Stepping In: Getting things started!
1 – Tell your group about a time God came through for you in such a way that the only explanation was “God did this!”
2 – Share a time when you wanted God to show up, but it seemed through the circumstances that maybe He didn’t.
3 – How do you make sense of God’s ability to change anything and yet sometimes He doesn’t step in and change or fix or heal a situation the way we’d like Him to?
4 – Pastor John said, “Salvation is FREE, but there is a COST to follow Jesus.” What has following Jesus cost you?
Building Up: What is God Saying?
Read Luke 14:25. Why do you think it might be significant to note here that Jesus told this to the “crowds” following Him? How did their expectations of Him differ from what He was offering?
Read Luke 14:26. What are some practical ways we can put Jesus BEFORE any other relationship in our lives? What does it mean for Jesus to be NUMBER 1?
Read Luke 14:27. In Jesus’ day, the reference to the cross (remember, He hadn’t died on a cross yet when He said this) meant others saw them as DEAD already. What could Jesus be referring to for us who choose to follow Him?
Read Luke 14:28-32. How do these two pictures give us insight into what it means to truly consider or count the cost of following Jesus? How could you explain this to someone who’s new to investigating Jesus?
Read Luke 14:33. What have been the most difficult things for you to “give up” in order to fully follow Jesus?
Living Out: How do I obey?
1 – Jesus isn’t a “good luck charm”. So what is He to you?
2 – How will you possibly be required to “give up something” this week as you follow Him?
