welcome
What are your core values, the ones that would remain even if much of your life changed?
Take time to reflect and then share together.
worship
Think about the core values in God. Thank him for the ones that mean most to you as you consider your relationship with God.
word
Reflect On good and bad habits.
Do you have a habit that you want to change - one that does not strengthen your Christian life?
Take a moment to think if there is a habit you’d like to change.
Go round the group and each be open and honest about how you could get free from some of the bad habits you have just thought about.
question
What causes bad habits?
Our values, environment and background form the context in which we make our decisions and actions. Our actions then form our habits which in turn shapes our character.
Discuss whether you think this is true and whether our choices are influenced by our underlying value systems. If this is the case then how can we change?
read
discuss
In small groups discuss the implications of this on our value systems.
The renewal of the mind and transformation have two ingredients for the Christian: one is repentance, the second is forgiveness.
As Christians, through what Christ has done for us on the cross, we have access to forgiveness for the bad decisions and choices we have made. Often we relate to this side of God’s love and the transformation process very easily. This is what God can do. But there is an aspect of transformation we must take responsibility for. We need the renewal of our minds, which is the changing of our value systems through repentance. The Greek word for repentance is ‘metanoia’ and it means to change the mind, which must include the changing of our value systems.
Ask if there is anyone in the group who can share an area of their lives where they know they have been forgiven but have never really been free. Everyone has these areas, so talk about them in pairs or 3’s. Try to identify some of the underlying values that might need to be changed so that the person can walk in freedom.
application
James 5:16 talks about confessing our sins to one another, praying and receiving God’s healing. Spend time with friends of the same sex confessing and repenting of sin that God has highlighted, and receiving his healing and forgiveness. Worldly value systems won’t change overnight and need the support and help of others to break. Continue to pray for one another that during the next three weeks you will be challenged and set free from worldly values.
witness
Take time to look at what your goals are for this term, how you have come on as a group evangelistically and what you would like to do. There may be new people in your small group who need to start identifying particular friends who they would like to see becoming a Christian.
