"The Purpose Driven Life's Purpose"

The Christian way is different…Christ says, “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your
natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crop it or
stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit.” - C.S. Lewis

1. Jesus is much more than a good hunch so make the choice - lose everything for the King (1 Peter 4:1,11; John 12:27-28).

2. Vigorously expurgate sin and sinning (1 Peter 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Ephesians 5:1ff; Titus 2:11 -12).

3. You can forget paying back the opposition. Those who inflict suffering will be judged by God (1 Peter 4:5; 2:23; Romans 12:19; 1 Thessalonians 1).

4. Live on! (1 Peter 4:6).

5. Pray - that you might persevere (1 Peter 4:7).

6. Love! Love again and again. Each other. Love so that the offense becomes secondary and your words become graciously life-giving (1 Peter 4:8; Ecclesiastes 7:20-22; Proverbs; 1 Corinthians 13).

7. An open heart means an open home: open your houses to each other and don't grumble about it (1 Peter 4:9).

8. Find some TACC people to serve and serve them well, in the same fashion as you would serve a King (1 Peter 4:10-11).

9. Live so that God is esteemed as a good and awesome King by all who observe (1 Peter 4:11).

Life Group Discussion Guide

1. When does love come naturally? Is love a feeling or an action? Must it be both? Read 1 Corinthians 13. In the first couple of verses Paul seems to say loving actions, without
loving feelings, are worthless. Is that really what he is saying? What kinds of thoughts accompany love according to 1 Corinthians 13?

2. Are people who serve happier than most, most of the time? Why is that so? Why does humility, not thinking of self but others, make us happy?

3. What needs to happen so that the all-church prayer meeting becomes essential in our lives?

4. What does sober-minded prayer sound like? Why pray for health issues if everybody eventually dies? Are there any Bible verses instructing us to pray for health issues? Where?

5. Pray. As a group talk about the different between strategic prayer and foxhole prayer. Pray. Use the Lord’s model prayer as an outline.