Week of 4/19/26:
Made New in Christ

SUMMARY
Formation Theme: Be the Church - Filled with Power
Weekly Theme: Be the Church - Made New in Christ
Sermon Text: Acts 8 : 4 – 25
Primary Reading: Acts 9 – 12
Secondary Reading: Romans 5 – 6
Memory Verses (Through May 2nd): Romans 8:2–6 (ESV)
[2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 
[3] For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 
[4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 
[5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 
[6] For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
1 | Theme Reflection - "Made New in Christ"
The gospel does not decorate the old life - it creates a new one.

When Saul meets Jesus on the Damascus road, a persecutor becomes a preacher, a heart of stone becomes a heart of flesh. The same power that spoke light into darkness now speaks grace and mercy into the human soul.
In Romans 5–6, Paul explains this mystery: those who are in Christ are no longer slaves to sin but alive to righteousness. Grace does not excuse sin - it replaces it with freedom. The Christian life is not a self-improvement project; it is a Spirit-empowered rebirth.

To Be the Church - Made New in Christ is to live as those who have crossed from death to life.
We do not build a new identity; we receive one.
The One who called creation out of nothing calls His people out of shame into joy.

2 | Daily Reading Rhythm

3 | Practice of the Week - The Renewal Prayer
Each morning, pray through this rhythm of renewal:

      1. Confess - Name one place where sin or fear has shaped your choices.
      2. Receive - Speak these words aloud: “I am not condemned. I am made new in Christ.”
      3. Surrender - Ask, “Lord, how can this new life bless someone today?”

In the evening, revisit your day.
Notice where grace interrupted an old habit.
Celebrate that transformation is already happening.

4 | Doctrinal Focus - The Doctrine of Regeneration
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit giving new life to those dead in sin.
It is not a moral upgrade but a divine creation - “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Through regeneration, the believer is united to Christ’s death and resurrection: sin loses its dominion, and holiness becomes the natural outflow of God’s transforming grace.
This is why Christian obedience is joyful rather than burdensome - because it rises from new life given by the Spirit, not from law.
To be born again is to breathe the air of grace.

5 | Missional Focus - New Life For the World
New life is contagious.
The Church’s renewal is never only for itself - it is also for witness and those the Lord has yet to save.
Where God makes people new, communities begin to change.

This week, identify one way your transformation might bless your world:
      • A relationship to reconcile
      • A habit to release
      • A word of encouragement to speak

Pray:
“Lord, make my renewal visible in mercy, that others might see Christ and live.”
6 | Community Group Discussion Questions
From the Readings
      1. How does Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 mirror the truth of Romans 5:8 - that Christ died for us while we were still sinners?
      2. What does Peter’s vision and Cornelius’ conversion teach us about the reach of God’s renewal?
From the Sermon (Text — Acts 8 : 4 – 25)
      1. What warning does Simon the Magician give about seeking power without transformation?
      2. How do the apostles show the difference between external belief and inward renewal?
From Personal Reflection
      1. What part of your life still resists God’s renewing work?
      2. How can remembering your baptism remind you of who you already are in Christ?
From Community Life
      1. How can our group practice celebrating spiritual growth instead of hiding weakness?
      2. In what ways could we embody “new life” in how we serve or speak to our community?
Questions for Children
      1. What happened to Saul when he met Jesus?
      2. How does Jesus change people’s hearts?
      3. Can you think of a time God helped you do what was right instead of wrong?
      4. Why do we say “Jesus gives us a new heart”?

7 | Closing Prayer
Living God,
You bring light from darkness and life from death.
Jesus, You meet us on the road and call us by name.
Spirit, make us new again today.
Let the old pass away, and the new take root in joy.
May our words, our love and our courage
testify that You are still making all things new.
Amen.