SESSIONS

Message Summary:

If we want to be Resilient Together we must continue to illuminate our foundations. We know there is a war on the mind by the lies we believe, but it does not explain why we fall so easily into these twisted truths.

Here is the reason. All lies find root in disordered desires. The devil’s lies are not just untrue facts with no emotional value. The earth is flat. But more crafty. The lie pulls on our bent desires that crave its own satisfaction. For example, "Hey, you deserve to be happy… you haven’t been happy in your marriage for a while. You two are just a bad fit for each other, you both would be so much happier apart.”

We fall into lies because we believe a lie about what will make us most happy. We believe our internal wants will make us happy. Our spiritual journey is to bring to light to our disordered desires, letting Jesus shape them to become vessels of sacrificial love.

To be human is to love and we can’t NOT love. The question is… what do you love? 

The call of the kingdom is to be singular in love. Purity of heart, to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness! The story in Mark 10 reflects this with a rich young ruler who could not let go of the idol in his hands, his possessions. Jesus showed the root of this by only giving 6 laws (based on moral performance) and left out the root issue 4 laws of "loving God". This man desired good things but missed out on desiring God alone, forfeiting God’s grace. We cannot experience eternal life now if our desire is not first for God. 

Evagrius Ponticus (look him up) was known in his time as one who fought Spiritual Darkness & was successful! He helped form what we know today as 7 deadly sins. We want to start a new journey together over the next 6 weeks, to realign our desires & experience freedom & more of God in our lives! 

This will take:

1. Blood (living into the truer story of the cross);

2. Sweat (practices that help us live in freedom); and

3. Tears (Living in community and sharing our pain, confessing to one another).

Who can you walk with?

Discussion Questions:

1. Reflect on this truth: "We fall into lies because we believe a lie about what will make us most happy." Why is this true? How do you find it shows up in your life?

2. Why is it important to connect our desires and loves to what God desires, as discussed in the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10?
   
   Context: Pastor Jonny told the story of the rich young ruler who had wealth as a disordered desire, which ultimately prevented him from following Jesus.
   

3. Can you identify any disordered desires in your life and how can you work towards aligning them with what God desires?

4. What are your thoughts on this quote "Discipleship, we might say, is a way to curate your heart, to be attentive to and intentional about what you love. Discipleship is more a matter of hungering and thirsting than of knowing and believing.

5. Why is Blood (Knowing the new story of grace) Sweat (Practices that live into our freedoms), and Tears (Sharing with one another) important in our spiritual journey, to help bring transformation?

6. How can living a life of practice & confession to another foster ongoing transformation?

Prayer Prompts:

• Ask the group if there are any prayer requests or needs they would like to share.

• Pray for the ability to live life with undivided devotion. Ask God to reveal any areas where division or distraction may be hindering your commitment to Him and to others.

• Pray for a reorientation of desires, asking God to highlight any disordered desires and help align your longings with His. Pray for discernment in recognizing the lies we often believe.

• Pray for upcoming discipleship groups. Who can you partner with? Ask God to prepare hearts for transformation, to deepen intimacy with Him, and foster authentic community within the group.

I want it all, I want it now! The immediate gratification while ignoring long-term consequences. We want all the food, the perfect body, all our self-indulgent desires fulfilled. We are bottomless pits of pleasure seekers, becoming slaves to our indulgences. As C.S Lewis says "We are far too easily pleased.” We settle to satisfy strong pleasures instead of searching for satisfying our deep desires.

We want desires that bring life – that align with the way of Jesus! Love is patient, not in a hurry. Love is faithful it does not seek another. Love is selfless, not selfish. Love is the will to care for others. Self-indulgence drains and takes at the cost of others.

We must cut off self-indulgence and seek God to find fulfillment.

So how do we overcome our self-indulgences?

Blood: Romans 8:1-11 speaks of the power of Jesus' blood, which has forgiven, restored, and made us able to contain the greatest gift to overcome our self-indulgence. The Holy Spirit! This power that overcame the grave lives in us! The Spirit's power is what transforms us. Yet, as Galatians 5 states, our flesh is at war with the Spirit, so we must walk with the Spirit & make room for Him.

