Shared Lives

Sharing lives out of love

1 Thessalonians 2:8 - We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. (NLT)

Sharing lives with people is not easy by any means. People are complicated. Love is not complicated but people are. But God has called us to love real people not ideal people.

Love is a choice more than a feeling. It takes commitment and love to share lives with people.

Love affects eternity. Love is a domino effect. You can never tell where its influence stops.

Sharing lives with the next generation

Psalm 145:4 - Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. (NLT)

As a follower of Jesus, we are not called to just live and die, but we are called to pass something significant on to the next generation. If we are successful, and don’t pass the value and the faith on to future generations, then what we fight for dies with us.

Hence, we must be intentional in discipling the next generation. Some of the most effective ways to disciple the next generation is through our Life Groups and homes. They both strengthen each other.

Sharing lives with an intention to leave a legacy

If you’re a follower of Jesus, and this is your church family, you have a calling to impart spiritual life to the next generation.

Don’t just share life out of cliché, but share life with a purpose – to leave a legacy. Spend your life for something that will outlast you when you’re gone – like your legacy.

Everything you say is a deposit into your legacy. For example, how do you speak to your children? How you speak to them becomes their inner voice. Your choice today becomes your voice tomorrow to the next generation.

Everything you do is a deposit into your legacy. Your child will follow your example not your advice.

Leaving a legacy in people

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (NIV). It’s full of life, not full of stuff.

To change your life, you need to change your priorities. Who’s your priority?

Leaving your physical inheritance and leaving a legacy is two different thing.  Matter of fact - The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or material things but rather character and faith.  Legacy is not leaving something for people but something in people.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the legacy you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren? Is there anything that needs to be changed in life to accommodate that?
2. What can you do as a Life Group to encourage each other to be intentional in building their    
legacy? 
3. We cannot force our children to love God, but we can expose them to experiences that increase the likelihood of them falling in love with God.  What are the ways you can do to attain that?
4. From the beginning of time, Satan has been out to destroy families. The enemies understand that strong families make strong churches. That’s why they attack families, relationships, marriages, etc. As a Life Group, take time to pray for each other’s families, marriages, relationship, etc.