Alignment (Part 2): Where Repentance Begins

TO START

Make sure to talk to your group about our upcoming 2nd Annual SG Cornhole Tournament and BBQ on Saturday, May 8th from 10:30am-1:30pm. If you have yet to do so, let our Discipleship Minister, Matt DeLano (mdelano@rrcoc.org) know how many from your group will be able to attend and how many adults would like to play cornhole by Friday, April 30th! Lastly, we have sent out a sign-up for sides, desserts and food service volunteers this week! We encourage your group to sign-up right now for at least 2 slots if your group plans to attend!! (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4eaaa92ca7f5ce9-small) 

TO READ & DISCUSS

This week, Tim continued the series, Alignment. Tim spoke to the fact that repentance can be intimidating because we usually associate it with something very difficult, a change of behavior. Before diving into the discussion, read 2 Corinthians 7:5-11:

  • What stands out to you about this passage? Does it at all change or reinforce your understanding of repentance?

  • According to the sermon, what does the word “repent” in verse 9 literally mean? How does this connect with “change your ways” in the last part of the verse?

  • In this series, we are approaching repentance from a positive perspective. How does the last sentence in verse 11 encourage you? What do you think of the term godly sorrow? How is that a blessing?

TO WATCH

In a bit of different fashion, we’d like you now to check out this clip from Tim’s sermon.

TO DISCUSS

For the second half of Tim’s sermon, he directed us to two of four forces that are able to produce a change of mind. He argued that our minds are changed by truth, or a new understanding of it in light of Scripture & through experience. So ask these two questions to close:

  • Share a time when the word of God prompted a change of mind in you that led to a change of behavior. (If you don’t know a time recently, might this be challenge for us to seek out truth in the word of God)

  • What about experience? Have you had a situation where you acted on a change God was calling you to make, even though you were hesitant? How did that turn out? (Remember Tim’s Guacamole story)

TO PRAY

This week, I want you to invite your group to consider which force they think God is calling them to use as a way to bring about a change of mind in them that will then produce a change behavior that realigns them to God’s will. Pray for Scripture to provide a new light that may lead to a difficult but necessary change of mind and heart. Pray for experiences that might enable us to act on a change that God desires for each of us too.

Matt DeLano