Sweat: Fasting is the practice we are walking out together. Food was the vessel in which sin entered the world. Jesus went into the desert and fasted. He was at His strongest removing all other desires, feeding only on God's word to fight the devil. The Practice of fasting is not eating for a period of time for the sake of spiritual nourishment. Not abstaining, or a diet but to cease to eat. A whole body hungering for God. In this season of Lent, we want to make more room for the power of the Spirit! What meal or day could you fast this week for the intent to seek more empowerment of the Spirit?

Tears: It is by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony we overcome. It takes the truth of knowing the power of the blood, practices which help us to live into that truth and sharing with one another that we will truly experience freedom! These may feel challenging to speak openly about, but can I encourage you to find the freedom and resurrection life on the other side?

Discussion Questions:

1. How has self-indulgence affected your daily decisions and priorities?

2. What’s an area of your life you would love to find more freedom in? Identify a specific sin, or habit, or pattern in your “flesh” that you want to break.

3. Would you say you believe the Holy Spirit has power to overcome your self indulgent (flesh) desires?

4. How does fasting help in disciplining our bodies and aligning our desires with the Holy Spirit?

5. What fasting practice could you implement this week? Could you delay a meal, miss a meal, or try a full-day fast? What would that do for you?

Richard Foster said, “Fasting reveals the things that control us.” If you just feel “hangry” all day, or if you can’t make it more than a few hours, ask yourself, “Why do I feel this way?” Treat yourself compassionately, as God does, yet honestly. Remember: the point isn’t a guilt trip or a checkbox, but freedom from the power of temporary gratification.

Prayer Prompts:

• Ask God to reveal areas of indulgence in our lives that might be hindering our spiritual growth and to give us the strength to resist our desires for immediate gratification.

• Request God's help to cultivate discipline in our daily lives, specifically in our eating habits, use of technology, and personal relationships.

• Pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance as we seek to practice fasting and other spiritual disciplines, and ask for the courage to share our struggles and victories with others in the group.

• Finally, ask God to help us fully understand the transformative power of the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and to deepen our undivided devotion towards Him in the coming week.

This week, we focus on the transformation from Greed to Generosity.

We draw inspiration from 2 Corinthians 8, where the Apostle Paul narrates accounts of the Macedonian churches demonstrating remarkable generosity despite their hardships.

We might think of being generous with our time by serving others and even being generous by praying f.r others. While these are areas in which we can certainly be generous, the key emphasis of this message is on understanding God's perspective on money, since it can be a prominent expression of greed.

The sermon underscores our tendency to hoard wealth, laying the blame on our culture's excessive emphasis on financial security and funding our personal pleasures.

This presents a need for a radical shift in perspective, one that prioritizes generosity to others over self-serving desires.

Our Money Has a Purpose:

We live in a culture where people try to build personal wealth and use money to fund possessions, pleasures, and experiences. Yet, God calls us to use our money to express His abundant generosity in the world.

Our Money is God's Money:

Everything we have comes from God, so His purposes for our money must also become our purposes. There's nothing inherently wrong with buying things for ourselves. Still, we must ask: How are we demonstrating the gospel with the money He has given us stewardship over?

Our Money is Our Choice:

God gives us money to take care of, and yet He allows us to ultimately choose where and how we spend it. It’s an opportunity to take the inward and self-indulgent greed and express a more outward-focused generosity. This, in itself, is an act of worship and devotion to God, demonstrating that we trust Him, want to do what He says, and can surrender our desires to meet the needs and desires of others.

We can live out the practice of generosity through:

Giving Collectively & Consistently:
There are many biblical references to the importance of tithing, and it's also important to give to projects where the sum of our collective resources can meet greater needs than we can meet individually.

Giving Personally & Frequently:
We must be in close enough relationships with people to know how to meet their needs, and choose to do so regularly – not just when we have extra to give.

Giving Anonymously & Spontaneously:
Sometimes, it's exciting and convenient to share in the celebration of giving. However, removing our name from gaining credit prevents us from simply giving for affirmation, recognition, or the approval of others. We must also be prepared to give when God tells us, not just at a convenient time.

DISCUSSION PROMPTS:

1. In 2 Corinthians 8, why do you think Paul chose to mention that the churches in Macedonia were very poor?

2. What's important about understanding God's perspective on money?

3. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. In your own life, what examples do you have of giving ‘cheerfully’ vs ‘reluctantly’? Why?

