Louie Konopka // Rockford Campus // August 11, 2024

 

A Cross Shaped Life: Renewing Your Mind

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

REMINDERS

Unashamed: Beach Baptisms are coming up on Sunday, August 25, from 3:30 pm–6:00 pm at the Maranatha Conference Grounds (4759 Lake Harbor Road, Norton Shores). If you’d like to be baptized, or have questions about what that means for us here at Magnify Church, please follow the link and register to have a conversation with one of our team members.

This event is one of the biggest on our church calendar and we’d love to have as many people come to be baptized and to celebrate others’ baptism together as one big family of God! Hope to see you there!

 

Fall Events are right around the corner. With the turn of the page of the calendar into August comes Fall planning in full swing. As you and your family begin to carve out time in your schedules, please be sure to keep an eye on what’s going on across the church.

We want to do our very best as a congregation to help everyone become a disciple of Jesus through the ways we Worship, Learn, Relate, Give, Serve, and Reach.

Please connect with us if you have any questions or ideas for this Fall!

TOGETHER IN LIFE

As summer winds down, reflect back on the last few months. What were some of the highs and lows of this season for you? If you’re meeting with a group and feel comfortable sharing, take a moment to do so. Give God praise for the highs and bring your lows to God in prayer.

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Philippians 4:8 & Romans 12:1–2 | A CROSS SHAPED LIFE

Note: If you are meeting as a group, we encourage you to read the entire text together out loud.

 

The Renewal of Our Minds

Louie began the sermon with a formula:

A (Life) + B (Beliefs) = C (Response)

He noted that the “power” of this formula is in B, or what we believe to be true, and that each of us is in charge of what we choose to believe.

Re-read Romans 12:1–2. In these verses, Paul appeals to his readers to be transformed by the renewal of their minds.

QUESTIONS

• Why does Paul plead with his readers to be transformed by the renewal of their minds? What is God’s desire for His people in this?
• How does Louie’s formula align with this verse?
• Louie used the quote “The real world is the thought world” in his sermon. What do you think this means? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

 

Think About Such Things

In the sermon, Louie noted that the world wants to conform us to its value system and ways of thinking, but the Lord wants to transform us. Romans 12 tells us that this transformation takes place through the renewing of our minds. Through reading Scripture with the Holy Spirit, we learn what God wants us to think about and how He wants us to think about it.

Now re-read Philippians 4:8 in context by reading verses 1 through 9. Read also 2 Corinthians 10:5.

QUESTIONS

• In what ways do these verses address our thought lives as a whole?
• We know that God is a good Father. Why does He care about the way we think—and about the choices we make as a result?

 

A Light in the Darkness

Romans 12:1–2 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us to think about what is true and honorable and then to practice those things. Both verses call a Christ follower to be honorable in both thought and action.

QUESTIONS

• Why do you think God draws such a close correlation between what we think and what we do with our bodies?
• Why does He call us to be holy in how we think instead of just calling us to simply do what is right?
• How does thinking about what is honorable and true cause us to shine like lights in a dark and crooked world (as we’re called to do in Philippians 2:14–16)?

 

Repentance and Faith

Louie noted that there’s nothing automatic about the Christian life. To follow Christ, we must choose repentance and faith on a daily basis.

To repent is to “kill that which is killing you, without killing yourself.” Faith is trusting that what God says is true is true.

Read Romans 8:5–6.

QUESTIONS

• What does this passage call us to set our minds on? Why?
• What does this have to do with renewing our minds and thinking about what is true and excellent?
• How is this different from the power of positive thinking?
• Are there any areas of your life where you need to repent of faulty thought patterns or habits and exchange them for faith?

 

Worthy of Praise

Paul urges his readers to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable (admirable), excellent, and worthy of praise. Yet life can be full of hardship and pain, which Paul was well aware of when he wrote his letter to the Philippians from a Roman prison.

Louie also told a personal story of loss and pain in his life and the difference that the gospel has made in how he thinks about such things.

QUESTIONS

• For the Christian, how does knowing the full gospel of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, ascension, His return in glory, and our eternal reward shape our thinking so that we may dwell on what is true, honorable, and worthy of praise even as we acknowledge suffering in this world?
• How do these truths help us turn to God to have our desires fully met, rather than looking to people to fill us?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

Our next step as a church this week is to ask God to renew our minds. Begin with prayer and ask God to show you how to think about what is true, honorable, excellent, and worthy of praise as you spend time in His Word and with His people.

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8

Pray that you would fix your mind on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Pray that God will show you if there is anything in your life (thought patterns, media choices, crude humor, or relationships) that is causing you to have a mind set on the things of the flesh instead of the things of the Spirit. Pray that He will give you the courage and humility to repent and focus on those things that give Him glory.

Pray that as you think about excellent and praiseworthy things that you will find all of your longings met in Christ Jesus.

Pray that the gospel will be the greatest news you’ve ever heard, even if you have heard it many times. And that all of your other thoughts will be filtered through the good news of the gospel.