Kill Your Man, Part 2

Small Group Discussion Guide

Pastor Linda Hufton

1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Linda Hufton continued her series on spiritual warfare by grounding the congregation in their identity as the church — the very ones through whom God's manifold wisdom is made known to principalities and powers. She walked through Ephesians 3, showing how the mystery of the gospel, hidden through the ages and longed for by prophets and angels alike, has now been revealed to and through believers. Pastor Linda challenged the group to understand that possessing boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Christ is not optional for the Christian life but is the very inheritance God intended for his people.

2. KEY SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 3:10-12 (NKJV)

"To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."

3. ICE BREAKER

Think of a time in your life when you had VIP access to something — a backstage pass, a key card, a members-only area, or even just the front of a long line. What did that access feel like, and did you feel like you fully belonged there?

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Question 1 Pastor Linda pointed out that the prophets who foretold the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus did not fully understand what they were saying, and that the things revealed to them were ultimately meant for us. Reading Matthew 13:16-17, how does knowing that prophets and righteous men longed to see and hear what we now have access to change the way you personally value your salvation and your place in the body of Christ?

Question 2 Pastor Linda described the church as stewards of the mystery of God — the reality that Christ now lives in believers and that through the church, the wisdom of God is demonstrated to demonic powers. What does it look like practically, in an ordinary week, to live as someone who is displaying God's wisdom to spiritual forces of darkness? Does that idea feel exciting, heavy, or somewhere in between?

Question 3 She unpacked the three words boldness, access, and confidence from Ephesians 3:12, describing them as the spiritual posture every believer is meant to carry into both prayer and daily life. Which of those three words is most difficult for you to actually feel in your walk with God right now, and what do you think contributes to that struggle?

Question 4 Pastor Linda told the story of Jeff Perry, the young man who wanted nothing to do with the gospel and was ready to jump out of a moving car, yet was saved by a simple gospel tract — a result the soul-winning stranger never got to see. She used the story to show that the word of God carries its own power regardless of visible results. Have you ever experienced a moment where you shared the word or stepped out in faith and saw no immediate fruit? Looking back, how do you make sense of that moment now?

Question 5 Pastor Linda was honest that not every battle ends in a clean, obvious victory, and she described the warrior's response to failure as stepping over it and pressing on rather than drawing back. Hebrews 10:38 warns that God takes no pleasure in those who shrink back. Where is the line, in your view, between resting and recovering after a hard season and actually drawing back in a way that dishonors God? How does a small group or church community help a person stay on the right side of that line?

Question 6 Pastor Linda shared the story of the seven-year legal battle the church fought against the SEC, describing years of daily, grinding conflict with no quick miracle in sight. She offered it as an example of standing your ground when the answer is slow in coming. What has a long, difficult season taught you about God, yourself, or the body of Christ that a quick answered prayer probably never could have?

5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

Pastor Linda described boldness as speaking the word publicly, bluntly, and with confidence. This week, each group member is challenged to identify one specific situation — a conversation with a coworker, a text to a family member, a moment of prayer over a struggling neighbor — where they have been holding back out of fear of rejection or failure. They are to write that situation down before the week ends, bring it before God in prayer with the specific request for boldness, and then take the one concrete step they have been avoiding. Members should be ready to share briefly at the next gathering what they did and what happened.

6. PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that each group member would receive a deeper revelation of their identity in Christ and the privilege they carry as part of the church, so that timidity and self-doubt would lose their grip.

• Pray for those in the group who are in the middle of a prolonged battle — in health, in family, in finances, or in any other area — that they would find the grace to keep standing and to resist every temptation to draw back.

• Pray that the wisdom of God would be visibly demonstrated through the lives, words, and decisions of every person in the group this week, so that the spiritual powers of darkness are confronted with clear evidence of Christ living in his people.

7. MEMORY VERSE

Ephesians 3:12 (NKJV)

"In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."