Page 5 - TeenText HS Sample

BE REAL
(What connections can you make between the story and the world around you?)
1. How do Jesus’ instructions compare to the way the Roman society dealt with conflict? How do they compare to the way our own society and culture do? What does Jesus ask us to do differently?
2. Jesus instructs the disciples not to immediately air their grievances to the world. Where do you see people sharing their hurts or the wrongful actions of others in unhelpful ways? What is the result of this?
3. What does conflict resolution look like in your own community of faith? Does it follow the pattern Jesus shares? How might you improve these methods?
4. What causes conflict in the Christian community at large? What do you see the church disagreeing over? How are these conflicts handled? How can they be better approached?
5. How does Jesus speak about tax collectors and Gentiles elsewhere? What does it mean that we should treat our offenders such as these?
LET GO
(Be open to discovering how this story is happening in your own life.)
1. Overall, do you think Jesus’ path to resolution seems difficult? Why or why not? What part of his instructions do you find the most difficult?
2. What is your natural reaction when you are hurt by someone? Do you tell others first or speak with the offender directly? How does this compare to Jesus’ instructions?
3. How would you feel if someone shared your hurtful actions with all your friends before coming to you?
4. Is this particular action/instruction (addressing the offender first and not sharing with others) impacted by the presence of social media? Why or why not? What are the dangers of sharing with others – particularly via social media?
5. Are these instructions just for practice in Christian community? Are they instructions for Christians in all of the communities we are a part of? Why or why not?
6. Jesus promises to be wherever two or three are gathered in his name. Where are the communities where you gather with other believers? How have you experienced this promise in your own life?
V. EXPLORING FURTHER:
A note about links: when TeenText goes to press all links are live and in working order. Links sometimes move or are renamed. If a link does not work for you try entering the search terms in Google.
ENGAGE—How might you implement these methods for resolving conflict in your own life? Consider the communities you are a part of and what it would look like in each of these. Have students create a chart, on one side listing the communities they are a part of (family, sports teams, friends, church, etc.). On the other side, list what these three steps would look like in each of these communities.
3
The Educational Center, PO Box 11892,Charlotte, NC 28220 ~ 704.375.1161 ~ www.educationalcenter.org