Discussion Guide: Breaking Cycles

PRAYER

Our main goal in this time together is to build relationships and learn to walk alongside one another in all that God has called us to be and do. Let’s start by praying for each other.

Does anyone have prayer requests or personal stories of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?

ARISE TOPICS

Sin’s Pain :: Known Union :: Living Free :: Dead AND Alive :: Understanding Grace :: Breaking Cycles

THIS WEEK

We’re closing out our ARISE series—a walk through Romans 6 and what it means to actually live in the new life Jesus gives.

These past few weeks, we’ve centered on the one life that changes everything: Jesus. Because of Him, anyone can begin again. No matter your past or whatever you’re facing now, we’ve seen how Jesus meets us right where we are and leads us into something new.

In the final message, Breaking the Cycle, Pastor Alvin Brown teaches from Romans 6:20–23. He highlights how God offers genuine freedom from the patterns that keep us stuck—patterns that may initially feel like freedom, but ultimately drain us through shame, loss, or burnout. If you’ve ever felt trapped in a mindset, relationship, addiction, or behavior, you’re not the only one. This message identifies everyday struggles and points to the hope God offers not only to break those cycles, but also to build something better in their place.

To start our time together, let’s begin with the following questions:

What’s a place, song, or smell that reminds you of a fresh start or a turning point in your life?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

SCRIPTURE

Have someone read Romans 6:20-23 aloud. As you listen, notice any words or phrases that stand out, and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight something for you.

Romans 6:20-23

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 

21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What if God had a pattern for breaking cycles?

A Pattern of Bondage

In Romans 6:20–21, Paul describes what life looked like before Jesus—when sin ruled us. It may have felt like freedom, but it was really a pattern of bondage.

However, sin shaped our choices and direction, producing shame and spiritual death instead of real life.

This wasn’t just about bad decisions. It was about being stuck in a system we couldn’t escape on our own. That’s the system and our reality of total depravity: apart from Christ, we can’t choose what is good and right by God’s standard.

But Paul doesn’t leave us there. No, he points to the better pattern found in Jesus.

Can you quickly share about a time something felt like freedom, but actually left you stuck and feeling less than free?

Why do you think certain patterns in our lives feel normal—even when they’re harmful?

Paul talks about being ashamed of the “fruit” from our old lives. Without oversharing, how have you seen that play out personally or around you?

What are some ways people try to fix or manage sin on their own? Why don’t those things work long-term?

Looking back, where do you now see signs of God starting to break a pattern in your life—even before you realized it?

A Pattern of Breakthrough

In Romans 6:22, Paul moves from the pattern of bondage to the promise of breakthrough. He shows us that when the grace of Jesus meets us, it doesn’t just expose our sin—it sets us free from it and invites us into a new way of living.

This breakthrough interrupts old cycles—whether it’s a mindset, relationship, addiction, or behavior—and begins to form a new pattern marked by growth, holiness, and lasting fruit.

Rather than walking the same worn-out paths that only lead to destruction, grace gives us a new direction. One that leads to real life.

What does real freedom looks like in everyday life?

What’s one pattern—big or small—that grace has interrupted in your life? How did that shift begin?

Have you ever realized, only in hindsight, that you were stuck in a destructive cycle? What helped you see it?

In verse 22, what kind of “fruit” points to a life shaped by grace?

Is there a new direction you sense God leading you toward right now? What might a next step of faith look like?

A Pattern of Beauty

As Paul closes out Romans 6:22–23, he paints a picture of what starts to grow in us when we truly belong to God.

Paul contrasts two patterns: the death that sin earns and the eternal life that grace gives.

When Jesus meets us, He doesn’t just clean us up on the surface. No, he renovates us from the inside out. His grace breaks and takes the mess of our lives and forms something beautiful, leading us in a new pattern marked by holiness, purpose, and joy.

This isn’t something we achieve. It’s His gift for us to receive. It’s the gift of belonging to God and being transformed by His love.

Paul contrasts wages and gifts—what does this tell us about the difference between sin and grace?

Have you ever tried to “fix” something in your life on your own? What happened when you let God into that space?

What’s one way you’ve seen God start to rebuild something beautiful in your life, even if it didn’t happen all at once?

How does knowing eternal life is a gift—not something earned—change how you see God’s grace?

Is there any part of your life right now that feels “under renovation”? How can your group pray with you or walk with you in that?

CLOSING THOUGHT

Romans 6:20–23 shows us that we all live in patterns. Some of the patterns we chose, while some were inherited. For the harmful ones, they often come from sin’s grip and its empty promise of freedom, which only leads to shame, loss, and death.

Unlike the patterns of sin though, Jesus doesn’t leave us stuck or offer a quick fix. His grace meets us in our mess. Not to shame us, but to free us and start a new pattern of breakthrough.

Paul aims to help us understand that in Jesus, grace isn’t just something we receive. It’s something that reshapes us into people who reflect His beauty and love. Jesus breaks the old mold so we can see what’s truly growing in our lives—either the old patterns of sin or new patterns of life in His grace.

So don’t stay stuck in the same old cycle. Turn to Jesus. Let His grace do the deep work. Even when progress feels slow, trust that He’s creating something new and lasting in you.

Let’s close in prayer: God, thank You for meeting us in our patterns of brokenness. We confess the patterns of sin that promise freedom but bring pain. Help us to leave those behind and step into the new life You offer us through the cross. Thank You for the gift of grace that transforms us inside out. Work in us patiently, growing holiness, hope, and joy. We want to belong fully to You and your patterns for living and loving. Lead us by Your Spirit where we live, work, and play and help us trust Your real breakthrough. In Jesus’ name, Amen.