Life Group - Leader Guides

We are in week 3 of our series called Lamb, where, in preparation for Easter, we have been considering the Old Testament sacrificial system. Sometimes we drift into becoming too-comfortable around God. We lose sight of His holiness, grandeur and power. We are reminded that it is imperative to approach God the way He requires us to, and not however we feel is right.

Last week, we began a series on sin, its consequences, and the necessity of a sacrifice. This week, we’ll explore the story of Cain and Abel—the first recorded sacrifice in Scripture. Through this story, we see how God values the heart behind our offerings, not just the act itself. Let’s unpack what this means for our own relationship with God.

This week, we’re kicking off a new series leading up to Easter. Have you ever noticed how our first instinct is often to shift the blame? It’s nothing new—this pattern goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Their choices brought consequences and the need for a sacrifice. Let’s look at how sin, blame, and sacrifice all play a role in God’s plan.

Generosity is hard! It rarely comes naturally! But we can all agree that it feels SO GREAT when we sacrifice. And when other believers see us being sacrificially generous, it speaks volumes about how much we trust God. Your goal in this discussion should be to challenge and push back on our selfishness and encourage each other to trust and obey our GENEROUS Father’s will.

Tithing can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic, but it’s an important part of understanding God’s design for generosity and trust. This weekend we discussed what God says about this topic in the book of Malachi. While conversations about money can sometimes feel personal or even controversial, approaching this topic with an open mind allows us to see God’s heart for provision and faithfulness. Let’s take a closer look at what tithing means and how it can deepen our trust in God’s care for us.

Have you ever asked yourself if there is more to this life? What happens after I die? So many times, in life we just feel something is missing. This world is so much bigger than what we can see. This week we will explore the answer to a few of these questions through the story of the rich young ruler.

We’ve reached the final week of our series, Judged, and it has been an eye-opening journey. Throughout this series, we’ve shifted from holding a gavel to picking up a mirror-allowing God to examine our own hearts, revealing our sins and flaws before we confront others. We are sometimes called to help others recognize the seriousness of sin and its consequences. This week we now turn our final thoughts to God’s grace. We are also called to extend the same grace we have received. Forgiveness isn’t always easy, and it may not always seem fair, but it reflects the kindness and mercy of God. Just as He forgives us, we are called to forgive others.

We’ve arrived at week three in our series Judged. This week our focus centers around “being in the world but not of it.” This is a tough concept for so many because…um…we ARE in the world if we are still alive! We work at our jobs, we take our kids to the dentist, we go to a ball game with friends, we watch YouTube. We must dig under the surface to see what Jesus is really getting at. How does God desire us to exist alongside those outside His family in a way that draws them toward His heart and not away from it?

Last week we kicked off a new series Judged, focusing on self-righteous judgement. We learned that before confronting someone else, we must first ask God to examine our own hearts. This week, we will shift our focus to the times we are called to help a fellow believer who is struggling. While correction is sometimes necessary, there’s a right and wrong way to approach it. How we handle these moments can make all the difference.

The topic of judging! Not many things get us fired up like being judged. We all judge people, many times while not even knowing the circumstances, and yet we hate being judged by others. What does scripture say about this topic? This week we start a new series called Judged. In this first week, we are specifically considering self-righteous judgement.