What does a real Christian look like?  You can’t a Christian by their ethnicity, income level, what they wear, or who they vote for.  The best way to identify a real follower of Jesus how they relate to other people.  This week in our Simple Faith series, we measure ourselves against what the letter to Galatians calls “the fruit of the Spirit.”  We’ll exchange our old “spiritual success measurements” for a simple faith of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentles, and self-control.

Group Discussion Guide 

To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.

To view a word .doc version of this guide, click here.

Introduction

Last week we discussed that to embrace the simple faith that Jesus wants us to have, we need to remember the connection we have with God. Instead of trying to be perfect or follow all the rules we think we need to for the approval of others, we have to remember that an uncomplicated faith is how we live well as a follower of Jesus. 

Spend a few minutes discussing how your group put their personal action steps from last week into practice. 

After connecting with each other, begin your meeting with prayer.  

Key Verse for the Week  

*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week. 

Psalm 143:10 

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Opening Thought  

Life can be complicated with everything our culture claims to be important. As a result, sometimes, it can be easy to think that by relying on advice or guidelines from those who ‘have it all together’, we can do life better or find the secret formula to make life less complicated. The problem we can run into though, is that now life is still complicated and now we have these rules we’re trying to follow. Faith can sometimes feel like this too. We can fall into the trap of thinking there are certain rules to being a Christian that will make our life with God easier or for us to gain more faith. God, however, just wants you to follow where he leads you and he has given us the ability to rely on the Holy Spirit for help.

This leads us to our big idea for this week:  

Big idea for the week
The best way to grow in simple faith is learning to follow the Holy Spirit. 

Connect   

• Why do you think people want clear instructions and rules for life? Would you say these are a help or a hindrance? 
• What are some unhealthy ways that people can end up relying on rules, laws, or regulations?  
• What comes to mind when you hear the word freedom? Does having freedom mean that we can do whatever we want? 

Unpack 

Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. 

Read

Galatians 5:1 

Galatians 5:18 

Discuss

• Jason spoke on Sunday about a critical difference between religion and the teachings of Jesus: God doesn’t care about doing religious actions; God cares that you trust him and follow where he leads you. 

• Why do you think people might struggle with this simple, uncomplicated way that God wants us to be with him? 
• What rules and traditions do you no longer follow (in faith or otherwise) that you sometimes find yourself falling back into? Why do you think this happens? 

Read

Galatians 5:13-15 

Romans 8:11-16 

Galatians 5:22-23 

Discuss

• What do you think the “freedom” these verses refer to looks like in the life of a follower of Jesus? How can we live this way? 
• How can pursuing a life of freedom that comes from following the Holy Spirit change the way you personally follow Jesus?  
• How can living in this freedom change the way you interact with those around you?  
• How often do you pursue the process of producing “fruit of the Spirit” in your life? Which ones do you feel are more difficult for you to cultivate? 

Apply 

Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• How will you begin to guard yourself against falling into legalistic rule-keeping from this week on? 
• How will you seek to cultivate one “fruit of the Spirit“ this week? 
• How can we as a group help each other to remember to live in the freedom of Jesus and rely on the Holy Spirit? 

Closing 

Read this to your group and then move to the Prayer and Verses section: 

As we grow in our connection with God and realize how relationship with him is not reliant on religious rule-keeping, we can learn to trust his leading in our life without seeking to go back to our old way of thinking. As Paul encouraged the Galatians in his letter, we must live in the freedom that Jesus has enabled us to have and rely on the Holy Spirit producing fruit in our lives. Let’s seek to live this way, not only for ourselves but for those around us! 

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. 

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Kneel in Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. 

Day 1: Galatians 5 

Day 2: Philippians 1:27 

Day 3: Romans 8:5-39 

Day 4: Ephesians 4:21-24 

Day 5: 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 

Day 6: 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 

Key Verse for the Week  

Psalm 143:10 

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”