Icebreaker Option: What's the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a social setting?
HOPE: Where have you seen God at work in the last week?
SERMON SUMMARY:
Pastor Justin Kendrick introduced this new series "Knots", likening relationships to ropes that require suitable knots to hold them together. From Colossians 4:7-18, he discusses the three layers of friendship: companions, confidants and caretakers. and stresses the importance of deep, meaningful connections. He concludes by highlighting grace as essential for nurturing friendships, explaining this grace through Jesus’ example.
HEART:
• Think about your own friendships. How well have you learned to tie knots in your relationships?
• Think about a time when you needed to extend grace to someone in your life. How did it affect your relationship, and what did you learn from that experience?
HEAD: Read Colossians 4:7-18
• Paul uses the word fellow three times in this passage. What do we learn from his use of this word?
• How does Paul end this passage and what is the significance of this phrase?
HANDS:
Companions are travelling in the same direction.
• Are there relationships in your life where you need to invest more time? How can you prioritize those friendships?
Confidants share your pain.
• Reflect on your own life. Do you struggle with vulnerability? What steps can you take to be more open with your friends?
Caretakers are responsible for one another.
• Is there someone you are struggling to extend grace to? What steps will you take this week to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting?
HOPE: Prayer
• Pray for each person in the group to have meaningful and healthy relationships in their lives.
• Pray for the courage and vulnerability to open up and be authentic with our friends, trusting in God's grace and guidance.
• Ask for God's help in reconciling any broken relationships and for the wisdom to know how to tie the right knots in our friendships.
GOING DEEPER: Questions to reflect upon and encourage the conversation to go deeper.
• Read the accounts of the individuals Paul mentions in this passage. John Mark, Onesimus, Demas, Luke. Consider the complexity of relationships as you read their account and what Paul wrote about them in the letter to Colossae.
• Read John 15 and reflect on the grace Jesus demonstrated in seeking a relationship with us.