TextLab

This week Jake and Will discuss Romans 6:15-19 and what the relationship between joy and obedience is. They expand on our human nature and how Christ’s crucifixion flips our relationship with the Father.

• Why would joy in Christ lead us to obedience?
• Where in your life is it difficult to trust God?
• What were the green-shoots in your pray-watch community this week?

This week Jake and Gary discuss Romans 6:1-14 and dive into detail on our new identity found in Christ. They talk about the radical shift that occurs when Christ carries our sin to the cross and crucifies it with him so that we are no longer under the control of sin but are new creations in him.

• How would justification and sanctification have been taken by the Jewish and Gentile audience?
• How does our being under grace ensure that sin will not have dominion over us?
• Where have you seen God working in your pray-watch relationships this last week?

This week Jake and Adam discuss Romans 6:5-11 and dive into detail what being dead to sin looks like in our lives today. Additionally, they discuss how this truth leads us to gratitude, living missionally, and creating opportunities for your joy in Christ to be seen by others.

• What do you find challenging about what he has stated? Frustrating? Bewildering? Encouraging?
• What are the ways you practice showing gratitude towards Christ?
• What are some opportunities you can CREATE to invite people into your life this week?

This week Jake and Will discuss Romans 6:1-4 and dive into detail on being new in creation through Christ while still fighting against our fleshly inclination to sin. They expand on the idea that we are saints that struggle against sin and provide practical questions that will help in your Life Group's study this week.

• When has it been really easy to acknowledge your desperate dependent nature?
• What does it mean to walk in “newness of life” – to be a new creation? 
• How does this mystery of newness of life affect the way we engage with our pray-watch friends and with our ones?

This week Jake and Jasen discuss Romans 5:15-21 and dive into detail on God's amazing grace, what the cross and resurrection mean for us now in our day to day lives, and how we can cultivate spiritual rhythms in our lives and the lives of our life group that provide receptivity to God's Spirit, deepening our joy in Him.

• How do we actually live this text out throughout the week?
• What is the difference between giving a gift to a friend and giving a gift to an enemy?
• How does God’s abundant grace affect our pray-watch list and engaging with our “One’s” this week?

This week David & Jake discuss Romans 5:12-14 and what our position is as humanity prior to Christ’s death and resurrection. We all were guilty because of sharing in Adam’s original sin along with the relationship between sin and death.

• In what ways is Jesus the greater Adam?
• What does Paul hope to communicate in 12-14?
• Why is it important that we have an understanding of our own sin, guilt, and condemnation when we think about Jesus’ righteousness?
• Where have you seen God working in your pray-watch relationships this last week?

This week Will & Jake discuss Romans 5:6-15 and what it looks like to delight in the Trinity. They talk about how we all were once enemies of God, #butGod restores us into right relationship with Him which makes us rejoice! They dive into how justification leads us to reconciliation, which makes us ministers of reconciliation!

• How would both Jews and Gentiles have understood the term "ungodly"?
• Paul tells us we have been justified by Jesus’ blood. What does he mean that we will be saved by Him from the wrath of God?
• What do you do when you are finding it difficult to celebrate God? What emotions do you feel in those moments?

This week Will & Jake discuss Romans 5:1-5 and the importance of justification by faith. They dive into the history of the Church, how justification leads us to rejoice and find joy in the midst of suffering.

• In verses 1-5 what does Paul tell us that we should be rejoicing about?  Why?
• In what ways do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life? IE v.5: “pouring God’s love into you”.
• How do we have access to God? 
• What has this looked like for you this past week?

This week Will & Jake discuss Romans 4:16-25 and the way that faith plays itself out in the story of Abraham (in Paul's eyes.) We will discuss the story of Abraham, the definition of faith, and how grace plays out in our daily lives.

• How do you think this text would have been received by the people in Rome? Both Jews and Gentiles?
• What do you think Paul is doing by telling the story of Abraham?
• When you think of God's Grace, what comes to mind?
• What does Justified mean? Why is it so important?
• How does grace free you to live this week?
• What does it look like to walk in faith this week?

In this episode, David and Jake unpack the Abraham narrative in Romans 4. They discuss the meaning behind Abraham's trust in God being credited to him as righteousness, and the grace that we receive because of what Christ has done.

• Why was the timing of Abraham's circumcision such a big deal in Paul’s argument?
• What did circumcision mean to the Jewish people in the first century?
• What does daily dependence on Christ for salvation and all things look like in our lives?