- Do you see yourself as a “maker and maintainer of peace”? How can you apply this teaching of Jesus to your personal life in new ways, as a result of what you’ve learned?
- When Jesus teaches non-retaliation toward someone who hurts you, can you imagine not responding in kind? How can retaliation give the one who hurt you control of the situation? Can you think of examples in your life of responding in both ways? Which was more effective and helpful?
- How do you understand Jesus’ teaching to “love your enemy”? Most of us simply ignore this command of Jesus. Who do you see as your enemies? How can we try to follow this teaching of Jesus in practical ways?
- Has your faith in Jesus caused conflict in your family or with friends? How have you dealt with this?
- Do you know of any other religion – besides Christianity – anywhere in the world whose deity weeps over evil? What does this tell you about the God of the Bible?
- Being a peacemaker can be a tough job in our broken world. Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will equip and empower us to be agents of peace is critically important. Have you experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in your life as you have worked for peace in difficult situations?