Welcoming & Opening
10:00Welcome everyone, open in prayer, and share a brief icebreaker to help the group connect.
Sermon Recap
10 minIn week two of the series "Ghosted," Pastor Jared explores what he calls Costume Christianity — the reality that some people use the Holy Spirit as a costume they dress up in rather than an authority they are led by. Just as a costume can give the look of a superhero without any of the power, religious performance can produce the appearance of the Spirit without any of the fruit underneath.
Scripture Reading
10 minRead Thessalonians 5:19 aloud together and spend a few minutes reflecting on what stands out.
Discussion
30 minGuide the group through the discussion questions, starting with: "Pastor Jared said that a counterfeit experience done in the name of the Holy Spirit can still leave a genuine wound — how have past experiences, real or counterfeit, shaped the way you relate to the Holy Spirit today?"
Application & Prayer
10 minClose by focusing on application: Read one chapter per day from 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, writing down one thing you learned about the Holy Spirit and one thing that chapter corrected in what you previously believed. Close in prayer.
Leader Devotional
~15 minRead
"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all. Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil." — 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Paul gives the church in Thessalonica a tension to hold: stay open to the Spirit while staying committed to testing what comes in His name. He doesn't say shut it down, and he doesn't say accept it all. He says test it — and that testing is itself an act of faithfulness.
Reflect
- When someone has spoken a prophetic word over you, did you test it against Scripture and the fruit of that person's life — or did your desperation to experience something real make you skip that step?
- Pastor Jared said, "We would rather recreate the Bible than be corrected by it." Where in your own spiritual life are you chasing an experience instead of submitting to conviction?
- If someone removed your "church costume" this week — the worship hands, the familiar language, the Sunday presence — what fruit would actually remain in your home, your relationships, and your private moments?
Pray
Holy Spirit, I confess that I have sometimes wanted the feeling more than the formation. I have been moved by what looked real without pausing to test whether it was true. Forgive me for the moments I have worn a costume instead of walking in genuine surrender. Give me the courage to be corrected by Your Word, not just comforted by experiences. Grow fruit in my life that can withstand scrutiny — in my home, with my family, among my coworkers. Make me a leader who is qualified not just by what I say, but by how I actually live. In Jesus' name, amen.