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Love is Love, The Counterfeit of Covenant Everybody believes in love, but what do we actually mean when we say “love”? In Week 3 of Counterfeit Kingdom, Love Is Love?: The Counterfeit of Covenant, we look at the powerful story of Hosea and Gomer and discover the difference between a love that chases what satisfies us and a covenant love that remains faithful, pursues, gives, and is willing to pay a price. Feelings, attraction, and romance can all be part of love, but they were never meant to define it. Scripture ultimately points us to Jesus and says, this is how we know what love is: He laid down His life for us. So when I say, “I love you,” am I describing what I feel, what I receive, or what I’m willing to give?Message Description Should Go Here Hosea Discussion topics HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? Read Hosea 3:1 and 1 John 3:16. Hosea is told, “Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites.” What does Hosea and Gomer’s story teach us about the difference between counterfeit love and covenant love? We learned that feelings, attraction, and romance aren’t wrong, but “feelings can be part of love; they were never meant to be king.” Why is it dangerous to allow our feelings to define whether or how we love someone? Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. What stands out about how many of Paul’s descriptions of love involve actions, choices, and attitudes toward another person rather than simply emotions? HEART – How did it make you feel? The message described counterfeit love as asking, “What does this do for me?” Where are you most tempted to evaluate relationships by what you’re receiving rather than what you’re giving? Consider this statement: “Sincerity doesn’t determine truth, and intensity doesn’t determine love.” Have you ever sincerely felt something that you later realized wasn’t actually loving? What helped you recognize the difference? When the feelings that brought you into a commitment change, what tends to happen to your commitment? Think beyond marriage to friendships, family, church, serving, and your relationship with God. HANDS – What are you going to do with it? Identify one person God has placed in your life whom you can intentionally love this week. Instead of asking what you need from them, ask: “What would seeking their good look like?” Choose one description from 1 Corinthians 13, such as patience, kindness, not being self-seeking, protecting, or persevering, and intentionally practice it toward someone this week. Hosea ends by saying, “The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.” What is one area where God’s way of loving is challenging your way of loving? What would it look like to walk in His way this week? Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next

My Truth: Truth or Preference We live in a world filled with competing voices telling us what is true. Culture, politics, experiences, emotions, and even our own preferences can shape what we believe. But if truth changes every time our preferences change, is it really truth? In Week 2 of Counterfeit Kingdom, My Truth: Truth or Preference?, we explore where truth comes from, why God’s truth is objective, universal, absolute, eternal, and freeing, and what happens when His Word confronts something we would rather believe. Because the real test of authority isn’t what we do when God agrees with us. It’s what we do when He doesn’t. If God’s Word is only true when I agree with it, then God’s Word isn’t my authority. I am.Message Description Should Go Here Hebrews 11:3 Discussion topics HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? Read John 8:31–36 and Colossians 2:8–10. Jesus connects truth and freedom in John 8. What kind of freedom is He talking about, and how is that different from our culture’s idea of “living your truth”? Colossians warns about being taken captive by “hollow and deceptive philosophy.” What are some sources that influence what people believe is true today? How can we distinguish between something being true and something simply being familiar, popular, or repeatedly communicated? The message described truth as objective, universal, absolute, eternal, and freeing. Which of those five helps you understand biblical truth differently, and why? HEART – How did it make you feel? Think about this week’s Kingdom Diagnostic: What happens inside of you when God’s Word tells you something you don’t want to hear? Do you tend to submit, argue, ignore, explain it away, or look for someone who agrees with you? Which is most likely to compete with God’s truth in your own life: feelings, experiences, culture, consensus, family, politics, tradition, or personal preference? Why does that particular voice carry so much weight for you? Complete this sentence honestly: “I know what the Bible says, but…” Is there an area where what comes after the but may be revealing who actually gets the final word? HANDS – What are you going to do with it? Identify one belief, behavior, or decision where you need to ask: Am I allowing God’s truth to shape my preference, or am I trying to make God’s truth fit my preference? You tell me… what is one thing God is calling you to? If you can’t think of one, stop now and pray as a group and allow the prophetic, freeing, voice of the Holy Spirit to speak. Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next

