Faith in the Wilderness Study Guide: Turning to the Gospel in Times of Suffering
The book Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church and this study guide are resources for anyone seeking to encounter the gospel message with fresh eyes while tackling such difficult subjects as death, sin, and hell.
This free 29-page study guide includes:
An Introduction
Summaries of Each Chapter
Discussion Questions for Study Groups
Spiritual Formation Exercises and Prayer Guides
Sample Content:
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A church that is truly acquainted with suffering can offer us a fresh perspective on both the attraction and offense of the gospel. The teachings in Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church do not shy away from how completely counter to our thinking the gospel is, nor how much God asks of us to follow him — yet they gently remind us of how fruitless it is to put our hope in this world, and how glorious a reward is in store if what the Bible says about the next world is true.
The book Faith in the Wilderness and this study guide are resources for anyone seeking to encounter the gospel message with fresh eyes while tackling such difficult subjects as death, sin, and hell. It’s also a model of contextualization and pastoral care as the writers minister to Christians and non-Christians alike who are weary of suffering.
The book was compiled at the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic. As you read, recall your own experience of the pandemic, or of any other extended time of hardship and uncertainty in your life. Be challenged by their call to faithfulness and hope that awaits us on the other side of the sea.
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Two common threads in Faith in the Wilderness are evangelism and suffering, two subjects we don’t necessarily hold together in the West. As you read and study, be thinking not only about how you handle suffering, but how you can share the gospel with those who are suffering—a posture that can radically change how we approach an evangelistic conversation.
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We suggest leaders be prepared to share honestly from your own experience about subjects like suffering, death and sin. Everyone suffers, but we live in a culture where we avoid admitting it; your job is not to ask people to share when they’re not comfortable, but to model what it’s like to confess your sin, suffering, and turn to God in prayer and Scripture. Sometimes small examples (a fight with your spouse, loneliness) are easier and more relatable starting points. You can also encourage your group members to share by breaking them into smaller groups of three or four.
This study could be done in:
A Bible study or fellowship group
An affinity group, such as a moms group or a group for the elderly
A campus ministry outreach
A youth group
A group training for evangelism, missions, or mercy and justice ministry
Groups can read the chapters at home, or start each session by taking turns reading portions of the chapter aloud (most should take about 30 minutes). For each chapter, we’ve included a brief Summary and Author Bio, the Scripture Passage, and a few Discussion Questions to process and personalize the author’s message. There is also a Spiritual Formation Exercise or guide for prayer, which can be done privately during a silent time at the end of your group meeting.
