Bible Study: “God’s Love” Week # 2

Subject:      The Greatest Power Ever Known: Part 2

Beginning Prayer:

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Father, as we study on You love bless us to remember that You first loved us. Give us this day our daily bread as we study this lesson on love. We praise and thank You for all You have done for us. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be accepted in You sight O Lord, our help and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen

 

Start Asking God How to Love by Faith:

I encourage you to take the first step; start loving by faith and follow that flow. It is Gods compassion streaming toward the one in need. The tug of love within you means that He is filling you with godly compassion and that He has chosen you to minister to that individual.

Ask God to manifest His tender compassion through you in some way today. As you pray, ask Him to lay someone on your heart. When you sense God's love flowing through you to that individual, find out his need and begin ministering to that need. By following the leading of Gods Spirit, you can help those whom the Lord has prepared for His transforming touch, and you will become part of His miraculous provision. When God leads you to help someone, He will enable you to do what He leads you to do.

A Japanese magazine has a picture of a butterfly on one of its pages. Its color is a dull gray until warmed by one's hand. The touch of a hand causes the special inks in the printing to react, and the dull gray is transformed into a flashing rainbow of color.

What other things can be thus changed by the warmth of your interest and agape love? Your family? Your church? Your city? This hurting world is hungry for the touch of someone who cares -- who really cares! Through God's agape kind of love, you can be that someone.

Make a List of Those Who are Difficult to Love:

What about those who seem unlikable? What about people with whom you may have difficulty getting along? Individuals whose attitudes rub you the wrong way? I encourage you to make a list of people you do not like and begin to love them by faith.

Perhaps you will place yourself on the list. Have you thought of applying the truths of 1 Corinthians 13 to yourself by faith? Ask God to help you see yourself as He sees you. You have no reason to dislike yourself when your Creator has already forgiven you and demonstrated his unconditional love by dying for you!

If Christ is in you, you are complete because Christ Himself is perfect love, perfect peace, perfect patience, perfect kindness. He is all goodness, and He is in you! Whenever Satan tries to attack you by reminding you of sins which you have already confessed or by magnifying your weaknesses and shortcomings, claim in faith the forgiveness and righteousness of God, and thank Him that, on the authority of His Word, you do not have to be intimidated by Satan's accusation.

Thank God that you are His child and that your sins are forgiven. Thank God that Satan has no control over you except that which is allowed by God. Then cast this care on the Lord as we are commanded to do in 1 Peter 5:7.

Perhaps your boss, a fellow employee, your spouse, your children or your father or mother is on the list of those whom you will love by faith. Pray for each person. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ's love for all of them. Then, seek to meet with them as you draw upon God's limitless inexhaustible, overwhelming love for them by faith. Expect God to work through you! Watch Him use your smile, your words, your patience to express His love for each individual. Love by faith every one of your "enemies" -- everyone who angers you, ignores you, bores you or frustrates you. People are waiting to be loved with God's love.

A homemaker who, through a long cold winter, had seen her family through mumps, measles, a broken nose, 3 new teeth for the baby and countless other difficulties, reached the point where these pressures and demands became too much for her. Finally, on her knees, she began to protest, "Oh Lord! I have so much to do!" But imagine her surprise when she heard herself say, "Oh Lord! I have so much to love!" You will never run out of opportunities to love by faith.

 

Remember, the agape kind of love is an act of the will, not just an emotion. You love by faith. By faith, you can claim God's step by step, person by person.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love..." Like fruit, love grows. Producing fruit requires a seed, then a flower, then pollination, then warm sun and refreshing rains, and even some contrary winds. Similarly in daily life, your love will be warmed by joy, watered by tears and spread by the winds of circumstances.

God uses all that you experience to work His will in your life. He is the one who makes your love grow. It is a continual, ever-increasing process. As Paul says, "May the Lord make your love to grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else..."

Let Love Motivate You:

Now, how does loving by faith motivate you to engage in aggressive personal evangelism and contribute to the fulfillment of the Great Commission?