4. How could you move beyond self-protection and self-indulgence, and prioritize God's purposes for your money through generosity?

5. How can you personally practice the sermon's three levels of giving? Collectively & Consistently, Personally & Frequently, Anonymously & Spontaneously.

PRAYER PROMPTS:

• Begin by sharing any prayer requests or areas of struggle related to greed or generosity.

• Ask God's help to apply the sermon's message of generosity to our lives throughout the week.

• Pray for a renewed mindset that prioritizes God's purposes and His Kingdom over personal needs and desires.

• Ask for guidance in practicing the three levels of giving mentioned in the sermon: Collective & Consistent giving, Personal & Frequent giving, and Anonymous & Spontaneous giving.

This week, we focus on the transformation from Slothfulness to Diligence.

Slothfulness is the most deceptive & destructive vice to our spiritual walk. Slothfulness is more than just laziness. It is failure to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Proverbs 26:13-15 describes the characteristics of a slothful person: Making Excuses, Escaping or Non-Execution. God has a plan & a purpose for our lives, yet we focus on avoidance and excuses rather than action. The slothfulness stems from an overwhelmed heart. A story in our lives becomes so overwhelming we cannot see hope. Despair takes hold and so our hearts become numb and inactive. 

We must be diligent like trees, doing what needs to be done! Trees are not hurried, yet full of activity and produce fruit. Why? Because of this simple truth, they know where their nourishment comes from! We need a rhythm that develops between abiding and producing!

Matthew 11:28-30 is Jesus’ wisdom to a heart that is stuck in slothfulness. Take my yoke: A shaped beam for 2 Ox to harness their strength. A work instrument? Don’t we need a vacation, escape? Jesus realized the most restful gift for an overwhelmed soul is to carry a new way of life, a fresh way to bear the responsibilities. Life is a succession of burdens we cannot escape. A yoke is Jesus' teachings on how to live life in the Kingdom and how to be human. We are Yoked with Jesus, a far stronger power who sets the pace & direction of our lives. We fail to experience the rest & hope Jesus promises because we are unwilling to live the lifestyle & practice Jesus requires. We must move from prioritizing my control & comfort to the journey of surrender in following Jesus.

This week’s practice is: Practicing the Presence - To become aware of the one with us. Psalm 46: Be Still & Know. Set an alarm on your phone at different times through the day. Take a seat put your hands on your lap and invite stillness. This is a sacrificial offering to God with your body, mind & heart. Pray a prayer taking every thought captive and filling your mind with things about God that are true, praiseworthy & lovely. If you are new to scripture root yourself in Psalm 23 this week, each time turning it into a prayer for your life. The goal is for your heart to see the truer story of the Kingdom.

DISCUSSION PROMPTS 💬

1. How does the definition of slothfulness provided by Pastor Jonny challenge the common misconception of it simply being laziness?

2. Can you identify any areas in your life where you may be exhibiting slothfulness, even if you don't consider yourself lazy?

3. Slothfulness can stem from an overwhelmed soul, often caused by feeling overwhelmed by life's circumstances like work, relationships, or personal struggles. Can you think of a time when feeling overwhelmed may have led you to exhibit slothful behavior rather than taking action?

4. Diligence is about doing what needs to be done – steadfastly and consistently. We must remain rooted in Jesus for guidance and allow Him to produce fruit in our lives. How can practicing stillness and awareness of God's presence help overcome slothfulness and lead to a more diligent life?

5. What practical steps can you take to make a daily habit of practicing the presence, cultivating a life yoked with Jesus?

PRAYER PROMPTS 🙏

• Ask God to help us apply the sermon to our lives throughout the coming week

• Pray for strength and discipline to overcome slothfulness and take action when needed

• Seek God's guidance in surrendering our desires and ways to Him

• Pray for a deep awareness of God's presence and the ability to abide in Him throughout our daily

This week, we focus on the transformation from Anger to Patience.

Ephesians 4:26 can make us scratch our heads in wonder. "Be angry, but do not sin." How can God tell me that anger is okay and then tell me not to sin in the same verse? Our life experiences that include anger are generally not good memories. We have all seen the destruction that anger causes, and we have even been the cause of some of it.

