Session 1
Receiving your new identity

Before the meeting

• Read Ephesians 2:1-10 and skim days 1 to 7.
• Pray for each person and the need they shared at the kickoff.

Open (10 minutes)

Ask each person to share:

• One discovery about Jesus from this week
• One question they are still thinking about
• One prayer need

Let everyone answer before discussing. Write down the questions.

Read together (10 minutes)

Read Ephesians 2:1-10 aloud. Notice the order: dead, then made alive by God’s grace, then created for good works.

Discuss (30 minutes)

Questions marked ★ matter most if time runs short.

• ★ On day 1 you finished the sentence “Because of Jesus, I can come to God as…” What did you write?
• What question did you bring to Jesus on day 2? Has anything become clearer?
• ★ Where are you tempted to measure God’s love by how well you are doing? (Day 4)
• What helps or makes it hard for you to call God “Father”? (Day 5)
• ★ When doubts come about whether you belong to God, where do you look? (Day 6)
• Where have you been looking for satisfaction in something that cannot give it? (Day 7)

Live it

Read Ephesians 2:8-9 each morning this week. Before you do anything else, thank God that your acceptance rests on what Jesus has done.

Pray (15 minutes)

In pairs or threes, pray for each other’s prayer needs. Thank God for one thing each person discovered this week.

Leader notes

• Assurance resting on feelings. Some will say they don’t feel different. Point them back to what Christ has done (John 10:27-30). The question page may help.
• “Father” can be painful. For some, the word brings up a hard family history. Don’t push. Thank them for being honest, and talk with them privately afterward if needed.
• Missed days. If someone is behind, reassure them. They pick up where they stopped.