Small Group Discussion Guide

Living as a Billboard for Jesus

Based on Titus 2:1-10

A Note to Facilitators: This guide is designed for a 60–90 minute group meeting. You know your group best — feel free to skip questions, linger where conversation is rich, or swap in the "Optional Deep Dive" questions if your group wants to go further. The goal isn't to get through every question; it's to help people encounter God and each other in a meaningful way. You've got this!

OVERVIEW

In this message from Titus 2:1–10, we explored what it means to represent Jesus well in everyday life. Just as people's behavior can shape our perception of the schools, teams, or organizations they represent, how Christians live shapes how others perceive Jesus. Paul gives practical instructions to five groups — older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and workers — calling each to live in a way that makes the gospel attractive to those around them.

ICEBREAKER

(5–10 minutes)

To get things started, go around the group and share:

"Think of someone — a teacher, coach, neighbor, or coworker — whose character or attitude made you think more highly of something they represented. What was it about them that made such an impression?"

[Leader Tip]: Keep this light and fun. The goal is simply to warm up the group and naturally set up the sermon's central idea — that how we live shapes how others perceive what we represent. Don't let this run too long; save the energy for the discussion ahead.

SCRIPTURE READING

(5 minutes)

Ask a volunteer to read the passage aloud. Invite the group to listen for a word or phrase that stands out to them.

Titus 2:1–10 (NIV)

"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive."

After reading, ask:

"What word or phrase stood out to you as it was read? Why do you think that caught your attention?"

(Allow 2–3 people to briefly share before moving into the main discussion.)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(30–45 minutes)

Work through these questions together. You don't need to cover all of them — follow the energy of your group.

SECTION 1: The Big Idea — We're All Representing Something

(~8 minutes)

1. The sermon opened with a story about how the behavior of fans at a Colorado football game permanently changed the pastor's perception of that school — and how the opposite happened at Oklahoma. What does that illustration reveal about the power of how we represent something or someone?

2. The sermon made this statement: "We don't try to act well to be approved by God. We try to act well so that others might think well about our God." How does that distinction change the way you think about living a godly life? Does it feel freeing, challenging, or both — and why?

[Leader Tip]: This is a foundational question. If your group gets stuck, try asking: "What's the difference between trying to earn God's love versus responding to it?" This helps connect grace to action without making it feel like a performance.

SECTION 2: Older Men — Don't Check Out

(~8 minutes)

3. Paul instructs older men to be "temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance." The sermon especially highlighted endurance — the idea that there's no retirement from following Jesus. What does "checking out" look like in real life, and why do you think it's such a common temptation as people get older?

4. The sermon quoted Aristotle's ancient complaint about young people being lazy, fickle, and arrogant — and pointed out that every generation has said the same thing about the next. How does that reframe the way we should think and talk about younger generations? What does it look like to be someone who invests in the next generation rather than just criticizing it?

[Leader Tip]: Be sensitive here — some in your group may genuinely feel frustrated with younger generations, and that's okay to acknowledge. The goal isn't to shame anyone but to redirect that energy toward investment and discipleship. If the group goes quiet, you might ask: "Who in your life invested in you when you were young? What did that mean to you?"

SECTION 3: Older Women — Live with Reverence, Teach What Is Good

(~8 minutes)

5. Paul calls older women to live in a way "suitable to a sacred office" — as daughters of the King. The sermon pointed out that in the world, people become less useful as they age, but in the church, they become more useful. How have you seen that play out — either in your own experience or in the life of someone you know?

6. The passage specifically warns against slander and gossip, noting that the Greek word for "slanderer" (diabolos) is the same root as the word for "devil." Why do you think Paul makes such a strong connection between gossip and spiritual harm? What does that tell us about the power of our words?

[Leader Tip]: This question can land close to home for many people. Create a safe space by framing it around the general principle before inviting personal reflection. You might say: "We've all been on both sides of this — let's think about why words carry so much weight."

SECTION 4: Younger Women — Faithfully Follow the Word of God

(~5 minutes)

7. The sermon highlighted that younger women — whether married, single, with kids or without — are called to live in a way that doesn't "malign the word of God." In other words, the way we live either causes people to respect Scripture or dismiss it. Can you think of a time when someone's life made you respect the Bible more — or a time when someone's inconsistency made it harder to take the gospel seriously?

SECTION 5: Young Men — Be Self-Controlled

(~8 minutes)

8. The sermon described a cultural pattern where many young men are filling their lives with video games, gambling, and pornography — not out of malice, but because they lack a greater mission to be consumed by. The prescription offered wasn't just "stop doing those things" — it was "wake up to the real mission." What do you think it looks like practically for a young man (or any of us) to be "consumed by a greater mission"?

