For Generations: Just Say Yes

Jesus’ invitations always lead to something better.

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• Think of a time someone gave you really direct advice or a hard "no" that turned out to be exactly right. What made you actually listen instead of walking away?
• If you're honest, when someone points out something specific you need to change, is your first instinct to lean in or to get defensive?

Read This

• Read Luke 18:18-30
  • Mark's account adds that "Jesus looked at him and loved him" right before giving the hard instruction. Why does it matter that this request comes from love, not judgment?
  • Jesus doesn't tell the man to be more devoted in general — He names one specific thing: sell what you have, give it to the poor, follow me. Why do you think Jesus gets that specific instead of speaking in general terms?
  • The man walks away sad — not angry, not defiant. What does his sadness tell you about what was actually happening inside him at that moment?
  • Jesus doesn't chase him down, negotiate, or soften the ask. He lets him walk away. What does that tell you about how Jesus treats invitations — and how seriously He takes our freedom to say no?
  • Peter points out that the disciples already gave up everything to follow Jesus (v. 28). Look closely at Jesus' answer in verses 29–30 — what does He actually promise in return, and on what timeline?

What Now

• The man in this story heard exactly what it would cost him — and walked away sad rather than saying yes. Jesus doesn't chase him down or negotiate. If Jesus were that direct with you about something specific right now, what would make it hard to say yes?
• Where in your life is fear of loss currently outweighing trust in what Jesus says is on the other side?
• As a group, how can we help each other actually notice when we're quietly walking away sad from something Jesus is asking of us, rather than naming it and working through it together?

When Jesus invites us to something—let’s say yes.

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: Better Hands by Pat Barrett

For Generations: Give A Little Bit

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• When have you been content with something until you saw what someone else had?
• What's something you've been given, like a skill, a person, or an opportunity, that you didn't earn but would hate to be without?

Read This

• Read Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44
  • Jesus sits down and watches people give. What does it tell you that He notices this, and that He notices her?
  • Jesus says she gave "more than all the rest." What words does He use to explain why? 
    • What's the difference between what the others gave and what she gave?
  • Mark adds that she gave "everything she had to live on." What does that extra detail add to the picture?
  • The passage never says the widow compared herself to anyone, and she could easily have felt her two coins were pointless. What do you think made it possible for her to give anyway?
  • Jesus doesn't criticize the wealthy givers. He simply points out the difference. What do you think He wants His disciples to take from this?
  • Someone could read this and think, "I have too little for it to matter," and someone else, "I have too much for this to apply to me." How does this story speak to both?

What Now

• Where do you notice comparison pulling you away from being faithful with what you've been given, whether money, time, or ability?
• What's one specific step of faithfulness you could take this week with something God has given you? 
  • How can this group help you follow through?

Be faithful with what God has given you.

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: Take My Life 

For Generations: In God We Trust

We are all managing money that God has entrusted to us. 

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• Imagine someone trusted you with their house or car for a year. How would you treat it differently from your own?
• Jesus says no one can serve two masters. When have you tried to answer two demands pulling in opposite directions, and how did it go?

Read This

• Read Luke 16:1-13
  • In verses 1-2, the manager is accused of wasting "his possessions," meaning the rich man's. What does that tell us about whose money this is, and what do you think "give an account" would feel like to hear?
  • In verses 3-7, the manager is about to lose his job and acts fast. What is he doing with his master's money, and what is he thinking about?
  • In verse 8, the master commends him, but not for honesty. What exactly is being praised, and what does verse 9 say Jesus wants His followers to do with worldly wealth?
  • Verses 10-12 say how we handle small things shows whether we can be trusted with more. Why might money be such a revealing test of character?
  • In verse 13, Jesus uses the language of masters, devotion, and contempt. Most of the time money seems like a tool. What makes Jesus say it can become a master?
  • What do people tend to look to money for, and what does it seem to promise? 
    • What would Jesus say it can't deliver?

What Now

• Josh Bayne offered three mindsets: Everything I have is from God. It's His job to protect it, not mine. My resources are available to others. Which one would change your everyday money decisions the most, and what makes it hard to believe?
• What's one small step this week to put that mindset into practice, such as a prayer of thanks, giving something away, or writing the three mindsets where you'll see them? 
  • Share it so the group can check in next week.

If you’re good at making money, use that money for eternal things. 

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: All I Have Is Yours by Sojourn Music

For Generations: Excuse Me

Excuse: Saying you can’t do it, when you really don’t think it’s worth it. 

