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Identity in Christ - Study Guide
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Study Guide
IDENTITY IN CHRIST - STUDY GUIDE A 2-Session Small Group Series
SERIES OVERVIEW
CENTRAL THEME
Who are you, really? Not what you do, not what others say about you, and not what your past says about you. This series invites you to discover and walk in the identity God has already given you through Jesus Christ. The cross did not just forgive your sins - it completely repositioned you. You are seated with Christ, secure in Him, and equipped to live from that place of confidence every single day.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN
- A clearer, scripture-grounded understanding of who they are in Christ
- Practical tools for speaking and living out that identity in everyday life
- Freedom from guilt, shame, inferiority, and fear
- A renewed sense of security that is not built on circumstances, performance, or the opinions of others
WHO THIS SERIES IS FOR
This series is for anyone who has ever felt like they do not quite measure up - or who knows the right answers about faith but still struggles to feel them in their bones. Whether you are brand new to faith or have been walking with Jesus for decades, there is always more of your true identity to receive and live out. Come as you are, bring your honest questions, and be ready to go deeper.
SESSION 1: BENEFITS OF BEING IN CHRIST Speaker: Pastor Mirek Hufton Date: April 8, 2026
OPENING REFLECTION QUESTION
Think of a time when you were entitled to something - a benefit, a right, a gift - but did not actually use it or enjoy it. What kept you from it?
Take a few minutes to share with the group before diving into Scripture.
KEY SCRIPTURES
- Galatians 2:20
- Hebrews 10:12
- Ephesians 2:6
- Colossians 1:13-14
- Romans 8
- 1 John 4:4
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Pastor Mirek opened with the Easter declaration, "It is finished." What does that phrase mean to you personally? Do you tend to live like the work is truly finished, or does it sometimes feel like there is still something left for you to earn or prove?
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Hebrews 10:12 tells us that after offering one perfect sacrifice, Jesus sat down. What does it mean to you that Jesus sat down? How does that picture change the way you think about your standing before God?
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Ephesians 2:6 says that we are seated with Christ - right now, not someday. What emotions or reactions come up when you hear that? Does it feel true to you? Why or why not?
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Pastor Mirek described the challenge of making what is legally true become vitally real in daily life. What is the difference between something being legally true and something being vitally real? Where do you notice that gap in your own faith walk?
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On a mission trip to Papua New Guinea, exhausted and surrounded by difficult circumstances, Pastor Mirek had to speak the Word over himself before he could preach. Why do you think speaking truth out loud matters? Have you ever tried declaring scripture over yourself? What was that experience like?
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Colossians 1:13-14 says believers have already been delivered from the dominion of darkness - past tense, done. Does your daily life reflect someone who has been relocated into a new kingdom? What might need to shift in your thinking or habits to line up with that reality?
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Pastor Mirek said, "Jesus sat down so you could stand up." What does standing up look like practically in your life this week - at work, at home, in relationships, in your own thought life?
PERSONAL APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, choose one truth about your identity in Christ from the scriptures covered in this session. Write it down on a card or in your phone. Read it out loud every morning and every night for the next seven days. Notice what changes - in your thoughts, your confidence, and how you respond to difficult moments.
Suggested scriptures to start with: - I have been delivered from darkness and brought into God's kingdom. (Colossians 1:13) - I am seated with Christ, completely righteous before God. (Ephesians 2:6) - Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
CLOSING PRAYER PROMPT
Invite someone in the group to close in prayer, or use these prompts to guide a group prayer:
- Thank God that the work of the cross is finished and complete
- Ask the Holy Spirit to make what is legally true become vitally real in each person's everyday life
- Pray for boldness to stand up in the identity Jesus purchased for the group
SESSION 2: OUR SECURITY IS FOUND IN CHRIST Speaker: Pastor Mirek Hufton Date: April 1, 2026
OPENING REFLECTION QUESTION
Where do you tend to look for security? Think about things like relationships, achievement, financial stability, approval from others, or reputation. Be honest - this is a safe space.
Share briefly before moving into the scriptures.
KEY SCRIPTURES
- Philippians 2:5
- Galatians 2:20
- 1 Corinthians 13:11
- Hebrews 12:2
- Matthew 6
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Pastor Mirek opened by being transparent about his own ongoing struggles with insecurity. How did it impact you to hear a pastor be that honest? Why do you think it is sometimes hard for Christians to admit they still struggle with things like insecurity or fear?
