August 18: Living with Integrity

If you are an older adult, how do you want to be viewed by others? If you are a younger adult, how do you want to be viewed by others? How would you like others to view you in the workplace? These are questions that this week's session, Living with Integrity, will help answer.

Living with integrity gives us the platform needed in order to influence others' relationship with Christ. Paul’s instructions to Titus in Titus 2:1-15 will help us, no matter our age or social status, to live with integrity. As you study and guide your group to study Paul’s instructions, evaluate how well we are doing in living our lives with integrity so others will see Christ in us.

Paul concludes his instructions to Titus with our motive for living with integrity:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works. (Titus 2:11-14 CSB)

• Learning and maintaining godly lives prepares us for what is to come and what is to come motivates us to maintain godly lives.
• We wait for something greater than what we experience in this world, and our lifestyle should reflect that anticipation!
• Jesus gave Himself for us. The word "gave" encompasses more than we can imagine. Jesus left His throne in glory to take on human flesh. He submitted, lived, suffered, and died to redeem us from all lawlessness.
• Through His sacrifice, Jesus freed us from the control and consequences of sin and gave us an example of how we should strive to live! (see Romans 6:17-22). 

The Downloadable Teaching Ideas provide the following components that could help you guide your group:

• Opening discussion questions related to how we desire to be viewed by others.
• 5 column discussion guide to help guide your group to understand Paul's instructions for discipling older men, older women, younger men, younger women, and slaves.
• Explanation regarding the culture of slavery during the time-period.

Paul’s reminders to Titus serve as a reminder to us. We have been given a grace gift. It is already ours. It culminates with the return of Christ. Until then, we are to be striving to live a life of integrity.

Living with integrity is about living a transformed life so that other believers can be encouraged and the lost can see Christ's life-changing power demonstrated in the way we live and interact with the world. Commit yourself to living with integrity in order to help others live for Him!

DOWNLOAD THE SUPPLEMENTAL TEACHING IDEAS

Word Version

PDF Version