~Open in prayer~
Icebreaker
• What is a common thing that you have never done?
• What is the most unique thing on your bucket list?
• Do you know what your spiritual gifts are?
MESSAGE REVIEW
God is easy to love, but what about loving our neighbor? When the Wright Brothers started the process of trying to fly, they were defying a law. The law of gravity saying, that man was held to the ground, but they were trying to lift man to the air. They did not change the truth of gravity, but they pressed and found a higher law of aerodynamics. So, when God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, God calls us to love on a higher level. We cannot act like the world or like our cultural distinguishment or political association. Someone must get past the chaos and tell our neighbor that we still love you after all is said and done. There must be a group of Christians that say they will not fall prey to the enemy’s assignment that has come in our day to destroy us and have us hate our brother. We still can love our God and love our neighbor.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
•Read Matthew 22:1-10 Jesus taught this parable, but it also speaks of the life of Jesus. When He went back to his hometown, and they did not receive Him. When His own people did not receive Him, he opened the door for the gentiles. The kingdom (church) should want to care for both the good and bad. How do you love people who hurt you, betrayed you, committed the worst sins? Discuss as a group and more will be shared on this next week.
•Read Matthew 22:34-40 The scripture speaks about using what God has placed in us and use it to serve others. To love God with our passions (our gifts). How can we use our gifts to show the love of God to our neighbor?
•Who is your neighbor? Anybody in your reach that you can show love to. A neighbor, a friend, the grocery clerk, the waitress, the drive thru attendant. Hold a door for someone, help a single mom, pay for the person behind you in line, take the grocery cart back. These are examples of showing others that you care. Discuss as a group. How can we exemplify that we are different than the world? How can we love with a BIGGER LOVE (God’s love)?
PRAYER FOCUS & REQUESTS
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. Before we love others, we must love ourselves. If we value ourselves correctly, we can then value others correctly. Discuss as a group for this week, is there something we need to work in ourselves so that we can love with God’s love?