All of us have been forced to do things that we don’t want to do. We've been forced to eat our vegetables, forced to go to school, forced to dress certain ways, act certain ways, forced to go places we don’t necessarily want to go.
The “F” word for tonight was FORCED. The topic of discussion centered on this question- “Should parents force their kids to go to church?” We divided the group into 2 opposing sides and debated the question. One side had to come up with their best arguments saying yes parents should force their kids to go and the other side had to argue no parents shouldn't force their kids to go.
The debates went really deep. The Yes side argued for the parents responsibility to raise up their children as God desires and designed. Also, they pointed to the positive effects of their being forced because now they have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They were glad someone made them come because now they know Jesus. The no side argued that making kids come to church, especially when they don’t want to only creates resentment and even hatred towards God, the Bible, and the church. No one can force you to know Jesus, it is something you have to discover for yourself. I don’t think we landed on a clear winner for the debate. Both sides had some really strong points and I was super impressed by how engage they were with the question.
After the debate we looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-7. It looks like in the passage God is forcing Israel to love Him. God wants us to love Him, but it sounds kind of odd to say God forces us to do so. In any romantic story, the 2 parties have to have mutual consent before it can be considered true love. It is a decision we have to make to love or not to love. No one can make you love God. Jesus doesn't make you love Him.
But He does give us good reason to love Him. Paul states it succinctly in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Go back and look at that passage during the week. See how deep the Savior’s love is for you. He will never force you to love Him, but He will sacrifice everything to show that He loves you.
Discussion Questions:
- What is an example of something in your life you were forced to do out of love (study, go to church, spend time with family, etc)?
- Did something positive come out of that situation?
- How can we adjust our attitude to view the situation differently if we feel forced to do something?
- Should parents force their kids to come to church? Why or why not?
- If someone were to say to you, “Forcing me to come to church makes me hate God” what would you say to that person?
- Why would being forced lead to feeling hate towards God?
- Read Deut 6:4-9. Why does God want us to love Him?
- Whether you are forced to come to church or aren't, list some of the reasons why someone would be forced to come.
- Do you think Jesus is being unfair or unloving when He tells us we should love God more than anything else?
- If you had children would you force them to come to church?
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