Transfrom – Mariners Church Flow Questions

Romans 8:17-30 // The Road to Glory

Lean In // 5 Minutes

What is a great underdog story?

Leader Note: There is something about a great underdog story that inspires us to believe just like them, we can overcome adversary and become all we are meant to be. It points out that anyone and everyone, no matter what life has dealt them, that there is an opportunity of greatness available. Keep in mind in sharing to point out the suffering they went to and how it connects to the ultimate victory those characters experience.

Look Down // 15 minutes

Read Passage – Read Romans 8:17-30

What do you learn about suffering?

Sample Answers:

it is impacting all of creation
creation is groaning because of it
it is causing frustration
it it is causing bondage and decay
it is not worth comparing to the glory that is being revealed in us
it is causing pain

What do you learn about hope?

Sample Answers:

That we are having glory revealed in us
That we have the hope of adoption
That the best is being revealed in us
That good is being worked out for the children of God
We are justified
We are called
We have to be patient for this hope

Leader Note: Be sure to really point out the way the passage brings up groaning as an expression of the present suffering that is happening. This will help in your transition to the following questions and the discussion. Highlight the work of the spirit as the one creating opportunity to see and experience this Hope.

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where is our world groaning?

Leader Note: Refer back to the passage and how it talks about the way the Earth is groaning and experiencing this across all of creation. A couple examples of answers would be:

Relationships (Marriage, Friendships, Family, Kids)
Sickness
Taxes
Politics
Conflict
Injustice

Look In // 20 minutes

Where are you groaning, waiting for things to get better?

Where is the Spirit at work? What is your hope in this season of suffering?

Leader Note: This is a great time to lean into stories. The hope is that people will identify their struggle and in the second portion of the lean in, to sit in silence for a moment and really listen in for what God might be saying to them in this season of struggle. Take time either right after they share or at the end to pray for each person for renewed patience in the suffering and a greater sense of the Spirit’s work in this season. Don’t be hesitant if someone responds with “I don’t hear anything.” Simply ask for the Spirit to reveal Himself when praying over them.

Live It Out // 10 minutes

How could you bring hope to those who are suffering?

Leader Note: “There is strength for today because there is hope for tomorrow.” Have this be the theme in praying for those in the group that voiced a struggle they are waiting to be released from? Talk about the healing service from the weekend. Be bold and lay hands and pray with boldness. Point back to the Lean In and remind them that the groaning makes way for the glory.

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Looking to Join a Life Group? Check out our online group directory to get in touch with leader today.

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Romans 8:12-17 // Off With The Old

We’re looking for Life Groups to help us put on the biggest party of the year for our community on Friday, Oct 30th. From manning the rides, serving up food to helping in the reptile petting zoo, there are plenty of ways for your group to jump in! Contact our special events team to learn more.

Lean In // 5 minutes

What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?

Leader Note: From the guy that hates to admit watching The Bachelor, to bing watching House Hunters, most of us have shows that we love because they offer us an escape or a way to unwind! Transition your group to the next section by saying something like… “A lot of the shows we watch are based in some form of a false reality. Let’s see what our passage has to say about the reality and identity we are called to live in as believers.”

Look Down // 15 minutes

Read Romans 8:12-17

What do you learn about God’s Spirit?

We have a choose to live by it or by the flesh
Living by God’s Spirit puts to death the ways of our flesh
Living by God’s Spirit brings life
God’s Spirit leds us and marks us children of God
God’s Spirit brings us intimacy, a personal relationship “Abba, Father”
The Spirit “testifies” or bears witness to remind us that we are God’s children
God’s Spirit does not make us fearful or slaves
God’s Spirit is given to us, we receive it we don’t earn it

Leader Note: Highlight these key four observations from the weekend message.

1. I am a loved son/daughter // God is our Heavenly Father, He choose us, adopted us to be His! Because of this we have an intimate and personal relationship with him. Our identities, whatever they used to be… our now rooted in Him, our identities our in Him!

2. I have a Heavenly Father // God is our Father and he loves us more than we can ever imagine! Consider Matthew 7:11… “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

3. I have a witness // God also gives us his Holy Spirit to remind us of what we so often forget… that we are loved! The Holy Spirit stands to give testimony and witness to what is true about us.

4. I have a heavenly inheritance // God brings us into relationship with Himself and makes available to us all that is His.

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where do you see people creating their own identity?

How do they manage it and what happens when it collapses?

Leader Note: Invite stories here from you group. What are things people shape their reality and identity around, what does that look like, where have they seen it? What do they do to maintain that image, what are the effects of living that way?