Yet, we see anger displayed in the life of Jesus. On several occasions, the Bible clearly states that He was angry. What makes Jesus' anger righteous and my anger mostly unrighteous is found in the focus of our anger. Human anger is usually expressed in response to how we have been mistreated or slighted. In other words, it's all about me.

However, when Jesus was angry, it was about how His Father's word and character had been misrepresented and how people were treated unjustly. When He was personally criticized, and later even endured a brutal crucifixion, we find Him responding, not in anger, but in love and forgiveness. So, the focus of Jesus' anger was never personal.

We all struggle with anger from time to time, and the Apostle Paul seems to accept that as a given in Ephesians 4. He provides some practical advice as well as some warnings. We are told to make sure our anger is resolved in a timely way – "don't let the sun go down on your anger."

Paul also reminds us that anger can become an open door for the devil to get a foothold. Then he warns us of lethal words spoken in anger and how they can cause so much pain. Perhaps the most significant warning is how our anger can grieve the Holy Spirit and cause us to feel distant in our relationship with God.

Scripture encourages us that patience is an antidote to anger. Our impatience is often the result of our anger, which comes from the feeling that we have been slighted or wronged in some way.

Paul closed the passage by stressing the practice of forgiveness. It is one of the major keys to walking in freedom.

To break the patterns of anger in our lives, we must forgive those who have hurt us.

Forgiveness is not saying that what was done to us wasn't wrong or that the offender will not be held responsible for their actions. It simply means that we are releasing ourselves from the responsibility of being that person's judge and turning that role over to God – the only one who can justly judge.

When we do that, we can walk in freedom from ungodly anger.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 💬

1. Why is it important that we address and resolve our anger before the day ends? What are some consequences you've experienced when anger festers for too long?

2. How has unresolved anger affected your emotional well-being?

3. How did Jesus handle anger in the story of the temple? (Matthew 21:12-13) How can we follow Jesus' example when handling our anger in different situations?

4. What practical steps can you take to resolve anger and prevent it from leading to destructive behaviors?

5. How has practicing forgiveness helped you in dealing with anger? Is there someone you need to forgive to release anger and resentment?

PRAYER PROMPTS 🙏

• Ask if there are any payer requests and take time to pray for one another.

• Pray for God's guidance in recognizing and addressing our own expressioas of anger.

• Ask for the Holy Spirit's help in practicing patience, and to forgive those who have hurt us.

• Pray for a heart of compassion and understanding towards others, that we may extend forgiveness as God has forgiven us.

Sermon Summary 🎬

This week, we focus on the transformation from Envy to Encouragement.

"The definition of envy is to resent the good or advantage of another, looking at someone or something you value in an unhealthy way.

Envy takes hold of our deep unrest to prove ourselves. Ecclesiastes 4:6 makes a stunning observation that all our desire to succeed is rooted in envy. We have hands full of toil, not seeing another as an image bearer, but as competition. The envier wants to be envied! We share all we know to look inspiring, dress to impress, cook, and Instagram our latest creations, all with the heart to create envy. How many goals have overstretched us beyond our calling in pursuit to prove our worth? Envy is exhausting.

Envy takes hold of our desire to be like another. When we feel defeated through outward comparison, we look to others' successes. We long for what others have in the hope to restore worth, but instead, we reduce ourselves, preventing the gift of who we are to the world.

Envy takes hold of our unbelief in God’s goodness. Envy looks for what God hasn’t given us. Why didn’t you give me the ability, the money, the intelligence, the looks? I deserve it! God is withholding from me; I don’t have, so I cannot trust Him. We push God out! We become tight-fisted, self-sufficient, and small-minded.

What would it look like to work from a place of contentment, not competition? To see good for our world, not our gain? How can we do this?

Take hold of grace, realign your values every day. Paul, in his letter to Titus 3:3-8, gives a vision for those stuck in envy by replacing it with the gospel of grace. 'He saved us.' Your salvation is the most important and truest thing about you. You cannot make God love you anymore or any less. He has supplied you with all you need and the power to overcome!

