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Feb
21
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Rhythms of the Christian life - Investing in Friendships
Sermon for Sunday February 12, 2012 at New Life Christian Church, Hudson NH, Pastor Ken Heath.
Discussion Guide: Investing in Friendships - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Today's sermon focused on five principles from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that guide us in the care and feeding of our friendships. Do you feel the need to develop more, or deeper, friendships in your life? Please discuss and apply the following questions to your life.
1. Partner as fellow servants (v. 9) • How do you usually make friends in your life? Have you ever made friends from serving in a church? Are your friendships with non-Christians any different than those with Christians? 2. Pick them up and pardon them when they fall (v. 10) • Have you ever had an experience where you "fell" but there was no one there to help you up? How did that feel? Do you want help when you are struggling or do you prefer to "go it alone"? 3. Provide a warm presence in a cold, lonely world (v.11) • Discuss some of the practical things you can do for a friend (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) when they are going through an uncomfortable time in their life. Do you have any examples of this kind of support being offered in the Bible to someone?
4. Protect their back in life's battles (v. 12) • What kind of attack should you be on the "lookout" for, regarding your friends? Discuss ways that you can protect your friends in the battles of life. How can you try to "speak the truth in love" to your friend without it being perceived as an attack? 5. Point them to the Lord (v.12c) • How can friends weave together a threefold cord with the Lord and make Him a key part of the friendship? Would you be willing to tell a friend that their actions are biblically unwise, or would you avoid that for fear of appearing judgmental? How might you point a non-believing friend to the Lord?
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