Series:You Asked For It

Jesus calls us to follow Him, which is often filled with challenges. Is it worth following Jesus when the cost is high?

What are some common reasons why people find it hard or restrictive to follow Jesus? Do you agree? What are some areas you struggle to follow Jesus in? Following Jesus may create tension between us and our closest friends and loved ones because they do not understand our commitment to Jesus (Matthew 10:34-36; Luke 14:25-27). Share an instance where your faith led to a problem in your relationships. How do you think you had grown through the incident? Why do you think being a Christ-follower is often filled with challenges? Was there ever a time you felt like compromising or giving up on your faith when the going got tough? Who or what helped you to tide through that period? What did you learn from that experience?

Why do you think some tend to see discipleship as a bunch of rules and regulations or a set of do’s and don’ts? At the heart of discipleship is not our ability to put on our best behaviour but our willingness to commit to Jesus. Why do you think this personal commitment is important? How would it help the believer to hold onto God when hardships or afflictions come? If we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord then we are His servants who do God’s will as we are empowered by the Holy Spirt. How can the LG cultivate such dedication to Jesus together? How can you cooperate with the Spirit who wants to empower you for godly living and for ministry? How are you being receptive in allowing the Spirit to guide you? What tangible steps are you taking to draw closer to God this week? How can the LG help you?

Read Rom 12:1. How has God shown His mercy to you? To what extent has He displayed grace towards you? Sometimes we may think that God only wants to take from us or that He is not faithful in giving us what we want. But what does the cross tell us about how much He has already given to us or the love that He has already poured out generously on us? When we compare Christ’s sacrifice for us with what we go through in order to follow Him, which do we think weigh more? Why? This doesn’t mean we belittle or disregard our suffering. Jesus understands our difficulties because He also went through suffering in His obedience to God. How can the LG point each other to Jesus when the going gets tough? How can we learn from Jesus’ example when coping with hardships (1 Pet 2:21-25)?

What are some common reasons why people find it hard or restrictive to follow Jesus?

At the heart of discipleship is not our ability to put on our best behaviour but our willingness to commit to Jesus. Why do you think this personal commitment is important? 

Sometimes we may think that God only wants to take from us or that He is not faithful in giving us what we want. But what does the cross tell us about how much He has already given to us or the love that He has already poured out generously on us