeminent?
We must understand the times in which we live. What can you discover about how Scripture describes this world and our daily life?
- As you read Ephesians 5:1-21, make a list describing the world in which we live.
- Psalm 12 laments the world’s condition. What do you find to lament still today?
- The wisdom of Ecclesiastes 9 might be difficult to hear and understand. What do you discover about life in this age from these words of wisdom?
Seeing our world’s condition and how some seem to prosper despite their sinful lifestyles might cause some to question justice. Some may even question if God still watches over and cares for us in this life. What can you learn as you read how Scripture addresses these thoughts?
- What do you discover while reading Psalm 49?
- Proverbs 6 drips with justice coming to evildoers, but it also gives hope. What is God doing in these words? Make lists showing how God both executes justice and establishes righteousness.
- John 16:16-33 records Jesus praying with His disciples on the night of His betrayal and arrest. What does He tell us to expect in this age, and how does He provide hope?
Life issues certainly give opportunity for contemplation and conflict. The goal of our study is to increase our knowledge of life issues and their possible supports. We also strive to minimize our conflicts through Gospel-motivated words and actions. Movement toward changing hearts and minds is always better than winning an argument!
- Jeremiah 29 speaks to those of Israel exiled to live in Babylon, a foreign place under godless leadership. How does this chapter give you some insight into living under tenuous circumstances today? In what ways does this message give you hope that God is always in control and seeks only your best, even in difficult circumstances?
- What does Psalm 122 call us to seek with those around us?
- What does Paul reveal to you as he writes to the church in Philippi, chapter one? What good may come out of controversy or suffering? What calling are you charged to support and uphold?
- How does Paul address the saints in Rome with the words of chapter twelve? When persecution or evil come your way, how do Paul’s words give you help and hope?
Life issues call for those blessed in Christ with new life to pursue truth and to support, often at the cost of their own sacrifice, those who are in need. In Matthew 22 we hear Jesus say, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
- What does Proverbs 13 teach you about the differences in thinking of those who are wise compared with those who are unwise?
- Describe the call or vocation that Scripture gives you in these verses:
Matthew 16:24-28
Romans 5:1-11
Luke 10:25-37
1 John 4
Even when the message is difficult, it is imperative for the saints of God to remain faithful to the truth. Spend time contemplating Scripture’s reality that speaking the truth in love, though tedious and often met with distrust and unbelief, still yields results. As you read these passages, meditate upon how you might put their truths to work in your life ministry. How might you stand in the truth? How might you lift the concerns of others in prayer to God while also supporting their needs through Gospel-motivated love and forgiveness?
- Read Acts 13; Ephesians 6; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 3; Galatians 5
Take time to pray for your Gospel-motivated work in life issues! Praise the Lord for all He does in your life and through your life to share the truth in love.
Lord and Giver of Life, Holy Spirit of God, life-giving Breath, we look to You for the strength to stand up for life in all its stages, from the moment of conception until that time when You say “return to dust, O children of men.” Use us to give voice to the defense of life through our voting, our writing, our speaking, our non-violent protests, as well as our fasting and fervent prayers. Work in the hearts and minds of fathers and mothers everywhere. Help all parents to take responsibility for their children. Guide and direct the life-issues decision makers, not only those in the home, but also those in the White House, in the Houses and Senates of our states and nation, and in the courthouses of our country. Together, may we all take it as a sacred obligation to defend the defenseless, to support the weak, and to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We humbly ask for all these things with boldness and confidence in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who is the Resurrection and the Life, and who has come to give us life in all its fullness. Amen.