Note: The questions for this week have been pulled from the Life Group Study entitled Ten, which highlights the top ten passage for groups to study. Ten is a great summer option for groups and is available now in the Irvine Campus Bookstore.
Lean In // 5 minutes
You’ve been given a free ticket to three destinations anywhere in the world. Where do you go and why?
Look Down // 20 minutes
Read Matthew 25:14–26
What do you learn about the servants who invested what they had been given?
Sample answers may include:
- They saw the master as generous and trusting
- They believed they would have to answer for what was given
- They lived out of thankfulness
- They understood what was given didn’t belong to them
- The master counted them as faithful and rewarded them with more responsibilities
- They were invited to celebrate with the master
What do you learn about the servant who buried what he had been given?
Sample answers may include:
- He saw the master as harsh and unfair
- He was motivated by fear and selfishness
- He wanted to protect himself
- He had a lack of trust in the master
- The master calls him called lazy
- He loses everything and is left in isolation and darkness
- According to this passage, what is the one way to miss out on what God has given you?
Commentary: There are only two types of people in this passage: people who try and people who do not. The only way to fail and miss out on what God has for you is to not try. There is no failing in trying!
Look Out // 15 minutes
Where have you seen a person not live up to their full potential?
Leader Note: This question can be a tricky one to answer because measuring ability and potential can be a subjective and sensitive discussion. It may be helpful to think in terms of athletic ability or some other kind of skill, like musical ability, that is often associated as a God-given talent. Also, ensure this question is answered by looking out in our world and not within the group.
What contributed to that person’s inability to maximize their gifts?
Sample Answers May Include:
- Lack of risk taking
- Lack of discipline to develop or work hard at that skill
- Inability to dream big
- Too hard on themselves, couldn’t live up to their own expectations
- Fear of failure, fear of success
Look In // 20 minutes
What treasures have you been given and how are you using them?
Sample answer may be:
- Public Speaking
- Critical reasoning
- Financial aptitude
- Writing
- Encouraging/affirming
- Singing
- Cooking
- Organizing
Where are you “burying” what has been entrusted to you, and why?
Leader Note: Many of us tend to hide the shame or brokenness in our life as something that God heals, but cannot use. The reality is that people learn just as much, if not more from, our stories of failure and brokenness than from our stories of triumph. Lead your group to see that every aspect of their story is significant and has the ability to impact others for His Kingdom.
When we bury our treasures—for whatever reason—we bury the value of our lives. God is not concerned with how much we have but with what we do with what we have been given. The value of a life is always measured by how much is given away.
Live It Out // 5 minutes
How might God be calling you to use all of who you are to impact those around you?
Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.