Fruit of the Spirit | PART 1 | Love | Galatians 5:22-23
Gathering Question:
What is one way you have seen God move in your life this week?
Gathering Prayer.
Father, by Your Spirit, would you guide us into all truth. Help us to hear and be attentive to Your voice as we work through this study. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, we pray, Amen.
Opening Questions
- What stood out to you in the sermon?
- What insights did you gain?
- What questions did it raise?
Galatians 5:1-26
- What stands out to you from this reading?
- Galatians is written to address the main controversy of the first generation of Christians: the role of the Old Testament Law. How do you see this controversy reflected in this reading?
- Essentially, the controversy in Galatians is about legalism. How do you see legalism still impacting the church today?
- Why is legalism a struggle for so many Christians?
- What does the phrase “fruit of the Spirit” mean to you? How is the “fruit of the Spirit” different from legalism?
Love
- Read: Romans 5:8, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 2:4, Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8.
- Based on these passages, what do we learn about love? How would you define God’s love?
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. …
For this reason, the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.
We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.” (AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy)
- What is your reaction to this quote?
- What we think about God matters for how we live. How can our struggles reveal to us what we really think about God’s character? Think about the examples from the sermon (i.e. anger, unforgiveness, cynicism, materialism)
- If I truly believe God is love, how will that shape how I live my life, interact with others, treat myself, and approach God?
Closing Prayer: