LESSON ONE Discussion Questions (click more)

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I. LECTURE

Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can!

II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK

True love is so much more than a feeling, it is something beyond us and found only in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. True love is impossible apart from Christ and His righteousness. Praise God that for every believer we have been crucified with Christ, we no longer live for ourselves, but live for Christ who loved us and laid down His life for us. We have been given the love of Christ, but we must learn to live in this love. The more fully we learn to live in Him, the more we will enjoy Him and His love, and the more we will glorify Him. Life is a battle. We must daily ask the Lord for His grace to help us follow Him, walk in His love, love Him, and extend His love. The goal of this study is to learn how to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as we would want to be loved. To learn how to keep our eyes fixed on Christ no matter what happens, no matter what someone says. To live and to love is Christ.

III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK

1. Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on.

DAY ONE Devotion: The Love of Our Life

2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?

DAY TWO

3. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:1-12. Will someone share which Beatitude spoke most powerfully to your heart? How so?

4. Going Deeper Question #1 - Based on Matthew 5:13-16, what does the Lord say you are? What are the phrases He uses to describe you? What do Jesus’ warnings mean?

DAY THREE

5. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:17-20. What do you hear Jesus saying in regard to the law? How can we measure up to the standard?

6. Going Deeper Question #1 - Which scripture did the Lord use to teach you about righteousness and who you are in Christ?

7. Question #2 - Which of Jesus’ warnings from Matthew 23 did you take most to heart? Why?

DAY FOUR

8. Quiet Moment - Read Ephesians 4:22-24. How can our love abound more and more? How do we express our love for Christ? What does Paul tell the Ephesians to do?

9. Going Deeper Question #2 - What would it look like in your life if you were to live out His righteousness every day? What would need to change in your thinking, in your heart, in your actions, and in your relationships?

10. Question #3 - What works do you long for the Lord to do through you, that all who see will marvel at Him?

DAY FIVE

11. Quiet Moment – Where and when do you struggle feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by your sinfulness?

12. Going Deeper Question #1 - Where do you see hypocrisy in your own life: when you are alone, with your family, or in public?

13. Question #2 - Would someone be willing to be transparent and vulnerable and read their letter to the Lord from the end of Day Five? Your sharing might help someone else come to a better understanding of the wall they face in their life and in their relationship with the Lord.

IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER

V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME

We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by always going first.

VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER