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This week opens our new series called “Against the Grain.” In this series, we’re exploring the nature of the stark contrast a Christian’s life is meant to pose to the life espoused by the culture we live in. This week, we’re discussing the mechanics of true transformation. Paul teaches in Romans 12:1-2 that the road to transformation begins with presenting our physical bodies as living sacrifices, and that the use of our bodies determines whether we’re conformed to the culture or transformed by the renewal of our minds.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• When you first began going to church/learning about Jesus, what were you taught as the “next steps” in the Christian life after surrendering to Jesus? What ideas did you have about what a “mature believer” looked like? How were you taught to become one? Did you want to become one?
• Read Rom. 12:1. What do you think it means to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”? How is a “living sacrifice” different from just a sacrifice? How do we (practically) do this with our actual, physical bodies? 
• Read Rom. 12:2. What would it really look like for someone to completely conform to this world? Why is the Christian commanded not to conform to this world? 
• In what areas do many Christians in our culture tend to look just like the world? Be honest: in what ways do you find it easy to  conform to the world in your own life?
• What does it mean to “renew our minds”? What role does our physical body play in renewing the mind? Why does renewing our minds lead to transformation?
• What practical steps can you take not to be conformed to this world? What can you do to be transformed by the renewal of your mind? What role does the Holy Spirit play?
• Pray, asking God to do the work of transforming us so that His way is our default.

This week wraps up the Illusion of Control, discussing the danger of attempting to control our lives through the trap of comparison. Paul 1 Corinthians 15 shows 2 potential pitfalls for falling into the trap of comparison. First, we tend to focus on our weakness; second, we focus on our greatness. The only solution is to focus firmly on Jesus, having our minds renewed in Him and becoming truly content.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• Is comparison always a bad thing? In what ways can it be a useful tool? When does comparison turn dangerous?

• Read 1 Cor. 15:1-6. Why do you think it’s significant that Paul points out Jesus’ appearance to so many people, many of whom were still alive? Why is it so important that we understand the resurrection as a historical fact, not just a religious idea?

• Read 1 Cor. 15:7-10. Be vulnerable. What’s something in your life that makes you feel like “the least” of your friends? Why is it so easy to believe that these things define us? 

• What’s something in your life that makes you feel above other people? What’s the risk in believing this defines us? In either scenario, what’s really true of you in Jesus?

• Be honest. Where does most of your time, energy, and attention go every day? Why? What’s the fruit of that focus in your life? Is it growing joy or shame/anxiety?

• How do we practically focus on Jesus this week, not ourselves? In what ways can you “renew your mind”? What does it mean to "take thoughts captive”? How can you do that?

• Pray, asking God to help us focus our hearts on Jesus and grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

Anxiety is something almost everyone experiences, especially when we feel pressure about our future, relationships, or expectations. As our anxiety grows because we try to control things that were never meant for us to control. God invites us to humble ourselves, trust His care, and cast our anxieties on Him because He is both powerful and deeply concerned about our lives.

Here are some discussion questions to further your guide your conversation:

• Why do you think people often try to hide their anxiety or pretend they have everything together instead of asking for help?

• Michael said that pride and unbelief are often the root causes of anxiety. How can trying to control everything in life actually make us more anxious instead of less?

• Read 1 Peter 5:6-7. What do you think it means to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God”? The verse also says to “cast all your anxieties on Him.” What do you think that looks like practically in a Student’s life?

• Read Philippians 4:6-7. How can prayer and gratitude help change the way we handle anxiety?

• We fight anxiety by fighting against unbelief and fighting for faith in future grace. And the way you fight this good fight is by meditating on God’s assurances of future grace and by asking for the help of his Spirit. What are some fighter verses to meditate on to help you believe the promises of God’s future grace, and how can the Holy Spirit help you overcome your pride and unbelief?

• What is one area of your life right now where you are trying to control things instead of trusting God with them?

• This week, whenever you feel anxious, pause and pray something simple like this: “God, I give this to you because you care about me.”

• Close in prayer now, asking God to help you trust His plan and timing instead of trying to control everything yourself.

This week introduces the idea that control is often an illusion we use to hide shame. From the very beginning in Genesis, sin led Adam and Eve to hide, blame, and try to manage how they were seen—patterns we still follow today. True freedom comes not from controlling our image or circumstances but from bringing our sin and shame into the light and trusting Jesus to forgive and restore us.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• Have you ever tried to impress someone by pretending to be something you’re not or hiding something about yourself? Why do people do this? What are we afraid might happen if people see the real us?