When you begin to truly love God by faith with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbors as yourself, you will begin to see men as God sees them -- as individuals of great worth, as those for whom Christ died. As a result, we shall be motivated by the same love which constrained the apostle Paul who said, "Everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen." Love, God's kind of love, causes the Great Commission to become a personal responsibility and privilege. When non-Christians observe believers not only saying that they love one another, but also proving it by their actions, they, like their first-century counterparts, will marvel at "how they love one another" and will be drawn to receive and worship our Savior with us.

How exciting it is to have such a dynamic, joyful force available to us! And it all comes from our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who explicitly promises in His Word all that you need. You need not guess, nor hope, nor wish. You can claim this love by faith, right now, on the basis of God's command to love and His promise to answer whenever you pray for anything according to His will.

Why not make this prayer your own: "Lord, You would never have commanded me to love had You not intended to enable me to do so. Therefore, right now, on the authority of Your commands for me to love and on the authority of Your promise to answer if I asked anything according to Your will, I personally claim Your love -- the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love -- for You, for all people, and for myself. Amen."

 

Remember, How You Can Love by Faith is a transferable concept. You can master it by reading it six times; then pass it on to others as our Lord commands us in Matthew 28:20 "Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." The apostle Paul encouraged us to do the same: "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

 

Read verses:

This provide guidance on topics relating to love such as; relationships, marriage, family, children, strength, and love of others. The Bible says that God is love, which makes it the perfect source to learn how to love others, even those who are difficult for us to. Our world has skewed the meaning of true love but God's Word remains a steadfast, true source of knowledge on how to love. Read the below scripture from the Holy Bible about love in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith and begin seeing the change in your heart and mind!

 

Scripture Reading: (please explain what love this scripture is referring to)

(Proverbs 17:17)

 

Weekly Word:       Week # 2     Eros Love

 

Study Questions:

1.      How would you explain the difference between eros, phileo and agape love?

2.     What is unconditional love? How do you show this kind of love to others?

3.     What does Romans 8:35-39 tell us about God's love?

 

Quiz:

2) According to Jesus, which is the best way to approach God and express our love?

 With confidence that God will answer our prayers

 With confidence that we are saved by being Christians

 With humble faith and trust, like a child

 With fear of God's wrath

 

Weekly Reading Assignments: I Corinthians 13

Read Verses:

 

This provide guidance on topics relating to love such as; relationships, marriage, family, children, strength, and love of others. The Bible says that God is love, which makes it the perfect source to learn how to love others, even those who are difficult for us to. Our world has skewed the meaning of true love but God's Word remains a steadfast, true source of knowledge on how to love. Read the below scripture from the Holy Bible about love in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith and begin seeing the change in your heart and mind!

 

Weekly Reading Assignments: I Corinthians 13: I have read this week’s assignment:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, ⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; ⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; ⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. ⁸ Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

¹³ And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Week # 1

Quiz:

1. Which did Jesus say was the most important of all God's commandments?
   
    Love God with all your heart and soul.

Week # 1 Study Questions:

 

1).     List and discuss the characteristics of God's love found in 1 Corinthians 13.

 

In this chapter it talks about God's love, which is charity, and this love is agape love.

This word translated "love" (or "charity" in some translations and versions of this passage of Scripture) comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. We are to walk in faith, have hope, and must of all have love in our hearts as God has loved us. These characteristics is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

2).     Name a synonym for or give a short description of each characteristic. Share what each quality means to you.

 

A. Faith: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is the substance or assurance of things we hope for, but have not yet received. Faith (confidence, belief, trust) is also our evidence of that which is not seen—the invisible spiritual things. Faith comes before a prayer is answered or before an individual has received what he or she has requested from God. If we have received what we asked for, then faith is not needed.

B. Hope: The Greek word translated hope means "to have an expectation". As believers, we have an expectation (a hope) of spending eternity with the Lord. And because of our faith in what He accomplished for us, we can be sure that what we hope for will come to fruition. Some call this our "blessed assurance". "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen (what is happening in this world), but on what is unseen (what will happen in the next world). For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18). In other words, "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). What is happening here will soon be over for us, but what will happen there will last forever. 