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First Corinthians 13:11 talks about putting away childish things. Pastor Mirek connected childish responses to fear, self-centeredness, and unforgiveness. Which of those three do you find most difficult to move beyond? What tends to trigger that response in you?
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Philippians 2:5 calls us to have the mind of Christ. Galatians 2:20 says Christ lives in us. If those things are true, what does it look like practically to access that mind and that life in a moment when you feel insecure, threatened, or overlooked?
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Jesus is described in this message as the ultimate model of security - unshaken, outward-focused, and grounded in His God-given mission. Think about a specific situation you are facing right now. What would it look like to respond to that situation the way Jesus would?
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The story of Bishop Rick Thomas is remarkable - after a trusted person stole nearly two million dollars and caused seven hundred families to leave his church, he never stopped declaring God's faithfulness. He eventually received a twenty-eight million dollar building for a fraction of its value. What stands out most to you from that story? Do you believe that kind of steadfastness is possible for you? What would it require?
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Pastor Mirek emphasized that true security is received through Christ, confessed through faith-filled words, and demonstrated through radical forgiveness and servant-hearted living. Which of those three - receiving, confessing, or demonstrating - is the hardest step for you right now? Why?
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Matthew 6 and Hebrews 12:2 both point to keeping our eyes fixed - on God's provision and on Jesus. What are the biggest distractions right now that are pulling your eyes away from Christ as the source of your security?
PERSONAL APPLICATION CHALLENGE
Think of one relationship or situation where you have been holding onto hurt, disappointment, or unforgiveness - even quietly. This week, take one intentional step toward releasing it. That might mean praying a blessing over the person who hurt you, writing a letter you do not necessarily send, or simply choosing out loud every day to forgive.
Pair up with someone in your group to check in on this before your next gathering or at the end of the week. You do not have to share all the details - just whether you took the step.
CLOSING PRAYER PROMPT
Invite someone in the group to close in prayer, or use these prompts to guide a group prayer:
- Thank God that our security does not depend on circumstances staying stable or people staying faithful
- Ask for the courage to forgive radically and serve generously even when it is hard
- Pray for each person to receive a deeper, settled confidence in Christ that no situation can shake
SERIES WRAP-UP QUESTIONS
These questions are designed to help your group reflect on both sessions together and draw the big themes into a single conversation.
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Over the course of these two sessions, what is the single most important truth about your identity in Christ that landed differently for you - something you knew in your head but are now beginning to receive in a deeper way?
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Session 1 focused on the benefits of being in Christ - righteousness, freedom, and a new position before God. Session 2 focused on security - living from a grounded, unshakable place in Christ. How do those two ideas connect? Can you have one without the other?
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Both sessions highlighted the power of speaking truth out loud - Pastor Mirek declaring the Word before preaching in Papua New Guinea, and Bishop Rick declaring God's faithfulness through devastating loss. Has your view of spoken declaration changed through this series? What would it look like to make that a more consistent practice in your life?
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Think back to the opening question from Session 2 - where do you tend to look for security? Has your answer changed at all, or become clearer, after going through this series together?
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If someone who had never read the Bible asked you to explain in plain language what it means to be in Christ, what would you say now, after these two sessions, that you might not have said before?
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You for the staggering gift of identity You have given us in Christ. You did not just forgive us - You relocated us. You seated us. You placed Your own Spirit inside us and called us righteous, secure, and loved.
We confess that we have not always lived like that is true. We have looked for security in the wrong places. We have let guilt and shame and fear have a louder voice than Your Word. We have known the benefits of being in Christ in our heads without always walking in them with our feet.
So today we make a fresh choice. We choose to receive what You have already given. We choose to speak what You say is true about us, even when our feelings disagree. We choose to forgive the way we have been forgiven, and to serve others from the overflow of what Christ has placed in us.
Make these truths vitally real in each person who has gone through this study. Let it show in how they face hard days, how they treat difficult people, and how they speak about themselves. Let the world around them see people who know who they are and whose they are.
Jesus, You sat down because the work is finished. Help us to stand up and walk in everything that cost You.
In Your name, amen.
Identity in Christ - Study Guide A resource for small group communities
Devotional Rollup
Delivered and Relocated
Colossians 1:13-14 — *"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."*
I want you to really sit with this word — *delivered*. It means rescued. Pulled out. And *conveyed* means transported, relocated, moved. You didn't just get a little spiritual upgrade when you gave your life to Jesus. You were moved. Completely transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son. That's past tense. It already happened.
