Lean In // 5 minutes
When was a time you mistakenly blamed someone for something they didn’t do?
Leader Note: Do your best to keep this question on the lighter side as to engage everyone in the group. Some possible examples could be when a spouse or roommate left the house a mess, or threw out some of your favorite clothes or leftovers. Set the tone to this question by answering first if possible.
Look Down // 10 minutes
Read Luke 6:37-42
What do you learn about loving people?
Sample answers may include…
- Loving people don’t judge or condemn others
- Loving people forgive others
- Loving people give to others
- Loving people receive more based on how they express love to others, there’s a cause and effect
- The loving thing to do is to first look at your own life before looking at others
- Loving people want to help others, not judge them
- Loving people want to help others because they have experienced freedom.
- Loving people are motived by compassion, not judgment
Who are the blind in this passage and what do you learn about them?
Sample answers may include…
- They focus on the faults of others
- They are blind to their own failings
- They judge and condemn to get the focus off themselves, not to help others
- As the blind judge others the reveal something broken about themselves
Commentary: Draw your group’s attention to the correlation between the log and the speck. The sawdust in one person’s eye is directly related to the log in the other person’s eye. The log creates the sawdust just as our own faults or insecurities are often projected on others. The plank in our own eyes creates damage in others and causes us to have a skewed perspective on them.
Look Out // 10 minutes
What does it look like when people are self-aware? Where have you seen it?
What does it look like when people are not self-aware? Where have you see it?
Leader Note: Use care when asking and responding to this question. Don’t allow your group to turn to judgment of others. Consider setting the tone by telling a lighter story of where you’ve seen someone not self-aware, i.e. someone walking and texting at the same time, or driving while eating on talking on the phone or eating.
Look In // 20 minutes
What are your potential spiritual “blind spots” and how can you overcome them?
Leader Note: This question will take honesty and self-awareness. Again, as a leader set the tone by answering this question authentically and with humility. Another way to ask this question may by what logs do you need to remove from your own eye?
Commentary: Remind your group that the ability to overcome these things is not found in ourselves but in who Jesus is. In Jesus we are able to choose to live out generosity, grace and freedom. Staying connected to Him and others in community to hold us accountable is of great importance!
How would your life be different if you lived this way?
Leader Note: Another way to ask this question may be “how would your life be different if you were able to identify and overcome your spiritual blind-spots?”
Live It Out // 5 minutes
How would others be impacted if you lived this way?
Commentary: When we are able to deal with our areas of sin and pain we grow in compassion for those we called to encourage in their struggles. The promise of grace and freedom become our motivation, not judgment and condemnation.
Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.