Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
Better Under Pressure
Scripture
8 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.
9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”
Main Idea
Pressure has a purpose. In today's scripture, Paul was doing ministry in a community whose culture prized pleasure and ease over all else. Pain was to be avoided and pressure was viewed as failure.
But pressure is exactly what God uses to grow and expand us.
- Pressure is a privilege. Romans 5: 3-4 tell us that pressure and affliction produces patient and unswerving endurance, which develops our maturity, producing joyful and confident hope
- Figure out the force - Paul was experiencing pressure due to backlash from a business owner losing business (aka, money). Paul figured this out and knew he could set his hope in Christ (2 Cor 1:9-10 NIV) who promised delivery through hardships
- Add to the area - Paul, in 2 Cor 1:11, expresses gratitude for ‘ for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” This highlights the need to spread out the forces in our life that pull us and create pressure. Having community is essential!
Actions: how we build opportunities for community
Relationships: how we allow others to enter our world
Emotions: how we allow our emotions to shape our growth - are we griping or growing?
Anointing: allowing God’s Holy Spirit to use us for his holy purposes
Tension/pressure in our lives is like the pressure on strings of an instrument. Without tension, it loses all ability to perform its intended function. Without tuning, function is impossible. Tuning happens when the wrong note is placed against the constant of the right note. Tension is applied and the correct note emerges to match the constant, unchanging note of the tuner. Our constant is Christ and his Word.
Pressure is what God uses to expand
Discussion Questions
- In our culture where ease is king, how can we adjust our view of life’s pressures? For example; I’m stressed about a large project at work (or school) VS I’m thankful I have a job that values my contributions and relies on me OR I’m thankful I get the opportunity to get my education
- How can today’s sermon change your perspective on the pressures you are feeling today?
- In the example of tuning an instrument, a tuner, separate from the instrument, is needed to provide the correct note. Give some examples of things in your life that can act as a ‘tuner’ for you?
Summary
In conclusion, we all want joy, contentment, peace and fulfillment. These are not products to be shopped as if they are items on a shelf, available to us for our choosing. Available to us without effort. No, they only come as a result of pressure/tension in our lives. When the pressure comes, we have choices to make. Will we allow God to use our difficulties for our good? Will we allow him to grow us during times of tension? Or will we grumble our days away, wishing for ease and comfort? Lean into the life that God has asked you to live. He has given you the tools to produce peace, joy, hope, and contentment, but you must embrace the pressure as part of his process. Embrace the pressure. Find your people. Craft the narrative with intention. Be ready to be used by God in powerful ways.
Take Action
1. Challenge yourself: when a grumble crosses your mind - reframe it! For example; you get cut off in traffic. You want to be indignant. Instead, ask yourself why they may be in a hurry? Their sitter was late again and another tardy may result in job loss...We fill in narratives for people all the time, why not use it as an opportunity to see others differently?
2.Start making a list of your pressures. Turn them into prayers - look back every so often and see what those pressures produced
3. Tighten up your morning routine: this will mean different things to different people.
Some ideas: wake up 30 min earlier so you aren't needlessly rushed/stressed during your routine, make your bed (starting wih one small act, can change the momentum of your day), read your Bible App's Verse of the Day, pray for the day ahead, walk the dog and pray or re-listen to this week's sermon (one earbud only - safety first, folks!), hit the gym (stewardship of the physical body), eat a breakfast that fuels you physically (think, protein!) to better accomplish what you need to mentally and spiritualy, etc
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