ICEBREAKERS
Make sure to start off with prayer. Then choose one or more questions to open up with.
- Who was your first "best friend"? Tell us about that person.
- If you ever watched the series, "Friends," who was your favorite character? (Ross, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, etc.)
- Do you feel like your friends are more generous and thoughtful to you than you are to them? Or is it the other way around?
Message Review
Main points and scriptures from this week's message.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)
Two are better than one.
Many of us recognize that two are better than one. However, Pastor Kevin reminds us that not just any two are better than one, and having the right friends will help you to move life forward.
POINT 1: “Friending” is friends in faith and fire.
We read in the book of Daniel that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were friends in faith. These three men faced a great challenge when they were told that they must worship other Gods and an image of gold the King had set up. If they refused, they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. Alone, perhaps they would have done what the King had commanded, but together, they stood up for what they believed in. Together, they were friends in faith and fire.
POINT 2: Not every friend is a friend in faith.
The truth is that not every friend is a friend in faith. Some friends will be friends as long as you fit in with their lifestyle. But a friend in faith is someone who is on the same path as you, they share the same faith as you, and they encourage you when times are good and when times are bad.
POINT 3: The friends God has for you won’t come into your life unless you start friending them.
Proverb 18:24 (AKJV)
A man who has friends must himself be friendly.
Rather than staying with the same friends you’ve been comfortable with step out into some places where people of faith are hanging out! Start reaching out to some people at church. Be part of serving team. Be part of a Champion Life Group.
POINT 4: Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.
Proverb 13:20 (NIV)
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverb 27:17 (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Back to our story in Daniel. We left off with them being told they had to worship other Gods and an image of Gold the King setup or they would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Daniel 3:16–25 (NIV)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
POINT 5: What’s great about having friends in faith is that friends in faith are friends in fire!
TALK-IT-OUT
The following questions will help guide your discussions and give your group some opportunities to open up and share.
- Is your natural tendency to seek out friendships, or do you tend to isolate yourself? Why?
- Talk about some specific examples of how friendships in your life have impacted you, good or bad?
- Do you have any friends that you really want to become a friend in faith, but they do not believe in God?
- Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt lonely?
- What do you need to work on in order to be friendlier?
WRITE-It-Out
Encourage your group to starting writing things down. In a journal or on paper, write down the following:
- Draw a line down the middle of your paper. At the top, write "Friends in Faith" on one side, and "Friends (Not in Faith)" on the other side. Now list all the friends that you have for each category. Circle the friends that you listed that are not in faith who you are willing to invite to church this week.
- For each friend you circled, write down three different times or opportunities you could invite them to church this week.
- List three people you know at church that you have not friended yet, but you would like to.
- For each person you listed that you would like to be friends with, write down three different times or opportunities when you could have a conversation with them.
Live-It-Out
Encourage your group to start doing. Commit to a step, and live it out this week.
- Pray daily for the friends you circled and plan to invite to church. Ask God to open up doors and fill you with the courage to invite them to church.
- Serve together as a group. Every month, we have serving opportunities with Champions Foundation. To view the calendar of events click HERE
- Go to Growth Track. This brand new opportunity at Champions Centre will help you to grow in your faith, relationships, and purpose. This is every Sunday during the 11:30 service.
Closing Thoughts
- Finish group with prayer requests and praise reports.
- More resources always available here: Group Resources