The Process of Love (Part 3): Does It Really Matter If I Love Them?

TO START

This week, we jumped into part 3 of a series called The Process of Love, a series that invites us to come to terms with how to love those who are hard to love in our lives. Over this series, we will unpack 1st John in hopes of unpacking how we might receive and extend love to those who aren't always easy to love. 

  • In this last season (or in general?), what’s an example of how you’ve been loved in a way that mattered? 

TO DISCUSS

This week, we come to terms with the reality that we might simply be burned out by love and if that’s the case, we must discover how to be refreshed by the One Who is Love. 

  • How would you measure your capacity to love right now? Do you feel burned out on love? Why or why not?

TO READ 

Pray this short prayer together before reading Scripture together: “Lord, may you open our hearts and minds to the power of your Holy Spirit so that as we read your word and hear it, we may have what you have to say to us. Amen. 

Read 1 John 3:1-10 together 

  • In life, we struggle to comprehend the fact that God’s love doesn’t require us to earn the love we want to receive. Is that a problem for you? Why or why not?

In the sermon, Zane mentioned that when we no longer hold on to  life after death or the hope that we will become like the One Who Is Love in the future, we tend to demand a lot from this life, from our friends, our vacations, our spouses, our jobs, etc.  

  • What area or areas of your life do you feel tempted to demand a lot from? And how can your ache for being with God again fill those voids or change your perspective (i.e. John’s guarantee about heaven “we will be like him, and we will see him as he is.”)?

To close the sermon, Zane pointed us to the words of D.G. Dunn, “The Holy Spirit transcends human ability and transforms human ability”  

  • How can you be the gift of the love of God to someone in your life this week? (Maybe even someone who is difficult to love) 

TO CLOSE

This week, Zane invited us to consider the reality that God’s love for us is lavish! In that it’s over the top, it doesn’t require anything of us, it’s simply a gift. This week, I want to invite y’all to close with a time of prayer and thanksgiving. 

Use this as a template for your group’s prayer time: 

Leader (Intro): God, we know you are love and have given us the gift of love in outrageous ways, 

We want to thank you for the fruit of this love this week…..

 

Whole Group (Middle): Invite members to share a way

 in which they have witnessed the gift of God’s love this week. 

 

Leader (Close): As the sons and daughters of the living God, 

May the Holy Spirit bring out our family resemblance this week. 

May the world know us as great lovers of all the world, 

Because we are loved by the God who loves all the world.

Matt DeLano