Thrive Part 2

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Hill City Church 

Thrive - Guide  Thrive / Part 2  

Reading:

12 ​Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

​-​Romans 5:12

Getting Started  Read the above verses  1. Who has been the most influential man in your life?  a. Why were they influential for you?  b. What might your life have looked like if they hadn’t come into  your life? 

Digging in  2. How can the decisions (or one decision) of one person impact a large  number of people?  a. How might understanding the impact of your decisions affect your  lifestyle?  b. How can that understanding get skewed?   

Going Deeper  This week, Pastor Brad looked at a variety of types of men and the types of  impact that they tend to have. In particular, we looked at men who are  dominated by certain things and what they let themselves be controlled by.  Things like control, materialism, anger, laziness, legalism, hedonism, and  even simple inactivity. Each of these things, when allowed to control, 

 

destroys families, ruins relationships, and can break down men slowly over  time like a river slowly eroding away its own banks.  We would like for your group to now split (if at all possible) to guys and  girls groups (if you don’t already). Encourage each group to be open and  honest with each other, not feeling the need to be the “perfect” specimen, but  to feel fully known, and fully loved.  ● To the women  Do not allow this to be a gripe session, but instead, think about and look at  the positives your spouse and/or men in your life have and think about what  life can look like if the Holy Spirit invades. In this time, use ‘I’  statements and think about how you can productively ‘help’ (think the Greek  word ‘​ezer​’ from last week)  ○ Looking at those particular struggles, which one do ​YOU​ tend to  struggle with the most?  ■ What area(s) in your life are you not helping your husband  or the men around you to become the man God has made them to  be?  ○ In what ways are you NOT giving your husband to the Lord and are  trying to be the Holy Spirit in his life?  ■ In what ways can you encourage your husband (or the men  around you)?  ■ In what ways can you be praying for your husband (or the men  around you)?  ●

To the men  ○ Which of these men do you find yourself being most often?  ■ How does that manifest in your walk with the Lord?  ■ How does that manifest itself in your marriage? Family?  Friendships?  ○ What aspect of the Gospel does this type of man forget the most?  ○ What are ways you can combat being this type of man?  ■ What is a biblical truth that speaks against that kind of  man  ○ What role does pride play in these different types of men?  ■ In what way does pride affect you now? 

Application 

1. Projecting 

The truth, whether we like it or not, is that we tend to project on God, the  perfect father, things that we saw in our earthly father, this is called  projecting. If we had a dad who was angry and ruled in wrath, we tend to see  God in that same light as well. Or, if our earthly father was absent, it’s  easy to see God more hands off.   ○

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Which type of man did your father tend to be?  ■ How is God not like that?  1. How do you know?  What are characteristics of God that are Father-like? 

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How have you seen God act in those ways towards you?  1. Is God proud of you? 

 

Reflection  1. What are some action steps I can start tomorrow to fight against being  this kind of person?  2. Is there anything I need to apologize for to my spouse?  3. What are some ways I can encourage my spouse?  4. What Gospel truth do I need to be reminded of right now?