GO SPORT
Developing impactful friendships with sportspeople
Study 11
Ready
Do you have authentic or superfi cial friendships with your sports friends? How do you know?
In order to be good witnesses to our sports friends, we need to invest time in them; learn what they like, learn about them, have shared experiences with them. To have the trust to be vulnerable looking at the Bible, our friends need to trust us. In order to build this trust, alongside spending time with people, we need to be authentic in how we live our lives.
Are we consistent in our actions, is our life in any way going to compromise sharing the message?
Set
Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1. Make a list of what Paul was like with the Thessalonians.
2. What do we learn about Paul’s heart and motivation through this description of what he was like?
3. If your sports friends were to describe you in your club, what would be the similarities and differences between their list and Paul’s?
4. Why do you think this is?
What you need to know:
Paul was only with the Thessalonians three weeks before persecution drove him away, yet in that time he was able to share life and deep relationships.
Paul loved the Thessalonians. We see this clearly in verse 8 and in how he cared for them. Can the same be said of us with our sports friends? Or are we in danger of being superfi cial in our sports clubs and not really investing in the people there?
RE-READ: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
5. Dig into the passage again and see how Paul acted when he was with the Thessalonians?
6. Why is it important that his love for them showed itself in action?
7. How is our heart for our sports friends shown in how we act towards them?
Paul’s actions were a natural outworking of his heart attitude that meant he shared life and the gospel. It starts with our heart attitude. How can you grow a deep love for your club mates that overflows into your actions?
Go
• Have you ever cared for sports friends like that?
• When did you last get alongside a sports friend who was having a hard time?
• When did you celebrate with a sports friend in their joy?
• How much do you know the people you train and compete with?
• Pray for opportunities this week to love them like Paul.