“Becoming Like Jesus Together"
Together: Building Relationships in a Broken World
Rainier Valley Church - Seattle, Washington - Sunday, April 2
7 Biblical Qualities of Christian Love
- Genuine (12:9a)
- Truthful (12:9b)
- Family-Like (12:10a)
- Honorable (12:10b)
- Passionate (12:11)
- Persistent (12:12)
- Practical (12:13)
1.Genuine (12:9a)
1 John 4:19 “We love, because he first loved us”
You’ll never have to love someone more annoying than you’ve been to God
You’ll never have to forgive someone more than God has forgiven you
You’ll never be as patient with someone as God has been patient with you.
Do you really love your Christian brothers and sisters?
Do you say you’ll pray for them and actually pray for them?
Do you talk one way when the person is there and another when they aren’t?
Is your love genuine? Are there areas of hypocrisy in your life where you’re more polite than godly?
2.Truthful (12:9b)
Based on your closest friendship, who are you becoming? In this season, who is speaking truth into your life?
Are you growing in hating sin and loving righteousness?
What sins and evil do you abhor? How can you hold fast to what is good?
3. Family-Like (12:10a)
Church is family, you look out for each other, you stick up for each other.We’re family.
What the difference between going to a restaurant as a customer and going to a family dinner as a member of the family?
What does it look like to love other Christians like family?
What would change in the way you see your time, treasure and talent?
How can you personally grow in a warm love toward other believers?
4.Honorable (12:10b)
We show honor to others because they're made in the image of God so they have inherent value.
We show honor to those in authority because God created a world of hierarchy and responsibility.
What does it look like to outdo one another in showing honor?
How can you show honor to those in positions of authority in your life?
What are some behaviors in your life that might actually be dishonoring?
Are you a competitive person? Be competitive in showing honor.
5.Passionate (12:11)
To be Slothful is to be slow, lazy, dull, sluggish, drowsy, listless, careless, neglectful, apathetic, disinterested, indifferent, careless, unconcerned.
to be Fervent is to be boiling, zealous, passionate, vigorous, energetic, spirited. God has called us to passionate service.
Stir one another up to love and good works… Encourage, strengthen, embolden.
What books, people, music has God used to stir you up and increase your zeal?
How can we stir one another up to love and good works practically?
Where are their areas of sloth in our lives?
6.Persistent (12:12)
Christian life must be persistent through the good times and the hard times.
What areas in your life do you need to rejoice in hope?
What tribulations in your life do you need patience in?
How can I cultivate a prayerful life over a complaining life?
7.Practical (12:13)
When someone needs a job, clothes, food, rent, direction, or help in some way, we don’t just pray for them, we HELP them!
God has given you a house, money, food, friends, opportunities not as an end in themselves but as the means to bless others.
We’re suppose to be a conduits, channels of God’s blessings through us to a needy world.
Are you functioning as a river or a reservoir? Do God's blessings stop with you or move through you to others?
What opportunities do you have to bless and serve those around you this week?
How can we pray for each other this week?
“Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful – Christian community is the final apologetic.” - Francis Schaeffer
No comments:
Post a Comment