Look In // 20 minutes

What parts of the passage are hard for you to embrace and why?

Why do you need to embrace it?

Leader Note: Point back to the observations from question 2, paying special attention to the four main observations… We are Loved, We Have a Witness and We have a heavenly inheritance. Ask your group to read out the four statements aloud. Which ones are most difficult to beleive, which ones cause the most emotion? Challenge your group to think not only about which of these truths they wrestle with but why do they think God would want this for them and what difference would that make?

Live it Out // 10 minutes

How might your life and the lives of others be impacted if you embraced these truths?

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Looking to Join a Life Group? Check out our online group directory to get in touch with leader today.

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Romans 8:1-12 // I’ve Got The Poweri

Lean In // 5 minutes

What’s something you used to be afraid of? How did you overcome it?

Leader Note: Transition you group by saying something like… “it’s amazing how many of our fears feed off the power of our thinking and imagination. Fears become the strongest when we believe that the worst possible outcome of any given situation is the more than likely outcome!” Let’s see what our passage says about that kind of power.

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Romans 8:1-12

What do you learn about life in the spirit? What about life in the flesh?

Sample answers may include…

Life in the Spirit

– Life in the Spirit removes guilt and condemnation
– There’s power in the Life of Spirit
– The power of the Spirit frees us from the power of sin and death
– A spirit filled life causes us to think about things that please the spirit, that bring life/peace and not death
– Without the Spirit we can not please God
– We have the Spirit living in us, he controls us
– The Spirit gives life and makes us right with God
– The power of the spirit in us is the same that raised Christ to life

Life in the Flesh

– It is weak, is drawn to sin
– It thinks about sinful things
– Allow it to control out lives and our thoughts led to death
– It stands directly against ways of God
– It never obeys God’s standards and can never please God
– We do not have to do what it wants us to do

Leader Note: Point your group back to verse 5… “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” This passage and verse highlight the fact the we are given a choice to think powerless thoughts of the flesh or power-filled thoughts which come from and please the Spirit.

Paul is talking about something greater than “positive thinking” to change ourselves. Positive thinking tells us that we can create what we want through our thinking. Paul is saying that power is not simply in our thoughts but in the source of those thoughts. Are we living out the Spirit and allowing him to transform our thoughts and our lives or are we living out the powerlessness of the Flesh?

Powerless flesh guided thoughts will be…
Defensive, judgmental, blaming, fear based, stressed, angry, self loathing and depressed.

Powerful Life in the Spirit thoughts will be…
Grateful, wise, resourceful, full of hope, confident, compassionate, patient and joy-filled.

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where do you see things overwhelming peoople’s lives?

Why do they feel overwhelmed?

Leader Note: Invite stories from your group here. Have them talk through what they see in those situations. What’s the powerless thinking that’s associated with them?

Look In // 20 minutes

Where do you experience powerlessness?

What would it look like to embrace the power of the Spirit over those things?

Leader Note: Another way to ask these questions could be to say… “what are things in your life that seem like they will never change, what’s the hope in this passage for you?” Challenge your group to consider where they (and you!) are living… in the way of the old self which is powerless, or in the Life of the Spirit which is full of power

Live It Out // 5 minutes

How would others be impact if you lived this way?

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Looking to Join a Life Group? Check out our online group directory to get in touch with leader today.

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Romans 7:15-25 // The Struggle Is Real

Lean In // 5 minutes

Tongue Twister Contest

Leader Note: A bit out of the norm, but it will make sense when you read the passage! See who the tongue twister champ is in your group, who can say one of these cleanly the most times. Think of a fun prize you could give the winner, i.e. twirlers or a Starbucks card fro extra caffeine!

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
And chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
If a woodchuck could chuck wood”

“She sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”

“dish soap” (This one is harder than you think!)

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Romans 7:15-25

What do you learn about Paul’s struggle?

He doesn’t understand what he does or why he does it
He hates what he does but he does it anyway
He affirms that the law is good, but still he fails to live up to it’s standards
He wants to do good the desire is there, but he can’t do it
The sinful nature is winning the struggle of sin over his will power
He’s at war with this new nature in Christ and his sinful nature
He understand that he can’t win the battle himself, that Jesus will deliver him

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where are people provoked to break rules and why?

Leader Note: Challenge your group to think about places where rules may be posted or implied but “people” seem all the more inclined to bend or break them. Then ask your group why do you think that is, what motivates people to break the rules anyway? Here are a few examples to get your conversation going…

Lines at amusement parks
Bringing in outside food/drink to the movies
Costco food samples, just take one please!
Rules of the road, speeding, carpool ect..

