3.1.16 Bible Study
Subject: The Ingredients for Love
Romans 12:9-16 (MSG)
9-10Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Introduction
How should the believer relate to other believers? How should he treat believers and behave towards them? The subject is of vital concern to Christ. If we are full of God’s love, it will overflow to others. Life is much better with God as the center ingredient: problems turn into solutions; fear turns into hope; and anger turns to love.
1. Love must be sincere.
a. “let love be genuine” (v. 9a. GW)
b. Genuine literally means without hypocrisy.
2. Love must be discerning.
3. Love must display tender affection
4. Love must honor others.
5. Love must be enthusiastic.
6. Love must be patient.
7. Love must be generous.
8. Love must pursue hospitality.
9. Love must be kind.
10. Love must show sympathy.
11. Love must live in harmony.
12. Love must show humility.
13. Conclusion:
As we come to an end of this study, I can only comment that our churches would be happier if you took this passage to heart and stir in these ingredients into our life.
What do we do when it seems that love is not working? Increase the dosage.
Pray and ask the Lord to bring specific people to your ind that you may mix these ingredients and improve the quality in your life.
It is easy (and spiritually dangerous) to be non-specific when it comes to love. If we are to grow in this area, our
love must reach out to specific people we meet this week. They may come to us through an email or a phone
call or at a meeting or when we are in a big hurry and on our way to do something really important and we don’
t have time to be bothered and when we would be glad to hem them later but they need help now. What will we d
o them?
That’s the real test of love. Or the test may come in dealing with the same old grumpy people you life with or work with or go to school with every single day. Grumpy people need love, and who will do it if not you?
MIX THE INGREDIENTS FOR LOVE AND BUILD A COMMUNITY OF LOVE.
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2.9.16 Bible Study
The Way of Love
There is no question; what the world needs more than anything else is love. If people loved each other, really loved each other, there would be no more war, crime, abuse, injustice, poverty, hunger, starvation, homelessness, deprivation, or immorality. Love is the one ingredient that could revolutionize society. Love is the greatest quality of human life. Love is the supreme quality, the most excellent way for a man to love.
I. The love of God has preeminence over every subject discussed in the Word of God.
A. Love encompasses everything.
B. Nothing in your life, finances, family, healing, and so on-will work to its full potential until you perfect
your love walk. (Galatians 5:6).
C. Love is not an option (John 15:12)
D. We must strive to increase our love for people (I Thessalonians 3:12)
E. Our power is derived from our relationship with others.
II. You must deal with selfishness in your life.
A. Removing the stony heart (Ezekiel 36:26)
B. Loving others will use people to recognize you as a disciple (John 13:34-35).
III.Practice the way of LOVE (I Corinthians 13:1-3 AMP)
A. Love endures long
B. Love is patient
C. Love is kind (Ephesians 4:32 AMP)
D. Love is not envious ( James 3:16)
E. Love is not jealous
F. Love is not boastful
G. Love is not haughty (Proverbs 16:18)
H. Love is not conceited
I. Love is not rude
IV. Conclusion
A. The great importance of love . Unequivocally, the decree is pronounced; the judgement is given; the verdict is declared:
1. The superior quality of life is love; it is no gifts.
2. The most excellent way to live and serve is to possess and share love; it is not gifts.
B. The contrast between love and gifts is vivid. Three verdicts are declared and the verdicts stress with resounding fo
Verdict one: tongues without love are meaningless.
A person can possess the gift and ability to speak and share Christ in all the languages of the world, but if he does not have love, he becomes only a clanging and tinkling noise. His speech is meaningless.
A person can possess the spiritual gift of tongues, that is, speak in the heavenly language of angels; but if he does not have love, he becomes only a clanging and tinkling noise. His heavenly, angelic language is meaningless.
Note the phrase he becomes. This is a crucial point: The gifted person’s speech is not only meaningless, the person himself becomes meaningless. He becomes useless in his life and ministry for Christ. Love is far more superior than the gift of tongues.
C. Verdict two: gifts without love are no thing.
1. Not only is his gift of prophecy nothing, but he is nothing.
2. Not only would his understanding and knowledge be nothing, he would be nothing.
3. Imagine a person possessing “all faith” yet, if he did not possess love, he would be nothing.
D. Verdict three: giving without love profits nothing.
1. Imagine giving everything- “bestowing all my goods to feed the poor- yet, if I have not love, it profits me nothing.
2. Yet, if a person does not have love, his martyrdom profits him nothing. He dies in vain.
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