Message Notes for November 3rd, 2019

Series: “Great Friendships” 

Part 1: Great friendships flow from you

Great Christian friendships are _______ through ______, _______ ______, and ______ an eternal ___________.

Sacrifice:

1. We _____ give what we have not been ______.

2. Friendship doesn’t _____ from us _________ God’s love _______ in.

Ephesians 1:3-8

Romans 6: 5-11

Intimate Sharing:

Matthew 18: 19,20

John 17: 20,21

Eternal Perspective:

Remember the ______ for the _______

Acts 13:46-48

Matthew 28:18-20

Ephesians 2:8-10

Family/Study Group Notes for Week of November 3rd, 2019

Part 1 – Great friendships flow from you

• How many good friends would you say you have? Can you count them on one hand? What makes them a good friend?

• Are those good friendships ones that are founded in Christ’s love? If so, are they different than other friendships you have? How?

• Read:  Philippians 2:1-11. How does God’s sacrifice on the cross show us His love for us? God’s love for us through Christ should continue to fill us up. Do you ever feel empty of love? Has Jesus’s death on the cross lost its effect? If so, why? How can we show sacrifice in our “great friendships” as God showed us?

• How does intimate sharing strengthen a friendship?  Intimacy and intimate sharing can often be combined in a similar category that is only reserved for certain types of friendship. The intimate sharing we are talking about is one that has God at the center, allowing for us to show our faults. 

• What does intimate sharing look like in a great Christian friendship? Does it provide a setting for forgiveness, respect, grace, and accountability? If so, how?  How does God use prayer to bring us together? Have you ever prayed with a good friend, spouse, or relative? How did that experience open doors or provide understanding? 

• Lastly, how does having our timeline on eternity effect our friendships?  Read Matthew 28:18-20.

• Do you ever find yourself frustrated with a situation, person, or time in your life? Where was your focus, on the present or on the future? Would your experience have changed if you had looked at God’s eternal picture vs our temporal one?

• How does looking at our friends and friendships from an eternal perspective change the way we interact with each other? How does it change our engagement with others around us?