Jan. 13th 2010 Lesson 1
Thursday: Read Romans 12:1-21
Friday: Read Romans 12:1-5 again
1. What does it mean to be “living sacrifices?”
2. Why does Paul emphasize the mind in verse 2?
3. How do Paul’s words in verses 3-5 help Christians be more unified in one body?
Saturday: Read Romans 12:6-13 again
1. In verses 6-13, how does Paul suggest that the gifts he mentions are not just ways in which we are carried away by supernatural power but that they also involve plain hard work?
2. How, according to Paul, might our attitude make a big difference as we express our gifts?
3. What do you find particularly challenging in verses 6-13?
Monday: Read Romans 12:14-21 again
1. Paul does not intend to say that believers should “go soft on evil.” Saying you shouldn’t take revenge isn’t a way of saying evil isn’t real; it often does hurt after all, or that it doesn’t matter. Evil is real; it often does hurt, sometimes very badly indeed and with lasting effects, and it does matter.
What does Paul say we are to do about evil?
2. What happens when people do start engaging in private vengeance?
3. How can a society make sure this doesn’t happen?
4. How is Christ Himself an example of living out what Paul calls for in verses 14-21?
Tuesday: Read Romans 12 again
1. The earlier part of Romans 12 (verses 1-13) deals with what we might call the inner life of the church. The last section (verses 14-21) is about how Christians behave within the wider public world. How would the wider world respond to seeing the church live out what’s described in 14-21?
2. In what specific ways can you be a “living sacrifice” to those around you right now?