I've seen so many believers live as though they're still under the old landlord's authority, when the truth is, you don't live there anymore. The address changed. Your citizenship changed. The devil has no legal hold on you. This isn't wishful thinking — this is what the Word declares over your life right now. You've been rescued. You've been relocated. You are in Christ, and that changes everything.
Father, thank You that I am no longer under the dominion of darkness — I've been moved into Your kingdom. Help me live today like someone who knows their address has changed. In Jesus' name, amen.
He Sat Down — It's Finished
Hebrews 10:12 — *"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God."*
I love this picture so much. Jesus sat down. Do you know why you sit down? Because the work is complete. You don't sit down when there's still something left to do. When Jesus said on the cross, *"It is finished,"* He meant it — and when He ascended and sat at the right hand of the Father, He was saying it again without words: done. Paid. Complete.
That means every chain the enemy ever had over your life was legally broken at that cross. Every sin debt — paid. Every accusation — answered. I've told our congregation many times, this isn't just a legal document collecting dust in heaven. It's meant to become a vital reality in your daily life. You have to get this in you, speak it out, and act on it. The enemy will try to show you evidence that it's not true. That's when you look him in the eye and say, *"Jesus sat down. It's done."*
Jesus, thank You that Your sacrifice was complete — one time, for all time, for me. Help me rest in what You finished rather than striving under what You already conquered. In Your name, amen.
Seated With Him
Ephesians 2:6 — *"And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."*
Not only did Jesus sit down at the Father's right hand — He made us sit with Him. In the mind of God, we have complete dominion over the works of darkness. I want you to get that picture on the inside of you. You're not crawling through life hoping the enemy leaves you alone. In Christ, you are seated in a position of authority.
I think about my mission trips — times when everything around me was going wrong, the food was bad, I was exhausted, and I still had to preach. I had to remind myself out loud: *I am born of God. I am a new creation. The Holy Spirit lives in me.* That's not arrogance — that's knowing where you're seated. When you understand your position in Christ, it changes how you carry yourself at work, at home, everywhere. You walk differently. You talk differently. You don't take what the devil dishes out, because you know whose seat you occupy.
Father, help me see myself the way You see me — seated with Christ in heavenly places, not crawling under the enemy's feet. Teach me to walk in that authority today. In Jesus' name, amen.
Right Standing With God
Psalm 110:1 — *"The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'"*
This is the most quoted scripture in the entire New Testament, and I believe it's because it carries something the Church desperately needs to hear. The right hand of God is the seat of power — and when Jesus took that seat, complete dominion over every enemy was declared. That includes shame. Guilt. Inferiority. All of it — footstool material.
I talk to people regularly who have done things they can't seem to forgive themselves for. The images keep coming back. The accusations keep replaying. And I tell them what I'll tell you today — get every scripture on your right standing with God and wash your mind with it daily. You have been justified. God, the judge of the entire universe, has declared you righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. That's not something you earned. That's something you received. And when that truth gets on the inside of you, faith starts rising like you've never seen before. Stand tall in your spirit. No more shame. No more inferiority. You're right with God — right now.
Father, I receive my right standing with You today — not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus did. Wash my mind with Your truth and let boldness replace every trace of shame. In Jesus' name, amen.
In Whom We Have
Colossians 1:14 — *"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."*
Two words have stayed with me all week from this sermon series: *in whom*. Not *will have*. Not *might have*. We *have* — present tense, right now, fully yours. Redemption means bought back. You were once under the enemy's control, just like Israel under Pharaoh. But Jesus paid the price, and you are free.
I want you to close this week knowing that everything Jesus accomplished at the cross — the deliverance, the authority, the righteousness, the eternal life — it's all yours in Him. My job has always been to get you to believe this Bible is actually true and to act on it. So don't just nod at these truths. Speak them out. Live them out. Rehearse them in your mind until they drop from your head into your heart. When you walk in the reality of who you are in Christ, the anointing shows up, boldness comes, and your life begins to impact every person around you. This is the life God designed for you. Walk in it.
Lord, thank You for everything I have *in* Christ — redemption, forgiveness, authority, and life. Help me carry these truths into every moment of my day, every day of my life. In Jesus' mighty name, amen.