• Michael said, “Shame is an emotional weapon that evil uses to corrupt our relationships with God, others, and ourselves.” Why do you think shame has so much power over us? What are some ways students try to control how others see them?

• Read Genesis 2:25. Adam and Eve were “naked and not ashamed.” What does this tell us about what their relationship with God and each other was like before sin entered the world?

• Read Genesis 3:1-13. After Adam and Eve sinned, what were the first things they did? What do their responses (hiding, blaming, covering themselves) teach us about how people still respond to shame today?

• Shame often leads people to hide, pretend, blame others, or try to control their image. Where do you see this happening in church, in friendships, in sports, in academics, on social media, etc.?

• Read 1 John 1:7-9. According to these verses, what happens when we stop hiding, bring our sin and shame into the light, and get honest with God?

• Tim Keller once said, “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God.” What do you think this quote means? Why is it such good news that God fully knows us and still loves us?

• Close in prayer: how can this Group help you be real with God, one another, and yourself?

This week wraps up Your Story/God’s Story, focusing on redemption and restoration through Jesus. Rom. 3:21-26 shows us the tension at the heart of the gospel: God is perfectly just and can’t ignore sin, yet He’s perfectly loving and desires to save sinners. The cross is where justice and mercy meet - Jesus pays our debt so we can be declared righteous. Students need to see that the gospel means we are more sinful than we thought and more loved than we imagined.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• What things make you feel like you don’t measure up? (school, sports, social media, family expectations, faith, etc.). What makes you feel that way?

• Read Romans 3:21-23. What does this passage teach us about our need for salvation?

• Read Romans 3:23-26. Why does sin have to be paid for (Romans 6:23)? Why can't God just overlook sin? Why couldn’t God “forgive & forget” without the cross?

• Before today, what did you think “Jesus is my Savior” meant? Has your understanding of this changed today? If so, how?

• The Bible reminds us God accepts us because of Jesus’s sacrifice. What’s different between trying to earn God’s favor and obeying Him because He already accepts us?

• What is something Jesus has saved you from? What is something you think Jesus has saved you for? What would it look like this week to live like you’re accepted by God?

• Close in prayer, asking your Group to pray for you to live in this acceptance this week.

In Genesis 3, we see how sin enters the world through misplaced worship and disordered love. Adam and Eve chose their autonomy over trust in God. They believed a lie about God rather than resting in His goodness. Their rebellion fractures their relationship with God, with each other, and with creation itself. We are just as guilty today—but even in judgment, God offers a promise of rescue.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your

conversation:

· When you think about the story of Adam and Eve, what parts have always seemed confusing or strange to you? (Talking snake? Forbidden fruit? God’s reaction?)

· Read Genesis 3:1. The serpent starts by questioning God’s Word. Why do you think doubt is such a powerful temptation? Where do you see similar doubts about God show up in your life today?

· The serpent suggests that God is holding out on Adam and Eve. Why is that lie so easy for humans to believe? Can you think of a time when you believed God’s way would “cost you too much”?

· Michael talked about sin being more than “messing up,” but a problem of worship or misplaced love. What are some things students today are tempted to love, trust, or depend on more than God?

· After they sin, Adam and Eve hide from God and blame each other. How do shame and blame still show up in our lives when we mess up or feel exposed?

· Genesis 3 shows that sin affects everything—our relationship with God, others, and even creation. Where do you see the brokenness of sin most clearly in the world or in yourself?

· Even in the middle of judgment, God promises a future Rescuer (Genesis 3:15). Why is it important to see both the seriousness of sin and the grace of God together?

· How can this group pray for you to trust God more this week amid temptations and struggles?

Tonight introduces the idea that our lives unfold within the grand story of God’s Kingdom. We can’t truly understand ourselves, our identities, or our purpose if we don’t understand what God is doing in the world. God created men and women out of love - we are His prized creation! We were made to know, love, and enjoy Him, and to partner with His children on a mission to multiply disciples of Jesus and expand the dominion of God’s Kingdom.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• Read Genesis 1:26-27. What do you think it means to be made “in the image of God”? How is humankind similar to God? How are humans dissimilar?

