Community Group Questions
Peace Maker - Matthew 5:9
Getting Started
1. What is the difference between keeping the peace, avoiding conflict, and being a peacemaker? Why might those look very different in practice?
2. Why is peace sometimes so difficult to pursue? What does conflict reveal about what we want, what we fear, and what we are willing to surrender?
Other Passages to Look At
3. Read Colossians 1:19–22. What has Jesus done to make peace between us and God? What does this tell us about where true peace begins?
4. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17–20. What does Paul say God has accomplished through Christ, and what does he then call us to be? How does being a recipient of reconciliation shape our identity?
Practical Implications
(Re)Orientation
5. Do you find yourself more comfortable with avoiding tension than pursuing genuine peace? How does being reconciled to God change the way you understand peace? How does that reshape the way you see your relationships, or relational conflicts?
Inspection
6. What might make peace difficult to pursue? When conflict arises, do you tend to withdraw, defend yourself, insist on being right, or wait for the other person to make the first move? What might your response reveal about what you are trying to protect?
Invitation
7. What do you think Jesus is inviting you into when he calls you to be a peacemaker? How does trusting that Jesus does not ask us to pretend that hurt never happened or that every conflict can be resolved easily free you to walk in his way of peacemaking? What might it mean for you to enter his work of reconciliation while trusting him with the outcomes of difficult areas in our lives?
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Prayer focus: Jesus, create in us clean hearts. Give us the freedom to stop hiding and to bring our whole selves into your gracious presence