The Missing ingredient Week 2

SCRIPTURES FROM SUNDAY:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Galatians 5:16-18, 22-26; John 13:34-45; 1 John 4:7-12

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Q: How would you define the word love? Is it a feeling? Action? Choice? Experience? Something Else?

Q: How do you know if someone loves you? You love someone else?

Q: Compare your answers to the last couple of questions to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. How are your ideas similar to the love God describes here? How are they different?

Q: How often do you think about the connection between your love for God and your love for other people? Based on what you see in the scriptures above, how would you describe God’s view of the link between the two?

Q: Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and substitute your name for the word love. (Ex. Bob is patient, Bob is kind….) How accurately does this passage describe you right now? Which elements of love feel like a fit? Which don’t?

Q: If becoming more loving is a combination of God’s Spirit working in us and our cooperation with Him (see Galatians 5), which do you need more of right now: God’s power or your effort?

Q: Do you ever notice yourself choosing between following God’s Spirit or your own corrupt nature? How do you pay attention to your spiritual nature and let God lead you on a day-to-day basis?

TRY IT:

1. Identify one aspect of love that you need help with. Ask God to make you more loving this week. Pay attention to the opportunities you’re given to act that way.

2. Memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

FOR NEXT WEEK:
Read 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

The Missing ingredient Week 1

SCRIPTURES FROM SUNDAY:

1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Matthew 10:38-39, 17:20, 19:21, 22:34-40; Isaiah 29:13; Malachi 1:6-10; 1 John 4:7-12

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Q: Have you ever left something out of a recipe, either by accident or on purpose? How did it turn out? Could you tell?

Q: Agree or Disagree: “Many people feel like something is missing when it comes to their relationship with God.”

Q: What “ingredients” to a life of faith do you think are missing in churches/believers today?

Q: What do you think of the actions of faith that are described in 1 Cor 13:1-3? How would your “recipe” for faith stack up against it?

Q: After describing some very impressive acts of faith, the Bible says that they are “nothing” if they aren’t done with love. Would we choose the same word? If not, what would we substitute for it?

Q: God’s struggle to have our hearts (and not just our actions) isn’t anything new. Take a look at Malachi 1:6-13. How does God react when we try to go through the motions without really loving Him?

Q: Read 1 John 4:7-12. According to this passage, why is love so essential to having a relationship with God?

TRY IT:

1. Jot down your own “recipe of faith”, listing the actions you take to live out your faith and sustain your relationship with God (ex. Praying, reading the Bible, etc.). Where/how does love factor in? Is it an ingredient? A key ingredient?

2. Memorize 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

FOR NEXT WEEK:
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The "F" Word: The Free, The Strong & The Brave

SCRIPTURES FROM SUNDAY:

John 20:19-26; Acts 1:3-9, 2:1-8, chapters 3 & 4; Ephesians 1:17-20; John 8:30-36; 2 Timothy 1:7-8; 2 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 10:24-25

REFLECT/DISCUSS:
Q: Do you think of yourself as a brave person? What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

Q: Agree or Disagree: “As people of faith, we come from a long line of cowards.”

Q: Do the guys in Acts 3 and 4 sound like the same people who were hiding in fear in John 20? What made the difference in them?

Q: The Bible says that those who follow Jesus are FREE- from sin, trying to please God by keeping the rules, etc. Do you feel free? If so, how do you make sure that your freedom in Jesus honors him instead of turning into permission to sin? If you don’t feel free, what could you do to live into what God says is true about you?

Q: If God doesn’t give us a cowardly or timid spirit, where do those things come from? What can we do about that?

Q: After being threatened, Jesus’ friends go find other disciples to pray with. Together they are filled with power (see the end of Acts 4). Who is there in your life that encourages you and helps you stay bold about your faith? Who do you do the same for?