C. Charity: The word charity is found primarily in the King James Version of the Bible, and it nearly always means "love." In the great "love chapter"—1 Corinthians 13—the KJV translates agape as "charity" while the modern translations render it more accurately as "love." The only use of the word charity to indicate "giving" is Acts 9:36, which refers to Dorcas, a woman "full of good works and charity." The Greek word here means "compassion, as exercised towards the poor; beneficence." The KJV translates it "almsgiving." 

 

3).     Discuss ways in which the church as a body of Christian believers can express its love for God and one another.

Scripture teaches us about ourselves, our condition, and our God. God's love, of course, is a focal point of Scripture and a focal point of our stories of salvation. God's love is aimed at the individual, yes, but also to the Body of Christ, comprised of his redeemed individuals. The local church is a centralized representative of this body, a body promised to conquer even the gates of Hell (Matt. 16:18). There are perhaps innumerable ways to describe God's love in relation to the local church, but here are four significant ways our churches can reflect God's love properly to each other and the world.

 

1.      Christ-Centered Leadership: Leaders should strive for excellence and use their gifts, but never in a way that compromises their call to love people with the love of God.

2.      Community Engagement:  Living in community with one another and in the midst of outsiders is challenging and not for the faint of heart. But we must fight for it because God's love is reflected in our love toward people. This is why the Great Commandment, according to Jesus, is to love God and love others. And this is why Jesus reminds his disciples that love for each other identifies with love for Him (John 13:35).

 

3.      Church Membership: Believes are adopted into God's family (Romans 8:15, Ephesians 5:1) to receive His blessings (Ephesians 1:14) and do His work (Ephesians 2:10). Simply put, the life of a believer is now bound to advancing His Kingdom. Believers are identified and called through new life in Christ. Jesus specifically gives the keys to this Kingdom to His followers (Matthew 16:19) and tells them that this a blood covenant (Matthew 26:28). When God's people reflect the character of Christ, bear one another's burden, break bread together, and live life on God's mission, His love is clearly evident in the midst of them. AMEN.

 

4.      Church Discipline: Discipline in the Church results in life within the body. Some of the greatest stories of repentance and rejuvenation that I've encountered (and experienced) began with a person being held accountable for their actions. Likewise, God's love for us is often disciplinary, but it is for our good (Hebrews 12:1-17).

Weekly Scripture Reading: Week # 1

(please explain what love this scripture is referring too)

(1 John 4:8, 16)

 

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

 

 I believe it’s the love of God which we should have toward one another. That love is Agape love.

The Weekly Word: Week # 1

Agape Love

This is a special term which represents the divine-love of the Lord towards his Son Jesus Christ, the human beings and all believers. This is the best of the three types of love in the bible, in fact Jesus himself showed this type of divine love to his Dad in heaven and humanity. Agape love is the love that God commanded all believers to have for everyone whether he/she is a believer or not. Agape love should never be determined by our feelings; it is more of a set of behaviors or actions. With agape, you do not have to actually feel it for you to give it, which means that you can be able to show love without feeling anything at all. At times feelings can follow after showing this kind of love.

 

Agape is universal love, such as the love for strangers, nature, or God. Unlike storge, it does not depend on filiation or familiarity. Also called charity by Christian thinkers, agape can be said to encompass the modern concept of altruism, defined as unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Recent studies link altruism with a number of benefits. In the short term, altruism leaves us with a euphoric feeling—the so-called "helper's high." In the long term, it is associated with better mental and physical health, as well as longevity. At a social level, altruism serves as a signal of cooperative intentions, and also of resource availability and so of mating or partnering potential. It also opens up a debt account, encouraging beneficiaries to reciprocate with gifts and favors that may be of much greater value to us than those with which we feel able to part. More generally, altruism, or agape, helps to build and maintain the psychological, social, and, indeed, environmental fabric that shields, sustains, and enriches us. Given the increasing anger and division in our society, and the state of our planet, we could all do with quite a bit more agape!

SHARING THOUGHTS:

The addition of faith revolutionizes the power of love.

 

The truth is not only that God loves, it is that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Everything God does is loving. He consciously chooses to reflect who He is for the good of those impacted by His redemption plans and purpose, You are never not loved by God.

