8 Arenas of Life

Jesus is Lord.

What would be different in your life if you no longer had to manage a myriad of influences? How would your life be different if you only had to listen, follow, and remain loyal to ONE VOICE? This tool offers your group an opportunity to evaluate who is truly leading 8 different areas of our life.

Use this video to teach your group about the 8 Arenas Tool.

Use this video for leader tips about the 8 Arenas Tool.

Purpose: The 8 Arenas Tool is a look into 8 domains of our life that each person will encounter. The hope, is that this tool helps our group to evaluate who is the greatest influence or “Lord” in these specfic domains.

Scriptures:

  • Isaiah 55:8-9 - His Ways vs. Our Ways

  • Matthew 6:33 - Seek First the Kingdom

  • Matthew 7:21 - His Will for Us

  • Romans 10:9 - Jesus is Lord

  • Romans 12:2 - Transformed Mind

  • James 4:7 - Submit to the Lord

The 8 Arenas of Life:

  • Faith: What do you believe & why?

  • Money: Spending, Saving, & Giving

  • Politics: Views and Values

  • Work: Work Ethic, Career Choice, & Rest

  • Education: Continued Learning & Teaching

  • Relationship: Friends, Family, Dating, & Marriage

  • Identity: Who are you? What you believe about yourself.

  • Entertainment: Hobbies, Activities, Listen, Watch & Read

Teach:

This tool is best introduced by listing the 8 Arenas out on large post-it notes around the room or sheets of paper to be passed around. Present the 8 Arenas and the descriptions that go with each. Give everyone time to write out two or three personal influences in each area.

Ask: “Who are the primary influences in each arena?” What you want to uncover are the many voices and opinions each person is navigating on a daily basis.

At this point you should have several influences listed. This is a time for a great question.

Ask: "What do you do when you have influences who give you differing opinions? How do you choose who you will follow? How do you keep everyone happy?"

Ask: '“What would be different in your life if you no longer had to manage all of these influences? How would your life be different if you only had to listen, follow, and remain loyal to ONE VOICE?”

Group Action Steps:

Outcome: The above questions will reveal the tension and stress we sometimes carry as we listen, follow, and remain loyal to those who are teaching us how to do life. ultimately, we want to have one primary influence - JESUS. This tool will help us discover how Jesus has commanded us to live. (John 14:15, Matt 28:20)

Your next steps as a group will include discovering what Scripture has to say about each of these topics. Spend time seeking the Lord’s direction through his Word and discuss with your group what it looks like to allow Jesus to be Lord in all of these areas.

Closing Questions to Ask:

  • Is there a certain area that you feel needs to be quickly turned over to Jesus?

  • How might your life look different if you turned each of these areas over to Jesus?

  • Which of these domains is the hardest for you to turn over to Jesus? (This can become a learning circle moment!)

Group Tips: Use this tool to help your group begin a regular rhythm of abiding by finding what Scripture has to say about each of these domains. Break the 8 topics into 1-8 weeks of study depending on the abiding health of your group and the depth of the arenas.

  • These topics and scripture study are a great segue into each of the tools that they may align with. The exciting thing about D3 is that we have a tool that addresses each of these areas of life!