Quote
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” The image is not soft. Sharpening involves friction. Real friendship includes…
Truth · Community · Humility
Proverbs 27
Analogy
Twenty-Six Questions
Gordon MacDonald, Rebuilding Your Broken World
Gordon MacDonald once published a list of twenty-six questions designed for spiritual mentors and accountable friends. The questions range from the expected—“How is your relationship with God right now?” and “What have you read in the Bible this week?”—to the more searching: “How are you doing with your spouse and kids?” “What is the state of your sexual perspective?” “If Satan were trying to invalidate you, how might he do it?” and “What would your spouse say about your current state of mind and spirit?” The list is long on purpose. Surface check-ins rarely change anyone. Real accountability asks the questions we would rather avoid and stays around long enough to hear the answers.
How you’d preach it
Introduce the idea of intentional spiritual friendship. You do not need to read the whole list—just a few sample questions make the point that real accountability asks specific, sometimes uncomfortable things.
- Truth
- Family
Macdonald