THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. Next week, we launch into our August series, COURAGEOUS CHURCH. The early church changed the world. They faced opposition, persecution, and rejection, yet nothing could stop them from growing and spreading the good news about Jesus. What made them so courageous? What was their secret? Join us as we explore early church commitments that still matter.
GROUP VALUES. This week, we finish our focus on the value of RELATIONAL INVESTMENTS. As followers of Jesus, we are called to show abnormal kindness to those in our lives. This form of kindness does not come naturally. It is a spiritual muscle that must be developed. As a group, identify areas in your life where you might need to strengthen difficult relationships. Consider how you can support one another as you seek to show abnormal kindness to those around you.
GROW AS A LEADER. It is not a guarantee that you will get along with everyone in your small group. Try as you might, there will inevitably be challenging moments and difficult people. Sometimes, even we are the difficult people! As followers of Jesus, we are called to step in, rather than step out. One way we can step in before issues arise is to develop a habit of praying for our small group members by name. Take time this week to pray for each person in your group. Ask God to develop a heart for serving your group through difficult seasons.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the final week of our series, TAKING JESUS SERIOUSLY. This week, Pastor Jeff challenges us to consider Jesus’s command to show abnormal kindness to the most difficult people in our lives.
ICEBREAKER
Think about a time when someone showed you undeserved kindness. What made their kindness so impactful?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Matthew 5:43-48 aloud.
What phrases or words stand out to you from the passage?
Jesus connects loving our enemies with being children of God. What does this tell us about God’s character and how we should reflect it?
What does this passage reveal about Jesus’s understanding of love?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Jeff concluded our series by inviting us to consider Jesus’s challenging instruction to love our enemies. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Our culture often teaches us to get even with our enemies and encourages us to toss aside those whom we find difficult. How does Jesus’s teaching about loving enemies challenge these common approaches to difficult relationships?
Jesus invites us to love and pray for our enemies. His understanding of love involves how we behave, not just how we feel. Why is this distinction important, especially in family relationships or marriages?
Which people or what types of relationships do we as believers find most difficult to pray for?
Never do you look more like your heavenly Father than when you are kind to someone who isn’t kind to you. When have you seen this family resemblance most clearly in yourself or others?
We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). How does remembering that we are first recipients of God’s undeserved mercy encourage us to extend mercy toward others?
Take a moment to think about your journey with Jesus. How have you experienced God’s abnormal kindness?
Followers of Jesus take his command to practice abnormal kindness seriously. What is one concrete step you can take this week to practice abnormal kindness toward someone who hasn’t been kind to you?
WRAP UP
Over the past month, we have been invited to take Jesus’s words seriously. He desires for us to find our satisfaction and approval in him, to be people who pursue reconciliation over simmering anger, and to show abnormal kindness to our enemies. What is one thing that challenged you that you need to take from this series?