Small Group Discussion Guide

Elisha Series — Part 1: "Burn the Plow"

Based on 1 Kings 19:19-21

A Note to Facilitators Welcome, and thank you for leading your group this week! This guide is designed to work whether you're an experienced elder or leading a group for the first time. You don't need to be a biblical expert — your job is simply to create a safe, welcoming space where people can be honest and grow together. Read through this guide before your meeting, but don't feel pressure to get through every question. Follow the conversation where the Spirit leads. The estimated times are suggestions, not rules.

📋 OVERVIEW

In this opening message of the Elisha series, Pastor Craig introduced us to an ordinary young man plowing his family's fields who received an unexpected call from God. Through the story of Elijah placing his mantle on Elisha in 1 Kings 19, we discovered that God often chooses people at the "back of the line" — those who feel overlooked, stuck, or ordinary — and calls them to something extraordinary. The central challenge of the message was both simple and profound: you can't hold the plow and wear the mantle at the same time. To fully follow God's calling, we must be willing to identify and burn whatever is holding us back.

⏱️ SUGGESTED TIME GUIDE

Optional Deep Dive questions can replace or extend the Discussion section if your group has time and interest.

🔥 ICEBREAKER

(5–10 minutes)

Choose one of the following to open your time together:

Option A (lighter, good for newer groups):

"Tell us about a job or chore you had growing up that felt completely repetitive or boring — and what you used to daydream about instead."

Option B (slightly deeper, good for established groups):

"Has there ever been a moment when someone saw potential in you that you didn't see in yourself? What did that feel like?"

[Leader Tip] The icebreaker is about warming up the room and helping people feel comfortable talking — there are no wrong answers here. If your group is quiet, share your own answer first to model vulnerability. Keep this section light and fun; you'll have plenty of time for deeper conversation ahead.

📖 SCRIPTURE READING

(5 minutes)

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

1 Kings 19:19-21 (NLT)

"So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, 'First let me go and kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will go with you.' Elijah replied, 'Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.' So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant."

For Context: This story takes place during one of the most spiritually dark periods in Israel's history. People had turned away from God and were worshiping false gods. God raised up the prophet Elijah to speak truth during this crisis — and here, at the end of Elijah's ministry, God directs him to pass his calling on to the next generation. The "cloak" or "mantle" Elijah throws over Elisha's shoulders was not just clothing — in that culture, it was a powerful symbol of spiritual authority, identity, and calling being transferred from one person to another.

Related Passages for Further Study:

• Luke 9:23 — "Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.'"
• Matthew 19:29-30 — "And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then."
• 1 Samuel 16:7 — "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"

💬 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(30–45 minutes)

Work through as many questions as time allows. Questions are organized from observation to application — start with the earlier ones if your group is newer or quieter, and move toward the deeper ones as conversation opens up. You don't need to cover every question.

THEME 1: Feeling Stuck

(Observational & Relational — start here)

1. Pastor Craig described Elisha's daily life as staring at "the same field, same dirt, same job" day after day. What's a season in your own life — past or present — that felt like that kind of repetitive "plowing"? What made it feel that way?

[Leader Tip] This question is meant to normalize the feeling of being stuck — most people have experienced this. Encourage honesty and don't rush to fix or spiritualize people's answers right away. Simply listening well here builds trust for the deeper questions ahead.

2. Pastor Craig pointed out that Elisha was at the back of the line — the 12th team out of 12 — when Elijah came looking for him. Why do you think God chose the person at the back of the line rather than the front? What does that tell us about how God works?

Optional follow-up if discussion stalls: "Can you think of other examples in the Bible where God chose someone unexpected — someone who seemed overlooked or underqualified?"

THEME 2: The Mantle — Being Called by God

(Interpretive & Theological)

3. The mantle Elijah placed on Elisha represented a spiritual calling and authority being passed on. Pastor Craig said, "God has a mantle with your name on it and a calling bigger than the field you're standing in." What do you think it means for an ordinary person today to have a "mantle" from God? Does that idea feel real and personal to you, or does it feel distant? Why?

