Witnesses: Power, Politics, and the Path of the Cross

Lent invites us into a wilderness that strips away illusion and exposes our raw desires. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we look at the temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4), and see that the enemy doesn’t offer evil outright - he offers shortcuts, comfort, and power without the cross. This season asks us a hard question: are we witnesses to the way of Jesus, or have we quietly become accomplices to a different kingdom?

Discussion Questions:

1. Where in your life right now do you feel the ache of the wilderness? What might God be exposing there?
2. The enemy tempted Jesus with good things gained the wrong way. Where are you tempted to justify questionable means for a good outcome?
3. When have you traded faithfulness for influence, approval, comfort, or control?
4. What voices most shape your thinking - Jesus, your political tribe, your social circle, your fears, your wallet?
5. In what ways have you romanticized the cross rather than reckoned with its cost?
6. If the wilderness rescues us from ourselves, what might God be trying to rescue you from this Lent?
7. Where are you most vulnerable right now? How might that be a place of both temptation and transformation?