Lake Forest Church Community Group Sermon
Discussions
Sermon
Series: Widen the Circle
September
20, 2009
Week
1: The Power of Friendship
Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise
becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm."
The promise: Wisdom is contagious...
The warning: Foolishness
is harmful...
There is an important principle, "the Power of Friendship"
in this verse, which states:
"Our friends will always influence, and sometimes
determine, the direction and quality of our lives." ~ Andy Stanley
How do your friends influence and shape your
life? What kind of influence are you making or hope to
make on your friends? As a
community group, you may want to also share how others in the group are
influencing you.
What does it mean to be wise?
Leader: Assign each person in the
group to look up one or two the following verses and ask them to read to the
group:
Proverbs
1:20-33; 2:1-9; 3:13-18, 21-26; 8:10-11, 32-36; 16:16; and 24:13-14
Based on these verses in Proverbs, what is wisdom
and why is it so important? What is the price for rejecting
wisdom? For acceptance?
- Where does wisdom originate (Proverbs 2:6)? How
is wisdom acquired and what is necessary on our part (Proverbs 1:7;
9:10)? Explain.
- Does having wisdom guarantee we will live by
wisdom? What else does wisdom need besides knowledge?
Thinking back to when you grew up or even now, who
would you consider to be a wise person? What are some of the
characteristics of this person?
What does it mean to be
foolish?
Leader: Assign each person in the
group to look up one or two the following verses and ask them to read to the
group:
Proverbs
1:7; 10:8, 23; 12:1; 13:19; 14:9, 29, 33; 15:5; 17:24; 18:2; 13; 23:9; 24:7;
26:11; 27:22; and 29:11
What are some of the characteristics of being a
fool? What harm comes from
being a companion with this type of person?
Why is it dangerous to downplay the significance of
the power of influence? Why is it especially dangerous when you make a
change in your life?
What does it mean to be "influenceable"? Are
you "influenceable" or "uninfluenceable"? Why
or why not?
How do you go about surrounding yourself with wise
women and men who are moving in the direction God has called you to go?
As
you wrap up, discuss what concrete steps you can take as a group to get
intentional about setting up your lives so the truth of the power of
friendships will work for you rather than against you. Brainstorm and then encourage
each person to take a step in that direction this week.
Read
Proverbs 13:20 out loud
"Whoever
walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm."
Remember: "It's not a behavioral thing,
it's a proximity thing."
Questions
created by Tim Lewis, Community Group Leader at LFC.
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