The Reading Warehouse

Distinct Bible Study Book includes a small group experience for six sessions, applicable Scripture, key word study, and a life application section called "Live It Out."

We like to fit in. Ever since we were kids, we wanted to like the right kind of music, wear the right clothes, and use the right technology. We still do.

But we were made to be different and live in such a way that it's clear we aren't bandwagon crowd-followers; we're followers of Jesus. That fact makes us stand apart--distinct from the crowd.

When we started following Jesus, everything about us changed whether we recognized it or not. We have a new heart. We have new desires. We have new attitudes. And all of that newness stands in sharp contrast to the old.

In his most famous sermon, Jesus helped His followers--both then and now--to see just how different God made us to be. In everything from our character to our relationships to the way we love other people, we were made to stand apart from the crowd. Just as it was for those who heard the Sermon on the Mount for the first time, every day is filled with opportunities for us to blend into the norm. Or to be distinct.

Session titles:
1. Distinct In My Influence (Matthew 5:13-20)
2. Distinct In My Character (Matthew 5:1-12)
3. Distinct In My Approach to Conflict (Matthew 5:21-26)
4. Distinct In My Relationships (Matthew 5:27-32)
5. Distinct In My Reactions (Matthew 5:33-42)
6. Distinct In My Love (Matthew 5:43-48)

Features:

• Biblically rooted and gospel-centered content
• Leader material (guides to questions with optional questions and activities, general leadership, etc.)
• Life application-based, topical studies
• Streamlined experience
• Commentary and word study
• Leadership articles available in the Bible Study Kit
• Sermon outlines available at www.biblestudiesforlife.com/media

Benefits:

• Help groups members understand how to manage the tension of being a citizen in God's kingdom.
• Get a deeper understanding of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
• See all the implications of what it means to be different, or "distinct," within the world.
• Get biblical insight for your life...today.

Author:
Michael Kelley is a husband, dad, author, and speaker. He serves as the director of groups at LifeWay Christian Resources, and in all those arenas, is trying to help people have a holistic view of what it means to be formed in Jesus. Michael is the author of Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life and Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal, which tells the story of his 10-year-old son's battle with leukemia.