Renovate: To Make New (Part 2): Assess For Damage

TO START:

This week, I want to invite y’all to always be celebrating. SO start group by taking a picture together and then invite your group members to answer this prompt: “Use 1 word to describe what your small group means to you….” Have someone write these down and then send the list & picture to mdelano@rrcoc.org or text it to 479-799-4650! If your group participates, your group will go into a drawing for a pizza party sponsored by our SG Ministry (2 groups will win this reward for a time of fellowship to use whenever your group decides)

TO READ

Before watching the video for the week, take a look at two passages in Scripture, Romans 8:1-13 and Galatians 5:16.

TO WATCH

Now jump into this week’s session 2 video: https://www.anthology.study/Studies/Renovate

TO DISCUSS

Ask this question first after the video:

  • Do you consider yourself a thinker or a feeler? How have you benefitted from that tendency? What problems has it caused you??

To begin this week, Gavin introduced us to a word that is extremely prominent in Paul’s letter to the Romans, the “flesh”, an antagonist within us that tries to meet our needs apart from God. There’s nothing inherently wrong with needs. What matters is how we go about meeting those needs. It defines who we are.

  • So, which of these three broad categories of needs do you pursue the most: Security/Safety, Satisfaction/Happiness, or Significance/Value? (i.e. Do you find security in money or possessions? Do you find satisfaction in your role as a parent, friend or spouse? Do you find significance in your career?)

While none of these are inherently bad pursuits, Gavin defines “the flesh” as “a dependency on anything other than Jesus as the ultimate source of our needs.”

  • What do you think of that ? Does looking to Jesus to meet all of your needs seem reasonable? Why or why not? In other words, where does God fall into your pursuit for the needs we discussed?

  • In thinking back to Romans 8, do you feel your flesh is competing against the Spirit? What does that look like for you?

Later in the video, Gavin points us to two parts of our flesh that wreak havoc on us, positive flesh (feelings of pride, perfectionism, independence, etc…) and negative flesh (feelings of worthlessness, guilt, jealousy, anger, etc...).

  • Which type of flesh do you think is harder for you to break away from?

  • Lastly, how do you think you might benefit from understanding how your emotions influence the ways you try to meet your needs apart from Jesus?

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

For many of us, naming the flesh that tries to make us something we are not, is so difficult to come to terms with. We are fighting to be who we truly are which is only found in God living through us. At times, recognizing the flesh in us is messy, ugly and disappointing and yet, Jesus has condemned sin and has made it where our flesh doesn’t have to reign supreme. God enables us to live according to the Spirit which is life and peace. Hear Jesus’s words in the Gospel of John, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”

TO PRAY

This week, I want to invite y’all to pray Galatians 5:22-23.

Wonderful God, you are the giver of all good things. We pray that you would root the fruit of the Spirit deep within us! Help us to love, to be full of joy, of peace and of patience. Help us to be kind, good, faithful and gentle when dealing with others and with ourselves. And finally give us the self-control to bear fruit so others can see the freedom from sin and the flesh that is only found in You.

Matt DeLano