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• What's the best (or most ridiculous) excuse you've heard for getting out of an invitation?
• Imagine you're invited to the best dinner of your life: everything paid for, your favorite people there. What would cause you to turn it down?

Read This

• Read Luke 14:15-24
  • In verse 15, a guest says, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Jesus answers with this story. What do you think He's doing by telling it in response?
  • What do verses 16-17 tell you about the host and the invitation? 
    • What stands out in the words "Come, for everything is now ready"?
  • Look at the three excuses in verses 18-20. What do they have in common, and what do you notice about how each one is worded?
  • A field, oxen, and a marriage aren't bad things. What does that suggest about what tends to keep people from saying yes to Jesus?
  • The host responds with anger and then widens the invitation (vv. 21-23). What does that show about his heart and about who the invitation is for?
  • Verse 24 says none of the original guests will taste the banquet. What did they actually lose by making their excuses?

What Now

• Josh suggested our excuses tend to gather around possessions (the field), busyness (the oxen), or relationships (the marriage), and are usually driven by fear, comfort, or control. Which pairing feels most familiar to you?
• Is there a "yes" to Jesus you've been putting off, in serving, community, generosity, or something else? 
  • What's one small step you could take this week, and how can the group help you follow through?
• So what’s your next “yes”? Whatever it is, do that thing.

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: As For Me and My House by Brandon Lake

For Generations: Kingdom Investment

Jesus gives us an invitation to experience something far greater than any measure of control can give you.

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• Have you ever been handed an opportunity that turned out to be bigger than you expected? 
  • What was your first reaction?
• If someone handed you a small amount of money and said “put this to work,” what would you honestly do first?

Read This

• Read Luke 19:11-27
  • Luke says Jesus tells this story because people thought the kingdom would appear immediately (v. 11). What do you think He wants them to understand about the time between now and the king’s return?
  • Look at verses 12-13. What does the king give, to whom, and what does he ask them to do? 
    • What does that suggest about how he sees these servants?
  • The first two servants are rewarded with cities in verses 16-19, far more than what they started with. What stands out to you about that reward?
  • In verses 20-21, the third servant explains why he did nothing. How does he describe the king, and how does that description shape what he does?
  • The servant says the king is harsh and demanding, but the king has just treated the first two servants generously. What do you think the third servant misunderstood about him?
  • Jesus told this to people expecting the kingdom immediately. What does it ask of people living in the “in between,” and what might that look like today?

What Now

• Stephen said generosity pushes against our desire for control and our fear of the unknown. Which one tends to pull harder on you when you think about what you’ve been given, whether money, time, or ability? What would loosen it?
• The sermon’s challenge was to open your hands, invest what you have, and see what God does. What’s one thing you could put to work this week, and how can the group help you follow through?

The return on kingdom investment is always kingdom impact.

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: Open Hands by Laura Story

For Generations: Because You Say So

“But because you say so I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5

Discussion Questions

Start Talking 

• What’s the most inconvenient favor someone has asked of you, and what made you say yes (or no)?
• Think back to a decision that made little sense at the time but turned out to matter a lot. What do you remember about how it felt to make it?

Read This

• Read Luke 5:1-11
  • Jesus’ first request is small: borrow the boat and push out a little from shore (vv. 1-3). What do you notice about how Jesus begins with Peter?
  • In verse 4, Jesus asks a professional fisherman to fish in deep water after a night of catching nothing. What’s going on in Peter’s answer in verse 5, especially the words “but because you say so”?
  • Verses 6-7 show the nets breaking and the boats nearly sinking. What do you notice about the order of events, from Peter’s obedience to the catch to the trouble that follows?
  • In verse 8, Peter responds to the miracle with “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” Why do you think a huge catch led him to say that instead of celebrating?
  • In verse 10, Jesus says “Don’t be afraid” without addressing Peter’s confession. What does that tell you about how Jesus sees Peter?
  • In verse 11, they leave everything right after the biggest catch of their lives. What do you notice about the timing, and what might it say about what they’d just seen?

What Now

• Peter said yes before he knew what was on the other side. Where do you tend to want the outcome before you take a step, and what makes that hard to let go of?
• What’s one “because you say so” step you sense Jesus inviting you toward, big or small? 
  • What could you do about it this week, and how can the group help you follow through?

Thank God ahead of time for the privilege to participate in his everlasting Kingdom work.

Additional Series Resources

For Generations Website

Song: Your Way’s Better by Forrest Frank