The Next Level
The Next Level / Small Group Discussion Guide
Walk In The Spirit – Week 1
Starting ScripturesGalatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”Reflection
Everything in our world is subject to change. Where we find ourselves today is temporary and no matter the outcome – better or worse – we will go to another level. However, God’s desire is to take us to a better level. A higher level. The next level. So, the question is not whether or not there is another level up ahead. Instead, let us ask, “HOW do we recognize the level God is calling us upward to?” And, “WHAT are we supposed to do about it?”Theseanswers are discovered by learning to walk in the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit is an adventurousprocess birthed in prayer. At times, it will challenge our appetites, expand the way we think, and stretch our faith;giving us a holy confidence which allows us to see God move in ways beyond mere human wisdom.When you walk in the Spirit, you must brace yourself for something fresh, something new, and something beyond the status quo.When we walk in the Spirit, we will find ourselves feasting at tables of impact that old appetites could never get us to.
Discussion Questions
1.When Peter met Cornelius, two men of prayer – led by the Spirit – came together to experience another level with God. Who in your life inspires (or has inspired) you to experience another level with God? What is about them that stirs your spiritual hunger?
(The people who inspires us are not always our leaders or prominent people. Sometimes people we see up close or at a distance – a friend or an acquaintance.)
2.How do you “make room” for the Holy Spirit to lead you in your day to day decisions?
3.Describe a time when you were challenged to step out in faith and do something you felt the Spirit was leading you to do. Did it help someone else go to another level with God? Did you grow through the process?
4.Where are you being stretched today to follow the Holy Spirit and just “go for it” into the next level God has for you? In your spiritual life, career, family, and/or church?
5.What is something you were not doing before, that you are going to specifically do this week to make room for the Holy Spirit to lead you in walking in the Spirit?
Going Deeper
This week, we are reviewing a few points drawn specifically from the weekend message and a breakdown of the events we see in Acts 10. As you walk through them with the group [should time allow], let’s allow God to increase our expectation and learn to recognize how the Spirit leads us in our day to day lives this week.
- Walking in the Spirit is birthed through prayer.
Acts 10:9 “About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.”
- Walking in the Spirit challenges natural demands.
Acts 10:10“He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
- Walking in the Spirit is a process of hold and release.
Acts 10:16 “This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken
back to heaven.
- Walking in the Spirit requires a “get up and go” obedience.
Acts 10:20 “So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with
them, for I have sent them."
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