Concord Church, Statesville NC

May 29 2022 at Concord Presbyterian.
concordpreschurch.com
Music and lyrics used by permission from
CCLI License # CSPL086812
One License # A-735433

May 22, 2022 at Concord Presbyterian.
concordpreschurch.com
Music and lyrics used by permission from
CCLI License # CSPL086812
One License # A-735433

Job literally became a cliché, even though his experience was meant to be a singular example to all of history. Despite all of the physical things which happened to him, the worst part of his suffering - by far - was the scorn of his friends and family. They wanted him to abandon God, but he knew he had value in God’s eyes.

All of us have people who we don’t particularly like and broken relationships. Transformed relationships have to be intentionally nurtured. Christians are called to freely offer space in their lives and to see others in a different way through a new lens given by Christ. Who do you need to see in a different light?
- How do we support and grow our relationships?
- What circumstances exist in the world which we don’t fully understand? How could you bring God’s justice to those situations?
Songs used with Permission from:
bensounds.com

Our way of handling conflict and people we don’t like is by avoiding them or pretending they don’t exist. We can’t just pretend people, hurt, and our baggage doesn’t exist. Joseph chooses a different path when given the opportunity to punish his brothers. We can confuse our hurt with righteousness or truth.
- How do we offer grace to those who have caused us hurt?
- What is one time you could have acted of out of grace instead of hurt? How would you do it differently today?

May 15, 2022 at Concord Presbyterian.
concordpreschurch.com

Luke makes Paul look like the world’s best speaker, which is likely an attempt to make Paul look better and more effective. However, Paul was a talented speaker who actively searched for clues about how to explain the gospel to people with no background in the Jewish tradition. In the same way, the church is challenged to not just stand in contrast to society, nor to be overwhelmed by it, but to speak in ways society and culture can understand.

Sociologists define religion as anything which binds people together because of shared belief. If true, anything can become a religion, even a shared belief McDonald’s is the best hamburger. This passage is the result of a confrontation between different groups of believers who defend their shared beliefs as the only true Christian religion.
- How are religion and faith different? Where are they the same?
- How can our “religion” complicate finding a deeper faith in the true God?

In response to an unknown event which caused a sense of impending doom, this Psalm was written as a reminder to sing praises. The Psalmist shows how God acts throughout the passage of time. The acts of the past shows God’s faithfulness in the future.
- When you look at your past, where do you see God at work? How is that a foretaste of God’s actions on your behalf in the future?
- Are we walking into the light of the future or do we remain stuck in the darkness of the tunnel which has become more familiar?

May 1, 2022 at Concord Presbyterian.
concordpreschurch.com
Music and lyrics used by permission from
CCLI License # CSPL086812
One License # A-735433