Take hold to give out. In verse 8, Paul calls them to not waste their salvation but produce good works. Giving out keeps our hands from tightening. Envy and gratitude cannot hold the same space. Each day this week, fill your heart with the affirmation of the Father and give out encouragement. Text, call, meet up with others, and intentionally build value in others.

'Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.' - Blaise Pascal"

Discussion Questions 💬

1. How have you observed envy influencing your relationships with others and connection with God?

2. Reflecting on the three attributes envy produces — 1.Exhaustion, 2.Not living into your calling 3.Feelings of untrustworthiness or anger toward God—which one resonates with you the most, and why?

3. Drawing from Ecclesiastes 4:4-6 and Titus 3:3-8, what actionable steps or strategies can we adopt to confront and overcome envy in our lives?

4. In what ways does a focus on gratitude serve as a powerful antidote to envy? Can you share personal experiences or insights on how gratitude has helped you navigate feelings of envy?

5. Take a moment to encourage one another in the group. Affirming who they are and their calling.

Prayer 🙏

1. Pray for God's help in applying the sermon on envy to our lives .

2. Pray for the ability to recognize and resist envy in our hearts, and to replace it with gratitude and encouragement.

3. Pray for the strength to celebrate the uniqueness and gifts of others, and to outdo one another in showing honor.

4. Pray for the grace to internalize the truths of God's Word and His love for us, so that we may encourage ourselves and others.

Sermon Summary 🎬

This week, we focus on the transformation from Pride to Humility.

Pride is an overinflated sense of self. A preoccupation with self: How am I doing? What do others think of me? Placing the self above God. The hyper-focus on self-importance or low self-esteem is both pride. Both are caught in this conflict of longing to be known and loved, which is good but misdirected, desiring love in ourselves or others. This hyper-focus on self keeps us from saying sorry when wrong, staying angry when the sun goes down, and from admitting our addiction. It overspends to impress, creating financial strain.

In Matt 6:1-4, Jesus gets at the heart with two themes: "Seen & Reward".

Seen: You were born for greatness! Jesus opens with the importance of works! Not saying hide your good works. In the chapter before, Jesus says "let your light shine before others, let them see your good works, that it may glorify your Father." This is the litmus test, for who are you desiring to be seen by? God or others? We desire to look good over being good. Jesus uses the example of giving. There were people who would put on a performance (hypocrites) to be seen by their community, giving a false view of who they were. Jesus gets to the heart: Don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Meaning, fix your inner monologue of your self-greatness. Desire above all else to be seen by your Father.

Reward: You will receive your reward in full when you seek the applause of others. The hand claps and floating hearts fade, leaving a reward that is empty and never satisfies. But seek the reward of the Father that is eternal! God's rewards greatly surpass temporary applause or recognition received from people. 1 Peter 5:3-10 highlights Humility's reward: 1. His Grace and Power where pride leaves you to your capacity alone 2. He Establishes and Sustains where pride says strive, take 3. He Cares and Restores where pride leaves us thirsty 4. He Strengthens where pride weakens our view of ourselves and others.

Practice of Serving: Clothe yourself with thinking of others more than yourself. Service is the discipline of the many little deaths of going beyond ourselves. Operate on a regular basis with things you don’t want to do. Serve where your purpose is, but also serve sacrificially. Live with the smile of the Father over you, and let His smile be enough.

Discussion Questions 💬

1.Read Matt 6:1-4. How does the desire to be seen by others over God show up for you?

2.What are some ways pride might be affecting your personal relationship with God & others?

3.Reflect on 1 Peter 5:3-10. Which rewards of humility do want to see more of in your life? How can we cultivate a desire for the Father's rewards over temporary applause?

4.How does true service, driven by a desire to please God, differ from self-righteous service?

5.How can you practice giving and serving others without seeking recognition or attention? Where is one area you can practice giving of yourself sacrificially?

Prayer Prompts:🙏

• Pray for each other's prayer requests and ask God to provide comfort, healing, and guidance in their specific needs.

• Ask God to reveal areas of pride in our lives and give us the humility to acknowledge and repent of them.

• Pray for the Holy Spirit's transformation in our hearts, that our desires may align with God's will and that we may prioritize Him above all else.

• Ask God to help us serve others with a sincere desire to glorify Him, seeking His applause rather than the applause of people.