• Read Gen. 1:28. Why do you think God wanted humans to fill the earth? God commands Adam and Eve to “subdue the earth”. What does that tell us about the earth God made? What does it tell us about God? About ourselves? 

• What did God mean when He told Adam to “have dominion” over the earth? What do you think it looked like for Adam to have dominion over Eden? 

• What do you think it means for you to have dominion today? Do you think you exercise any dominion right now? In what areas could you begin to exercise dominion?

• Adam partnered with Eve to fulfill his calling. What do you think your “calling” from God is today? What does “partnership” look like now? What partnerships are necessary for you to fulfill your calling?

• Practically, how can you partner with other believers or grow in discipleship or dominion?

• Pray together, asking God to help us become people He can trust with His Kingdom.

Tonight we discuss how idols promise satisfaction but always leave us spiritually empty and restless. Through Jeremiah 2 and John 4, Students are invited to see Jesus as the only true source of life, rest, and meaning. The goal is to help Students move beyond intellectual belief toward heart-level trust, repentance, and rest in Christ.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• When you hear the phrase, “You are what you love,” what stands out to you most?  How do your habits and pursuits reveal what you truly value? 

• Why do you think we keep choosing “broken cisterns” (lesser things) even when we know they won’t satisfy us? What makes our idols feel so convincing in the moment? 

• Read Jeremiah 2:13. What do you think God means when He says His people have “forsaken the fountain of living waters”? How does that verse describe the heart of idolatry?

• Turn to John 4:5-26. What idols do you see operating in the Samaritan Woman’s life before she meets Jesus? How does Jesus lovingly expose her heart without shaming her?

• What does Jesus offer the Samaritan Woman that her relationships never could? How does this show us what Jesus offers us today?

• What’s the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly trusting Him to satisfy you? Where do you think most Students struggle with this difference?

• How can this group pray for you as you trust and obey that Jesus is better than your idols this week?

Tonight introduces the idea that idolatry isn’t just about ancient statues but about what our hearts love, trust, and depend on most. Students are challenged to see how good things can slowly become ultimate things that promise life but eventually disappoint and enslave. In order to keep from sliding into the spiral of sin our idols create, we have to learn the lies our idols tell (and how to fight them).

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• Read Romans 1:21-25. What do you think it means to “become futile” in your thinking? What does it mean for someone’s heart to be darkened? Why does choosing to follow idols rather than God lead to these things? 

• Read 2 Sam. 11:1-5. What was David’s first mistake in this story [stayed home]? Why is that a problem? What’s an example of how we can make that same mistake in our lives?

• David’s worship of the Idol of Comfort led to death and destruction. Why did he continue walking in sin? What lies do you think he believed that kept him from repenting sooner?

• What are common idols among your peers? What lies do they tell? Think through what would happen if you fell for those lies long enough. What would the consequences be?

• Read 2 Sam. 12:13. What hope do we have when we realize we’ve fallen into sin? What steps can we take to create relationships with each other like Nathan and David had?

• Why does Joy override the power of idols in our lives? What things has God given you to enjoy in your own lives? How can you practice contentment in these things this week?

• Pray together, asking God to help us keep Him enthroned in our hearts & find joy in Him.

Tonight introduces the idea that idolatry isn’t just about ancient statues but about what our hearts love, trust, and depend on most. Students are challenged to see how good things can slowly become ultimate things that promise life but eventually disappoint and enslave. The goal of this discussion is not guilt, but awareness—helping students begin naming the idols of their hearts and seeing why Jesus is better.

Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conversation:

• In your own words, how would you define an idol after tonight’s message? Why do you think idols usually start as good things instead of bad ones?

• What are some signs that something good might be becoming too important in your life? How does it affect your emotions, time, thoughts, or reactions?

• Read Exodus 20:1-6. Why do you think God starts the Ten Commandments by reminding His people that He rescued them before giving them commands? What does that say about God’s heart toward us?

• When you’re stressed, afraid, lonely, or feeling like a failure, what do you instinctively turn to for comfort or security before you turn to God? What does that reveal about what you’re trusting to save you in that moment?

• How is Jesus different from your idols in the way He treats you when you fail or fall short?

• If you’re comfortable sharing, what is one thing you wrote down on your card tonight that you tend to run to instead of God?

• If Jesus truly is better than your idols, what would repentance actually look like this week—not just in words, but in action?

• How can this group pray for you to surrender your love, trust, and obedience to Jesus rather than your idols?