Week of October 3rd, 2021

All Nations Church
Life Group Study
“Build Your Life Better”
Week of October 3^rd, 2021

Study by Wayne Arcand

The theme for this week’s study is build your life better. I encourage you to read through Nehemiah Chapter 3. You will find that each group had a responsibility for rebuilding a gate or part of a wall. The wall represented security for those who lived within its protection. Based on the theme of ‘build your life better’, we will look at scripture that can be a guide to help us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to build our lives better. The Lord our God is more than willing to help us, but are we willing to reach out and allow him to work in us and through us? On what foundation are we building a better life? That is the question.

1. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NLT)

¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Doing something better might be improving on something we are already doing or it might be changing completely from what we have been doing to something entirely different. Sometimes, it is necessary to remember where we came from to fully appreciate where we are now. A life without purpose is just going through the motions. We find purpose and we find meaning in our lives as we live for Jesus.

1. As you read the above passage from 2 Corinthians 5, can you share in perhaps in a minute or two, at least one key thing that changed in your life when you accepted Jesus as your Saviour? Be specific in your answer. It is very helpful to think this through as it can be a great opening, when the situation is right, for a conversation with others.
2. Consider the following phrases from the passage: anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person; a new life has begun; God has given us this task of reconciling people to him; he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation; God is making his appeal through us; We speak for Christ.
   1. As you read the above phrases, consider each phrase individually in the context in which it was written and ask:
      1. What does this mean to me?
      2. What is God doing in my life?
      3. What is God asking me to do?
      4. Am I living this out in my life?
      5. What needs to change for me to do this?

1. Discuss how the following steps might set you up to build your life better.
   1. Starting each day with prayer.
   2. Spending time reading/studying the bible
      1. Getting to know Jesus
      2. Acquiring wisdom
      3. Understanding God’s plan for us
      4. What are other benefits of spending time in the Word that would help you build a better life?
   3. Be open to opportunities to share.
   4. Share the difference knowing Jesus has made in your life.

2. Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
   1. Is there one underlying characteristic that you would say describes the behaviour and customs of the world? How would you describe it?
   2. Is there one underlying characteristic that you would say describes someone who is a follower of Jesus? What is it? Where does it start?
   3. What is the key to understanding God’s will for us?
3. Ephesians 4: ¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
   1. Explain how Ephesians 4:17-19 expands on your understanding of the first phrase of Romans 12:2 above.
   2. What corrupts our mind?
   3. What kind of an attitude shift has to take place in our minds to shift from a world view to a Christ view?
   4. What will bring about this change in our attitude?

4. Romans 5 (NLT) ¹ Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

1. Explain how Romans 5:1,2 might be the basis for building our life better.
2. No one likes to face trials or problems, but in God’s plan for us, they have a purpose.
   1. What is the purpose of the trials we face?
   2. What assurance do we have in the midst of our trials and problems?

For Personal Reflection:

Ask yourself, “what does it mean to me to build my life better”? The glib answer might be better health, more money, a different situation – but would these really result in a better life? Where does my peace come from? Where does our contentment my come from? What fulfills me? Where does my relationship to Jesus fit in this?

Please take a few minutes to seriously consider these questions. Use Psalm 139:23,24 as the basis for your prayer as you reflect on what the Lord has revealed to you through this study.