Part 9: Free to Move Outward  |  11/24/19

Study Questions for Galatians 6:1-18

1.  What things do you do FOR God that easily become distractions from living WITH God?

2.  Read Galatians 6:1-5.  How should we treat Christian friends who fall away from God, or deliberately disobey Him?

     a)  Why do you think v3 is in this group of verses?

3.  Read Galatians 6:7-10.  Why is the message of v7 important to v8?

     a)  Compare the natural law with the spiritual law (v8)

     b)  What can encourage us when living for God gets hard? 

4.  Read Galatians 6:14-15 and consider it in the context of the comment that "only life lived in the Spirit matters". 

     a)  Personal evaluation: What are you doing in your life primarily out of fear or to impress others?

     b)  Share with the group something that is happening in your life right now that you can see is part of God creating your life in a new way (v15)?

     c)  As people share, think of a way you can encourage someone in your group this week to keep living in the Spirit this week.  Commit to doing this.

5.  Reflect back on what God has been teaching you over the time we have been in Galatians.  What are you going to do as a result?

Part 8: Free to Move Inward  |  11/17/19

Study Questions for Galatians 5:16-26

1.  Read Galatians 5:17 and Romans 7:18-23.  Even our best efforts overcome or master our sinful nature.  Why?

     a)  How do you relate to this in your experience?

2.  Read Galatians 5:22-23.  How can you recognize if you're controlled or filled by the Spirit?

     a)  Does this mean we are capable of perfection?  Why/why not?

3.  What heart changes have you noticed in your life because of God's transforming work in your life?

     a)  Has it been instant, or incremental?

     b)  What has your role in your transformation been?

4.  Read Galatians 5:24-25.  What does it mean to "keep in step with the Spirit"?

     a)  What practices or disciplines are important if you want to keep in step with the Spirit of God?

5.  Share stories of when you've trusted God when it didn't make sense?  What difference did that act of faith make?

Part 7: Free to Move Forward  |  11/10/19

Study Questions for Galatians 5:1-15

1.  Read Galatians 5:1.  What does the first sentence mean?  What is the 'freedom' that's being referred to?

     a)  What are the 'yokes' in your life?  What are the burdens in your life that you've chosen to keep carrying and that hold you back?

2.  What wagon are you trying to push up hill (something you're trying to do through self-effort), that may eventually run you over?

3.  Kim used the Bible phone App as an illustration of how we wrongly judge others and beat ourselves up for being 'less spiritual'.   What are some other things/expectations in your life that you try to measure up to?

     a)  What can you do to live free of this enslaving mentality?

4.  Read Galatians 5:5.  What are the 4 ways mentioned in this verse by which we get this freedom? 

    a)  What do these 4 things suggest about us if we're not experiencing our freedom in Christ?

5.  Read Galatians 5:6.  What does 'faith expressing itself through love' mean?  How could you do this?

6.  Read Galatians 5:7-9.  What are the lies or the people you have allowed to 'cut in on you' and are destroying your faith?  Why?

7.  Read Galatians 5:13-15.  What does 'indulging the flesh' look like for you?  What or who do you value more than Jesus?

8.  Read Galatians 5:1 again.  What do you need to do to ensure you are standing firm in the Spirit?  "What ships do you need to burn"?

Part 6: Free by Faith  |  11/03/19

Study Questions for Galatians 3-4

1.  Discuss the relationship between how much we trust God and how much we surrender to him in our life.

2.  Read Galatians 3:5.  What does this verse teach us about what is required for God's Spirit to work in us?

3.  What are the common themes in the examples given in chapters 3 and 4.

     a)  Abraham (3:6-9,14)

     b)  The Law as a guardian (3:15,19,22,24-25)

     c)  Sons and Slaves (3:26,29-4:7)

     d)  Hagar and Sarah (4:21-31)

4.  Read Galatians 4:9.  In what ways do we "go back" to being "enslaved again" nowadays?

     a)  What makes us do this?

5.  Read Galatians 4:26-27.  Why is "barrenness" when we come to God important?

6.  Read Galatians 4:30.  To "get rid of the slave woman and her son" means to get rid of our natural human way of doing things (instead of trusting in the promises of God).  

     a)  What do you need to do to be free of your propensity to take things into your hands?

     b)  What can you do to become more familiar with the promises of God?

