Sgt. Thomas Baker – For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, the Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. When his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapons and small-arms fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company, Sgt. (then Pvt.) Baker voluntarily took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Through heavy rifle and machinegun fire that was directed at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point, enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later while his company advanced across the open field flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, Sgt. Baker again voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against surprise attack and came upon 2 heavily fortified enemy pockets manned by 2 officers and 10 enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked and killed all of them. Five hundred yards farther, he discovered 6 men of the enemy who had concealed themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them. On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was seriously wounded but he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any farther stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree. Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier’s pistol with its remaining 8 rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker’s body was found in the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

What are some of the most awesome sacrifices you can think of?

Verse 1: Have you ever been wronged by someone and instead of addressing it with the person, you spent all your time telling about the person? Did that make the situation better?

Verse 2-3: When will saints judge the world? What is our future position in Christ as children of God? Paul is saying that we don’t need to focus as much on winning in the temporal space because we are inheriting something greater in the eternal realm.

Verse 4-8: When your children fight, how do things usually get resolved? Should there be a higher expectation for Christians and what is it? Why does it matter that we resolve disputes among believers? Are we supposed to hide church problems?

What does verse 7 mean? Are we supposed to be pushovers? Would you sacrifice being right about someone in order to be right with someone for the sake of Christ? Is this fair? Why would God want to protect our reputation?

John Paton – “Among many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, “The cannibals! you will be eaten by cannibals!” At last, I replied, “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms.”

Verse 9-10: What is the kingdom of God as referenced here? What is there to inherit? What is common among all these sins?

Verse 11:Verse 12: With great power comes great responsibility. What happens when we misuse God’s gifts? Do we use God’s gifts to bless others or do we lay burdens on others?

Verse 13: How should we view our bodies? How does that contrast with how the world views our bodies?

Verse 15-16: How does God’s view of sex differ from the world’s? What happens when we remove sex from its purpose? Sex either connects us or ours us in bondage. Either way, it’s meant to bind us to something.

Verse 17: How can we be joined to the Lord in spirit? What does that mean?

Verse 18: Why do you think Paul says we need to flee sexual immorality? What makes it different?

Verse 19-20: What needs to change in your life to reflect that your life is not your own? Tell the story of Nathan Barlow.

Are you living life like it’s a battleship or a cruise ship?

Have you ever had to lose an argument with your wife to save the relationship?

What are some public examples of Christian behavior that turns people away from the church?

Have you ever seen parents with rotten kids in the grocery store? Does that reflect well on the parents?

When you have a disagreement with fellow Christians, how should we deal with it?

What does it cost to be a Christian in America? Has the cause of a Christ cost you something?
Have you given over everything to Christ? What would you lay aside to benefit your friends?

What are you sacrificing for the sake of saving someone?