CONVERSATION STARTERS
Conversation Starters help us dig deeper, connecting Sunday’s sermons with our Monday lives. Please know that these questions are meant to be a resource. You do not have to follow them verbatim or get through them all. We trust you to know your group and to ask the questions based on your group needs.

1. Share a time when you felt lonely or rejected.

2. Read John 15:18-27 silently or aloud.

3. In some ways, following our king makes our lives harder and at times lonelier. What makes following him worth it?

4. What do we learn about Jesus in this passage?

5. What does this passage say about what it means for believers to follow Jesus as king?

6. How does this passage encourage and/or challenge you?

PRAYER PROMPT
Spend time thanking God for his presence in your lives and the indwelling of his Spirit. Pray for your Spirit-enabled witness to the world. May others see Jesus in the lives of your group members.

Title: The King’s Witnesses
Reference: John 15:18-27
Speaker: Bill Gorman, BillG@cckc.church

> How do we handle being hated because of Jesus?
- Expect it

" The world is “not the universe in general but the created order, especially humans, in rebellion against its Creator." - D.A. Carson

> How do we handle being hated because of Jesus?
- Expect it
- Remember it isn’t about you

"There are Christians who cry persecution at everything. Let me be clear that I am not, nor have I ever, argued that Christians in the United States are being persecuted. Christians in the United States, unlike Christians in certain other countries, are not thrown in jail, or killed specifically because of their faith. If that changes in the future then I will talk of Christians being persecuted in the United States. But right now, it is imprudent for Christians in the United States to talk about persecution…. However, anti-Christian bias is real and produces tangible consequences… While Christians are not persecuted today, they do face the reality of anti-religious bigotry. Christians should take a middle ground approach where they avoid claims of persecution but recognize the reality of how modern Christianophobia impacts society."
- George Yancey

> How do we handle being hated because of Jesus?
- Expect it
- Remember it isn’t about you
- Remember hate can’t stop the mission

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

> Cultivate your friendship with Jesus.

> Learn from those who have done it well.

> Build joy in the body of Christ.