September 21 - Real Good News

Good News for the Stuck

​Icebreaker
What’s the funniest or strangest way you’ve ever been “stuck” (literally or figuratively)?

Study Questions

1. Read Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18. What differences do you notice between Isaiah’s prophecy and Jesus’ reading in the synagogue, and why do you think that matters?
2. In what ways did Israel’s exile serve as both God’s judgment and His discipline of love? (See 2 Chronicles 36:15–20; Jeremiah 29:10–14.)
3. In what ways did the people of Israel and Judah experience captivity?
4. How does the Good News of Jesus fulfill and expand God’s promises of freedom in the Gospels?

Application Questions

1. Which kind of captivity (spiritual, emotional, economic, physical/social) feels most relevant in your life or in the lives of people around us right now?
2. How can you personally rely on Jesus to bring freedom in the area where you or others feel most “stuck”?
3. What might it look like for our group to be “beautiful feet” bringing good news of freedom to others (Romans 10:15)?
4. Who in our community might be experiencing a kind of captivity, and what’s one step you could take to bring encouragement or practical help this week?

Prayer
Spend time naming areas where you feel “stuck” and pray for one another to experience Jesus’ freedom. Pray also for God’s Spirit to convict oppressors of their sin and to empower us as His people to bring comfort, justice, and hope to those still in captivity.