Who Sits On The Throne We all have a throne, and something is always sitting on it. The question is whether Jesus is truly King or simply an important part of a life we’re still trying to rule ourselves. In the opening message of Counterfeit Kingdom, we explore how easily the promises of comfort, control, success, approval, and even our own desires can compete for our allegiance. From the Garden to Israel’s demand for a king to the radically different responses of Herod and the Magi, Scripture keeps confronting us with the same question: Who sits on your throne? Because Christianity is not primarily self-improvement. It is a transfer of allegiance. And sometimes our strongest reactions reveal which king we’re actually serving. Colossians 1:13–14 Discussion topics HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? Read Colossians 1:13–14 and Galatians 5:17. We said, “Christianity is not primarily self-improvement. It is a transfer of allegiance.” What does allegiance to Jesus actually look like in everyday life? In 1 Samuel 8, Israel wanted a king “such as all the other nations have.” Where do you see Christians today being tempted to adopt the values of the kingdoms around us? Was there anything in Sunday’s sermon that really stood out to you personally? HEART – How did it make you feel? “Your reactions often reveal your allegiances.” Think about your strongest reactions lately: anger, defensiveness, fear, jealousy, anxiety, comparison. What might those reactions be revealing about what’s important to you? Which counterfeit king are you most tempted to trust for something only God can ultimately provide: comfort, control, approval, success, money, being right, relationships, politics, or something else? Complete this sentence as honestly as you can: “Jesus, You can have anything except _________.” What makes that particular thing difficult to surrender? HANDS – What are you going to do with it? Identify one area this week where you can intentionally surrender control to Jesus. What would surrender actually look like in that situation? End by praying a simple prayer of allegiance together: “Jesus, show me anything competing with You for the throne of my life, and give me the courage to surrender it to You.” Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next

Navigating Conflict with Grace Conflict has a way of turning one moment, one mistake, or one disagreement into a verdict about another person. In the final week of NAVIGATE: Family Month, we look at James 2:12–13 and the powerful declaration that “mercy triumphs over judgment.” We’ll discover how judgment can move from disagreement to contempt, why we tend to give ourselves context while giving everyone else a conclusion, and how mercy interrupts that cycle. Mercy doesn’t ignore what happened or call wrong right. Instead, it refuses to reduce someone to their worst moment and chooses what happens next. Because healthy families don’t keep score, they extend mercy. Book Chapter:Verse Discussion topics HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? Read James 2:12–13 together. What do you think James means when he says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment”? Romans 14:10 connects judgment with despising another person. How can a legitimate disagreement or critique slowly become contempt for the person? On Sunday it was said, “We give ourselves context and give everybody else a conclusion.” Why do you think we’re so quick to explain our own behavior while assigning motives to someone else’s? HEART – How did it make you feel? Have you ever judged someone based on one moment, one decision, one comment, or one piece of information, only to discover later there was more to the story? What did you learn in that scenario? Sunday we said: “Hypocrisy under-judges self and over-judges others.” Where are you most tempted to be harder on other people than you are on yourself?? Think about the mercy God has shown you. How should remembering your own need for mercy change the way you respond when someone hurts or disappoints you? HANDS – What are you going to do with it? Is there an offense, hurt, or disappointment you’re still carrying that God may be asking you to release? Who in your life needs you to stop giving them another verdict, another label, or another reminder of their worst moment? Another way to ask this question might be… Complete this sentence: “Because I have received mercy from God, this week I will show mercy by __________.” Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next

Navigating Actions It’s possible to hear God’s Word, agree with it, even be convicted by it, and still walk away unchanged. In James 1:22–25, James warns us not to confuse hearing truth with living truth. God’s Word is like a mirror: it reveals what’s actually there, but transformation happens when we respond to what we’ve seen. In Week 4 of NAVIGATE, we explore the difference between spiritual inspiration and spiritual maturity, why God’s Word must move from something we hear to something we practice, and what can happen in our lives and families when we actually do something with what God has shown us. Information doesn’t change your life. Application does. Because immature faith can be inspired by the Word. Mature faith is transformed by it. James 1:22-25 Discussion topics Icebreaker:What’s one of the funniest or worst decisions you’ve ever made? (Keep it light… wrong turn on vacation, bad haircut, impulse purchase, terrible first car, etc.) HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? Read James 1:22–25 together. What differences do you notice between the person who merely hears God’s Word and the person who actually does what it says? Sunday’s message said: “One of the easiest ways to deceive yourself spiritually is to confuse conviction with transformation.” What’s the difference between feeling convicted about something and actually being transformed by it? Why do you think James describes God’s Word as both a “perfect law” and something that “gives freedom”? How can obedience to God’s boundaries actually produce greater freedom? HEART – How did it make you feel? Think about the mirror illustration from James. What has God shown you about yourself recently that you’ve been tempted to see, acknowledge… and then walk away from without changing? Sunday’s message described our culture as: “Over-informed and under-practiced.” Where might that describe your spiritual life right now? Where are you personally most likely to confuse knowing what Scripture says with actually living what Scripture says? HANDS – What are you going to do with it? What’s one thing you already know God wants you to do that you haven’t done yet? Finish this sentence: “Because of what God has shown me, this week I will __________.” Make the answer specific enough that you’ll know whether you actually did it. What could keep you from following through? What can you put in place today to make obedience more likely? Family Month Check-In Did anyone use the Family Take-Home Kit this week? What was the funniest or most memorable part? What conversation happened at home because of it? Did your kids teach you anything from Sunday’s lesson? Note to all the Guides: Many people come into this discussion carrying significant decisions about marriage, parenting, finances, health, or work. Resist the temptation to solve one another’s problems. Instead, help the group practice seeking God’s wisdom together by asking, “What principles from Scripture apply here?” Encourage participants to leave with greater confidence in God’s character and His Word rather than simply a list of opinions. Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next