Written in Heaven

IDENTITY THEFT:
THE OTHER THING MEN THINK ABOUT

***Before you begin! Reaffirm the ‘Vegas’ rule with your group – what happens in small groups stays in small groups. This is very important to talk about every week. Encourage everyone that the environment is safe, and that there is no judgment.

***The reason we do small groups is to ‘belong and become’ – Have a safe group of friends to belong to and become more like Jesus every day. This is the vision of small groups – remind your group of this each week.

1. When you hear the phrase “the other thing men think about” what jumps into your head? What are some stereotypes regarding the thoughts of a man? From your perspective how true are these stereotypes?

2. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul talks about fighting the ‘good fight.’ What’s an example of a good fight? A bad fight? Why does a man need to fight at all?

3. In 1 John 2: 16, Paul talks about three things that trip men up: the lust of the flesh (sex), the lust of the eye (material things), and pride of life (self pride). What does each one of these look like in our world today? On a personal level, which one do you struggle with the most?

4. The last part of the 2 Timothy passage talks about having a faith worth keeping. What does it look like to have a mediocre faith or a ‘shipwrecked’ faith? How can we ensure that our faith is one worth keeping? Are we doing what we need to in order to have a faith worth keeping? If no, why not?

5. Personally which of these do you feel like you need to focus on spiritually: having a fight worth fighting for, the three traps Paul talks about, or a faith that’s strengthened daily? How can we help each other grow in these areas? Pray for one another about these needs.

As always, end the group with general sharing of prayer requests and prayer. Some groups have found it effective to pray for each request as it’s given, rather than creating the list of requests. Use your discretion as a leader.