Renewed Purpose

Connection

Share your highs and lows!

Worship

Song suggestion: How Great Is Our God

Bible

Read 1 Corinthians 15:47–58

Key Verse: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (v. 58)

Discussion

1. Whose image do we wear?

Paul contrasts two men: the Earthly Man (Adam), formed from dust and bound for decay, and the Heavenly Man (Jesus), who gives life.

  • What does it look like to wear the image of Jesus in your workplace, home, or relationship with others this week?

  • As a Christian, you are no longer defined by Adam’s sin but by a heavenly identity.

  • How does this transformation in identity change the way you see your past failures or current struggles?

2. Whose power do we carry?

In Genesis 3, work became toil and eventually felt in vain because of death. However, Paul suggests that for those in Christ, nothing done in the Spirit is wasted.

  • Now that you live with resurrection power, how does the promise that your labour is not in vain change your attitude toward the ordinary tasks of your day (e.g.admin, washing the pots, looking after the kids or your daily commute)?

  • What would it look like for you to live full throttle for Jesus in your current stage of life?

3. Whose kingdom are we building?

This series has challenged us to stop looking for an exit strategy from this world and instead start acting as Christ’s ambassadors here and now.

  • If we believe that Jesus redeems rather than discards, how should this affect our approach to the lost causes in Newcastle (the lonely, the addicted, the broken)?

  • Is there a specific lost cause or person God is laying on your heart to pray for or serve this week?

Response

Paul encourages us to stand firm and mock death because the sting (sin) has been removed. He tells us to clothe ourselves with the imperishable.

In the Eskimo wolf trap analogy Lee shared, sin numbs us while it destroys us. How can we, as a group, help each other stay alert to the things that numb us and instead live from Christ's victory?

Prayer

Paul closes by saying, “Let nothing move you." Share what is currently trying to move you or shake your faith, and pray for one another, that the reality of the New Creation helps you stand firm today.