I Want a God Who Will Ease Up on the Dos and Don’ts

5 Benefits of Obeying God’s Commands:

1. They revive the soul
2. They give wisdom to the simple
3. They bring joy to the heart
4. We gain insight for living
5. They bring blessings by protecting us from sin

Take Away:

1. Trust Christ for salvation
2. Allow God to transform your mind and heart through His Word

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PDF Discussion Questions 11:3:19

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Galatians 5:16-18

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group.

• Can you think of any rules/laws that you think are unrealistic, unfair, or just plain stupid? How do you feel about speed limits these days? :)
• If you grew up in church, what were some of the rules that you didn’t like? Share why. How did they impact your attitude toward religion and/or faith?

Start thinking and sharing.  Ask a question to get your group thinking and to create openness.

• Read Psalm 19:7-8, 11. Troy shared 5 benefits of God’s instructions that are cited in these verses. Discuss each one, citing examples from your own experiences.

1. Revives the soul (Discuss how it feels to have the day off after a long season of work. Do you tend to do things that revive your soul or drain it?  If you do things that drain it, why do you think you do them?)
2. Makes wise the simple (Have you ever read the GC Core Values? Check them out below.  Why is it important for a church to have Biblical Authority as one of their core values?)
3. Brings joy to the heart (Discuss Troy’s statement, “When we read and obey God’s Word it doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances, but it changes our heart in those circumstances.” What does this mean to you and can you share times when this happened in your life?)
4. Gain insight for living (It’s like an owner’s manual for life. Share times when you didn’t follow the manual for a car or other purchase.  Where did it get you?  How are you doing with following God’s direction for your life?  Share an area where you are following God’s direction and finding good insight for living.)
5. Blesses us by protecting us from sin. (Think of the analogy of bumper guards for bowling and how it compares to setting up guardrails for living.  Have you set up any guardrails in your life?  Are you lifting them and slowly fading into sin? Discuss this statement, “We won’t be sinless, but we will sin less.”  How have you experienced this in your life?)

• How does seeing God’s provision through His word affect your earlier attitude toward religion and/or faith?
• Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23. What do these verses mean for those who have begun their personal relationship with Jesus? What does walking in the Spirit mean to you? What role does the Holy Spirit play in your daily life?

Start doing. Commit to a step and live it out this week.

• Make a conscious effort to allow God to transform your mind and heart by taking time in His Word each day.  Challenge each other in this area.
• Be more aware of the opportunities you have in your everyday life to be a living example of Christ to others and do it! Share at next week’s meeting.

Start praying.  Be bold and pray with power.

• Pray for each other to walk in the Spirit and practice the fruit of the Spirit.
• Pray through the requests in your small group prayer journal.

Start digging. For further study.

• Discuss the excerpt and verses from the article below.
• Check out this article: “How can I recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit?“

Generations Church – OUR CORE VALUES

• BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

God speaks to us through the Bible and we recognize it as the final authority for our lives.

• FULL DEVOTION TO GOD

We believe the Christian life involves intimacy with God and complete surrender to His will.

• CULTURAL RELEVANCE

We believe in building bridges to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ with the ever-changing culture.

• COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

Excellence honors God and inspires people.

• AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY

We believe that life-change happens best in small groups.

• INTENTIONAL APPRENTICESHIP

We are responsible to pass along to others the knowledge, skills, and opportunities that have been entrusted to us.

• FAMILY PARTNERSHIP

Our family ministries partner with parents for the spiritual growth of their children.

Our website has a whole “About” section.  You can find it here: generationschurch.com/about/ 

Question: “What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?”

Answer: Believers have the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the Comforter who proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20) and “intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:27). He also leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18) and produces His fruit in those yielded to Him (Galatians 5:22–23). Believers are to submit to the will of God and walk in the Spirit.

A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it—we are to make consistent forward progress. The biblical norm for all believers is that they walk in the Spirit: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, KJV; cf. Romans 8:14). In other words, the Spirit gave us life in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in the Spirit.

To walk in the Spirit means that we yield to His control, we follow His lead, and we allow Him to exert His influence over us. To walk in the Spirit is the opposite of resisting Him or grieving Him (Ephesians 4:30).

Check out the full article here:  www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-walk.html

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