Week of 4/26/26:Alive in Freedom
SUMMARY
Formation Theme: Be the Church - Filled with PowerWeekly Theme: Be the Church - Alive in Freedom
Sermon Text: Acts 8 : 26 – 40
Primary Reading: Acts 13 – 16
Secondary Reading: Romans 7 – 8
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 - "Alive in Christ"
Freedom is not the absence of restraint - it is the presence of life.
In Romans 7–8, Paul captures the cry of every believer: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The answer: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
In Acts 13–16, the Spirit sends the Church outward - Paul and Barnabas are sent, Lydia is freed by faith, a slave girl is delivered, prisoners sing. The gospel keeps breaking chains, visible and invisible.
Freedom in Christ does not lead away from obedience but deeper into it - where love replaces fear and surrender becomes song.
To Be the Church - Alive in Freedom is to live unbound by guilt and unafraid of grace.
Those rooted in Christ cannot be moved by shame - they bear fruit in every season.
Freedom is not the absence of restraint - it is the presence of life.
In Romans 7–8, Paul captures the cry of every believer: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The answer: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
In Acts 13–16, the Spirit sends the Church outward - Paul and Barnabas are sent, Lydia is freed by faith, a slave girl is delivered, prisoners sing. The gospel keeps breaking chains, visible and invisible.
Freedom in Christ does not lead away from obedience but deeper into it - where love replaces fear and surrender becomes song.
To Be the Church - Alive in Freedom is to live unbound by guilt and unafraid of grace.
Those rooted in Christ cannot be moved by shame - they bear fruit in every season.
2 | Daily Reading Rhythm
3 | Practice of the Week - The Freedom Walk
At sunrise or sunset this week, take a short walk in silence.
“No condemnation. Only grace.”
As you walk, imagine your steps as a prayer of freedom -
each one carrying you further from fear and closer to life in the Spirit.
At sunrise or sunset this week, take a short walk in silence.
Each step, repeat:
“No condemnation. Only grace.”
As you walk, imagine your steps as a prayer of freedom -
each one carrying you further from fear and closer to life in the Spirit.
4 | Doctrinal Focus - The Doctrine of Adoption
In salvation, God not only forgives - He adopts.
Through the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15), believers become sons and daughters, crying “Abba, Father.”
Adoption means access: the freedom to come boldly before God, not as servants earning favor, but as children resting in love.
This new identity silences shame and reshapes obedience.
We no longer live to earn belonging; we live because we already belong.
5 | Missional Focus - Freedom that Frees Others
Freedom multiplies when shared.
The Church’s mission is not merely to tell others about Christ but to embody His liberating love.
This week, look for someone weighed down by guilt, expectation or exhaustion.
Offer a word of freedom - gentle, hopeful, true.
Pray that God would make your presence a place of grace where others can breathe again.
“Lord, let my freedom be contagious.”
Freedom multiplies when shared.
The Church’s mission is not merely to tell others about Christ but to embody His liberating love.
This week, look for someone weighed down by guilt, expectation or exhaustion.
Offer a word of freedom - gentle, hopeful, true.
Pray that God would make your presence a place of grace where others can breathe again.
“Lord, let my freedom be contagious.”
6 | Community Group Discussion Questions
From the Readings
From the Readings
- How do Romans 7–8 help us understand the struggle between law and grace?
- What do Paul’s journeys in Acts 13–16 reveal about how freedom empowers obedience?
From the Sermon (Text — Acts 8 : 26–40)
- What do you notice about Philip’s freedom to follow the Spirit’s leading?
- How does the Ethiopian’s baptism embody joy and liberation in Christ?
From Personal Reflection
- What area of your life still feels bound by guilt, control, or fear?
- How might believing your adoption in Christ transform that area?
- How can our group help one another live more freely - celebrating grace instead of performing for approval?
- What would it look like for our church to be known as a people “alive in freedom”?
Questions for Children
- What does it mean to be free in Jesus?
- Why don’t we have to be afraid of God’s rules?
- How does the Holy Spirit help us do what’s right?
- Who can you tell this week that Jesus makes us free?
7 | Closing Prayer
Spirit of Freedom,
You have broken the chains we could never break.
Jesus, You have declared us forgiven and alive.
Father, You have called us Your children.
Teach us to walk in the joy of belonging.
Let our freedom bear fruit in love,
that the world may see Your grace and live.
Amen.