Putting Away Childish Things
1 Corinthians 13:11 — "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
I'll be honest with you — the more I studied insecurity for this series, the more I had to look at myself in the mirror. And what I found is that so many of our reactions, our defensiveness, our need to be right, they're not really adult responses at all. They're childish ones, dressed up in grown-up clothes. Paul isn't being harsh here. He's being hopeful. He's saying there is a maturity available to us. We don't have to stay stuck in those old patterns that were formed in us when we were young and didn't know better. Growing up in Christ means we start recognizing when we're reacting from a wounded place rather than a healed one. Today, let's choose to take one step forward into that maturity. Let's be honest enough to name what's still childish in us, and brave enough to bring it to Jesus.
Lord, I don't want to keep reacting like a wounded child when You've called me to walk as a mature son or daughter. Show me where I'm still holding onto old patterns, and give me the courage to face them honestly. Thank You that Your grace covers every stage of my growing up.
Think Like Jesus
Philippians 2:5 — "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Can you imagine Jesus being rattled by what people were saying about Him? Can you imagine Him backbiting someone because they gave Him a hard time? I can't. And that's exactly the point. Jesus was the most secure individual who ever walked this earth, and His security came from one thing — He knew exactly who He was and who sent Him. He was on a mission from heaven, and nothing could shake that. Paul tells us we can have that same mind. Not just admire it from a distance, but actually think the way Jesus thought. That means when someone criticizes us, we don't crumble. When things don't go our way, we don't spiral. We stay rooted, stay peaceful, stay focused on the mission God has given us. You are on a mission from God. You have a purpose. When your mind is anchored in that truth, the enemy's thoughts simply don't have the same grip they used to.
Jesus, I want to think the way You think — steady, peaceful, and outward-focused. Renew my mind today and help me to see myself and others through Your eyes. Thank You that I don't have to figure this out alone.
It's Not About Me
Galatians 2:20 — "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Here's a question I asked my congregation that I want to ask you right now: when you walk into a room, are you thinking "who can I bless?" or "how will they bless me?" I'll be transparent — that carnal, self-centered thinking is something I've had to wrestle with too. The flesh is always asking, "What about me?" But Paul says the whole game changes when we understand what the cross actually did. When Christ lives in me, my life is no longer turned inward. It becomes a river flowing outward. The self-centered life is an exhausting life, because you're always dependent on other people performing for you, always measuring whether you're getting enough recognition or appreciation. But when I live for Him who loved me and gave Himself for me, I'm freed from all of that. I become a supplier, not just a consumer. And that is where real joy lives.
Father, crucify the self-centered thinking in me today. I want to be so aware of Your love for me that I naturally overflow with love toward others. Help me to walk into every situation today asking, "Who can I bless?"
Drop It, Release It, Let It Go
Matthew 6:14 — "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
I've sat across from people in my office who looked me straight in the face and said, "I'm not forgiving them." And I understand the pain behind that. But I also know this — carrying a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person suffers. Unforgiveness is deeply rooted in insecurity. The secure person can afford to let go, because their identity isn't tied up in the offense. The insecure person holds on because releasing it feels like losing something. But here's the truth Jesus makes plain: unforgiveness blocks your healing, blocks your prayers, and keeps you locked in the past. I've learned to make forgiveness a lifestyle, not an event. The moment someone hurts me, I start releasing them. Not because they deserve it — but because I want to be free. Drop it. Release it. Let it go. Say it with me right now. Those are the words of a secure, spiritually-minded person walking in the freedom Christ paid for.
Lord, I choose to forgive — even when it's hard, even when they don't deserve it. Set me free from every root of bitterness that's been quietly growing in me, and teach me to make forgiveness a reflex, not a struggle. I want to be free.
Secure in Christ, Speaking in Faith
Galatians 2:20 — "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I want to leave you with this truth as we close out this week: you have a voice, and that voice matters. The enemy can bombard your mind with thoughts of fear, doubt, and insecurity — but he cannot speak. You can. And when you open your mouth and declare what God says about you, something supernatural happens. Your own mind quiets down to listen. I've watched people go through devastating losses — betrayal, financial ruin, public humiliation — and the ones who came through weren't the ones who had it easier. They were the ones who kept speaking life. Every insecurity you face has a word from God that stands against it. You are secure in Christ. Christ lives in you. He is secure, therefore you are secure. That's not positive thinking — that's spiritual reality. Start declaring it. Your mouth is one of the most powerful weapons God has given you. Use it in His name, and watch your life change.
Lord, I declare today that my security is in You — not in what people think of me, not in my circumstances, and not in my past. Christ lives in me, and because He is secure, I am secure. Teach me to speak that truth every single day.