The Danger of Dullness

In one paragraph

This was week seven and the wrap-up of Brian's "Work Smarter, Not Harder" series, which has been working through the story of Gideon. Before the message, Brian led the congregation in prayer for earthquake victims in Venezuela, reading from Psalm 18 verse 6. The sermon pulled together everything covered in the series by naming what goes wrong when these key words, identity, calling, talent, gift,...

Read together

1. Psalm 18:6 prayed over earthquake victims in Venezuela - 'in my distress I cried out to the Lord, yes I prayed to my God for help and he heard me from his sanctuary'
2. Ecclesiastes 10:10 closing verse tying together the sharp axe metaphor - 'using a dull axe requires great strength, so sharpen the blade, that's the value of wisdom, it helps you succeed'

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about tests from God that you cannot fail, only retake, and described how running from a hard situation often just puts you face to face with the same thing somewhere else. Have you seen that pattern in your own life, and what did it take for you to finally stop running?
2. He listed several things people mistake for their identity, including failure, sexuality, politics, education, and nationality. Which of those has been hardest for you personally to keep in its right place, and why do you think that one pulls so hard?
3. Brian said your calling will always circle back to people, no matter what cause or passion drives you. How does that land for you, and does it change how you think about something you are already involved in?
4. He described the platform myth, the idea that a strong ministry gift means the rest of a person's life must be in order. Have you ever had your faith shaken when someone you respected spiritually turned out to be very human off the stage, and what did you do with that?
5. Brian closed with the verse from Ecclesiastes about a dull axe requiring more strength, and said sharpening takes being ground against a stone. Where in your life right now do you feel like you are being ground, and can you see any way that might be making you sharper?