Connect Group 02
Text: Luke 7. 18 – 23
Icebreaker: Have you ever had doubt about a route, and because you didn’t ask or check it you took the wrong way?
John the Baptist was the greatest man born of women (Luke 7.28). Imagine the things that he saw, understood and passed through. Even before he was born, he leapt for joy in his Mother’s womb because he responded to the unborn Jesus who was being carried by Mary.
He baptized Jesus, and when he finished the heavens were opened, a dove came to Jesus and God Himself spoke. Can you imagine a baptism like this?
He knew that Jesus was the Messiah! He had proof of that in all that he had seen! But when he was in prison, alone, feeling left behind, the doubts started to come to him!
I would like to say that I have no doubt and that the doubts won’t come to you, but the truth is that it will come.
This does not mean that we are in sin, or that we are any less a Christian because of that. The doubts just show that we are humans. It’s what we do with our doubts that matters and if we are having them, they are like a yellow light on the traffic lights which mean get ready to stop and think, and spend time with God to tell Him how we are feeling.
If John the Baptist, the man that was the first to recognize Jesus and tell people who he was, had doubts, we cannot expect to be doubt-free!
We need to understand that faith is not about “having no doubts”, but is an assurance that reminds us that we don’t walk by what we can feel or what we can see, but by what we believe.
Some doubts will come, and we will know that they make no sense, others will take our breath away, and others will be just a moment of fear about something!
The thing is that we need to learn how to deal with doubts, so let’s learn with John the Baptist about that, and if you want to overcome the doubt, you need to:
1) Run to Jesus, not from Jesus
Many people when they have a doubt run from Jesus! That is wrong!
WE need to understand that when we have some doubt, we RUN to Jesus, we run to the one that has power to change any circumstance! We need to be honest with Jesus, not pretend to be perfect!
John couldn’t go to Jesus, but He sent his disciples to talk to Him!
2) Confess (OPEN) your doubts with someone
James 5 says that we need to confess and pray for one another in order to be healed!
Don’t keep the doubts to yourself, if you do, the doubt will eat away at you and at your faith! Be honest about your doubts with your cell group leader or someone else, because God has more for you!
3) Don’t Stop!
Don’t be offended by Jesus (v.23). Don’t listen to your fears; listen to Jesus and His word!
Don’t stop, God is with you!
Conclusion: I know that we all will have doubts at one moment or another in our lives, so today we can decide to be open to God and to the people who are helping us in our discipleship journey. Would you like to ask God to help you with your doubts? So share with someone and let’s pray!
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