Leader Guide
As believers, we often encounter challenges in our relationships. Whether with siblings, parents, children, spouses, coworkers, or others. These difficulties can leave us questioning our roles and what God expects from us in these interactions. This weekend, we concluded our series on relationships by examining the Parable of the Prodigal Son, seeking to understand how God responds to us and what lessons we can apply to our own lives.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leaders: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are taking part in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. Do you show more grace for certain relationships versus others?
2. God’s love is unconditional. Read Luke 15:11-24. Did the son's behavior change the way the father felt about his son? How do you see unconditional love played out in this story?
Leaders: In this story the father represents God, and the two sons represent us. As in this story, God’s love is not based on his son's behavior. As humans our love can be very conditional at times. However, nothing we do can change God’s feelings towards us, he loves unconditionally. That literally means without any conditions. That’s a hard concept to grasp.
3. God’s love keeps seeking. Read Luke 15:17-21, 1 Corinthians 13:7. In verse 20, how do we know that the father was looking for his son's return? How did God look for you “while you were still a long way off”? How might God be calling you to rebuild a relationship?
Leaders: God pursues us, even when we are the ones that caused the hurt, pain, or sin against Him. God looks for us while we are still a long way off. As a believer we are called to imitate Christ. So, we should keep loving, keep offering grace, make the first move, and keep seeking to rebuild.
4.Gods love is sacrificial. Read Luke 15:22-24. In what ways did the father show sacrificial love in his actions? Is there a cost associated with sacrifice? Consider how God may be asking you to show sacrificial love to someone in your life.
Leaders: Maybe for some of your groups, here is an opportunity to share about the ultimate sacrifice of God’s only son Jesus. It cost Him everything. As followers of Christ, He calls us to follow His example. We are not perfect, and He knows that we are human. However, we can ask God to help us work on loving unconditionally, keep looking for ways to rebuild relationships, and loving sacrificially.
Deeper
5. Read Romans 5:7-8. Compare how these two verses confirm that Jesus keeps on seeking, and His love is sacrificial. How should this reality change the way we handle our relationships?
Leaders: Christ died for you and me, while we were still sinners. With that knowledge what right do we have, to not forgive someone in our life?
6.Read Ephesians 4:32. How are we to forgive others? How should we treat others? What is the motivation behind forgiving and being kind?
Leaders: We have talked a lot about relationships in the last few weeks. Relationships are hard and take work. With Christ as our example and the Holy Spirit as our guide, we can learn to be more like Jesus and love like him. Matthew 19:26, reminds us that it's impossible for man, but with God it is possible.