How to use this guide

This guide is designed to take you deeper into the points of the Sunday morning message and the passage we’re studying each week. The guide is divided into two parts.

Read, Reflect, and Respond guides you through your own personal study of the message text, preferably before you arrive for the service on Sunday morning. This section uses the HEAR journaling method, which is an acronym for highlight, explain, apply, and respond.

Discuss With Others is designed to help you take the things you’ve learned in your personal study and the message and discuss them within the context of your small group.

READ, Reflect, AND Respond

Highlight: Begin your Bible reading time with prayer then highlight verses that stand out to you as you read the passage. Note any words or ideas you want to dive deeper into and pay attention to repeated or emphasized words and phrases. This is the “observation” process – looking at the who, what, when, where of the passage.

Explain: What is the context of the passage and the author’s intended meaning within that context? This is where you can consult a study Bible or commentary. What did the passage mean to the original listeners? Was there something in their context that was being addressed? This step is to understand what the meaning of the passage was then before you seek to understand what the applied principle is today.

Apply: What is the principle to live by today? This is when you turn the focus to your own life, setting, and culture. What is the principle that applies to your own context?

Respond: How will you respond to the application in your relationships and/or situations this week? This recognizes that the Bible is not just a set of truths to know, but is actually a guide to live by.

Discuss with Others

Use your community group time to have some conversation around the message. Start your discussion by inviting someone to read the passage aloud in its entirety.

According to verse 11, why does Jesus tell this parable? Why does this context matter?

How would you describe the attitude of the first two servants toward their master? In contrast, how would you describe the third servant’s attitude?

How would you describe the attitude of the first two servants toward the minas he gave them? In contrast, how would you describe the third servant’s attitude?

Think honestly about your own life in comparison to these servants. With which of them do you most identify? 

This passage addresses the topic of stewardship. What does it mean to “steward” something?

What are some specific aspects of our lives that we are called to steward?

What aspect of your life do you have the hardest time stewarding well? Why?