Part 5: Staying Free  |  10/27/19

Study Questions for Galatians 2:17-21

1.  Discuss the question: Are Christians better than non-Christians?

2.  The Bible defines righteous as “straight” or “in line” with God, but in the context of relationship it means “doing right by others.”

     a)  Discuss how holding things back in our relationships causes a “crookedness” in our relationships.

     b)  How does this impact our relationship with God?  What do we hold back from Him?  Why?

3.  Read Galatians 2:18-19.

     a)  How do we “rebuild what we destroyed” at times by the things we try and control?

4.  Read Galatians 3:5-6.

     a)  How can we die to the law in our everyday lives when we recognize we are living that way? (trying to justify ourselves)

5.  What does faith look like when we continue to experience our sin or want to hide our sin?

6.  How can we avoid making God our “spiritual assistant”? (getting help from God after we have made our decisions)

7.  Read Matthew 26:39 and Romans 8:32.  Think about the things you hold back from God right now.

     a)  What does it look like for you to surrender these to God?

     b)  What step could you take to start?

     c)  Who can keep you accountable for this?

     d)  Share if you feel comfortable.  Pray for each other.

Part 4: Free from Moving Backwards  |  10/20/19

Study Questions for Galatians 2:11-16

1.  Discuss how life must have changed for Jewish Christians after the events of Acts 11:1-18.

2.  Read Galatians 2:11-16.  What was Paul's expectation of how the churches in Galatia (and elsewhere) would live and behave?

     a)  What was actually happening?

3.  Read Galatians 2:11-12.  Why do legalistic 'works-based' beliefs cause division?

     a)  How does this still happen in the church today?

4.  Read Galatians 2:12.  What choices do you sometimes make to try and protect yourself from criticism and ridicule?  Are there any people you 'separate' yourself from (like Peter did) because you're afraid of what others will think?

     a)  Why does this challenge your integrity?

     b)  How can it rob you of your freedom in Christ?

5.  How could you help each other live in the freedom of the gospel, and not 'move backwards'?

6.  Read Hebrews 11:1.  Share an area of life you need faith for right now, instead of trying to control it yourself, and pray for each other.

Part 3: Free to Move in a Different Direction  |  10/13/19  

Study Questions for Galatians 2:13-2:10

1.  How have you 'stalled' in your faith?  What made you stop growing?

2.  Read Galatians 1:13-2:10.  How do you try to prove yourself in life?  

     a)  Why do we do these things?

     b)  Do you think we do this in our spirituality too?

3.  What things do we tend to add to our faith to maintain our status as a loved child of God?

     a)  Read Romans 5:6-10 and Galatians 2:15-16.  How are human efforts compatible with God's grace?

4.  Read Acts 9:5.  How does asking the question: "Who are you Lord?" free us from our insecurities and our need to prove ourselves? 

     a)  How can you apply this, this week?

Part 2: God's Move to Freedom  |  10/06/19

Study Questions for Galatians 1:1-12

1.  Share how you became a follower of Jesus.

2.  Read Galatians 1:1-5.  How many features of the gospel can you see in Paul's introduction?

     a)  Why do you think Paul chose to introduce himself in this way?

3.  Read Galatians 1:6-9.  What are some modern perversions of the gospel?

     a)  How do you think Paul would have responded to someone who believes there are different ways to get to Heaven?

4.  Read Ephesians 2:1-9.  What are the implications of our salvation depending on Jesus' sacrifice alone?

5.  Read Galatians 1:10-12 and Proverbs 29:25.  How does the gospel prevent us from being people pleasers?

     a)  How does pleasing people make it impossible to please God?

6.  How 'free' do you feel in your life?  Where do you feel 'stuck'?

     a)  How does the gospel speak to your specific situation?

7.  Pray for each other's areas of struggle specifically.

Part 1: Free to Move  |  09/29/19

Study Questions for Introduction to Galatians

1.  Why is it so hard for us to freely accept unconditional generosity?

       a)  What makes us think or feel like we need to do something to make God happy?

2.  What does it look like to live believing you are unconditionally loved?

3.  What makes you feel 'stuck' in your relationship with God?

     a)  How does faith in Jesus free you to move?

4.  Read Galatians 1:6-7.  How do you sometimes 'turn away from the gospel' by the way you live?

5.  Read Galatians 2:20.  What does it mean to 'live by faith in the Son of God'?  What does it look like?

6.  Read Galatians 5:1, 13.  What is the freedom we have in Christ?  What are we freed from...?  What are we free to...?

7.  How is your freedom through faith in Jesus just?