Verse 1-5: What was your family’s perspective on children when you grew up? Were children meant to be seen and not heard? Were children the center of the family? How did children integrate into the family?

What are the attributes of a child Jesus wants to maintain? Why would being like a child be so unintuitive to the disciples?

What responsibility do we have to each other as Christians? Can you be good with God without being good to each other?

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Verse 7-9: Have you ever been on a diet? Have you ever had a diet that worked? Why or why not
At what point do natural urges and desires turn into temptations?

What do Jesus’ comments tell us about how attached we should be to the physical world? Are there things of this world that appear to be great but the world would be better off if it was gone?

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:12-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Verse 10-14: Do you believe in guardian angels?

Do you have a favorite underdog story?
Why do you think we like watching sports teams come back from certain defeat? Do you like watching blowouts?
Do you think God likes watching us succeed in our struggles? Did you have to parent your child through a struggle? Do you think good parents allow their kids to have struggles? What’s on the other side of overcoming a struggle?

Verse 15-20: What’s the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict resolution?
Do you think having conflict in a church is healthy? Why do we avoid it?
What’s the wisdom in Jesus’ approach to dealing with sin?

Verse 21-35: What does it mean to forgive your brother in Christ? Does forgiving mean we lose accountability? How do we balance 15-20 and 21-36?

Why does God want us to forgive? Why is it so hard to forgive others – what do we hope to gain by not forgiving? What do we give up when we don’t forgive?

In what areas of your life are you most easily offended? Why? What do you have to give up to be more forgiving in our areas of sensitivity?