Who Am I Trying to Impress?

Main Point: So many of us try to impress other people by boasting. But humans really only have one legitimate reason to boast: God has chosen to love them.

Discussion Starter: Best (or Worst) Pick Up Lines

We all know that guys use pick up lines to try and impress girls. They sometimes brag about who has the best pick up line in mind. So, why not use the everyday occurrence to launch a conversation about how we try to impress others? Not only will it get your students to start talking about an important subject, but you’re bound to get a laugh, as well.

Here’s what we suggest. Get 5-10 guys from your group who are good “up front” and assign them 1-2 pick up lines apiece. Have each guy walk to the center of the stage where a girl is standing and deliver his best pick up line. (Make sure to choose a girl that can handle being up front.) If you’re using guys more than once, just have them get back in line after they say their first pick up line. We’ve provided 10 funny/clean ones to get you going.

Say, “As we get started tonight, we’ve got 5 (or 10) guys in our youth ministry who are convinced they have the absolute best pick up line in the history of mankind. There’s only one way to find out: we’re gonna give those guys a chance to test their pick up line on (insert name of girl here), a brave woman who’s willing to risk vomiting in the back of her mouth when she hears some of these lines. We’ll let her listen to all of them, and then let her choose who has the best. The winner gets bragging rights. Sound good?”

1. You might fall from the sky, or you might fall from a tree. But the best way to fall is in love with me.
2. If I had a nickel for everyone I saw that’s as beautiful as you, I’d have five cents.
3. If a fat man puts you in a bag around midnight, relax. I told Santa Claus I wanted you for Christmas.
4. If I could rearrange the letters of the alphabet, I’d put “u” and “i” together.
5. Are you a parking ticket? I only ask because you’ve got FINE written all over you.
6. You must know karate because your body is kickin’.
7. My love for you is like diarrhea; I just can’t hold it in.
8. You’re like a car accident; I just can’t look away.
9. If you were a new hamburger at McDonalds they’d call you the McGorgeous.
10. If you were a booger, I’d pick you first.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share our names and which pick up line we thought was the best.


2. ASK A FEW: What are some of the things in life that we brag about?


3. ASK A FEW: We rarely say, “I’ve got the best hair in the world,” so, what are some of the ways we brag?


4. ASK A FEW: Generally speaking, people don’t like braggers. Sooo….why do we do it?


5. ASK A FEW: What does it say about us that we brag? What does it say about those we brag to?


6. ASK A FEW: What do you think God thinks about our bragging?

Read the following passage:

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.’


7. ASK SOMEONE: What does God tell us NOT to brag about?


8. ASK SOMEONE: What does God tell us TO brag about?


9. ASK A FEW: Does it surprise you that people living 3,000 years ago used to brag, as well? Why or why not?


10. ASK A FEW: What’s the big deal about “knowing God”? Why is that so important?


11. ASK A FEW: Do you think we have God’s permission to “rub it in someone’s face” that we know God and they don’t? Why or why not? (Leaders – Of course not. God’s point is that we are to celebrate HIM, not the things He gives us. We never get God’s permission to be rude or unloving.)


12. ASK THE FEW: Kindness, justice, and righteousness are the things in which God delights. Does your life show that these things delight you as well? If so, how? If not, why not?
    
13. AROUND THE CIRCLE: How can you prove to God this week that the things He delights in will delight you as well?

So often, we brag about things, possessions, personal traits, preferences, and so on. God’s Word tells us to boast only in one thing: the fact that we know Him and He knows us. Quite a difference isn’t it? To further explain the differences between what we brag about and what God brags about, I want us to take a small, simple little test that you cannot fail.

(Hand out copies of the “Value Indicator” worksheet to each person. Go through the questions one at a time, and slowly. )

1. Am I concerned more about money or integrity?


2. Am I concerned about looking good or doing good?
3. Am I primarily concerned with what I can get out of others or what I can give them?
4. Do I merely reflect my circumstances or do I rise above them?
5. Am I a person of inner direction, purpose, and principle or am I controlled by outside influences?

Use the indicator and its questions to discuss how, in reality, if we get our value from God we will truly feel valuable. Explain that we should take this card home, put it next to our bed and before we go to sleep use it as a guide to think about who we really are.

Offer the opportunity to give Jesus lordship over their lives if they are not believers, and lordship over specific areas of their lives if they are. Follow up new converts within 24 hours with an encouraging phone call offering a face-to-face visit to help disciple them (you or one of your key leaders).

Close in Prayer