Going Deeper is designed for use with your small group, a friend or on you own. Its aim is to create time for you to spend with God and his word. Do as much or as little as you like. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact one of our pastoral staff.

1. Pray for the needs of your Life Group, for our church and our leaders, for personal and corporate renewal, and to allow God’s word to transform us.

Share a recent entry from your Life Journal with the group.

2. This week, our Biblical text was Phil. 2:12-13, and the focus of Richard’s message was the importance of transforming into Christ’s likeness, which is both our responsibility and the result of God’s work in us. What thoughts or questions did the message raise for you?

3. Read Philippians 2:12-13 aloud in several translations. As you consider your own spiritual transformation, notice that Paul says we are to approach this “work” with fear and trembling. What does this mean? What might prevent us from taking our spiritual growth seriously?

4. GOD’S PART. To transform us, God uses three agents: the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16-17); the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11; 2 Cor. 3:18); circumstances (Rom. 8:28-29; Prov. 20:30). Read aloud each verse. From your own experiences, pick one or more of these tools and explain how God has used it to transform you.

5. What does it mean to meditate on God’s word, and what are the benefits? Prayerfully Read: Phil. 4:8, Col. 3:16, Ps. 119:9 & 11, Joshua 1:8. What invitation do you sense from God about spending time in His word?

6.MY PART. For the part that we play in our own spiritual transformation, we need to make three choices: What I think about (Prov. 4:23; Eph. 4:23-25; Rom. 12:2); Whether I depend on God’s Spirit (John 15:4-5); How I respond to circumstances (James 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-4). For each of the three choices, read the Scripture references, and consider how well you are doing in each area.

7. Take a moment of silence to consider how God is speaking to you through this study. Is He asking you to make changes or to do something new? What concrete steps of response do you want to take? How can your group support you in these steps?