Reflection Questions: Luke 16:1-15

For the message, Kingdom-Minded Shrewdness given by Pastor John Ferguson

at New City Church of Calgary on October 9, 2016
These discussion questions are designed primarily to help you apply the message from the Scriptures
by helping you think through application to your personal life, your church life, and your citys life.
You can use these by yourself for reflection, or with your family or small group for discussion.
To listen to the audio of the sermon, go to NewCityChurch.ca/sermons.
INTRODUCTION
Pray. Take a moment to pray asking God to guide you in reflecting upon the Scripture text.
Read the Scripture text: Luke 16:1-15
A summary of the sermon:
Jesus is in the midst of a dinner party with all the wrong kinds of people. In Luke 15:1-2, were told, Now the tax
collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This
man receives sinners and eats with them.
In response, Jesus tells a three-fold parable about something being lost and then found, and the resultant joy that
attends the celebration. Jesus leaves off with a challenge to the religious leaders to see themselves as standing
outside the party.
And then Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (sometimes known as the
Parable of the Dishonest Manager).
Key Points:
Jesus told this story to give an example of how clever, intelligent, perceptive people can be when their own best
interests compel them to act with foresight regarding the future.
If the people of the world use what resources they have to further their own interests, how much more should the
followers of Jesus use what resources they have to further the interests of the kingdom of God.
Just like the shrewd manager prepared for the future, so we too ought to shrewdly prepare for eternity.
The number one competitor for the loyalty of your heart is the quest for more and more stuff.
Bottom Line:
People are more important than stuff. Therefore, lets use our stuff to make friends that will last forever.
QUESTIONS
1. How does this text speak to your life?
How are you challenged, convicted, encouraged, or surprised by this text?

Why do you think Jesus is so direct in telling us that we cannot serve God and money?

Do you find Jesus command to make friends with your wealth who will welcome you into eternal dwellings (i.e., the
Kingdom of God) intriguing? If so, why so? If not why not? What questions does this bring to your mind?

 Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. How does this verse help you to understand the gospel and encourage you to be radically
generous?

In light of this parable, how would you answer the question, What kind of me is God calling me to be?

2. How does this text speak to us as a church community?

What would it look like for us a church community if we are to live out this text in our city?
What would we need to change? What would we need to repent of?
Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19. How does the apostle describe how we can store up treasure for ourselves as a good
foundation for the future? Based on this verse, what might that look like?

3. How does this text speak to our city?

What kind of new life / future in Christ is this text calling our city to experience?
How would Calgary look radically different if everybody did what Jesus describes in this passage?
Can you imagine if just the Christians in Calgary took this message to heart? Describe how things would change?

CONCLUSION QUESTION
What is the one thing you want to take away from this study to remember or to make a change in your life?

PRAYER
What are some ways you can turn what you are learning into prayer? List them as bullet points.
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