The Right Kind of Crazy Might Be Exactly What You Need

THE TEXT: 1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5.

The counterintuitive nature of divine wisdom.

• People who don’t know God are and they refuse God’s .

| 1 Corinthians 1:18 | Matthew 16:24-28 |

• Those of us who know God still need to continually our to grab the right .

| Romans 12:1-2 | 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 |

• Only through the folly of the Cross can the become .

| 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5 | Ephesians 2:8-10 |

Small Group Questions

What do you think?

What struck a chord with you from Sunday’s service?

The story of your life.

1. What crazy decisions have you made that turned out right? Share the stories.
2. Pastor Kyle talked about the counterintuitive nature of divine wisdom – meaning that we can’t blindly trust what “feels right” due to our sinful nature/tendencies. Tell about a time in your life when you did something God was asking you to do that went against what felt right but God honored it.

Digging Deeper.

1. Arguably the most counterintuitive teaching of Jesus is found in Matthew 16:24-27. Read it together in 3 separate translations and answer the following questions.
   1. What have you understood this passage to mean when you have encountered it in the past?
   2. In what ways have you grown to understand it differently or has it applied in fresh ways in different life seasons?
   3. How does it look for you to live this out in your life right now?
2. In Acts 3, God uses Peter and John to heal a beggar who had been unable to walk his entire life. Rather than embracing this work of God, the Jewish leaders unsuccessfully tried to use it as a moment seize them and turn the crowds against them. Acts 4 details their speech in front of the entire Jewish leadership as they testify to what happened. Read Acts 4:1-22 and have a few members of the group recap the story using their own words.
   1. What does this story tell us about God? People? You?
   2. Re-read Acts 4:13. How does this verse inspire you or give you hope?
3. On Sunday we discussed how God can use the smallest, most ordinary things for extraordinary Kingdom purposes. In what ways do the following verses speak to that?
   1. Matthew 6:9, 12-13.
   2. Ephesians 2:8-10.

Personal reflection and application.

1. Have everyone share one thing someone else said that stood out to them from this discussion.
2. Break up into smaller groups and pray for one another.