Category: Small groups

Spiritual Friendship

New Testament Passage

Mark 6:7-13

7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. 10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Discussion Questions

  1. Christ could have sent the disciples out one-by-one to reach more people, and yet, He chose to send them out two-by-two. What are three things Christ may be revealing about the power of friendship by doing such a thing?
  2. Outside of service, how else is friendship given for us to be used? What are the benefits of a friendship outside of service?

Old Testament Passage

1 Samuel 18:1-4

Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the]soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. 3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

Also read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Discussion Questions

  1. Exploring the relationship between David and Jonathan, discuss how the two of them epitomized the concept of Spiritual Friendship.
  2. What are some other Biblical examples of friendship that you can think of in the Bible?
  3. Some of us consider ourselves to be “lone wolves”, not requiring the company of others. How do we reconcile this lifestyle with what we are taught about friendship in the Bible? Is it wrong to not have close friends? Furthermore, if I struggle to make friends, how do I overcome this?

Unity

Challenge

Try to deny yourself in one instance this week, for the sake of unity. For example, if there is a decision to be made and your opinion differs to someone else’s, try to neglect your own preference to further establish unity with that person/group.

Unity

Prayer

Lord, please grant me to understand the importance of unity in all aspects of my life. Teach me to seek after unity, even if that means having to give up my own desires and plans. Grant me a taste of the sweetness of unity, that I may strive for it always.

Open my eyes to see the importance of this virtue in my life and in my service. Never let me think that grand ideas and plans are worthwhile, if they come at the expense of unity. Grant that my family and I would live in unity all the days of our lives – so that this would be where you would command the blessing.

Protect our church from divisions. Shield us from fruitless and divisive debates. Amen.

Unity

Focus Quote

The One, indivisible Trinity ever remains the Trinity. The Father always remains the Father, the Son remains the Son, the Holy Spirit remains the Holy Spirit. Besides their personal properties, they all share all in common and in unity. That is why the Holy Trinity is One God.

– St. John Maximovich

Unity Readings

Psalm

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing: Life forevermore.

Discussion Questions

  1. The psalmist refers to unity as something that is particularly ‘good’ and ‘pleasant’ – what are some of the ways that unity achieves this?
  2. What is this oil that is referred to in the psalm, and why is it mentioned in the context of unity?
  3. What are some of the ways that we can practice living in unity, in our homes and in our service?

Old Testament Passage

2 Samuel 11: 6-11

Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

11 And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

Discussion Questions

  1. In this passage, we see how great Uriah’s unity was with his fellow soldiers. He was very conscious of the danger and discomfort that they were in, to the point that he refused to accept his own comfort and pleasures whilst they were in distress. How can we grow this same spirit of unity within us?
  2. Shortly after this encounter, Uriah is killed in battle under the orders of King David. We had previously read in Psalm 133 that unity brings from blessing. How can we then reconcile this with the way that Uriah’s life ended?