Faith Church Kansas
There are many people who want to believe in God or at the very least are curious about God, yet have tough questions or doubts that have yet to be addressed. We hope to shed some light on those very subjects over the next several Sundays, starting April 1.
We certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers, but hopefully, we can point people in the right direction and create a safe space for them to ask their questions.
We plan to cover topics like:
The Problem of the Christ Myth;
The Problem of the Bible;
The Problem of Hypocrisy;
The Problem of Sex;
The Problem of Hell;
The Problem of Evil & Suffering.
Message Title: The Problem of Evil + Suffering
The big question: If God is all powerful and is good, why is there evil & suffering in our world?
Evil and suffering exist as a result of the paradox of freedom.
The questions of evil & suffering are related less to philosophy and relate more to personal pain.
John 16:32 NIV
Jesus embraced suffering.
Jesus promise peace when you experience suffering.
John 16:33 NIV
Jesus has empathy & an embrace waiting for you in your suffering.
John 17:1 NIV
Romans 8:31-39 NIV
You can trust God with your suffering.
LIFE CONNECT QUESTIONS
Want to talk it over and connect this message to your everyday life? Good, us to! Change happens when we apply what learn and share it within community. Answer these questions so you can share with your Connect Group or talk it over with a personal friend.
The Problem of Evil + Suffering. Here’s the question millions of people have asked: God is good and if God is all-powerful, why is there suffering? Every world religion and worldview (including atheism and agnosticism) has to answer that question. Christianity has an unbelievably different kind of answer that almost everyone misses.
CONNECT IN CONVERSATION. [Conversation starters for your group.]
• Would you want to know ahead of time if something painful/tragic was going to happen or be surprised?
• What ‘easy’ explanations have you heard from why people suffer? What are some of the least satisfying explanations?
CONNECT TO THE WORD. [Read it and talk it out.]
• Read Romans 5:1-5 and Romans 8:31-39. What do these passages show us about Jesus answering suffering by embracing it?
• Suffering never leaves us spiritually neutral. Do you think it’s possible for suffering to drive you deeper into your relationship with Christ? How?
• Pastor said that we can trust God with our suffering. Why do you think this is true?
CONNECT WITH OTHERS. [Questions that create openness.]
• How has the problem of suffering impacted your life and the lives of the people you love?
• When do you think we grown the most? When life has been easy, or when there has been suffering? Why is that?
CONNECT TO LIFE.
Which one of the following will you do this week?
• Memorize Romans 8:37-39
• Invite a friend who is going through some personal pain to listen to the message and discuss it with you.
• Commit to spend 10 minutes in prayer each day this week.
CONNECT IN PRAYER.
God, we want to draw closer to You, the God who embraced suffering. You not only embraced suffering, You also long to embrace us. We ask for your peace to be with us. We confess that you are the God who heals the broken-hearted, so we ask for that healing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.