The G.O.A.T. – Week 7
Matthew 7:1-6
Pastor Jason shared the #1 reason that 66% of people across America that are ages 23-35 have left the church and their top reasons all Christians are ready to defend more than they are ready to engage in conversations.
Have you experienced this or does this sound like you? Do you believe this arises from a sense of insecurity among believers?
***For Leaders – Our insecurities can arise from the fact that the world seems to becoming increasingly hostile towards Christianity. No matter how we look at it, insecurities arise from fear and make us defensive. Wishing to defend our faith is admirable and needs to be applauded, but not at the expense of listening to others. For example, if you’re listening to someone complain how they were treated by “the church” then share how the church has been there for you. It’s not arguing back, it’s giving them hope. Our personal testimony is the most difficult thing for someone to criticize so it’s often best to start there.
(vv3-4) Pastor Jason expressed the value of being transparent about our own shortcomings (a.k.a. the plank) when addressing the speck in someone’s eye. How do you think this is helpful?
Why do you think that Jesus used the example of the eye?
***For Leaders – Answers will vary. After hearing what people have to say, go to this next question.
Who does a child usually call for if they have something in their eye?
***For Leaders – Answer is usually mom or dad. Kids call out to the person they trust most because their eye is a very tender part of their body. Sometimes it’s hard for a child to even let their mom look at it because it hurts and they are too nervous to pull their hands away from their face. Kids won’t let anyone take anything out of their eye without giving them permission first. Mom’s will literally need to ask permission to look in their eye even if the child has called for them. They’ll say, “Let mom look, I’m not going to hurt you, I can’t help if you don’t allow me to look.”
So ask the question again to the Group after this example, why do you think that Jesus chose the eye as a metaphor for judgment?
***For Leaders – Jesus used the example of an eye because seeing a “speck in someone’s eye” is to look at an issue in their life. Just like an eye is tender with a speck, so is an issue in someone’s life in the tender part of their souls. You need 3 things to touch the tender part of someone’s soul:
- You need their trust to get that close. (Like the trust required for proximity to look into an eye)
- You need their permission to look at an issue in the tender part of their soul.
- You carefully reach in with words to bring the healing balm of the Holy Spirit to that place. (Just like you carefully remove something from someone’s eye.
Just like wounds on your body need care and don’t heal overnight. The same is with the soul sometimes. You may need to “dress the wound” with their permission several times before it heals.
Since we have examined why Jesus chose the eye as a metaphor, what perspective do you have now when bringing correction to others?
***For Leaders – Just like we can’t walk up and swat something out of someone’s eye, we can correct people harshly. We’ll never build trust and we won’t get anywhere. People have experienced this in churches and that’s why they don’t want to come back. People have experienced this in families, jobs and relationships and that’s why they don’t want to come back. You can continue the discussion how tender places of the soul have been hurt in different environments.
***Important – we want to make sure we are just pointing fingers, but we are honest how we have hurt the tender parts of the souls of others by being too harsh.