the Road to Peace Guide

HOW TO ENGAGE Imagine the last time you were journeying along a road, whether that was in your car on the way to work or riding your bike on a wooded path. Perhaps you were taking a walk after the end of a long day or going for a run first thing in the morning. Chances are, whatever road you found yourself on, it wasn t perfectly straight. Maybe you encountered a speed bump here or a pothole there. There may have even been a few pebbles or branches obstructing your journey. And yet you found your way to your final destination. Life can be a lot like the roads we travel day to day. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of obstructions along the way: a disappointment here, a severed relationship there. Sometimes we even run headfirst into our own brokenness and sin. Oftentimes, we try to will our way around and through, with our own strength and from the reserves of our own wisdom and insight. But the Lord gives us a strong promise straight from His Word: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. PROVERBS 3:5 6 No matter what road you find yourself on in this season, there s an invitation within these pages. The invitation is to open the fullness of your heart to the Lord. This is no small task. If you ve been hurt before, trusting the Lord with all your heart may seem too vulnerable and scary. But if we do this if we acknowledge both the fullness of all that our hearts hold as well as who He is we ll find a straight path, a path that leads to peace. the Road to Peace 3

Unlike some of your morning jogs or rides into work, we get to travel this road to the peace our Lord provides together. There are four elements of this journey: TEACHING Before you get started with this guide, visit willowcreek.org/theroadtopeace and watch or listen to the core teaching. Discipleship Director Rick Shurtz will walk us through some key ideas grounded in Scripture that will lead us right back to this guide. Watch on your own, with a friend or small group, or with your family. Set aside 35 40 minutes, take some notes, and head back to the Discussion section. DISCUSSION Take note of what catches your attention from the teaching. If you re engaging in this guide with a trusted friend, group, or with family members, be sure to set aside quality time to explore the discussion questions. Pray about the next steps you and your group may be led to take. What is the Lord asking you to hold and journey through on behalf of someone else? How can you take this opportunity to allow trusted individuals into your own story? REFLECTION If there are areas from the teaching or discussion that feel deeply relevant and personal to your story, take as much time as you need to reflect individually. Resist the temptation to rush. If you feel led by the Holy Spirit to pause on one section and take more time there spending less time in another section feel the freedom to do so. There may be much that the Lord has for you in this individual processing time, and we don t want you to miss it! THE CROSS At the end of the day, as the church and as Christ followers, our hope and desire is to be led back to the foot of the cross, the place where Jesus gave all who profess His name ultimate peace. In John 16:33, Jesus said to His disciples: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Trouble might be found at every twist and turn along the way, but as a church community, may we declare once and for all that our peace is found in Jesus Christ! 4 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 5

Teaching the Road to Peace 7

STOPPING POINTS There are many stopping points on the road to peace. Each person will have his or her own unique experience with each stopping point, and the order may vary. The pages that follow walk through four essential stopping points. As you engage with each one, consider other stopping points that have been or will be important for your own personal progression. Addressing Disillusionment Embracing Forgiveness Engaging Self-Evaluation Building Trust 8 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 9

EMBRACING FORGIVENESS BUILDING TRUST ADDRESSING DISILLUSIONMENT EMBRACING FORGIVENESS Think about what you ve learned about forgiveness over the course of your life. Is there a person who modeled it well? Perhaps you feel you haven t seen it modeled well at all. The truth is, forgiveness plays a crucial role in journeying the road to peace. Reference the passage on the right, and follow along in the teaching to fill in the blanks below. ENGAGING SELF-EVALUATION MATTHEW 18:21 35 THE PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. The servant s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. people forgive people. people heal people. recipients become grace dispensers. Name the. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay it back. But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. 10 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 11

EMBRACING FORGIVENESS BUILDING TRUST ADDRESSING DISILLUSIONMENT ENGAGING SELF-EVALUATION BUILDING TRUST What communicates trust to you? How have you offered or built trust in relationships? Once broken, trust can be hard to mend seemingly impossible, even. But the Word of God has much to say about what it takes to build trust, and in what or in whom we should place our trust. Reference the teaching to fill in the blanks below. Forgiveness is a, but trust is Forgiveness can come.. Trust takes. Grant yourself and others to trust. Forgiveness can be done with or the offender. Trust takes parties to be rebuilt. 12 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 13

EMBRACING FORGIVENESS BUILDING TRUST ADDRESSING DISILLUSIONMENT ADDRESSING DISILLUSIONMENT ENGAGING SELF-EVALUATION Think about a disappointment you ve had in your life, perhaps one you re navigating now. What has it felt like? How have you expressed disappointment in the past? Disappointment can quickly transform into disillusionment, which is feeling defeated and losing hope or trust. However, kingdom living can still be plentiful and fruitful, even in the midst of disappointment. Reference the passage on the right, and listen to the teaching to fill in the blanks below. THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS MATTHEW 13:24 30 Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner s servants came to him and said, Sir, didn t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? An enemy did this, he replied. The servants asked him, Do you want us to go and pull them up? The presence of does not No, he answered, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. discredit the presence of. Stay. 14 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 15

EMBRACING FORGIVENESS BUILDING TRUST ADDRESSING DISILLUSIONMENT ENGAGING SELF-EVALUATION ENGAGING SELF-EVALUATION When s the last time you openly welcomed feedback that was hard for you to hear? If you took a quick personal assessment, how easy would it be for you to point out others faults? The road to peace has just as much to do with the ability to evaluate and consider our own brokenness and shortcomings as it does with naming pain points and setbacks caused by others. As you read the passage from Matthew and listen to this part of the teaching, begin asking God to open your heart to what He may have to show and teach you through His Word. Ask for the humility and receptivity to hear straight from Him. JUDGING OTHERS MATTHEW 7:3 4 (NLT) And why worry about a speck in your friend s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye, when you can t see past the log in your own eye? When you see problems in lives, it s first and foremost an to engage healthy self-evaluation. 16 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 17

Discussion the Road to Peace 19

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS After listening to the teaching, ask a trusted friend or gather a small group to process the questions below with you. Discern what to share openly versus what is meant just for you. Be willing and available to listen well, as these four stops may have reopened deep pain in others stories. Begin in a posture of prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide the discussion before you begin. Which of the stopping points on the road to peace resonates with you most? Read the parable of the unmerciful servant together (page 11). What gets your attention from this parable? How have you experienced its teaching in your own life? Where are you stuck? Where are you thriving? Read the parable of the weeds together (page 15). What gets your attention from this parable? How does it help you with the current circumstances at Willow or in your own personal life? What other stopping points on the road to peace are important for you that are not covered in this experience? 20 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 21

Personal Reflection the Road to Peace 23

PERSPECTIVE Where is God speaking to you through this journey? Why do you think that is? FORGIVENESS Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to forgive them of? You re encouraged to include, but not limit yourself to, the current challenges at Willow. Consider your life holistically: family, friends, coworkers, etc. 24 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 25

CONFESSION & REPENTANCE What do you need to confess and repent of? Again, there may be circumstances from Willow that surface, but also consider your life holistically. 26 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 27

The Cross the Road to Peace 29

JOURNAL Given all you ve discussed and how you ve reflected on this journey, write a personalized prayer of forgiveness and confession to God. Thank Him for how He s guided you along this journey. 30 the Road to Peace the Road to Peace 31

The Road to Peace Copyright 2018 Willow Creek Community Church All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Willow Creek Community Church. Willow Creek Community Church 67 Algonquin Rd South Barrington, IL 60010 32 the Road to Peace Printed in the United States of America

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