By Dan Lentz

1. Take out whatever set of keys you have with you. If you don’t have keys with you, then think about all the different locks you open in a typical week. Share with the group what each key unlocks. Do you carry any keys that you don’t use anymore or can’t remember what they unlock? 

Read Luke 16:19-31.

2. What is the significance of Abraham being at Lazarus’s side and the rich man apparently being alone?

3. Obviously being poor does not automatically qualify you for Heaven and being rich does not automatically condemn you to Hell. What do you see in the lives of Lazarus and the rich man that might have led to their eternal destinies?

4, Choose which message speaks loudest to you in this passage:

a. We should take care of the poor and serve those in need.

b. The horrible nature of Hades.

c. Strategies for reaching out to the lost.

d. Condemnation of those who are wealthy yet idle and callous toward others.

5. The rich man was aware of his family on earth who needed to hear the message of the Lord. What people in your life does this passage bring to mind?

6. Spend some time praying for missionaries and others who are reaching out to a lost world.

Dan Lentz works for the Small Group Network in Whitestown, Indiana.

For more small group ministry resources, visit www.smallgroups.com.