Expand Your Circle Group Guide

February 2023

Discuss Together

  • What’s a nickname you have (or had growing up)? Is there a story behind it?
  • Jesus had a nickname that was meant to be a term of derision but he wound up embracing: “friend of sinners.” Read about how he got this nickname in Matthew 9:9-13. Why would it have been shocking to the Pharisees that Jesus would have gone to this particular party?
  • The term “Pharisee” means “separated one.” These people believed that holy people would stay away from people who were not even trying to be godly. In what ways does it make sense they thought this way? In what ways, according to Jesus, were they wrong?
  • What tensions have you run into with trying to be friends with people who are far from God? What have you learned about navigating these tensions?
  • Watch the Wings with Jeff video that features Patrick Kelly. In it, Jeff and Patrick talk about some common challenges to being friends with people who don’t know Jesus. Which of the challenges they talked about do you resonate with?
  • We can often think of non-Christians as projects instead of people. How can we keep our interactions with people who don’t know Jesus from being weird or forced, while also being intentional about our faith? What have you learned?
  • Think about your friend circle. How many friends do you have who aren’t church people? Have you found it hard to connect with non-Christians? Why or why not?
  • This week’s challenge is to intentionally hang out with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Who is a person or two you could reach out to?