Wisdom Over Foolishness 20 Aug 17

A Wise Person Seeks Godliness:

1. Righteousness
2. Godliness
3. Faith
4. Love
5. Endurance
6. Gentleness

A Wise Person Fights the Good Fight of Faith:

1. People give their testimony on video before their baptism at Generations.
2. Do you have a testimony? Have you shared it with someone?
3. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel.

A Wise Person Keeps a Good Confession Before God and Man.

• Are you ready for Christ to be revealed?
• We ought to prepare for His soon coming now.
• All who seek Him will find Him.

1. Have you ever done something stupid/foolish?  Share an example with your group.  What, if anything, did you learn from it?
2. The Bible has much to say about foolishness.  Read and discuss the following verses:
   • Proverbs 14:16-17; Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 19:1; Proverbs 19:3; and Proverbs 22:15
   • Read this excerpt from Gotquestions.org: “Foolishness is the result of a person misusing the intelligence God has given him. A fool uses his reasoning skills to make wrong decisions. The most basic type of foolishness is denying God’s existence or saying “no” to God.”  Read and discuss Psalm 14:1.
3. Read 1 Timothy 6:11. This verse lists 6 virtues for us to pursue.   Look at the definitions below (Definitions adapted from the Bible Exposition Dictionary) and discuss why, as followers of Christ, we should pursue these virtues.
   1. “Righteousness” means personal integrity and godly character lived out.
   2. “Godliness” indicating reverence for God manifested in actions.
   3. “Faith” might better be translated faithfulness. It has well been said that the greatest ability is dependability.
   4. “Love” is the agape love that sacrifices for the sake of others. It seeks to give, not to gain.
   5. “Endurance” carries the idea of sticking with it when the going is tough. It is not a complacency that waits, but a courage that continues in hard places.
   6. “Gentleness” in this context might be seen as “power under control.”
4. Is there one virtue that challenges you more than the others? Why?
5. How would pursuing these virtues look in the following places and how might living them out make an impact on others?
   1. workplace/school
   2. home
   3. neighborhood
   4. church
   5. Wal-mart
6. Read Proverbs 2:1-5.  How do we access God’s wisdom?
7. Read Proverbs 2:6-21.  List the benefits of seeking after God’s wisdom.
8. 1 Corinthians 3:19a “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” Read Philippians 3:12-14. In closing, take time to discuss and pray about letting go of the foolishness of this world and the pursuing virtues that point you towards the prize.

Daily Scripture Readings:

Day 1:  Proverbs 2:1-5

Day 2: Proverbs 2:6-11

Day 3: Proverbs 2:12-22

Day 4: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Day 5: 2 Timothy 2:27; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 Timothy 3:16

Day 6: 2 Peter 1:3-11

Day 7: 1 Timothy 6:1-16

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