Morphing (Romans 3:21-5:23)
9. Good? Really?
JULY 24--Bad things happen--anybody who tries to say otherwise is living in the land of denial! The existence of adversity is not the issue, but what it means for our lives is! The life of the Christ-follower is supposed to promise goodness, but from the first century until today, there is a good reason for honest people to look at the lives of those living a life of faith in Jesus and say, “Good? Really?
- Do you agree that bad things happen to Christ-followers?
- Do you find yourself assuming that being a Christ-follower means you shouldn’t have to face bad things?
- How do you feel about the notion of our promised good being more about our identity than our circumstances?
- In what ways is the hope of Glory an encouragement to you?
8. Future Glory (Part 2)
JULY 3--All of us would love instant gratification. What is not quite so easy to handle is a benefit deferred. In our walk with Jesus, it would be really nice if the freedom of the Gospel could instantly transport us into the full blessing of heaven, a perfect life, and total freedom from the effects of a fallen world and our own imperfect bodies. Instead of staying in that perfect place we long for, Jesus was willing to step into our world and our story and endure the ravages of a broken creation so that he could win us back to himself. Likewise, he is calling us into that same mission, facing those same broken realities...but hang on! The perfect is coming!
- In what ways have you experienced help from the Spirit in your prayers?
- What does praying in the Spirit mean to you? Why?
- What could you do that would increase your sensitivity to the Spirit in the area of prayer?
- What prevents you from being open to allowing the Spirit to lead you in your prayer life?
7. Future Glory (Part 1)
JUNE 26--All of us would love instant gratification. What is not quite so easy to handle is a benefit deferred. In our walk with Jesus, it would be really nice if the freedom of the Gospel could instantly transport us into the full blessing of heaven, a perfect life, and total freedom from the effects of a fallen world and our own imperfect bodies. Instead of staying in that perfect place we long for, Jesus was willing to step into our world and our story and endure the ravages of a broken creation so that he could win us back to himself. Likewise, he is calling us into that same mission, facing those same broken realities...but hang on! The perfect is coming!
- What distinction (if any) do you make between bad things that happen and sharing in the sufferings of Christ?
- How meaningful to you is the concept of your future glory?
- What impact does your view of future glory have on the way you respond to suffering?
- In what way do you need to allow your heart/life to be changed because of what these verses are teaching?
6. Morphed by the Spirit (Part 2)
JUNE 19--Would you vacuum your house if there was just as much dirt and dust on the floor when you finished? Would you mow the lawn if the grass didn’t end up cut? Of course not! There are many activities that we engage because we know that there is a reason and a result. Fruitless, ineffective action is crazy! God has not called you into a fruitless, ineffective life. Instead, he has acted on your behalf to not only restore you to a relationship with him, but to experience a fruit-filled and effective life! In this message we begin exploring the pathway to God’s intended outcomes in your life!
- How can you mortify the flesh without becoming overly fixated on asceticism?
- In what ways is your adoption by God meaningful to you? In what ways is it hard to accept?
- Has suffering ever derailed your Spirit walk? Why did it derail you?
- Describe the ways you would like to grow in your Spiritual transformation in light of these truths
5. Morphed by the Spirit (Part 1)
JUNE 12--Would you vacuum your house if there was just as much dirt and dust on the floor when you finished? Would you mow the lawn if the grass didn’t end up cut? Of course not! There are many activities that we engage because we know that there is a reason and a result. Fruitless, ineffective action is crazy! God has not called you into a fruitless, ineffective life. Instead, he has acted on your behalf to not only restore you to a relationship with him, but to experience a fruit-filled and effective life! In this message we begin exploring the pathway to God’s intended outcomes in your life!
- Do you feel condemned? Why?
- Is your relationship with Jesus defined by an event or a whole life?
- Would you describe your mindset as Spiritual or natural? Why?
- Where do you find it difficult to surrender control?
- Living for here or eternity? How do you know?
4. A Losing Battle
JUNE 5--Don’t you hate it when you mess up? Regrets and failures are not the stuff of life that we relish. Instead, they are the stuff of life that destroys our joy, hope, and confidence in God’s plan for our lives. But, the harder we try to change the outcome of our life, the more aware of failure we become. Why is it that the harder we try, the more evident our failure
becomes?
becomes?
- Can you describe a time where your own best efforts at change or right living fell short of your expectations?
- Do you agree that the battle of life is bigger than you and your abilities?
- Describe some ways that you attempt to control your own transformation in life.
- How do these principles challenge the way you have thought about life and transformation?
3. Rules: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
MAY 29--Clint Eastwood gave us a complicated protagonist in his spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. What was he: good, bad, or just ugly? Sometimes when we look at God’s Law and the rules it lays out for us, we are left wondering the same thing. Is this stuff good, bad, or ugly? Join us as we explore the many sides of God’s law and our attempts to understand their place in our life.
- How would you describe your relationship with the law/rules?
- Describe a way you have embraced what is good in God's rules.
- Describe a way the rules have tripped you up.
- Do you agree that you can love the rules and live by the Spirit? Why or why not? If so, how does your life reflect that love/live balance?
2. Gotta Serve Somebody
MAY 22--Most of us like to think we are are independent. We want to be our own woman or man! But Bob Dylan got it right when he wrote a song letting us know that we all “Gotta Serve Somebody”. To use his own words, “It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord . . . but we gotta serve somebody.” In our independent way of thinking, that is a hard pill to swallow, but it sits at the very core of our hope for change, transformation, and the life we were meant to live! Want to be changed? Want to have a purposeful life? Want to be who the person deep down inside you know you were destined to become? Who are you gonna serve?
- Do you believe we all have to serve somebody? Why or why not?
- What reasons most influence whom you choose to serve?
- How much control are you releasing to God in your life?
- Describe what you are caught up in during the course of normal life
1. A Real ID
MAY 15-- Change is inevitable in life. Sometimes we fight it, sometimes we embrace it. For many, the journey toward God is driven by or initiated on a hope of change. The fact is, that a true encounter with Jesus is a transformational event in life. He promises us a change in our future destiny, a change in our present reality, and a change in they way we look backward across our life. These are not just theoretical changes either, they are meant to be a real experience and a visible expression of the life of a Christ follower. The process of morphing from who we were before we met Jesus into who we will become in Him starts with a better understanding of our real identity.
- Have you died with Christ?
- What do you think it means to be freed from the slavery to sin?
- How can you live a life to God? Are you? Why or why not.
- Which of the three ways of living in light of your new identity are most evident in your life? Least evident?