9. The sermon said: "Jesus did not say, 'Pick up your controller and follow me.' He said, 'Pick up your cross and follow me.'" Self-control isn't just a young man's issue — it shows up differently across every season of life. What does the battle for self-control look like in your current season? What are the things most tempting you to be self-centered rather than others-focused?

[Leader Tip]: This is a vulnerable question. Model openness by being willing to share something yourself, or affirm the first person who shares honestly. Remind the group that this is a safe space. If you have younger men in the group, make sure they don't feel singled out — frame this as a universal challenge that just looks different depending on the season.

SECTION 6: Workers — Work to Please Your Master

(~5 minutes)

10. The passage says that workers should conduct themselves in a way that makes "the teaching about God our Savior attractive" — using a word (cosmos) that evokes the awe you feel looking up at a star-filled sky. What would it look like for your daily work — whatever that is — to produce that kind of awe in the people around you? What would need to change?

PERSONAL APPLICATION

(10–15 minutes)

These questions are for quieter, more personal reflection. You may want to give people 1–2 minutes of silence to think before sharing, or invite people to journal their answers.

1. The sermon asked: "If you are a billboard for Jesus, what are people seeing in your life? Are you drawing them closer to him or away from him?" Take an honest moment. What do you think the people closest to you — coworkers, neighbors, family members — would say about Jesus based on watching your life?

2. Which of the five groups from Titus 2 do you most identify with right now — older men, older women, younger women, younger men, or workers under authority? What is one specific instruction from Paul's list that feels most personally challenging or convicting for you in this season?

3. The sermon ended with the image of a billboard — not one that says "look at me," but one that says "look at him." Is there an area of your life right now where you've been more focused on your own reputation, comfort, or success than on pointing people toward Jesus? What would it look like to reorient that area?

✅ THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Choose one of the following — or create your own based on what God is stirring in you:

• Invest in someone: Reach out to one person from a different generation this week — to encourage them, pray for them, or simply spend time with them.
• Watch your words: For the next seven days, pay attention to how you talk about other people — especially those who aren't in the room. Ask God to help you replace slander with encouragement.
• Audit your mission: Spend 15 minutes this week writing down what you're actually giving your time and energy to. Then ask: "Does this reflect someone consumed by God's mission — or my own comfort?"
• Work as worship: Choose one task at work or home this week and do it with intentional excellence as an act of worship to God, not just to impress people.
• Pray and pay: Take up the church's "pray and pay" challenge — when you see a uniformed officer this week, thank them and offer to pray for them.

PRAYER FOCUS

(5–10 minutes)

Close your time together in prayer. You can pray as a group, in pairs, or have one person lead. Use these prompts to guide your prayer:

• Gratitude: Thank God that our standing before him is based on his finished work on the cross — not our performance. Rest in that grace together.
• Honesty: Ask God to reveal any area of your life where your actions are misrepresenting him to the people around you.
• Courage: Pray for the courage to live with integrity, self-control, and purpose — especially in the areas that feel hardest right now.
• Your group: Pray for each person in the room by name, asking God to help each one be a faithful "billboard" for Jesus in their specific season of life.
• Your community: Pray for the people in your lives who don't yet know Jesus — that the way you live this week would make the gospel attractive to them.

OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE

(For groups wanting to go further)

Bonus Question 1 — Gospel Foundation: The sermon was careful to say that we don't live well to earn God's approval, but because we already have it through Jesus. Read Romans 8:1 and Ephesians 2:8–10 together. How do these verses ground good works in grace rather than in earning? Why does the motivation behind our actions matter as much as the actions themselves?

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." — Romans 8:1

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." — Ephesians 2:8–10

Bonus Question 2 — Intergenerational Church: The sermon painted a picture of a church where older and younger generations genuinely need each other — where older believers invest in younger ones, and younger believers are energized and led by that investment. What does your experience of intergenerational community look like right now? What barriers exist, and what's one practical step your group could take to close the gap between generations?

Bonus Question 3 — The Cosmos of Your Work: The Greek word translated "attractive" in verse 10 is kosmeo — the root of our word cosmos, evoking the awe of a star-filled sky. Read Colossians 3:23–24 alongside Titus 2:10. What does it mean to work "for the Lord rather than for human masters"? How does that reframe even the most ordinary or frustrating parts of your job or daily responsibilities?

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." — Colossians 3:23–24

RELATED SCRIPTURES FOR FURTHER STUDY

FACILITATOR QUICK REFERENCE

Remember: The best small group discussions aren't the ones where every question gets answered — they're the ones where people feel seen, heard, and a little closer to Jesus than when they walked in. Trust the Holy Spirit to do what only he can do. Your job is simply to create the space.

Harris Creek Baptist Church | Life Groups | Titus Series Questions? Email hello@harriscreek.org