Lean In // 5 minutes
If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?
Leader Note: Do your best to get everyone to answer this amusing question. Remember the more people talk in the beginning the more likely they are to stay engaged throughout the discussion.
Look Down // 10 minutes
Read Romans 8:11-17
What do you learn about God’s Spirit?
Sample answers may include
- God’s Spirit raised Christ from the dead (v.11)
- God’s Spirit is alive in us (v.11)
- God’s Spirit gives us life and power now (v.11)
- We can choose to live by God’s Spirit or our sinful nature (v.12-13)
- Living by God’s spirit puts to death the ways of our flesh (v.13)
- It is God’s Spirit leading us that identifies us as God’s children (v.14,16)
- God’s Spirit does not make us fearful or slaves (v.15)
- God gives us His Spirit, we don’t earn it (v.15)
- God’s Spirit causes us to be heirs together with Christ, we share in His glory and we also share in His suffering (v.17)
Look Out // 10 minutes
Where have you seen people hold on to dead things?
Where have you seen people experience new life?
Leader Note: This can work its self out in a number of ways. Unforgiveness, regret, fear pain and shame can often be seen as our “just deserved” outcome for our actions that we come to accept death as the only reality. Easter tells us that new life is possible, that death is not final through the power of God’s Spirit.
Look In // 20 minutes
Where are you in need of God’s Spirit to bring a dead thing to life?
Commentary: The power of the cross signals to us that new life is possible! Be it a broken relationship, an addiction or a general sense of needing to control our lives we can trust in God’s Spirit to give us power and strength to overcome the remains of death in our lives.
Live It Out // 5 minutes
Who could you impact by living in the power of God’s Sprit?
Leader Note: Read the first half of verse 11 again to your group. God’s spirit brings us life, freedom and healing. Our call as Christ followers is to then live out those things for the sake of others. Challenge your group to think about where God is calling them to live out new life… what could that look like, what could the impact be?
Pray: Father we thank you for the ultimate sacrifice you paid in your son that has restored us in relationship with you. We thank you that through the death and resurrection of Jesus we now experience life in place of death. We ask for the boldness and conviction to live in that new life so that others can experience freedom, salvation and healing. Amen.