CONNECT: How can the depth of joy in Jesus transform one trouble that you’re currently experiencing?

WARM-UP

1. What do you think the world’s standard of love is? How does this compare to God’s love?
2. What has been your most positive experience of God’s love in the context of Christian community?

Read 1 John 4:7-10

1. What is meant by “God is love”? What does it mean for God to be the author and source of love?
2. Why is saying “love is God” different from John’s claim that “God is love”?
3. How does disconnecting our understanding of love from God ultimately result in us either worshipping the idea of love and/or adopting a diminished view of love?
4. As per the passage, what is God’s standard of love? What has been your experience of this?
5. What causes you to marvel most about the nature of God’s love?
6. Do you ever struggle with accepting God’s love? What has helped? What has not helped?
7. How can we grow in our appreciation and acceptance of God’s extraordinary love for us?

Read 1 John 4:11-21

1. How does God equip and enable us to love in such an extraordinary way? Is there something in particular that you need to ask for help with from God in order to love others more?
2. What does perfect love drive out? What does this mean in the context of judgment?
3. How is our act of loving others actually a declaration of God to the world? If we fail to love, how can this reflect on God?
4. How do you see God’s love expressed in the context of our community? How could we grow in this?
5. Why is hating others incompatible with a claim to love God? What was happening in John’s context?
6. In a society the is fractured on many fronts, how can we - at St Bart’s - demonstrate God’s love even amidst disagreement? How can we remind one another of the things of ‘first importance’?

Apply How can you grow in BOTH your experience and expression of God’s love this Christmas?

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On Your Frontline This Week: In this season, meals can be an amazing opportunity for relationships and pointing to God. How can you use grace at meals to point to Jesus this Christmas?

Listen, Watch, and Read:          

• AUDIO: “Perfected in Love” by Charlie Skrine
• AUDIO: “The Love of God” by Tom Wright:
• AUDIO (PAID): “Love” by David Bisgrove:

Series Resources:

Some helpful resources for our Series:

• Series overview both in PDF and Audiobook
• Advent Devotional by Tim and Kathy Keller

Grow as Families

Each week St Bart’s Kids and CHARGE Youth provides resources for you to use at home. Join the livestream and then spend 30 minutes to work through these together.

Families: Read, Chat, Do, and Pray

High School: CHARGE Discussion Questions

Kids’ Talk: Watch the Kids’ Talk

eBook: Watch the eBook

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