How Choosing the Right Relationships Changed My Life Group Guide

Discussion Questions
Choose the questions for your group; no pressure to use all of them.

1. If you could choose someone to be friends with—anyone you want—who would it be?
2. Why is “who you build your life around” one of the most powerful areas of decision-making? 
3. How does our environment choose who we have relationships with?
4. We all need godly relationships and friendships. How can we all, whether we are introverts or extroverts, navigate this area?
5. Read Philippians 2:19-21. In these verses, Paul named Timothy as someone he could “call on” (i.e. lean on when life gets heavy). Who is a “Timothy” in your life, and are you someone’s “Timothy”?
6. Read 1 Samuel 23:15-16. Do you have someone in your life that brings you back to the presence of God when you forget how to get there on your own?
7. Read 2 Samuel 12:7. Considering the context of this verse, we all need friendships where we can be “called out.” We can romanticize loyalty, but loyalty without honesty can become enablement. Have you ever been called out by a friend or had to “call out” a friend, and if so, how did that go?
8. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. What’s one lie about yourself that you have been believing lately? What friend can “call you up” and say, “That is not who you are, and that is not what God says about you?”
9. Ryan mentioned three goals to live up to our half of our relationships so that our future self will thank us: to be someone that can be called on, called out, and called up. Which of these three goals would you most like to develop in yourself? Which one would you most appreciate from others?
10. To apply this week’s message as a group, consider making plans to do a social gathering or service project (if you need help or ideas, you can reach out to your Group Coach). Or scan through the options in “Put It into Practice” and pick one you want to try.
11. Take some time to share prayer requests and pray for one another.

Verse to meditate on and memorize this week

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. (1 Samuel 23:16)

Put It into Practice (Between Meetings)

• Spend some quiet time alone with God (anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes or more), reading and memorizing 1 Samuel 23:16. Also consider reading all of 1 Samuel 23. Then, write down any thoughts you have about what you read.
• Read about both Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:19-30 and watch this video from the Life Essentials Study Bible on the following principle: To help Christians understand and imitate Christ's attitudes of unselfishness, humility, and self-sacrifice, we should expose them to spiritual leaders (and friends) who model these qualities.
• Make a list of your good friends. Thank God for them and text them to let them know you appreciate their friendship.
• Pray for God to reveal ways you can be a good friend to others. And if you feel like you need more friends in this season of life, also pray that God would provide those relationships. Then consider checking out a small group.
• Identify a friend and intentionally reach out to grab coffee and spend time together, either calling on, calling out, or calling up.
• Would you like to receive this Group Guide via email each week? If so, you can subscribe to the weekly “Message Rewind” email HERE.