Repentance: Week 11 (Jan 2-8)
Repentance Practice: Week 11| Week of (Jan 2-8)
Communities @ Grace
Overview of the Night:
15 Minutes Before Start Time : : Arrive + Set Out Food
45 Minutes : Welcome, Pray, Eat, + Mingle
15 Minutes : Review Last Week’s Practice
45 Minutes : Introduction of Practice + Discussion
5 Minutes : Practice for Week Ahead
10 Minutes : Pray for One Another + Close
Goal for Week: As we begin learning about repentance in Community, we will start by learning about the nature of sin.
15 Minutes Before Start Time : Arrive + Set Out Food
45 Minutes : Welcome, Pray, Eat, + Mingle
If appropriate, consider asking any of these questions during the time sharing a meal:
In your family what was considered “good” behavior and what was “bad” behavior.
Growing up, how did your family build up each member and how did correction occur, when needed.
15 Minutes : Review of last week’s practice experience
Last week’s practice: Generosity journal, letters of thanks, prayer for pain or loss, or money for a special need.
How did this practice go? What did the Holy Spirit stir/prompt in your heart this past week?
Does gratitude come more naturally for you, or is it more challenging?
45 Minutes : Introduction of Practice + Discussion
As we begin our emphasis on the practice of repentance, we need to clarify some words we use frequently that are vital to the need for repentance. The word for today is “sin”.
With your group look up Jeremiah 17:9-10 on how the heart and mind are corrupted by sin and then ask the group to define sin for someone who has no awareness of what it is.
Take time to hear a few people’s answers and then begin by reading the following:
Many people view sin as a range of actions that harm people, from murder on one end, to saying mean words to someone we love at the other end. The emphasis is often on behavior and only a little on how our actions come from our innermost thoughts and emotions.
However, in the Bible the core of sin is a condition in which our very soul is corrupted and inclined toward evil. Sin takes things of value such as security, knowledge, peace, and pleasure and corrupts them into something twisted.
The depth of sin is seen in a child who pulls the hair or punches the stomach of another, then honestly confesses, "I don't know why I did that."
So, what is sin? We won’t cover all aspects of it, but key concepts that apply to our lives.
Sin is a part of all of us. It pervades the whole person; no sphere escapes, for the very heart of the sinner is broken ( Psalm 51:5 ; Jer 17:9 ; Rom 8:7 ).
Ultimately, the core of sin is rebellion against God, instead of obedience to him. We want our own way, not the way of the creator God. (Psalm 14:2-3)
Sin permeates our entire world. We have laws to protect ourselves from the worst aspects of our own sin as well as those of others.
We can never remove and change our sinful nature which is contrary to God’s character. (Rom 3:23)
Questions to ponder
If we truly understand how deeply sin permeates us and our world, what effect can that knowledge have on us?
Ask the group how they are aware of sin and deal with it in their life?
The following three paragraphs are optional for the group. The knowledge provided above needs some response, but we will cover these paragraphs in future lessons.
It was God’s decision to intervene to save us from the despair of sin. He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for my sin and yours and change us from the inside out.
When we ask for forgiveness from God for our sin, he does not just change us to be a little better, he basically turns us around and helps us move from rebellion to obedience to him. Our character changes as we allow him to help us learn what obedience is to him.
In later lessons we will explore and provide detailed guidance on how to resolve the issue of sin. There is hope in the actions of our creator God.
5 Minutes : Practices for Week Ahead
As the reading suggests sin is pervasive and can impact our lives in many ways. For this week consider how you understand and deal with sin in your life by doing one or more of the following:
Write down your thoughts on how you are aware of sin in your life towards others and God and how you deal with them.
Take time each day to ask God to point out known sin in your life and then take time to confess the sin and accept God’s grace to forgive your sin because of Jesus.
10 Minutes : Pray for One Another + Close
Consider praying as a whole group or in triads for personal prayer requests.
End on time, to honor everyone’s time.