THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. This April and May, we’re diving into a unique sermon series called YOU ASKED FOR IT, where your questions take center stage. We’re inviting you to help shape this series by sharing the questions and issues you’ve always wanted to be addressed from a biblical perspective. While we can’t cover every question, we’ll address as many topics as we can, diving into God’s Word to find guidance and truth for the things that matter most to you. Submit your question HERE.
GROUP VALUES.This month, our focus is on the theme of SHARING YOUR FAITH. Take some time to share about a recent everyday conversation where you had an opportunity to mention your faith naturally. What made it easy or challenging? Discuss practical ways to weave your beliefs into normal conversations without feeling forced. If you haven’t had such an opportunity lately, role-play a scenario with your group where you might share your faith in response to common life situations (like discussing weekend plans, responding to difficulties, or talking about what gives you hope).
GROW AS A LEADER. Have you had a 1-on-1 with your staff contact lately? Now that your group is hopefully in a rhythm with the new year, it’s a great time to talk about goals, challenges and opportunities to grow. Reach out to your staff contact this week to set something up.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to week three of our sermon series, ENEMIES OF THE SOUL. This week, we explore what it means for “the world” to be an enemy of the soul and how we should relate to it as followers of Christ.
ICEBREAKER
What strange phrase or saying did your parents or other adults use to keep you in line while you were growing up?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read 1 John 2:15-17 and Romans 12:1-2 aloud.
What reason does John give believers to not love the world in 1 John 2:15-17?
What are the three main areas of worldly temptation that John identifies?
What does Paul instruct believers to do instead of conforming to the world?
What benefit does Paul say will come when we avoid conforming to the world?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Aaron Buer continued our series, ENEMIES OF THE SOUL, by discussing how “the world” opposes God and threatens our spiritual lives. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
How did Pastor Aaron define “the world” as described in 1 John? How is this different from the physical world or the people in it?
What are some examples in today’s society where the world’s values directly contradict what God says is good, beautiful, or right?
In what areas of your life do you feel the strongest pressure to conform to the pattern of this world? How have you seen this pressure affect your faith?
Which of the three battlefields John mentions (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life) do you find most challenging, and why?
Spiritual practices—particularly studying the Bible and being in Christian community—renew our minds and help us resist conforming to the world. Which practice do you need to strengthen in your life right now? What is a good first step?
Have someone read John 17:15-18 aloud. Jesus prayed that we would be “sanctified by the truth.” In practical terms, what does it look like to be “shaped by the Word” rather than “shaped by the world”?
As followers of Jesus who are “sent into the world,” how can we engage with our culture in ways that serve others, share the gospel, and testify to truth without being conformed to the world?
WRAP UP
This week, we explored how “the world” attempts to shape our values and identity. Which specific battlefield (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride of life) do you need to be most vigilant about this week, and what’s one step you’ll take to surrender that area to Jesus?