This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on the sermon using the following Scripture and questions as a way to begin a conversation.
Read Ephesians 4:17-24 and Romans 12:1,2
Ephesians 4:17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 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.
When you read the word “Gentiles” in Ephesians Paul is referring to the world around us. We could also read this passage like this, “Live no longer like the world does, for those of the world are hopelessly confused.” In saying this we want to make sure that we realize that Paul is not condemning the people of the world, but he is calling the disciple into a life pattern that no longer reflects the world.
- Why do you think Paul is calling the Ephesians to no longer live like the world does?
- How can we let the Spirit renew our thoughts?
- How can we be holy and righteous today?
- Romans 12:1 calls us to give our bodies as a living sacrifice. What is a “living” sacrifice and what would that mean for our lives to become one?
- One way to know that we are growing in Christian love is to realize that we are at a new place today than where we were a year ago. When you look at your life are you walking in a deeper place today than you were a year ago? Do you see changes in your life today from where you were two months ago?
As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Did I disobey God in anything? (Pages 41-44 in The Wesley Challenge)
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