This Week's Prayer:

 

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Father, as we study on You love bless us to remember that You first loved us. Give us this day our daily bread as we study this lesson on love. We praise and thank You for all You have done for us. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be accepted in You sight O Lord, our help and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen

Bible Study:

NOTE:

 

The weekly word doesn’t mean that the weekly scripture reading is the meaning of that week’s word; the assignment is to identify the different kind of words for the word (LOVE). Read the Scripture reading and then give what word you think is the meaning in that scripture. Remember there a weekly word, weekly scripture reading, and a weekly reading assignment. 

Bible Study: “God’s Love”

Subject:      The Greatest Power Ever Known: Part 1

Week # 1

 

Beginning Prayer:

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Father, as we study on You love bless us to remember that You first loved us. Give us this day our daily bread as we study this lesson on love. We praise and thank You for all You have done for us. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be accepted in You sight O Lord, our help and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen

The addition of faith revolutionizes the power of love. (Online Study)

The beautiful ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Chicago was crowded to capacity with more than 1,300 college students and Campus Crusade staff members. I explained one of the most exciting spiritual discoveries that I had ever made -- how to love by faith.

For years I had spoken on the subject of love. I had a simple 4-point outline:

God loves you unconditionally.

You are commanded to love others -- God, your neighbors, your enemies.

You are incapable of loving others in your own strength.

You can love others with God's love.

But, as in the case of most sermons on love, something was missing. Then some years ago, in an early hour of the morning, I was awakened from a deep sleep. I knew that God had something to say to me. I felt impressed to get up, open my Bible and kneel to read and pray. What I discovered during the next 2 hours has since enriched my life and the lives of tens of thousands of others. I had learned how to love. With this discovery, God gave me the command to share this wonderful truth with Christians around the world. In that life-changing time of fellowship with the Lord, I was given a fifth point for my sermon on love -- we love by faith. Love is the greatest thing in the world -- the greatest privilege and power known to man. Its emphasis in life and word changed the course of history as the first-century Christians demonstrated a quality of life never before witnessed on this earth. The Greeks, Romans, Gentiles, and Jews hated one another. The very idea of love and self-sacrifice was foreign to their thinking. When they observed Christians from many nations, with different languages and cultures, actually loving one another and sacrificing to help each other, they responded in amazement, "Behold, how these people love one another!"

I challenged the students at the conference to become part of a revolution of love. I suggested that they make a list of all the individuals they did not like and begin to love them by faith.

Early the next morning, a young woman with sparkling eyes and face aglow said to me, "My life was changed last night. For many years I have hated my parents. I haven't seen them since I was 17, and now I am 22. I left home as a result of a quarrel 5 years ago and haven't written or talked to them since, though they have tried repeatedly to encourage me to return home. I determined that I would never see them again. I hated them.

"Before becoming a Christian a few months ago," she continued, "I had become a drug addict, a dope pusher and a prostitute. Last night you told me how to love my parents, and I could hardly wait to get out of that meeting and call them. Can you believe it? I now really love them with God's kind of love and can hardly wait to see them."

Everybody wants to be loved. Most psychologists agree that man's greatest need is to love and be loved. No barrier can withstand the mighty force of love.

There are 3 Greek words translated into the one English word "love"; eros, which suggests sensual desire -- it does not appear in the New Testament; phileo, which is used for friendship or love of one's friends or relatives -- it conveys a sense of loving someone because he is worthy of love; and agape, which is God's love: the purest, deepest kind of love -- it is expressed not through mere emotions but as an act of one's will.

Agape is God's supernatural, unconditional love for you revealed supremely through our Lord's death on the cross for our sins. It is the supernatural love He wants to produce in you and through you to others, by His Holy Spirit. Agape love is given because of the character of the person loving rather than because of the worthiness of the object of that love. Sometimes it is love "in spite of" rather than "because of."

God underscores the importance of this kind of love through the inspired pen of the apostle Paul, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 13. In this beautiful and remarkable passage of Scripture, Paul writes that, apart from love, anything that you might do for God or others is of no value. Consider these words:

If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them, and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn't love others, I would only be making noise.

