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40 Days of CommUNITY
Better Together


1 John 4:7-12 (Monday) “GOD IS LOVE”
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (NIV)
1) Oh, my goodness! We could spend eternity trying to wrap our minds around the concept of God being love! What does that mean to you?
2) Most of us are believers—what some (myself included) referred to as being born again, or born of God. This scripture says that because we are born of God—we love others, period. Love is not an option, but an evidence (perhaps the only evidence) to others that we know God and are know by Him!
3) If we say we are living by faith in Jesus Christ, then what does Galatians 5:6 will be an _expression of that faith?
4) Oh, loving one another is not limited to those in the family of God—that’s a tough nut to crack all by itself! No, this command to love embraces the entire world—believer and unbeliever alike! (Luke 6:32-38, 10:25-37)!
5) I’ve shared this story with some of you about how one thing that drew me to Christ was witnessing the evidence of His love in a Sunday morning worship service 33+ years ago. It was as if the entire building permeated with the essence of God’s love! Finally, love, acceptance, family—the family of God! Yet, from the moment I first gave my heart to Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, what I experienced most from the body of Christ was rejection! What’s up with that? Well, I have my own thoughts on that one, but what do you think might be the reason for this apparent withholding of brotherly or sisterly love? Is God cheating or robbing me?
6) Let’s say you’re the person who has been hurt, wounded or rejected—perhaps over and over again? You’re the one who has been ignored, overlooked or worse, not even seen! Oh, I think most of us have been there! What is our natural response to such hurts?
7) Oh, we can’t leave out those who whisper behind our backs, sometimes even daring to say spiteful or hateful things to our faces! Love them?
8) Are these only the actions or reactions we experience from those who are of “this world” (unbelievers), those who don’t know any better? What about those in the church body who are smug, clique-ish, holier than thou-ish?
9) Yes, it’s terrible when we suffer in this world for being Christ followers, but, oh, it is far more heart wrenching when we fail to see any real _expression(s) of love within the body of Christ! Has this ever been your experience? Why do you think this is so, or is it?
10) What was the most difficult situation you ever found yourself in that you allowed the love of God to flow in and through you? What was the outcome?
11) What was the most difficult situation you ever found yourself in that you did not experience or show the love of God? How did that experience effect you, the other person or persons involved—or did it?
12) Okay, that’s all about how others treat us. How about when others attack the ones we love? Personally, to me, that’s far worse! What about loving others then?
13) Luke 6:27-31 tells us to bless and not curse. Love and not hate. Turn the other check! Why, oh, why would God require that of us? Go back and re-read this day’s portion of scripture. How can any of us ever hope to even begin to fathom God’s kind of “agape” love?
a) I think we have all, at one time or another experienced at least one of the many hurts mentioned above—and that’s what this passage is all about! We need only to look to the example set by our big Brother, Jesus the Christ! Jesus experienced every bit of this pain, and more during His short life on this earth! The Fairest of Ten Thousands—hated! The sweet Rose of Sharon—spat upon! The Bright and Morning Star—nailed, with our sins, to the cross! The Spotless, Sinless One, loving us sinners all the way to death, the grave and beyond! No wonder He demands that we love one another! He did all those things before we even gave Him a thought! You and I are the very ones He died for—the rejected, the hated, the shunned, the despised! Psalms 34:18 tells us that God is close to the broken-hearted! So, beloved, we must love—we are compelled by the cross of Christ to show the same self-less compassion, the same laying down of our lives for one another! Remember what we spoke of last Sunday? One reason God only showed Moses His back was because He goes before us! Love can be accomplished! How? Jesus is out there in front of us, paving the way—making straight our paths! Better, what does verse 12 tell us is true?
14) God’s perfected love in me? No, haven’t reached that ideal, have you? Is that an excuse to stop trying? Or, should we view that as a challenge? Please read Philippians 3:14-16 . Perfection, never! But, we have no excuse for not walking in the light we have already been shown!
John 13:31-35 (Tuesday) “LOVE…A NEW COMMANDMENT?”
“When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)
1) How did Jesus bring glory to God, the Father?
2) How do we bring glory to God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ?
3) In Monday’s lesson, we spoke of love being perhaps the greatest evidence of Christ in us! How does this passage give credence to that thought?
4) What are some practical ways to show love to others?
5) What are some more costly examples—examples that imitate Christ’s sacrificial love?
6) Why is it important that the world “see” God’s love through our love toward one another?
Matthew 22:34-40 (Wednesday) “GREATEST COMMANDMENT”
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (NIV)
1) Six times Jesus uses the word “your” or “yourself”! So, where does the responsibility to show love to someone else lie? Even if they don’t love back, or they don’t change?
2) What did Jesus mean that all the commandments are met in these two commandments to “Love God” and “Love your neighbor”?
Romans 12:1-5 (Thursday) “WE NEED ONE ANOTHER”
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (NIV)
1) Here we go with that sacrifice thing again! You’re DEAD if you are in Christ—start living like it! (I’m really speaking more to myself here, dear ones!)
2) A dead person doesn’t know wounds or hurts any more. So, why do we?
3) What does this passage say is a “spiritual” act of worship?
4) I pray you all realize that love and sacrifice are “learned” acts of our wills. They do not “magically” appear the moment we believe! We are all works in process, so let’s don’t be too hard on ourselves, or on others! We can’t forget about grace!
5) So, how do we begin the process of becoming what God desires for us—living sacrifices?
6) Maybe, we have stumbled upon why there is so little evidence of love in this world and in the church today—what is it?
7) Well, I just hope some of those snubs I spoke about earlier read this one—don’t think too highly of yourself! So, there! Just kidding!
8) Truly, we can’t think to highly of ourselves. Why? Besides the passage above, please read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and James 1:17 !
1 Peter 3:8-12 (Friday) “SHARE GOD’S LOVE”
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (NIV) “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (KJV)
1) Have you ever been moved to “pity” for another human being? Please share.
2) Courteous. I once had a very dear friend say to me, “Being a Christian is really all about good manners.” Based on this passage, would you agree or disagree with her statement? Why or why not?
3) In this passage, there are three or four promises given for those who chose to love—what are they?
4) Love one another, pity one another in our weaknesses, be courteous toward one another, bless one another, control our own tongues (tough one), flee from evil, do good toward one another, seek after peace with God and man! Too difficult? Christ accomplished every one and He dwells in you! No, through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors! Let us move boldly and swiftly to change the world through the power of God’s love in us! Amen!

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