LIFE-APPLICATION APPROACH
Icebreaker: "In the Bible the word for peace, shalom, never means simply the absence of trouble. It means everything which makes for our highest good. The peace which the world offers us is the peace of escape, the peace which comes from the avoidance of trouble and from refusing to face things. The peace which Jesus offers us is the peace of conquest. No experience of life can ever take it from us and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less. It is independent of outward circumstances"— Barclay, "The Gospel of John," The Daily Study Bible, rev. ed., vol. 2, p. 171.
Thought Questions:
1. The lesson says that the home is the single most violent place in society. It is easy to assume that families from such homes are not in your church. Unfortunately, violence in the family is a well-hidden phenomenon. Smiling, happy families, sitting together in church every Sabbath, are not proof of peace in the home. Shame, denial, and fear keep the abused from seeking help. Not many churches have a trained counselor on staff. What can your church do to provide confidential counseling services to your members?
2. "There can be no peace-making in the wrong atmosphere. If men have come together to hate, they will hate. If men have come together to refuse to understand, they will misunderstand. If men have come together to see no other point of view but their own, they will see no other. But if men have come together, loving Christ and seeking to love each other, even those who are most widely separated can come together in him."—Barclay, "The Gospel of Mark," The Daily Study Bible, revised edition, pp. 140, 141.
Application Question:
Reread the icebreaker. Imagine the pain of being nailed alive to a cross. Translate that into the depth of involvement that the church needs to have concerning the burdens and problems of others. Identify people in your congregation with the gifts of empathy, counseling, listening, and servitude. Ask them to be the burden-bearers of the church and come up with specific strategies to be there for people who are suffering.