Will you faith stagnate or strengthen in 2026?

Outline: Three competing priorities that can halt us from following Jesus.

1.We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: personal freedom (v. 18)

2. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: a comfortable life (vv. 19-20)

3. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: family (vv. 21-23)

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. Icebreaker: Share an accomplishment from your life from 2025.

2. Read Acts 19:18-20. Why were the magic books burned? What does verse 20 say resulted from this costly act? What might be equivalent to magic books in our world today?

3. “Staying with Jesus requires leaving the crowd” Where have you experienced the truth of this statement in your own faith?

4. Some synonyms of a comfortable life are: Ease, Security, Wealth, Independence, Popularity, Status, Respectability. Which one of these is the scariest to imagine losing for you personally?

5. Where has the gospel required you to give up personal comfort. What did you learn as a result?

6. How have you experienced family as a competing priority to your walk with Jesus? How has your life demonstrated you love Jesus more?

7. Read Philippians 3:8. Personalize this verse. Expand the word “everything” to include specific things that you consider as loss to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.