Bold Love

Reflection Guide
“Bold Love”

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34).

 5 Ways to Show Love:

1.        _______ it

2.       Put it in _______________________

3.       Convey love through ____________________________

4.       Acts of ___________________

5.       ___________ with those who ___________ and ___________with those who _____________

Reflect on a time when you felt most loved. What were the circumstances around that experience?

READ: 1 Corinthians chapter 13 (read it in a couple of translations)

All of the characteristic listed in verses 1-3 are good things: eloquent speech, prophecy, knowledge, giving to the poor, martyrdom. These are all things Christians should be doing (or willing to do). But when done without love, they are negative.

·         What would each of these look like if they were done without love?

·         Have you ever seen this happen? What was your response?

Verses 4-8 list characteristics of love. Some of suggested it is helpful to read through the list and substitute your name for the word, “love.” So it would read like, “Paul is patient. Paul is kind…etc”

·         Which of these manifestations of love do you struggle with the most?

·         Have you grown in one of these areas? How did that happen?

Paul talked about 5 simple ways to express love: Say it, Write it, Appropriate touch, Acts of kindness and Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. 

Reflect:

·         Which of these come easiest to you and which of these do you struggle with most?

·         As you think of your family of origin, how was love expressed?

·         What did you think of the statement that although you are formed by your past, you don’t have to be defined by it? How has your family of origin formed you? Are there ways they defined you and you would like to be different?

This message is loosely based on a book called, “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. In his book, Chapman says that your chosen love language is the way that you would most like to receive love. He writes that people should not use the love languages that they like the most but rather the love languages that their loved ones can receive. We often tend to love others in the ways we want to be loved.

The 5 Love Languages are: Words of affirmation, Gifts, Quality time, Acts of service, Physical touch (intimacy). Think about some ways that (in general) people tend to not “speak each other’s love language.”