Sharpened: An Apprentice to Invest In
Selected Scripture
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are starting a three week series slide called Sharpened - Forging Faith Through Godly Relationships. We are all formed to become better people. To become more Christ-like through the relationships we surround ourselves with. God uses people in front of us, beside us and even behind us to sharpen our faith, stretch our growth and shape our legacy. The goal of the series is to develop the core practice of biblical community. This week we looked at the importance of not ony growing ourselves, but also investing in the growth of others…
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflection:
Personal Experience:
Share about someone who really invested in your spiritual growth. Maybe it was a parent or a youth leader, maybe a friend or mentor. Who were they and how did they impact your walk with Jesus?
Group Discussion:
Paul had the opportunity to invest heavily in MANY people, but Timothy was someone who was especially close to him. What qualities do we see in Timothy that made it possible for Paul to invest so heavily in this young man? (Luke 16:10, Acts 16:1-2, 1 Tim 4:12, 2 Tim 1:5, 2:2, Phil 2:22)
Every mentoring relationship has a balance of both correction and encouragement. What are some ways that we can check if we are keeping those two critical elements in balance as we influence others? (2 Tim 3:16, 4:2, Eph 4:11-16, Gal 6:1, 1 Thes 2:11-12)
Review the following passages and characterize the person who is “knighted” to carry on the work Jesus began and now continues through His church (1 Cor 5:17-20, Phil 3:7-13, Matt 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, 1 Cor 11:1)
There are some people who are simply not in a place where they are ready to be mentored… and some are VERY ready for mentoring. What cahracteristics set apart someone who is ready to be mentored? (Matt 7:3-6, Prov 9:8,9, 2 Tim 2:23-24, Luke 8:5-15, Acts 18:24-28)
Characterize believers who are likely to be equipped to be good mentors (Titus 2:1-8, Heb 13:1-9, Eph 4:11-13, 2 Tim 2:1-7, 2 Tim 3:10-17)
Application:
Ask God to build you into a person who can mentor others and lead you to at least one person whom you can mentor in their daily walk with Jesus.
Prayer:
Spend some time in prayer both for the Lord’s shaping of you as someone who will be a good mentor as well as His leading in finding someone whom you can coach and mentor in their walk of faith.
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