Read, Reflect, & Respond

Highlight: Begin your Bible reading time with prayer then highlight verses that stand out to you as you read the passage. Note any words or ideas you want to dive deeper into and pay attention to repeated or emphasized words and phrases. This is the “observation” process – looking at the who, what, when, where of the passage.

Explain: What is the context of the passage and the author’s intended meaning within that context? This is where you can consult a study Bible or commentary. What did the passage mean to the original listeners? Was there something in their context that was being addressed? This step is to understand what the meaning of the passage was then before you seek to understand what the applied principle is today.

Apply: What is the principle to live by today? This is when you turn the focus to your own life, setting, and culture. What is the principle that applies to your own context?

Respond: How will you respond to the application in your relationships and/or situations this week? This recognizes that the Bible is not just a set of truths to know, but is actually a guide to live by.

Discuss With Others

Use your community group time to have some conversation around the message. Start your discussion by inviting someone to read the passage aloud in its entirety.

1. Before living as sojourners and exiles, why is it important to know that believers are “Beloved?” How should this shape how we live?
2. Why does Peter call believers “aliens and strangers,” and what does this mean for our lives?
3. What are “passions of the flesh,” and how do they wage war against your soul? Is there a particular sinful desire you are currently struggling with that you can confess to and seek help from your Community Group?
4. From passages such as Romans 6:1-14 and Galatians 2:20, how does being in Christ empower us to abstain from passions of the flesh?
5. How does our conduct impact our witness? Is there an area of your life that you can grow in that will strengthen your witness to the gospel?
6. What is God’s will for your relationship to human institutions? How should we use our freedom as we live on gospel mission together?
7. Before Christ is our example, he must be our substitute. What did Christ’s substitutionary suffering look like, and how does it enable and empower us to follow in his footsteps?
8. What comfort does it bring to our lives, especially in the midst of suffering, to remember that Christ is “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls?”