Life Group - Study Guides

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, our hope is empty (1 Corinthians 15:17). But if He did—everything changes. After rising from the grave, Jesus didn’t immediately ascend to heaven. He stayed. He appeared to His followers. He comforted, taught, corrected, and commissioned. These moments weren’t random. Each encounter shows us how Jesus meets us now—in our grief, our doubts, our fear, and our questions.

As we enter the final week of our four-week series leading up to Easter, we reflect on the journey we’ve taken together. We began by exploring the origin of sin through the story of Adam and Eve. In the second week, we looked at Cain and Abel and the first sacrifice offered to God—revealing the importance of the heart behind our worship. Then, we examined the account of Nadab and Abihu and their unauthorized offering, a sobering reminder that we cannot approach God in a flippant or irreverent way. Now in this final week before Easter, we turn our attention to the Passover and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. As we do, we’ll see how this powerful moment in history points us to Jesus, the only perfect and ultimate sacrifice. Let’s prepare our hearts to see how God’s story of rescue back then is still deeply relevant to us today.

We are in week 3 of our series called Lamb, where, in preparation for Easter, we have been considering the Old Testament sacrificial system. Sometimes we drift into becoming too-comfortable around God. We lose sight of His holiness, grandeur and power. We are reminded that it is imperative to approach God the way He requires us to, and not however we feel is right.

Last week, we began a series on sin, its consequences, and the necessity of a sacrifice. This week, we’ll explore the story of Cain and Abel—the first recorded sacrifice in Scripture. Through this story, we see how God values the heart behind our offerings, not just the act itself. Let’s unpack what this means for our own relationship with God.

This week, we’re kicking off a new series leading up to Easter. Have you ever noticed how our first instinct is often to shift the blame? It’s nothing new—this pattern goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Their choices brought consequences and the need for a sacrifice. Let’s look at how sin, blame, and sacrifice all play a role in God’s plan.

Generosity is hard! It rarely comes naturally! But we can all agree that it feels SO GREAT when we sacrifice. And when other believers see us being sacrificially generous, it speaks volumes about how much we trust God. Your goal in this discussion should be to challenge and push back on our selfishness and encourage each other to trust and obey our GENEROUS Father’s will.

Tithing can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic, but it’s an important part of understanding God’s design for generosity and trust. This weekend we discussed what God says about this topic in the book of Malachi. While conversations about money can sometimes feel personal or even controversial, approaching this topic with an open mind allows us to see God’s heart for provision and faithfulness. Let’s take a closer look at what tithing means and how it can deepen our trust in God’s care for us.

Have you ever asked yourself if there is more to this life? What happens after I die? So many times, in life we just feel something is missing. This world is so much bigger than what we can see. This week we will explore the answer to a few of these questions through the story of the rich young ruler.

We’ve reached the final week of our series, Judged, and it has been an eye-opening journey. Throughout this series, we’ve shifted from holding a gavel to picking up a mirror-allowing God to examine our own hearts, revealing our sins and flaws before we confront others. We are sometimes called to help others recognize the seriousness of sin and its consequences. This week we now turn our final thoughts to God’s grace. We are also called to extend the same grace we have received. Forgiveness isn’t always easy, and it may not always seem fair, but it reflects the kindness and mercy of God. Just as He forgives us, we are called to forgive others.

We’ve arrived at week three in our series Judged. This week our focus centers around “being in the world but not of it.” This is a tough concept for so many because…um…we ARE in the world if we are still alive! We work at our jobs, we take our kids to the dentist, we go to a ball game with friends, we watch YouTube. We must dig under the surface to see what Jesus is really getting at. How does God desire us to exist alongside those outside His family in a way that draws them toward His heart and not away from it?