Life Group Guide

By Michael Tiberi | October 27, 2019

LIFE GROUP GUIDE  for Sun, October 27, 2019

If you need to find a small group, check out our small groups list:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/omwt639i3uslv2h/smallgroups.pdf?dl=0 


INTRODUCTION 

WELCOME: Open with a song and prayer. Where is everyone reading these days?

FOR KIDS: Go over memorizing (and explaining) one of the 10 commandments or the Lord's prayer.

CHRISTMAS PARTY: The Christmas party is scheduled for the 2nd week of December. When and where do you want to have it? What do you want to do? Games? Food?


ICEBREAKERS (CHOOSE ONE or TWO)

1. (fun) If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

2. (fun) What is the story behind the time you went the longest without sleep?

3. (fun) What has been your favorite road trip or vacation?

4. (serious) Have you ever read Hosea before? Read it in one sitting? (takes 30 minutes)

5. (fun) As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?


LIFE GROUP QUESTIONS (ROMANS 1-8

1.    Sunday was Reformation Sunday. What is the Reformation and why is it still important to us today? What was so important about the Reformation? (They had lost the Gospel. They had showy church services, but they did not understand salvation by grace).

 

2.    In Martin Luther’s day, the Catholic Church taught a person needed grace, faith and Christ, but not grace alone, faith alone in Christ alone. What are ways that we are in danger of distorting or changing the Gospel today?

 

3.    Romans 1 explains that we are real sinners and we all need a real salvation. How does everyone’s conscience bear witness to the existence and attributes of God?

 

4.    What are signs in our culture that the minds of people are debased and their consciences are more and more hardened? (Rom 1:18ff) How does our culture not only approve of sin, but “give approval” to those who promote sin?

 

5.    In Romans 1, Paul writes to “them” “they” and those outside of the church and the Jewish nation, but then in Romans 2, he turns to the “church goers” and says to the Jews (and to us in the Christian church). He says do not think that “you will escape the judgment of God” (Rom 2:3). What are ways that those who are in the church can miss the free grace of salvation in Christ?

 

6.    Do you believe, even though you may have grown up in the church and may have a fairly moral life, that you are in deep need of a real Savior and in danger of the wrath of God if you don’t have salvation? Have you come to a place of real repentance and faith in Christ? Briefly share your how you came to know Christ.

 

7.    What are the wages of sin? What does Paul mean when he says “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 3:23)? Why is the death here referring to eternal damnation in the Lake of fire? Why is God just to allow us to perish in a real hell?

 

8.    What is propitiation? How is Jesus our propitiation (Rom 3:24-25; cf Jn 1:29)?

 

9.    Talk about how the priesthood and sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to a greater sacrifice (Jesus), and how none of the types could take away even one sin. 

 

10.  Jesus raised up for our “justification” (Rom 3:25) – what does justification mean? 

 

11.  God has saved us from sin and wrath, but what he saved us to be sanctified. What is “sanctification”? (Rom 8:28-30)

 

12.  There are several benefits of salvation, one of which is an assurance of pardon for all our sins. How is it that we are saved from the penalty of sin, even though we battle against indwelling sin that remains? (Rom 5:6-11)

 

13.  How are we freed from the power of sin (Rom 6:1-7) through death with Christ and life by the Spirit?

 

14.  Since we are no longer under the Mosaic Law, but we do live by the law, impulse, or power of the Spirit (Rom 6:14; 7:25-8:1; 8:5).

 

15.  How does the Spirit enable you to put sin to death if you are born again (Rom 8:12-13)?

 

16.  There is coming a day when we will experience the freedom from the very presence of sin when our mortal bodies are transformed. On that day, we will never sin again. How are we freed from the permanence of sin in light of his Second coming (Rom 8:23)? 

PRAYER FOCUS

1. Praise God for your salvation.

2. Pray that God will deliver you as he promised from all sin in your life since it holds you back from close communion with God.

3. Pray for the lost in your family and community that need to understand Christ's work on the cross for them.

4. Pray for one of the missionaries that you or one of the other families has adopted.