Giving Up Security | I Give Up | Week 3
Opening
Invite your group to share something that brings safety and security to their lives? Why did they chose those particular things? Do those things bring growth to their walk with Jesus or hinder them from following Jesus?
Overview
We all love comfort. We buy many things specifically to increase our comfort. Despite our love for comfort, we will all suffer in life. Suffering is part of being a human. The question we need to ask is: what is worth suffering for?
One of the things we have to do as followers of Jesus is define our expectations. We expect everything to go well and for things to work out in our favor. We expect to be respected and honored and are upset when that does not happen. But this is not what we are promised when we follow Jesus. We will be rejected. Life will contain suffering and we have to be ready for it.
Discussion Questions
- Do you tend to trust in things or the Spirit of God when you are suffering?
- When have your expectations caused problems?
Practice
Matthew 10 16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[e] 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Together, write the expectations that you actually have for following Jesus in Lynchburg. Do you expect that people will respect you for being part of a church? Do you want people to agree with your positions and affirm you for being right? It is good to name how we actually see the world. Then slowly read the Matthew 10 passage out loud. What did Jesus say we should expect when we follow Him? What happens when life does not meet our expectations? How can you work on adjusting your expectations together?
Closing
Break into groups of 2 or 3 and pray over one another, sharing requests and following the prompting of the Spirit.