Grow Guide | May 28, 2023
Through Faith, For Faith
Pentecost Romans 8:14-28
Connecting Questions
Tell about a time when someone spoke up for you. If that’s not been your experience, who would you like to speak up for? This is what the Spirit is promising to do in this passage!
What’s something you wish someone would ask to help you with?
Prayer for Illumination
Let us pray, Loving God, we pause today grateful for this next breath. We are grateful for the chance to connect with others today no matter how simple the experience. Open your Word to us. Open our hearts to let your word speak to us and change our lives. We pray in the name of the Risen Jesus, Amen.
Context
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and we are concluding our series on the book of Romans. Through Faith for Faith is about remembering that all verbs of faith truly belong to God. God forgives; God creates faith. God empowers; God gifts you to work for justice and peace. Take a moment and Google the song “The Spirit intercedes for us” by Dakota Road.
Don’t miss Pastor Megan’s latest sermon in the Romans series. She gives some helpful windows into Romans and her sermon can be found at Easter.org/worship
From Dr Lois Malcolm, EntertheBible.org
PAUL AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
In his letters, Paul describes how he was propelled by the Spirit to proclaim to Gentiles the good news about what God had done through Jesus the Messiah (or the Christ). For Paul, Jesus’ death and resurrection had inaugurated a new covenant because God’s promise of a new messianic age was now available to all people through faith in Jesus and in the Spirit’s power.
Through baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, we too are given the same Spirit that was in Jesus — the Spirit that enabled him to have intimacy with the one he called “Abba.” Whether male or female, Jew or Greek, slave or free, we too have died to all other powers — including death, sin, and even the law — so that we can now can live out of Christ’s life, freed to be both more fully ourselves and to love and be of service to those around us.
Look at the Book
Read Romans 8:14-15
Who is doing the leading in this passage? Why does that matter?
What factors or efforts also try to lead people in our world today? Which are negative and positive?
What two things is Paul contrasting in verse 15? What does he believe Jesus does not want for us?
Is anyone willing to share an adoption story? Why is this such a powerful metaphor for what God is doing for us in Christ—even today?
Paul calls us “children of God.” Define that in your own words. Why does he use it so many times in verse 14-17?
Read Romans 8:16-28
In verses 18-25, underline the words: suffering, creation, adoption. Paul is making the case that because Christ shares everything with us, even suffering is not the last word.
In verse 24-25, Paul lands on a key word for where suffering and adoption land. Can you find it?
Underline verses 26-28. These are powerful promises. What does the Spirit do for us? Why?
Why is verse 28 so important? Who needs to hear that promise today?
Someone could say that there are too many things to work together for good. How would you respond?
What do you need the Spirit to intercede for you for this week?
Was there anything that stood out for you from Dr Malcolm’s words above about the Holy Spirit?
What do you want to talk about that has not been brought up yet?
Taking it home
What was a first memory you have of prayer? Who can you intercede for in prayer?
Send a text, email or card to someone today who comes to mind who may need your love and support.
