You know. You want her. Discussion Guide Part VI

Discussion Guide

• Who do you think of (real or fictional) when you think of courage and why?
  
• What is something you failed at before you succeeded?
  
• What's an example of something you were scared of, but once you did it, you wondered what you were so paralyzed about?
• What's something you regret not doing because of fear of what have gone wrong?
  
• What stuck with you most from Sunday's message?
  
• Were there any decisions or plans or actions that you felt like God was nudging you toward after hearing the message?

Read

• Luke 10:30-37
  
• First thoughts?
  

Discuss

• What are all the reasons that you can think of for not stopping to help an unconscious, naked victim of a mugging?
  

Leader note: You may even want to write all the reasons that are shared down on paper.

• What are the reasons for stopping?
  

Leader note: List these as well. You will likely notice that the list is shorter. Perhaps even much shorter. You will also notice that the first list will contain much in the way of tangible consequence; i.e. ritual uncleanness, bodily harm, being robbed as the victim was actually bait, etc...The second list shared by your group will likely be more a short list of intangibles, such as "the satisfaction of doing the right thing". You will want to also note that the Samaritan, the story's hero, was seemingly better off doing nothing at all, as he could have been hurt or killed in a worse case scenario, and spent a lot of his own money and had his plans very much altered in the best case scenario. many might call this "lose/lose". You might then compare the lists as a group and note that if we use logic alone (or risk management, or whatever smart-sounding terms we use to weigh out a decision), most of us would always do what the Priest and the Levite did.

• What benefit would God see in putting us in positions that require us to ignore what might "go wrong"?
  
• What does courage communicate about our belief in God?
  

Leader note: You may want to explore what the response to that last question has to do with true wisdom.

Read

• Proverb 26:13
  
• First thoughts?

Discuss

• How does fear and worry about what might go wrong equal being a "sluggard"?
  

Leader note: Explore how you may be an energetic person that gets locked into a certain way of living, carefully avoiding reasons to grow in trust of God and to do things that don't have an assured outcome. This may be a way of describing a sluggard, rather than merely couch potato; someone who doesn't take any risks because there might be a lion in the streets.

• How can waiting on a "calling" from God to do something actually be disobedience?
  
• If things get difficult, does it mean that you are not doing what God wants?
  

Leader note: As simplistic as these questions sound, it's important to realize that, one: God doesn't limit our lives and what we go after in courage to "callings" where we find ourselves with assurance and clarity. In fact, it's often much the opposite. The reason it takes courage to move and go after something is because there is a lack of clarity.  Courage assumes fear. Two: we should expect difficulty. The more something we are doing matters, the more difficult it will be to be involved and make things happen. The smoother is goes, the less it seems to have mattered. Remember, our faith was founded in hardship, crucifixion and martyrdom. Kingdom work will likely require sweat, dependance on each other, and deep dependance on God.

Apply

• What decisions are hanging out on the horizon that need wisdom and courage?
  
• Are there any decisions to trust God for the first time that the group can encourage and support?
• What are some things the group can go after that absolutely require this kind of wisdom? That demand faith, courage and have very little in the way of an assured outcome?

Leader note: Spend some time in prayer, opening yourselves individually and as a group, perhaps for the first time, to whatever exists now or is coming that requires courage and wisdom. Allow God's Spirit to challenge the group, as many of us are sitting on something that we are either dreading, or have gotten used to just tuning out. Be sure and tell the stories on the Group Leader site as we all watch to see what it looks like when our faith and God's faithfulness intersect!