Week 8: Why should followers of Christ love one another?

So far this month we’ve learned that followers of Christ are connected in a community of faith and serve one another as the body of Christ. This week we’ll look at how members of God’s family should speak and behave.

Be ready to read the following passages:

Let’s start it.

Take turns finishing the following sentence, “God is…”

Let’s learn it.

Since the people in our church family are a group of Christ followers, it would make sense to follow His teachings in the Bible – right? Well then, let’s read what Jesus said in John 13:34-35.

Jesus was talking to His twelve disciples. Some people might think that Jesus would want His closest friends to be known for performing great miracles or for being excellent preachers, but He said that their love for one another should be what other people noticed first. It was evidence that Jesus had changed their hearts and minds. John, one of Jesus’ disciples, later wrote about why Christians are commanded to love one another. What did he say in 1 John 4:7-8 and 4:19-21?

If God is your heavenly Father, then you have His loving nature inside of you. That makes it possible to love the members of His family. The Holy Spirit gives you the ability to truly care about other people, even those who are hard to get along with. What did Paul write in Romans 12:9-18 about how to put godly love into action?

We’re usually loyal to the people we love the most and want to spend time with them. That should be just as true for your church family as it is for the family you live with. Have someone read Hebrews 10:24-25 to understand why God wants believers to spend time together. When we go to church, we get the chance to encourage one another to show the love we have received from God by being helpful, kind, and compassionate. Since God is love, those who know God should genuinely love one another. Godly love isn’t just a feeling; it can be seen by how you talk and how you act.

Let’s discuss it.

  1. How has someone shown love for you in a way that other people could see?
  2. When did another follower of Christ encourage you? How did your attitudes or feelings change as a result?
  3. Tell your family about a time you were able to share in the happiness of a friend.  Can you think of a time you cried with a friend who was hurt or extremely sad?

Let’s do it.

What do people at school and church say about you? Do they recognize that you are a Christ follower by how loving you are? You don’t have to answer this out loud, but think about anything you have said or done this week that didn’t show the love of your heavenly Father. Ask God to help you get rid of any anger or pride that’s getting in the way of really loving someone.

Wrap up by making a list of encouraging and helpful things you can do this week. Start with how family members can put God’s love into action with one another, and then talk about how you can help and encourage people in your church family. Each of you choose one thing from the list and be ready to share the results with your family next week.

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