Making Friends | Friends | Mitch Harrison

What's your first instinct when you experience an issue with a friend? Conflict, while intimidating, is a great opportunity to strengthen your friendship. Scripture teaches us that conflict allows believers to pursue their friends as God pursues his children. When you reconcile with someone who has hurt you, you preach the gospel of Jesus!

KEY VERSES

  • John 15:12-14 NLT - This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.You are my friends if you do what I command.

  • 1 Peter 4:7-8 NLT - The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NLT - Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proudor rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

  • Psalms 19:14 NLT - May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT - Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

  • Matthew 18:15-17 NLT - “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

  • Matthew 18:12-14 NLT - “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

HEARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

  • What are you thankful for?
  • What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
  • What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?

+ Recap

  • Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
  • Did you live out your response from last week?
  • Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • One person reads the story out loud to the group.
  • Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.

+ Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)
  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

+ Read and Look Again

  • Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
  • What does this passage say about people in general?

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

  • What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
  • How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
  • Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests
  • Pray together

+ Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?
  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

Become a Partner

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.

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