Discussion Guide: You Have a Part to Play – Modern Day Slavery

PRAYER

As we gather, let’s focus on building relationships and exploring how God calls us to live and love one another in our unique contexts. Let’s begin with prayer.

Does anyone have prayer requests or testimonies of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?

YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY TOPICS

Fame Culture :: Homelessness :: Creation Care :: Politics :: Modern Day Slavery :: Our Common Humanity

THIS WEEK

This week, we addressed the challenging topic of modern-day slavery by exploring Psalm 10, where David, the former king of Israel and a profound psalmist, expresses his disturbed spirit in response to the pervasive injustice of his time.

Just as in David’s day, unfortunately, slavery hasn’t gone away, it’s just gone underground. The stark reality is that there are more people enslaved now than at any point in history—over 50 million—most of whom are young women and children. This raises important questions: 

What can we do to combat this issue, and where can we find hope? The Gospel provides us with the framework to understand the root causes of slavery and the courage to become active agents of change. How can we achieve this? 

Let’s reflect on the guiding questions from Sunday’s message:

Would you recognize modern-day slavery if it were happening right in front of you?

What does God’s Word reveal about the exploitation of vulnerable individuals?

How can we, as followers of Christ, respond to such profound evil?

Bria urged us to be difference-makers in a dark, sinful, and broken world that oppresses and exploits the vulnerable. Using Psalm 10 as our guide, we can model a Christ-centered response to evil and injustice through the lenses of protest, prayer, and praise.

As we reflect on these lenses, consider this: Why are all forms of slavery—past, present, and future—wrong?

OPENING THOUGHT

Have one person to read the following aloud:

“A pimp looks for that weakness…then he uses those weaknesses to his advantage…they begin to see you as their champion, even if the weakness you rescued them from is one you created.” — Ken Ivey, Former Pimp & Trafficker (Love146.com)

What do you believe occurs in the human heart that drives some individuals to enslave others and treat them as commodities instead of fellow human beings?

In what less obvious ways do we observe that same broken mindset reflected in our society, beyond the blatant examples of modern-day slavery?

Even though the manifestations may differ, what common factors influence how people treat one another?

SCRIPTURE

Read aloud Psalm 10:17-18 and Isaiah 1:11,17. Reflect on how these passages illuminate our understanding of all the many forms of human trafficking and our role as difference-makers to bring justice to the vulnerable:

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.—Psalm 10:17-18

If God is truly good, why does He allow the wicked and evil treatment of people toward one another?

“I am sick of your sacrifices,” says the LORD. “Don’t bring me any more burnt offerings! I don’t want the fat from your rams or other animals. I don’t want to see the blood from your offerings of bulls and rams and goats.” 17Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows. —Isaiah 1:11,17

Scripture clearly teaches that God will judge the wicked and rescue the oppressed. While we know that Jesus will address all injustices upon His return, how does Isaiah convey God’s desire for justice and deliverance to be realized today?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

From Sunday’s message, Bria guides us on how to bring this issue and its victims before God in her teaching of how Psalm 10 provides a model and sign for a Christ-centered response to evil and injustice through three key lenses of action:

• Protest the evil that exists.
• Pray for God’s intervention and deliverance.
• Praise God for His justice, which will one day make all things right.

God invites them into a relationship with Him through the cultural mandate—His call for humanity to build and cultivate all creation.

When you hear the terms “slavery” and “modern-day slavery,” what comes to mind?

Would you have guessed that there are currently 50 million people enslaved and that human trafficking and exploitation generate a $236 billion industry each year? Why or why not?

Do you know what modern-day slavery looks like, and would you recognize a victim if they were right in front of you, signaling for help?

Have you ever thought about how the products and services you use daily—like clothing, personal care items, transportation, and digital content—might contribute to human trafficking and the exploitation of others?

Have you considered how your lifestyle could make you vulnerable to exploitation or trafficking in some way? How might your choices play a role in that?

In what proactive and practical ways can you express your dissatisfaction with human trafficking, passionately seeking justice and crying out to God for change?

In her sermon, Bria recounted a powerful story about someone who had faithfully prayed for and stayed connected with a particular family. Although the family eventually moved away and only caught up sporadically, a tragic turn of events unfolded when their daughter became entangled in a trafficking ring and was taken to a hospital in the very town they had left. In the early hours of the morning, from several states away, they reached out to their friend, sharing the urgent details of the situation and asking if they would be willing to go to the hospital on their behalf to see their daughter before her traffickers could arrive. Despite the risks and the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in years, their friend drove to the hospital in the middle of the night to support them.

How can you shine a light on those who exploit and traffic vulnerable individuals, waiting in places where they know they can find people in desperate situations?

How far would you go in protesting, praying, and praising God if you discovered that a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor was enslaved, trafficked, or exploited?

In what ways does Jesus resonate with the victims of modern-day slavery and offer hope amidst the dark and sinful injustice they face?

What small actions can we take to combat modern-day slavery and embody Jesus’ identity in the pursuit of justice?

CLOSING THOUGHT

Psalm 10 offers the assurance of God’s sovereign and ultimate victory in the world through Jesus, our promise of eternal inheritance. He will redeem, restore, and recreate all things.

In an uncut, powerful moment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, after the ring is destroyed at Mount Doom and the eagles rescue Sam and Frodo, Sam awakens, surprised to be alive, and sees Gandalf at the foot of his bed.

He gasps, “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue?”

To put it plainly, the reality of sin, pain, and suffering permeates our world in many forms—human trafficking and exploitation being just one of them. Sam’s poignant question resonates deeply with us all as we grapple with the harsh truth that things are not as they should be. The hope of the Gospel of Jesus provides the only answer that can address this universal longing, restoring and redeeming our past, present, and future.

No other faith or religious system offers a satisfactory explanation or a meaningful call to action regarding modern-day slavery. How does the Gospel provide the context to understand its root causes and inspire us to take action against it?

As we conclude our time together, let’s dedicate the remaining moments to praying for the victims of trafficking and for the traffickers involved in this profound evil.