No one likes suffering, but we all know it’s just a part of life. Pastor Jen encourages us not to run from suffering, but instead, to embrace it. Just like gold is refined by fire, it’s in the “fires” of life where our faith is proven, perfected, and prepared!
Notes 📓✏️:
Refining
“to free from unwanted impurities or material”
The gold can’t be proved without the process.
“What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have Him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.”– 1 Peter 1:3-7 (MSG)
Gold, being proved pure, is like our faith being proved genuine.
“To put up with every kind of aggravation.”
“Aggravare,” to make heavier.
Sorrow
Sadness
Grief
Distress
Heaviness
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”– 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
The enemy would love to turn your aggravation into isolation.
“Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.”– 1 Peter 1:7 (MSG)
It’s in the “suffering” where our faith is proved genuine.
The purpose of the refining fire is to prove, perfect, and prepare.
Before your faith is proven, perfected, and prepared, YOU must be pressed, pushed, and purged.
Reframe the fire.
1. It is a process.
Repentance.
He is patient with our process!
You’re not being punished, but prepared.
2. It is sacred.
Suffering connects us to Christ.
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.”– Philippians 3:10
Suffering invites God’s presence in a unique way.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”– Psalm 34:18
We see that the fire isn’t to be feared or fought, but rather faced and embraced.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”I Peter 5:8-10 (ESV)
What’s refining me is redefining me!
What’s pressing me is proving me!
What’s testing me will be my testimony!
What’s weighing on me is working in me!
What’s aggravating me is where I will walk in authority!
What’s pushing me is purifying me!
Week 3 Discussion Questions 📝❓:
REDEMPTIONN BEGINS WHEN YOU SAY YES TO REBUILDING.
QUESTION 1: PRAY BEFORE YOU BUILD
Nehemiah’s first response to the ruins of Jerusalem wasn’t to grab a hammer – it was to pray. How does prayer prepare your heart before you start rebuilding something that’s been broken?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why do you think our first instinct is often to act instead of pray?
- What does it look like to bring your honest emotions to God, like Nehemiah did?
- How might prayer change your confidence in what God is calling you to rebuild?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 1:4 – “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayer before the God of heaven.”
QUESTION 2: SURVEY THE RUINS
Before rebuilding, Nehemiah took time to walk through the ruins and face the damage honestly. What does it look like in your life to “survey the ruins” instead of ignoring or denying what’s broken?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why is it sometimes hard to be honest about what needs rebuilding?
- What might God want to heal once you name the broken places?
- How can facing the reality of the situation actually lead to hope?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 2:13 – “By night I went out through the Valley Gate… examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down.”
QUESTION 3: RALLY YOUR PEOPLE
Nehemiah didn’t rebuild alone – he rallied people to carry the dream. Who has God placed around you to help you rebuild, and how can you invite them into the process?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why do you think rebuilding often requires community instead of isolation?
- Who in your life encourages you to keep building when you want to give up?
- How can you also help someone else rebuild what’s been broken in their life?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
QUESTION 4: DEFEND YOUR DREAM
When Nehemiah began rebuilding, opposition immediately appeared. What distractions, discouragements, or fears tend to threaten your God-given dreams?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How can prayer help you stay focused when resistance rises?
- What’s one practical way you can “build with one hand and defend with the other” this week?
- Can you think of a time when opposition was actually a sign you were on the right path?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 4:17 – “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and help a weapon in the other.”
QUESTION 5: REBUILD WITH WHAT REMAINS
Nehemiah’s wall was completed in just 52 days because he trusted God and stayed faithful. What’s one area of your life that feels like rubble right now, and how can you begin to rebuild with what remains?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What small “brick” could you place in God’s hands this week?
- How does remembering God’s past faithfulness help you keep building today?
- What might God want to teach you through the process of rebuilding, not just the outcome?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 6:15 – “So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, with the help of our God.”