REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“The Laundry Room”

ICEBREAKER: Tell us what your favorite clothing brand or store to purchase clothes is and why? (Cheapest, Best selection, Fits better, Best Quality, Best customer service, Etc…)

OUTLINE: 6 Principles of Order (for dealing with your dirty laundry)

1. Illumination: God turns on the light to reveal or expose the mess.

2. Separation: God prioritizes the mess by putting similar things in different piles. (Light/Darkness, Land/Water, creeping creatures/sea creatures etc)

3. Commendation: God encourages us even though the job is not completed by saying each day it is good.

4. Identification: God names or brands the product (Light/Day, Darkness/Night, Land/Earth, Water/Sea)

5. Instruction: God gives specific commands like, “Let the Earth bring grass.” (Wash in cold water, wash in hot water, Wash by hand)

6. Continuation: God keeps working each day even though the task is not completed and even when he finishes His work, it is only the beginning.(Washing clothes is a never ending task and so is the task of staying pure before the Lord.

TEXT: Ephesians 5:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Genesis 1

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. Ephesians 5:26 says, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” The Word of God is a cleansing agent for our minds. What are some of the things in our society that defile our thinking? Be specific.

a. Movies

b. Music

c. Magazines

d. Media

e. ____________________________________

2. Often God will expose our mess to the light in order to get us to deal with some issues we have allowed to pile up. What are some of the reasons we refuse to deal with our dirty laundry (issues)?

a. We are too busy

b. We are too lazy

c. Life is too crazy

d. We don’t know how

e. ____________________________________

3. When we fail to separate our clothes and mix the whites with the reds, often our whites come out looking pink. This is like when we refuse to allow God prioritize our lives and then our issues bleed over on to others that we live with. Name some issues in the home that impact us all.

a. Financial

b. Communication

c. Power Struggles

d. Anger issues

e. Bitterness

4. In what area of your life right now could you use a little encouragement?

5. In the washing machine is something called an agitator for the purpose of loosening the dirt, stains and grime that we pick up in life. What not who has been the agitator or tool God has used to get your attention and make you let go or deal with your stuff?

6. The washing machine and the dryer use a spin cycle that revolves in circles to accomplish the mission of cleaning and drying your clothes. What are some spin cycles that we get caught up in? Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles? Explain?

7. What was the last specific instruction you felt like God gave you?

a. Forgive someone

b. Bless someone

c. Pray and read the Bible more

d. Get some rest

e. Stop worrying

f. ______________________________________