Week of 1/25/26: Guided By Grace

SUMMARY
Formation Theme: Be the Church - Created and Called
Weekly Theme: Be the Church - Guided by Grace
Sermon Text: Acts 2:14-41
Primary Reading: Acts 15-19
Secondary Reading: Genesis 28-36
Memory Verses (Through February 14th): 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
[26] For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
[27] But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
[28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
[29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 

1 | Theme Reflection - “Guided by Grace”
Grace is not only pardon - it gives us direction.
God doesn’t merely forgive where we’ve been; by His grace, He leads us to where He is bringing us.

In Genesis 28–36, Jacob’s story winds through dreams, detours and divine wrestlings. Every twist reveals that God’s grace does not abandon those still being formed.

In Acts 15–19, the Church wrestles too - through disputes, new frontiers and unexpected callings. Paul’s journeys, Lydia’s conversion and even conflicts within the community all become evidence that grace is the compass of God’s people.

To Be the Church - Guided by Grace is to trust that God’s will is rarely a straight line, but that He is always faithfully present with us.
The path of grace rarely feels efficient, but for those in Christ, even through suffering, it is never alone.

2 | Daily Reading Rhythm  

3 | Practice of the Week - The Grace Map
Draw or imagine a map of your spiritual journey - key crossroads, struggles, turning points.
Label moments where grace redirected you rather than where you simply succeeded.
Pray over each point (cf Prov 19:21):  “You led me here, Lord, not because I planned well,  but because You are faithful.”
Keep the map as a visual confession: grace has always been your guide.

4 | Doctrinal Focus - The Doctrine of Grace
Grace is God’s undeserved favor, flowing from His character rather than our merit.
It is not only the foundation of salvation but the atmosphere of spiritual formation.
Grace initiates, sustains, corrects and completes.
In Christ, grace becomes embodied - truth and mercy walking among us.
To live by grace is to relinquish control and receive God’s leadership with joy.

5 | Missional Focus - Grace in Motion
The same grace that saves us sends us.
When Paul and Barnabas parted ways, grace didn’t break - it multiplied.
This week, reflect on how God’s grace might lead you into new or unexpected places of influence.
Pray for a posture of release rather than resistance, asking:
“Lord, let Your grace guide me to someone who needs the grace of Jesus.” 

6 | Community Group Discussion Questions

From the Sermon (Text — Acts 2 : 14 – 41)
      1. How does the outpouring of the Spirit reveal the guiding power of grace in salvation and mission?
      2. What does Peter’s transformation - from denial to proclamation - teach us about how grace restores calling?
From the Reading
      1. How does Jacob’s journey from deceit to reconciliation mirror the Church’s process of discernment in Acts 15?
      2. Where do you see grace turning conflict or failure into growth in these passages?
From Personal Reflection
      1. When has God’s grace redirected your plans or path?
      2. How can remembering God’s past faithfulness help you discern His present direction?
From Community Life
      1. Where might our group need to let the Spirit of God lead instead of trying to control outcomes?
      2. How can we collectively embody “grace in motion” for those in our neighborhoods or workplaces?
Questions for Children
Use these questions to help children see how grace leads, forgives and teaches us to follow God.
        1. What is grace? Can you describe it in your own words?
        2. How did God show grace to Jacob even when he made mistakes?
        3. What does it mean that God guides us, not just forgives us?
        4. Can you think of a time someone showed you grace or forgiveness?
        5. How can you show God’s grace to someone this week - at school, at home, or with friends? 
    7 | Closing Prayer
    Father,
    “Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in You, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To You I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Your fullness.

    May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour You by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.

    Be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find Your grace sufficient for all my needs.”

     In Jesus Name, Amen. 

    *Charles Spurgeon