Age of Kings (4) – Crucial Conversation

I want to thank all of you for a great grand opening last Saturday. It was indeed a special moment in the history of our church. And the reason why it was so special was because of all of you. A building is simply a building no matter how beautiful it is. But you are the ones that made this building even more beautiful. As pastor Tong said last week that a church is not simply a building, but the people that made up the church. We are called to pray, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, to serve one another, and through all that bring about the presence of God. We would love for everyone to experience a personal relationship with Jesus through the use of this building, and therefore lives are transformed because of that. Your involvement with the church makes that possible. Thank you for continuing to serve and bless the people around you.

Today we are finishing up our series Age of Kings and we have been learning through the lives of various kings found in the Old Testament. Today we are going to talk about conversations, especially difficult conversations. Difficult conversations are an inevitable part of life. No matter how much you and I try to avoid them, we will eventually find ourselves in one. When you can no longer avoid having that conversation with your spouse, child, coworker, friend, how can you be sure it will be effective? Do the stakes feel too high? In this message we are going to uncover a principle from the life of King David that worked under the direst of circumstances. And with that information, I hope you will have the courage to have that crucial conversation, because you never know what hangs in the balance.

Moving Forward

Think of one relationship in your life that needs a crucial conversation. Pray about it. Ask God how to approach that person. Then do it.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you see yourself as a conflict avoider or a conflict engager? How does that play out in your relationships?

2. Talk about a time when you had to engage with someone in a difficult conversation. How did that conversation go?

3. Has someone ever avoided telling you a hard truth? If so, how did that person’s silence affect you?

4. Kevin said that none of us could avoid having hard conversations. What area(s) do you think you can work on so that next time you will have the courage to have one? e.g. get perspective, become a student, adjust expectation, pray.