[Leader Tip] Some group members may struggle to believe God has a specific calling for them — they may feel too ordinary, too sinful, or too far behind. Be sensitive to this. Affirm that calling doesn't always mean a dramatic ministry role; it can mean being a faithful parent, a light at work, or a person of integrity in your neighborhood. The 1 Samuel 16:7 passage above may be helpful to reference here.

4. Elisha's response to Elijah's call was immediate — he ran after him. Pastor Craig said, "One of the biggest marks of spiritual maturity is a short time span between God's command and our obedience." What do you think makes it hard for people to respond quickly when they sense God prompting them? What tends to slow us down?

5. Pastor Craig made an interesting observation: "We risk what we should protect and protect what we should risk." What do you think he meant by that? Can you think of an example — either from your own life or from culture in general — where that tendency shows up?

THEME 3: Burning the Plow — The Cost of Following Jesus

(Personal & Application — the heart of the message)

6. Elisha didn't just leave his old life behind — he slaughtered the oxen and burned the plow. He made it impossible to go back. Pastor Craig said, "You can't hold the plow and the mantle at the same time." In your own words, what does it mean to "burn the plow"? Why do you think Elisha's response needed to be so dramatic and final?

[Leader Tip] This is the central question of the message and will likely generate the most conversation. Give it room to breathe. Some people may share specific "plows" in their own lives — create a grace-filled, non-judgmental environment. Remind the group that this is a safe space and that what's shared here stays here.

7. Pastor Craig shared several real-life examples of people burning their plows — a dad who sold his boat, a young woman who deleted her social media account, a man who traded his smartphone for a basic phone. What do those examples have in common? What made each of those decisions significant, even if they seem small from the outside?

8. Pastor Craig also said that "salvation is free, but following Jesus will always cost you something." How do you hold those two truths together — that grace is a free gift AND that discipleship requires sacrifice? Does that tension feel confusing, or does it make sense to you?

[Leader Tip] This is a theologically rich question that can surface real confusion. The key distinction is this: we don't earn salvation through sacrifice — but once we're saved, genuine love for Jesus naturally leads us to let go of things that compete with him. You might use the analogy of marriage: love is freely given, but a healthy marriage still requires sacrifice and commitment.

THEME 4: Obedience and Availability

(Reflective & Community-Focused)

9. Elisha said "I will go with you" without knowing where he was going, what the assignment was, or how it would be funded. Pastor Craig said, "You don't have to understand completely to obey immediately." When has God asked you to take a step of faith before you had all the details? What happened?

Optional follow-up: "What's the difference between wisdom — taking time to think and pray — and using 'I need more clarity' as an excuse to delay obedience?"

10. Pastor Craig said God isn't looking for ability — he's looking for availability. What does it look like practically to make yourself available to God in your current season of life? What might be getting in the way of that availability?

🪞 PERSONAL APPLICATION

(10–15 minutes)

These questions are more personal and reflective. You may want to give people a moment of quiet to think before sharing. It's okay if not everyone shares on every question — invite rather than pressure.

1. Pastor Craig closed the message with a direct question he said would be discussed in life groups: "What plow do you need to burn to fully follow Jesus?" Take a moment to sit with that question honestly. Is there something — a habit, a relationship, a mindset, an attachment, a secret — that you know is keeping you from being fully available to God?

(You don't have to share what it is specifically, but you're invited to if you feel safe doing so.)

2. On a scale of 1–10, how would you describe your current spiritual passion and sense of calling? What's one thing that, if you let go of it or leaned into it, might move that number up?

3. Pastor Craig described spiritual maturity as having a short distance between God's prompting and your obedience. Think back over the past week or month — has there been a prompting from God that you've been putting off or ignoring? What would it look like to take a step toward obedience this week?

4. Who in your life has been like Elijah for you — someone who saw something in you that you didn't see in yourself and called it out? How did that impact you? And who might God be calling you to be that person for?

🎯 THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Choose one (or more) of the following to put into practice before your group meets again:

• 🔥 Burn a Plow: Identify one specific thing that is competing with your full devotion to God, and take one concrete step to remove or reduce it this week. It doesn't have to be dramatic — it just has to be real and intentional.

