Discussion Questions:
Read Jeremiah 29:4-14 together with your group. What would it have been like for the exiles in Babylon to have heard this message? Do we have anything in common with these exiles? What does this message have to say about how we live as “foreigners and strangers” (Hebrews 11:13) in the world today?
Russell described three callings for the church today: (1) sustaining a distinct identity as God’s people, (2) maintaining a faithful presence in the place where we live, and (3) living as people who pray. How do you see these three callings reflected in Jeremiah 29? How do you see them in our congregation?
Read Jesus’ prayer in John 17:14-19. What does this tell you about who we are as God’s people living in the world today? What does it mean to be sent into the world? Take some time to pray for the people in your group that they would be sent into their own parts of the world as emissaries of Jesus.