MESSAGE NOTES AND INDIVIDUAL/GROUP REFLECTION QUESTIONS, 6/9/24

Seek God by seeking good. This is the command the book of Amos begs to understand. Uniquely among the minor prophets, Amos zeros in on Israel’s injustice towards the poor. He indicts them for their failure to be generous as God had been generous to them. As we journey together, we want to identify what injustices are occurring in the world around us. Then, our hope is to determine what is the justice God wants to bring forth through us.

1. How do you view the world today? What excites you and what breaks your heart?

2. Amos is a simple shepherd who becomes empowered by God’s Spirit to declare the injustices he is seeing taking place in the world around him. Who do you know in your life that seems simple, yet has Amos-like passion to stand up against injustice? How are they viewed by others?

3. How does Amos 1:2 symbolize and reflect God’s emotions and thoughts about what is going on in Israel and the surrounding nations at that time? What do you think God feels and thinks about what is going on in the world today?

4. Read through Amos 1:3-2:5. Clarify who Amos is rebuking and why? Which passage stands out to you the most? What surprises you about the text? How does this rebuke reflect God’s character that is both just and loving?

5. How do you feel about the fact that God holds both believers and non-believers accountable for injustices around them? Does this seem fair? And how is this convicting and or motivating for you?

6. Do you believe you grieve over the things that break God’s heart? Why or why not? In what ways might we, over time, become immune to not feeling the pain God must feel for the injustices of the world? How do we avoid this?

7. What are some practical things you can do to prepare your heart to hear what God wants to say to you in this Amos series? What would it take for justice to flow in a significant way from 55th and Ward Rd into our community and around the world?

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