Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss what you think a real friendship ought to look like.

Together as a group, compile and write down a list of the top 10 qualities that a friend should exhibit in their lives.

Remember that we said in this series, “The friend we want to have is first the friend that we need to be.” Go down your list of qualities and answer around the room how you currently live that quality in your life. How can you live these qualities better in your own life and in your own friendships?

2. Read Proverbs 17:17. What does this passage tell us about meaningful friendship?

Talk about difficult times that you’ve recently walked through or may be currently walking through.

Have you ever had a friend who was only around during the good moments but not existent during the hardships? How did you see that affect you during that time?

Discuss why real friends are built for the hard moments and why it is so necessary to have friends that are there during the difficult moments as well as the great ones.

3. Read Proverbs 18:24. What does this passage tell us about meaningful friendship?

The passage moves from a plural (friends) for a singular (a friend). Discuss this thought as a group: “it’s better to have quality friends over a large quantity of friends.”

Discuss this statement, “Someone with a reliable friend is better off than someone with many unreliable ones.” How have you seen this to be true in your own life? Would you describe yourself as someone who has many unreliable friends or a few reliable friends?

As you sit in your seat tonight, based on our list earlier of the qualities that a friend should have, do you believe that you have any quality friends in your life currently?

4. The end goal of biblical friendship is meant to be continually pushing one another closer to Jesus in all that we do. If that is truly the end goal of biblical friendship, what should we be doing differently in our friendships inside of this Life Group circle?

What needs to be improved in this circle in order to better accomplish that end goal?

5. Read Proverbs 27:6 and Proverbs 27:17. What do these passages tell us about friendship?

Talk about the idea that real friends are willing to wound you by saying something hard in the moment to help you ultimately avoid something in your life that will continue to hurt you in the long run.

Do you currently have friends in your life like this? If you do, how does this impact your relationship with the Lord? If you do not have friends like this, why do you think that you do not have friendships like this in your life? How would a friendship like this impact your walk with the Lord?

Discuss the idea of iron sharpening iron from Proverbs 27:17. Who is currently sharpening you and how are they sharpening your life? How is this life group sharpening one another and how can we better sharpen one another?

Close the night by praying over one another.