If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would it do? Even If I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love.

If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn't love others, it would be of no value whatever.

In other words, no matter what you do for God and for others, it is of no value unless you are motivated by God's love.

 Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we live in a world where the security we once seemed to enjoy has been eroded right away and so many dark clouds of unknowing seen to be looming on the future's unpredictable horizon - and all that seemed to be so secure and reliable has turned to sawdust in our hands and evaporated like the morning mist. But Lord we praise Your name that we can entrust our future in Your safe-keeping, knowing that Your love surrounds us and that Your grace is sufficient.. no matter how black the circumstances of life may appear. Thank You Lord that You hold the world in the palm of Your hand, and nothing can snatch us from that secure position in Him. Thank You that we are accepted in the beloved and loved by the Father and thank You Lord that no danger may overtake any of Your children, that is not permitted by You – and which will not be used to fulfill a just and glorious purpose. Keep our hearts from unnecessary fretting or worry and in the power of the Holy Spirit may we build ourselves up in your most holy faith.. by praying in spirit and truth and walking the way of righteousness. May we learn day by day to prevent our eyes from focusing on the trials and tribulations that are coming on the earth - and rather help us to look to Jesus, knowing that in all things He is the victor - and we are securely positioned in Him - through time and into eternity...Thank You in Jesus name, Amen

Scripture Reading: (please explain what love this scripture is referring too (1John 4:8, 16)

Weekly Word:       Agape Love

 Week # 1     Study Questions:

1).     List and discuss the characteristics of God's love found in 1 Corinthians 13.

2).     Name a synonym for or give a short description of each characteristic. Share what each quality means to you.

3).     Discuss ways in which the church as a body of Christian believers can express its love for God and one another.

 Quiz:

1) Which did Jesus say was the most important of all God's commandments?

 Love God with all your heart and soul.

 Love your neighbor as yourself.

 Do not murder.

 Honor your father and mother.

Read verses that provide guidance on topics relating to love such as; relationships, marriage, family, children, strength, and love of others. The Bible says that God is love, which makes it the perfect source to learn how to love others, even those who are difficult for us to. Our world has skewed the meaning of true love but God's Word remains a steadfast, true source of knowledge on how to love. Read the below scripture from the Holy Bible about love in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith and begin seeing the change in your heart and mind!

Weekly Reading Assignments: I Corinthians 13:4-8

Bible Study: “God’s Love” Introduction:

 

God's love is not like ours. Human love is an intense affection for another person that is based on feelings and can change from moment to moment. In contrast, divine love is unconditional because it is not based on what we do or don't do, but on God's nature. God's nature is consistent, and so is His love for us. If Christ is our Savior, we never have to worry that the Lord is angry with us.

Perhaps the best example of the nature of God's love is the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke chapter 15. The father's love never changed even though the son left home, wasted his wealth, and ended up destitute. As soon as the father saw his son returning, he ran to him and hugged him—not because he started to love him at that moment, but because he'd never stopped loving him. And that's the kind of love God has for us.

 

God's love is also sacrificial. Because He is holy, true, and just, everyone who sins must bear the penalty for his sins (Ezekiel 18:4 ). That's why we all deserve to be separated from the Lord forever. Yet He also loves us and desires that we be saved. That's why He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. This was the only way He could remain true to His nature and still forgive sins.

 

The Son of God was born of a virgin, grew to adulthood, and died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for us. Jesus' resurrection proved that His death was sufficient payment for all mankind's sin. Now when we believe in Christ and repent of our sins, God is able to justly forgive us because the penalty for our sins has been fully paid by His Son. Without Jesus, there would be no forgiveness of sins.

Jesus came to give mankind eternal life. We don't have to understand all that's involved in the process; we simply need to respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction,

recognize our sinful condition, and ask Jesus to forgive us and save us. At that moment, the Lord seals us for Himself with His Holy Spirit forever (Ephesians 4:30). Nothing can break His seal because it is held fast by His power. When Christ is our Savior, we are eternally secure, awaiting our redemption as children of God. AMEN.

