Thanks again to Susan Farnham for this week’s discussion questions!
How does the “wonderful plan” message equate to real life?
Do you know someone who has fallen away from the faith? What was their reason? How did you respond and did you think you were equipped to respond?
A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:21-22 ESV
Mr. Comfort references Matthew 10:21,22 and then lists the persecutions faced by many of the apostles and early evangelists, persecutions Christians still face in the modern world. Is the contemporary church adequate in conveying the stark message of hate against Christians spoken of in Matthew 10? Why?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 ESV
God’s providence rules in such a way as to ensure that everything that happens to us is working for our ultimate good. What is that ultimate good? See verse 29, below.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29 ESV
Should we as Christians assess present circumstances in the light of our assurance of the future? How do we convey this to the unbeliever, those who have fallen away from the faith, when their circumstances do not reflect the world’s definition of ‘good’.
Mr. Comfort states that the most important reason not to use the “wonderful plan” message is that it isn’t biblical to do so (p.28). Discuss the scripture and examples he uses.