Lean In // 5 minutes
What are the characteristics of a good resume? What are the types of characteristics read at an Eulogy and how do they differ?
Leader Note: Lead your group to see the difference between self-earned/driven achievements and the character traits, such as loving and self-giving which have more lasting impact.
Look Down // 10 minutes
What do you learn about this difficult thing Paul faced?
Sample answers may include…
- Paul asked three times for it to be taken away
- The “weakness” led him to depend on God
- He was given or gifted “a thorn in his flesh”
- Christ’s power is made perfect in his weakness
- Christ’s grace is sufficient for Paul
- Paul’s weakness and Christ’s power are connected
- He found purpose in the “thorn” or difficulty and a promise of grace and power in Christ
Commentary: There has been a lot of debate about the “thorn in the flesh” Paul references. There are some commentators who think it was epilepsy while others thought it could have been depression or debilitating headaches or even a degenerative eye disease. Also, the phrase “messenger of Satan” is unclear. Commentators are not unified on whether Paul is making a theological statement or using the phrase as a figure of speech. Although some of these things are unclear, what we do know is that Paul’s thorn was incredibly difficult and debilitating for him…and it didn’t go away: “Three times I pleaded with The Lord…” (v. 8). With all that being said, Paul considered and understood his thorn as a gift where Christ’s power was made perfect and His grace was sufficient.
Look Out // 10 minutes
What are some of the “thorns” or difficulties you see people facing today?
Sample answers may include:
- Health related issues
- Difficulties at work
- Financial pressures—student loans, debts, mortgages, etc.
- Relational stress—marriage, kids, or dating
How have you seen people respond to their difficulty?
Leader Note: Just like The Apostle Paul, we all face “thorns” or difficulties in our lives and they range from seasonal to permanent. As you lead your group, help them to identify the different hardships that people face in our world and their response to it.
Look In // 15 minutes
Where are you experiencing a “thorn” in your life?
What would it look like to receive it as a gift where Christ’s power and grace is made perfect in and through you?
Commentary: The Apostle Paul was a man of great faith that God used in incredible ways and even he faced a painfully debilitating “thorn” in his flesh. Also, he asked God to take it away three times but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Even though Paul faced this difficulty, he found purpose and a promise of Christ’s grace and power.
Leader Note: A question we often want to know is why? Why did this happen to me? And, then we can jump to the conclusion that we did something wrong or that God is upset with us. As you lead your group through these questions, be sensitive to the difficulties they face and the questions they may ask, while also reminding them that God is at work. For when we are weak, then Christ (and us) are made strong.
Live It Out // 5 minutes
What if we received our difficulty as an opportunity for Christ’s grace and power to be known? How would it impact our world?
PRAY: Although we can receive our difficulty as an opportunity for Christ to work, it doesn’t mean that we don’t pray for the situations that we face. Pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. From the things your group identified as “thorns”, pray that God would heal, provide, deliver, etc. And, pray that your group would experience God’s grace and power in the face of the difficulty.
Key Verse(s): But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Life Group Connect Event Sign-Ups: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6:30-8p, Upper Room
Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities
Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.