Life Group - Leader Guides

The temple is in you. You are a part of the place God dwells on earth. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV). Throughout this series we will be learning about the temple, the sacred place God inhabits on earth. As broken as people are, He chose us. He offered up His son as an atoning sacrifice to allow us into His presence.

This week, we are challenged to answer this question: are you standing out for Jesus, or are you slowly changing and becoming more like the world? Let’s look at the difference between conforming and transforming. Let’s choose to be “in this world, but not of it.”

This culture and the world are negative in so many ways. You may be optimistic, naïve, or try to put it out of your mind, but bad things still take place and humanity is flawed. How can you live with joy, peace, hope, and confidence in God? How can you face the future with boldness? How can you overcome the power of sin, even in your thought life? Let’s look at Romans, Chapter 8.

Anger is a basic human emotion which has been causing trouble since creation. We see it in our families, our workplaces, on the news, and we find it in the Bible! Adam and Eve’s son Cain was “furious” and murdered his brother. How do we control this physical reaction so that it does not become sin, and instead react in ways that honor God?

The list of fearful things is not only endless, but completely different for each one of us. You might have a snake as a pet, or faint at the sight of one! But it is a universal truth that we all have some fears. How do we move from fear to the peace of God? Let’s look at the Good Shepherd and all He does and provides for us.

There are not many areas of our lives where we don’t experience insecurity, if not outright fear. Maybe for you, it’s an insecurity about your abilities, personality, relationships, your finances, or your image. How can we move from those feelings of insecurity and fear towards confidence in God? How can we trust that He is always with us and working in our lives?

We strive so hard to get that promotion, achievement, or acclaim. But what comes next? Is it disappointment or disorientation? Even when we are pursuing God’s purposes in our lives, we can be left without vision or a next step. We learn this week that God is never done with us. We learn how to finish well, continuing in our service, giving all the glory to God.

There are so many issues that keep us from accomplishing our goals and realizing our dreams. But what about the dangers of reaching them and gaining a measure of success? Let’s spend some time considering our attitudes, testing ourselves and our hearts.

Last week, we started our series by talking about Joseph and how God used him, despite the struggles and obstacles in his life. This week, we continue talking about Joseph. We learn how we can distinguish between what are our goals and ambitions, as opposed to God’s purpose and calling for our lives.

We often go through life without examining our situation or thinking about where we are going. If we’re comfortable, we can become apathetic. If we’re sinking in stress and despair, we often don’t have the energy to look ahead and beyond. But God wants to give us His dream for our lives. And that starts with seeking Him.