At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.
A weekly guide to carry the conversation beyond Sunday morning.
Icebreaker Question: What’s something you worked really hard to build or accomplish (a project, career goal, relationship, etc.) that didn’t turn out the way you expected?
Leader Tip: This helps the group ease into the topic of ambition and plans while creating a safe space for vulnerability.
This week’s message explored the Tower of Babel and challenged us to examine what we’re building in our lives and why. The pastor reminded us that “man’s ambitions apart from God will eventually just become a museum” and asked us to consider whether we’re building for our own reputation and security or trusting God with our future.
Context from sermon: The pastor shared multiple examples of once-great organizations and structures (Crystal Cathedral, Hillsong, Toys R Us, Heritage USA, even the pyramids) that no longer exist as they once did. He contrasted this with Jesus, who “never built anything” physical but is building living stones—us.
Leader Tip: Let everyone share briefly. This helps you gauge where people are and what resonated most with them.
Context from sermon: The people at Babel wanted to build a city and tower to “make us famous and keep us from being scattered.” Their motives were rooted in self-preservation and self-importance rather than trust in God. The city meant to be called “city of the gods” became known as the city of “confusion.”
Leader Tip: Be prepared to share your own example first if the group is hesitant. This question requires vulnerability, so create a judgment-free environment.
Context from sermon: The pastor pointed out that the people said “let us” build for ourselves, and God responded with “let us” go down and intervene. The people wanted to secure their future apart from God’s help, even though God had just made a covenant not to flood the earth again. God’s intervention was actually His protection—saving them from themselves.
Leader Tip: Help the group see both the people’s fear/pride and God’s loving protection. The pastor noted: “God is saving them from themselves, and he’s helping them. They don’t like what’s happening, but we know…” God’s “no” was actually mercy.
Context from sermon: The pastor distinguished between building FOR your family versus building IN your family. He challenged the group to consider whether their work, social media presence, retirement planning, or other endeavors are being built for their own reputation and security or in trust and obedience to God. He said, “Every single one of us probably have some aspect of life that we are building apart from his help.”
Leader Tip: This is a core question. Give people time to think. Some areas to consider: career, finances, relationships, reputation, social media presence, family legacy.
Context from sermon: The pastor was vulnerable about his frustration with God’s “no” when he wanted financial security through additional work. Yet he acknowledged: “I’ve never missed a meal. I got clothes that fit… there’s the capacity to still care for others, there’s the capacity to live out this life that he’s called me to live, but that comes at the cost of being told no by him over and over and over again.”
Leader Tip: This question helps the group reframe disappointment as potential divine protection. Be sensitive—some may still be in the painful “no” season and can’t see the purpose yet.
Context from sermon: The people at Babel were trying to preserve themselves by building a city and tower. They didn’t trust God’s promise or provision. The pastor contrasted this with Abram (Abraham) in the very next chapter, who God promised to “make famous” and bless—because Abram had “the right spirit, a right attitude” and was “willing to make his life not about himself, but would live a life of faith.”
Leader Tip: This is the GrowCard question territory. Common areas: financial security, career advancement, protecting reputation, controlling outcomes, avoiding vulnerability.
Context from sermon: The pastor said, “Some are very uncomfortable with that question, which is why many wrestle with a Sabbath rest because you fear what that question will expose.” He also noted that some people stay busy doing good things for God to avoid being asked tough questions about their character or relationships: “I’ve seen people do a lot of great things for God and try to sell that to people, but man, they were really jerks to people.”
Leader Tip: This question cuts deep. Many people derive their identity from productivity. Help the group see that God wants relationship, not just results. Silence is okay here—let people sit with the discomfort.
Context from sermon: This statement came near the end as the pastor was contrasting citizens of heaven versus citizens of earth. He said, “I think that’s our great challenge because we live in the physical and the physical seems pretty solid, but the spiritual realm will outlast the physical.” The invitation is to live obediently, building according to God’s plans rather than our own wisdom.
Leader Tip: Help the group think practically—how would their decisions about money, career, relationships, time, etc. change if they truly believed the spiritual realm is more stable?
Give everyone 2-3 minutes of silence to answer the GrowCard question for themselves:
“Where are you trying to prove yourself? Where are you trying to promote yourself? And where in your life are you trying to preserve yourself?”
Leader, pray something like this:
“Father, thank You that You love us enough to sometimes say ‘no’ to our plans when You can see they would distance us from You. Help us to trust You more than our own wisdom. Show us where we’re building towers for our own reputation instead of building trust in You. Give us the courage to live obediently, even when it’s scary. We surrender our need to prove ourselves, promote ourselves, and preserve ourselves. We choose to be citizens of heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
A weekly practice you can do beyond Sunday morning.
Discuss what humility looks like in everyday choices. Ask: “Where might we be trying to make a name for ourselves instead of trusting God?”
A weekly practice you can do beyond Sunday morning.
Practice: The Tower Check
Ask God to reveal where you’re building your own tower—and practice surrender instead.
