What are some things you know about serving in the military?
Prompts if no response: Army, navy, marines, air force, coast guard, armed forces, carrying weapons, going to other countries, protecting this country, fighting for freedoms.
Discussion Question 1:
God wants to end all wars forever in His Kingdom. Why?
Prompts if no response: So many people being killed; families grieving those who have been killed; destruction of the earth; hatred and murder being taught as necessary and required in life.
Discussion Question 2:
Hatred and murder mean breaking one of the 10 Commandments. Not keeping the Sabbath is breaking one of the 10 Commandments. Let’s list some ways that being in the military could lead to sin with these two commands.
Prompts if no response: Being taught how to hurt or kill enemies of the nation you are fighting for; not being able to observe the Sabbath when deployed to warzones; not being able to observe the Sabbath and holy days when on active duty.
Discussion Question 3:
Why do you think God allowed ancient Israel to go to war?
Prompts if no response: They were following His direct commands; the hardness of their hearts made them not look to God for protection and not trust Him to fight their battles for them; God was punishing other nations that were doing even worse things.
Hypothetical 1 & 2:
What would you think or say if you heard this: “Christians should serve in the military to fight and protect freedom of speech and freedom of religion,” or “You are dishonoring veterans and calling them murderers by saying you won’t serve.”
Prompts if no response: God doesn’t want us to break His law in order to protect more breaking of His law (not all freedoms are godly); God’s people have a different mission (preaching the gospel); “Veterans are brave and self-sacrificing and should be honored, but I’m a conscientious objector and don’t agree with their reasoning for killing others.”
Closer
What are some Christian characteristics that conflict with being in the military?
Prompts if no response: Blessed are the peacemakers, live peaceably with all men, love others.
Why do we in the Church avoid getting involved in political parties and voting? Dig deeper into the topic of politics and voting with these guided discussion questions.
Read More >
Why would God want us to be careful about what we watch or listen to? Review the topic of movies, tv, music, and video games with these guided discussion questions.
Read More >