• 📖 Dig Deeper: Read 1 Kings 17–19 to get the full context of Elijah and Elisha's story. Use the YouVersion Bible App to find a reading plan on Elisha or the prophets.

• 🗣️ Share Your Faith: Like Elisha, who celebrated his calling publicly with a feast, find one person this week to tell about what God is doing in your life or what you're sensing him calling you toward.

• 🙏 Pray Specifically: Spend five minutes each day this week asking God one question: "Lord, what plow do you want me to burn?" Write down what comes to mind without judgment.

• 👥 Invite Someone: Who in your life needs to hear this message? Share the sermon with one person this week, or invite them to join your group next time.

🙏 PRAYER FOCUS

(5–10 minutes)

Close your time together in prayer. Here are some suggested ways to structure it:

Option A — Open Group Prayer: Invite anyone who wants to pray aloud to do so. Suggest these themes to guide the prayers:

• Gratitude for God's ability to see past our ordinariness to our potential
• Courage to identify and burn whatever is holding us back from fully following Jesus
• Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's promptings this week
• Support for anyone in the group facing a specific "plow" decision

Option B — Popcorn Prayer: Go around the circle and invite each person to share one word or short phrase that represents what they want God to do in them based on today's discussion. Then close with a brief prayer over the group.

Option C — Written Prayer: Give each person a small piece of paper. Ask them to write down their "plow" — what they sense God calling them to let go of — and then pray silently over it. They can keep it as a reminder, share it with a trusted person, or symbolically leave it behind.

Suggested Closing Prayer (for the facilitator to read or adapt):

Father, thank you that you see us differently than the world does. You don't look at our limitations, our failures, or how far back in line we are — you see what we could become in your hands. Today we ask you to reveal anything in our lives that is keeping us from fully following you. Give us the courage to burn those plows — not out of guilt or fear, but out of love for you and faith in what you're calling us toward. Help us to have short distance between your prompting and our obedience. We trust you with the details we don't understand. In Jesus' name, amen.

📚 OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE

(For groups with extra time or who want to go further)

Bonus Question 1 — Historical Context: The sermon mentioned that Elisha was likely from a wealthy family because his father owned 12 teams of oxen. Knowing that, why is it especially significant that Elisha left behind his inheritance and security to follow God's call? How does wealth or comfort sometimes make it harder to respond to God's calling? What does Jesus say about this in Matthew 19:24?

Bonus Question 2 — The Mantle as Symbol: The mantle appears again later in the Elisha story — when Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha picks up the mantle and uses it to part the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:13-14). What does the mantle represent in that moment? How does the symbol of the mantle deepen your understanding of spiritual inheritance, mentorship, and calling being passed from one generation to the next?

Bonus Question 3 — Comparing Calls: Compare Elisha's call in 1 Kings 19 with the call of the disciples in Matthew 4:18-22, where Jesus says "Follow me" and they immediately leave their nets. What do these stories have in common? What do they suggest about the nature of God's invitations? Why do you think the Bible repeatedly emphasizes immediacy in responding to God's call?

Matthew 4:18-22 (NLT): "One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers — Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew — throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind."

📌 FACILITATOR CHECKLIST

Before your group meets, make sure you've:

• Read through the entire guide
• Read 1 Kings 19:19-21 (and ideally the broader chapter for context)
• Chosen which questions you'll prioritize based on your group's size and maturity
• Thought about your own answer to "What plow do you need to burn?" — being willing to share personally creates safety for others
• Prepared a welcoming space and, if possible, arranged for light refreshments
• Prayed for each person in your group by name

Remember: Your goal isn't to get through every question — it's to help people encounter God and each other. A great discussion that covers three questions deeply is far more valuable than rushing through ten questions superficially. Trust the process, trust your group, and trust the Holy Spirit.

This discussion guide is designed for use with the Elisha Series — Part 1 at Life Church. For questions about life groups, visit life.church or contact your campus pastor.

Next Week: Join us for Part 2 of the Elisha series! Invite a friend and come ready to go deeper into the life of this extraordinary ordinary prophet.