16 Oct Discussion Guide: (IN) BREAKING Week 9
Prayer
Take the first 10 minutes of your time together to listen to what God is doing in one another’s lives and pray for any specific needs people in your group may have.
Today we continue our series titled (In) Breaking. We will be working through the gospel of Matthew and learning how God desires to have His Kingdom come, and His will be done, in our lives as in Heaven. God wants to break into our hearts, our emotions, our actions, our existence so that we might know Him, and be known by Him, in ways that we will never be the same.
Discussion Questions
Matthew 7:1-2, The Kingdom New Testament
Don’t judge people, and you won’t be judged yourself. You’ll be judged, you see, by the judgement you use to judge others! You’ll be measured by the measuring-rod. you use to measure others!
Have you ever felt judged by someone? If so how?
Why don’t people like being told they are wrong about something?
Is having someone judge you always a bad thing? If you say no, then can you explain the difference between good judgement and bad judgement?
What does it take for us to be able to speak the truth to others in their foolishness? What does it take for us to receive the truth from others about our own foolishness?
Being able to confront someone in their foolishness requires a level of trust. The only way to build that kind of trust equity is by demonstrating a genuine love and concern for that person on an ongoing and consistent basis. When Scripture tells us to speak the truth in love it isn’t just saying we should use nicer words to tell someone they are being a fool. It means that we are to speak honestly with that person out of a deep love that we feel for them. Love takes time, and if we are not investing that time and love into that person’s life on a regular occurrence then it is going to be very difficult to confront them, or to be confronted by them, in times of foolishness.
John Bevere, The Bait of Satan
“We construct walls when we are hurt to safeguard our hearts and prevent any future wounds. We become selective, denying entry to all we fear will hurt us. We filter out anyone we think owes us something. We withhold access until these people have paid their debts in full. We open our lives only to those we believe are on our side.”
How does the Gospel enable us to have difficult conversations with one another?
The Gospel reminds us that our love, affirmation, self-worth, and righteousness are secure in the heart of the King of the Universe, who happens to be our adoptive Father. Therefore, I need not fear the rejection of criticism of another human being. I can be secure enough in who who I am to both initiate and receive the friendly judgement that ought to exist in a loving relationship with someone who cares about me.
How can our mishandling the Gospel actually create more problems in those conversations?
What, then, must be the motivation of our hearts when we engage others in Gospel conversations?
Unconditional love.
How do you think our love for others might affect the way they view both the Gospel and their selves?
Closing Thought
So then, what do we need to be doing, as a community group, to ensure that our relationships with one another, and with those who don’t know Jesus, have enough trust equity in them to engage in these kinds of conversations?