Class Lesson for January 18, 2026

 Culture Wars

Romans 12:11-13

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Romans 12:11-13

 

Discussion Questions

1. How would you define spiritual apathy? How have you seen it show up in your own life?
2. What tends to dull your spiritual passion the most — comfort, distraction, discouragement, busyness?
3. What are the dangers of apathy in our lives and in the life of the Church?
4. How do prayers and community help protect us from growing spiritually cold?

 

 

 

Closing Thoughts

Spiritual slothfulness and apathy lead us into a multitude of sins and destroys our relationship with God and the church. One of the ways we kill apathy in our lives is by living in community with other believers.

• Identify one area in your life where you have become apathetic to the things of God and confess it to another brother or sister in Christ.
• Pray daily for God’s help in killing apathy in your life; pray for other believers as we seek to be zealous for the gospel.
• Identify one person in your life who is far from God, who has embraced an apathetic spirit. Pray for them, invite them to our church, and seek to share the gospel with them.

 

END

Teacher Notes:

Culture Wars

How can we possibly engage the culture if we don’t care?

Apathy?

Romans 12:11-12

How would you explain it?         What can we do about it?

In Romans 12:11, Paul addresses one of the most subtle threats to the Christian life: apathy.

When was a time in your life that you felt most passionate about serving the Lord?

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Romans 12:11

Click Play to Watch

Rocky shows us that a passion to win is built on daily discipline.

Romans 12 shows us that spiritual passion is built on constant prayer and dependence on God. This too is a daily discipline!

Paul warns us about a cooling devotion that can take place in our lives, and we may not even recognize it.

Romans 12:11-13

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

How would you explain?

• Slothful can mean lazy – lack of motivation, or apathy – you just don’t care
• Zeal or zealous means great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause
• Spiritual apathy is a settled indifference toward God – what’s that mean
• To be lethargic, low energy, run down, weary, dull, sluggish, lacking enthusiasm, half-hearted, and lazy. And to no longer really care. Another common phrase would be, “To be in a funk!”
• Wayne said we shrink back or we lean-out vs leaning-in to what God wants us to do. Examples Adam/Eve, and David. Never win the “Culture War” if Christians lean-out to what God calls us to do.
• Dustin – We neglect the things that matter the most – God’s Word, our relationship with Jesus, our family – And we are proactive to the things that matter the least – like buying a new grill or our fantasy football.
• Not a rebellion against God, but a neglect of God.
• A quiet drift where God remains acknowledged but no longer eagerly sought.

How does this play out in the life of a Christian and what are the dangers?

• Wayne – Shrink back from engagement with the culture. Legalism: Christians either isolate – withdraw from the conversation or escalate – fight with self-righteousness (say right things the wrong way)
• Relationship with God becomes functional, not relational
• Spiritual growth stalls or is wasted completely
• Ministry becomes mechanical
• Love grows cold – Matthew 24:12 “the love of many will grow cold”
• Prayer loses priority

What tends to dull your spiritual passion 

the most:

comfort, distraction, discouragement, busyness?

What would you tell a person that you believe is in spiritual apathy?

• Wayne – don’t waste your life.
• Dustin – you are going to do less for God, and you are going to miss out on blessings that God wants to do through you.
• People not leaned-in in the bible – Lot and Sodom & Gomorrah
• Person leaned-in in the bible – the Good Samaritan
• You’re not alone, and you’re not broken. This is something every believer experiences.
• God is not surprised by your coldness. He already knows the temperature of your heart, and He’s still inviting you.
• Don’t wait to feel warm before you come to Christ. Psalm 23:3, Matthew 11:28, James 4:8.
• Go back to the gospel, not just your disciplines. Remember how you came into this life. Revisit the mercy of God, not just the mechanics of obedience.

Hey it’s Biblical…

Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling

“… You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first!” – Rev 2:4 NLT

How do prayers and community help protect us from growing spiritually cold?

• Prayers and community are God’s primary safeguards against spiritual coldness because they keep us connected — to God and to one another.
• Quiet time with God, Sunday school class, and bible studies, and men’s accountability groups

What does it mean to be fervent in spirit?

• Fervent means a passionate intensity
• The apostle Paul encourages believers to love and serve one another not only sacrificially but also enthusiastically
• Be emotionally inflamed, enthusiastic, or excited.
• Hearts eager to do good and serve God with enthusiasm
• On fire for the Lord
• on the boil – making tea
• Godly zeal must be tempered with a solid foundation in biblical truth, discernment, and spiritual perception (Romans 10:1–4). Without knowledge, spiritual enthusiasm can become seriously misguided.
• The apostle Peter describes those who are fervent in spirit as having an eagerness to “turn from evil and do good” and “seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:10–13).

 

 

When you think of a Christian on fire for Jesus – what do you think of?

• Dustin – Intentional: time we spend on certain things (with God)
• Wayne – Centered: on the Word of God
• Dallas – on fire for the church and God’s Word - 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Christians competing for honoring one another – they are on fire for Jesus!

 

 

How can we self-examine ourselves for spiritual apathy?

 

We are passionate about the things we care about.

How passionate are we about Jesus?

 

 

11 Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord. 12 When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful. - New International Reader's Version

Conclusion

Romans 12:11–13 calls us to wake up from spiritual complacency. The Christian life is not a passive wait for heaven, but an active, disciplined daily pursuit of God. When we resist apathy and rely on the Spirit, our lives can become a powerful engagement to the Culture War.