4. Transformed

LOOK BACK

Praise

Psalm 148:1-5 ¹Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.²Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. ³Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars^{. 4}Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. ⁵Let them praise the name of the LORD, for at his command they were created,

Celebrating God’s Faithfulness

How have you experienced God in your life this week?
How have you experienced God working through your life this week?
Were you able to tell anyone this week about what God is doing in your life or pray with anyone?

Caring for each other

Do you need any help from God in your life?

Motivation and Encouragement

Romans 12:2 encourages us to have our minds renewed with God’s truth so that we can be transformed. A huge part of this renewing is coming to understand our new identity now that we are alive in Christ. It is both freeing and empowering to know the truth about how God sees us.

LOOK UP

Context

Jesus’ death and resurrection is incredibly significant and powerful in being able to not only save us, but transform us. When His precious Holy Spirit fills us, we are changed in so many ways. Today we will learn how our identity has changed now that we are alive in Christ.

Read

Read or watch Romans 8:9-17 two times as everyone listens

⁹You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.¹⁰But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

¹²Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.¹⁵The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

What stands out for you in this passage?
What do you like and what bothers you in this passage?
Why do you think this passage is important?
What are some possible ways a person could apply this passage? Is there:
- A behaviour to change?
- A promise to claim?
- An example to follow?
- A command to obey?
Ask God what He wants you to do in response to the passage.
Share this with the group

Read, Tell and Correct

Read the story again. Have someone tell the story and ask the group to correct if necessary.

Summary

How amazing is the new identity that Jesus has given us by His Spirit living inside of us! Our sinful nature has been put to death with Jesus on the cross, so that through His resurrected Spirit we can be transformed. He gives us His righteousness (right standing before God), transforms our nature, enables us to walk in Spirit of life and peace, and gives us the right to be called children of God.

LOOK FORWARD

Preparing for Mission

Jesus said to share with others what He teaches us. (Matt 28:18-20)

1. During this week, discover more about your identity as you read through the following verses:

John 1:12
John 8:36
John 15:15
Galatians 2:20
Galatians 3:27
Ephesians 2:6
Ephesians 2:19-20
Ephesians 4:24
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Philippian 3:20
1 Corinthians 3:16
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
1 Corinthians 12:27
2 Corinthians 5:21
2 Timothy 1:7
1 John 3:1-2

2. Now that you have learned more about your new identity in Christ, who could you share this with during the week? In pairs, go to your daisy chain and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight one or two people.

Going on the Mission

What is God revealing as your next steps this week with him and others?
Share this step with the group and ask someone to pray for you as you take this step in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Commit everyone’s goals to the Lord. Ask the Lord to help us be faithful and use us to start a movement of people living the MyFriends Lifestyle.

4.

Transformed