Ready for Impact (10 minutes)
Take time to catch up on the past week (over drinks or snacks if possible). Then ask group members to discuss:
- Where’s your happy place?
(a place, real or imagined, you find comfort when life is hard)
Over this term, we’re exploring the theme of moving. Many of us will have changes and moves ahead: this series allows us to look to God’s word for wisdom.
Ask for a volunteer to read Acts 18:1-11 to the group, praying a short prayer that, however much they’ve come to know God, they’d know him better as a result of your time together.
Watch
Download this video to watch offline.
Impacted by the Word (15 minutes)
Suggested questions to help your discussion.
- Imagine yourself as Silas or Timothy, just arriving in Corinth (verse 5). What might Paull tell you about his time in Corinth so far?
- Though Paul experiences encouragement (verse 8), he’s also viciously opposed (verse 6). What does verse 9 tell us about how this had made Paul feel?
- Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. How do these verses further help us understand how Paul felt in Corinth?
- Paul was clearly ready to leave Corinth. How do you think Jesus’ words (verses 9-11) persuaded Paul to stay and keep going?
It’s not wise to stay in every dangerous or threatening situation. Yet sometimes people are trapped and cannot leave. Other times, love for Jesus causes them to stay. Jesus promises to be with all of us, wherever we are, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
- When it’s right to stay but its difficult, how can what we see of Jesus in Acts 18 encourage us?
In Acts 18, Jesus asks Paul to stay in a difficult and potentially violent situation to preach the gospel. Some Christians find themselves in a similar situation today. They witness bravely, even whilst they are in danger, and sometimes unable to leave. We should pray for them.
While taking risks and making sacrifices is a key part of following Jesus, so is hoping people to get safe and stay safe when they are in situations or danger or potential abuse. For an action to be classed as genuinely sacrificial, it must be voluntary on the one making the sacrifice. Acts 18 shows us that Jesus is able to sustain his people in extraordinarily tough situations.
If you or a member of your Impact Group thinks they are in a situation or relationship that’s dangerous to them, it’s important they know they can leave. As they consider this, ensure they get necessary help and support from university services, their local church and, if appropriate, the police.
Impacting Our Hearts (15 minutes)
Al is a Leicester CU graduate who’s been leading a church in an under-privileged area of the north of England for the past 14 years.
- How has your own life been impacted by people who’ve stayed when it would have been easier for them to leave?
- Do you think you’re more likely to stay when Jesus is prompting you to go, or go when Jesus is asking you to stay?
If appropriate, you could also share this article with your group – To Stay and To Serve: Why We Didn’t Flee Ukraine – written by a Ukrainian pastor in February 2022. The author’s Instagram (@v_ostryi) shows he and his church came good on these stated intentions.
Spend a few minutes asking God to help you to be trust him in your fears, whether that involves going or staying.
Impacting the University (10 minutes)
Discuss together:
- Which areas of uni life do you find yourself wanting to quit because they’re difficult spaces to be in?
- If you really believed Jesus’ words – “I am with you” – how would it change the way you relate to these people and places? How could God use your willingness to stay?
Ask one member to pray for the group, particularly for those in difficult situations.
Wrap-up – think TACOS 🌮
- Thank You – Thank everyone for coming, and ask someone to thank God for your time together in prayer.
- Ask – Ask those who are new to reading the Bible if they’d like to explore Uncover, a set of sessions in Mark’s Gospel, allowing them to investigate one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life alongside one of you.
- Church and CU – What does the CU have planned ahead? And what help would group members value in finding a local church?
- Others – Who else could you invite to join your CU Impact Group next week? These friends don’t need to be followers of Jesus and may really appreciate being invited.
- See You Soon – Tell the group where and when you’ll meet next week, and arrange who will bring snacks. (You might like to alternate healthy and less healthy weeks!). See if anyone would be up for sharing a meal or hanging out socially in the meantime!