Leader Note: Transition your group to the next section by saying something like… “sometimes simply knowing the rules isn’t enough to keep us in line. Inheritetly we all have something within us that will test the boundaries, see what we can get away with even if we know it’s harmful. On the flip side some of us become legalistic with rules and will follow everyone to a tee and become critical of those that don’t. The passage today encourages us to consider that both approaches to sin and grace can become harmful distractions from what God really wants to expose and develop in us.”

Look In // 20 minutes

What are the things you hate doing that you do anyway?

Are you addressing those things and how?

Leader Note: As always set the tone for your group by being vulnrable yourself. Share with honesty places where you seem to be stuck just like Paul was in the passage. Think about how you are responding. Are you overcompensating with self-righethous behavior, are you ignoring that there’s even anything wrong with your actions? How might God want to transform not only your actions but more importantly your heart?

Live It Out // 5 minutes

What if you lived in honesty about that struggle? How would you and others be impacted?

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Looking to Join a Life Group? Check out our online group directory to get in touch with leader today.

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Romans 6:1-14 // Free At Last

Lean In // 5 minutes

Who are some of your favorite villains?

Sample answers could include:

The Joker (Batman)
Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz)
Buzz (Home Alone)
The Shark (Jaws)
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
The New York Yankees (unless you’re a fan…)
Ben Linus (LOST)
Regina George (Mean Girls)

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Romans 6:1-14

What do you learn about sin?

Sample answers could include:

Causes death
Not to live with it any longer
It can reign in my body
Can become enslaved by it
Set free from sin
Christ is more powerful than sin
Christ died the death once and for all
Sin is broken but it’s still present
It’s a choice

Look Out // 10 minutes

Leader note: The goal of this Look Out question is to get group members to reflect on the allure of sin. There is something attractive about sin otherwise it would not be so effective in entrapping.

Why does it feel so good to be bad?

Sample answers could include:

Appeals to desire
Thrill
Adrenaline
Excitement
Power
Pretend
It’s just fun

When does it become a bait and switch?

Leader note: With sin, at some point the “good” feeling wears off. This usually takes place right after the hook is set and are being reeled into sin’s effect. Help group members identify the “bait and switch” tactic of sin.

Look In // 20 minutes

Where is sin “baiting” you and how are you responding to it?

What would it take for you to believe sin is not your master?

Leader note: In this week’s sermon, Kenton explained how the penalty of sin is paid and the power of sin is broken but the presence of sin is still around. With that being said, there are still potential places in our lives where we are susceptible to temptation and sin. Help your group members to see that in those moments we have an opportunity to say: Sin is not my master!

The Apostle Paul reinforces this idea by saying, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Live It Out // 5 minutes

Who would be impacted if sin were no longer your master?

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Romans 5:1-5 // What Makes You Happy

Thursday, September 24th 7 pm, IR Community Center

Life Group leaders, members and Rooted grads looking for a Life Group are invited to join us as we kick off our fall session with a night of connection, vision and community. Dave Runyon, co-author of The Art of Neighboring, will be with us to continue our conversation about how to love and serve our neighbors with the love of Christ. To register, click here.

Lean In // 5 Minutes

What makes you happy?

Sample answers may include…

Family
A great meal
Being with friends
A day to myself
My car collection
My house
The way people view me
Chocolate
Netflix
Promotions

Leader Note: Ask a follow up question here, “Do those things always make you happy.” Lead your group to see that in reality even the things or the people that make us most happy can also bring us pain and sorrow! Our families will go sideways, our homes eventually get old and relationships hit speed bumps. Transition you group to the next section by saying something like… “Let’s look at what this passage has to say about happiness and the journey to joy.”

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Romans 5:1-5

What are the reasons we have to be joyful?

Sample answers may include…

We have been made right, justified with God
It starts with what God has done, we receive it by faith
Being made right with God brings us peace
We stand in God’s grace, we have access to God
We have an everlasting hope
Even suffering isn’t wasted, it can be used to bring hope and joy
Our hope is not unfounded, it won’t run out or let us down
God’s love is active, given to us through the person of the Holy Spirit

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where does the world find joy? Is it sustainable?

What does it look like to have Romans 5 joy? Where have you seen it?

Leader Note: What the world calls joy or happiness stands at a contrast to what real God-filled joy looks like! Encourage your group to share stories of where they’ve seen this type of joy in others. What did it look like? How did effect others?

Look In // 20 minutes

When have you experienced this true joy?

Where do you need this joy today?

Live It Out // 5 minutes

How might embracing this joy impact your community, your family?

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.