This study is about God's love for His own, for His people, and for His sheep. Every human being belongs to God, because He is the Great Creator. In this study we will talk about God's love, so we can start or continue to walk in love, His love, not selfish love. We will study about different types of love. We will have a weekly lesson, quiz, a weekly word, questions, scripture reading, and prayer. I pray you enjoy this study; God bless you.

The weekly words will be (agape, eros, philos/philia, storge, ludus, pragma, philautia, and mania) These words represent the English word love. Look them up and apply them to our study as directed.

Study Contents:

Week #1….The Greatest Power Ever Known Part 1

Week #2….The Greatest Power Ever Known Part 2

Week #3….Truth about Love (God's loves unconditionally)

Week #4….Truth about Love (You can love with God's Love by Faith)

Week #5….The Unconditional Love of God

Week #6….The Greatest Power has changed History

Week #7….God's Kind of Love

Week #8….God Love me, no matter what!

Conclusion:

 

Note: These lessons are partially from the internet online studies. This way I can get more out of the lessons for myself.

 

Our study Prayer:

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Father, as we study on You love bless us to remember that You first loved us. Give us this day our daily bread as we study this lesson on love. We praise and thank You for all You have done for us. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be accepted in You sight O Lord, our help and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen

Bible Study: “God’s Love” Introduction:

 

God's love is not like ours. Human love is an intense affection for another person that is based on feelings and can change from moment to moment. In contrast, divine love is unconditional because it is not based on what we do or don't do, but on God's nature. God's nature is consistent, and so is His love for us. If Christ is our Savior, we never have to worry that the Lord is angry with us.

Perhaps the best example of the nature of God's love is the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke chapter 15. The father's love never changed even though the son left home, wasted his wealth, and ended up destitute. As soon as the father saw his son returning, he ran to him and hugged him—not because he started to love him at that moment, but because he'd never stopped loving him. And that's the kind of love God has for us.

 

God's love is also sacrificial. Because He is holy, true, and just, everyone who sins must bear the penalty for his sins (Ezekiel 18:4 ). That's why we all deserve to be separated from the Lord forever. Yet He also loves us and desires that we be saved. That's why He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. This was the only way He could remain true to His nature and still forgive sins.

 

The Son of God was born of a virgin, grew to adulthood, and died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for us. Jesus' resurrection proved that His death was sufficient payment for all mankind's sin. Now when we believe in Christ and repent of our sins, God is able to justly forgive us because the penalty for our sins has been fully paid by His Son. Without Jesus, there would be no forgiveness of sins.

Jesus came to give mankind eternal life. We don't have to understand all that's involved in the process; we simply need to respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction, 

recognize our sinful condition, and ask Jesus to forgive us and save us. At that moment, the Lord seals us for Himself with His Holy Spirit forever (Ephesians 4:30). Nothing can break His seal because it is held fast by His power. When Christ is our Savior, we are eternally secure, awaiting our redemption as children of God. AMEN.

This study is about God's love for His own, for His people, and for His sheep. Every human being belongs to God, because He is the Great Creator. In this study we will talk about God's love, so we can start or continue to walk in love, His love, not selfish love. We will study about different types of love. We will have a weekly lesson, quiz, a weekly word, questions, scripture reading, and prayer. I pray you enjoy this study; God bless you.

The weekly words will be (agape, eros, philos/philia, storge, ludus, pragma, philautia, and mania) These words represent the English word love. Look them up and apply them to our study as directed.

 

Study Contents:

 

Week #1….The Greatest Power Ever Known Part 1

Week #2….The Greatest Power Ever Known Part 2

Week #3….Truth about Love (God's loves unconditionally)

Week #4….Truth about Love (You can love with God's Love by Faith)

Week #5….The Unconditional Love of God

Week #6….The Greatest Power has changed History

Week #7….God's Kind of Love

Week #8….God Love me, no matter what!

Conclusion:

 

Note: These lessons are partially from the internet online studies. This way I can get more out of the lessons for myself.

 

Our study Prayer:

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Father, as we study on You love bless us to remember that You first loved us. Give us this day our daily bread as we study this lesson on love. We praise and thank You for all You have done for us. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be accepted in You sight O Lord, our help and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen