February 6th | February 13th

 

                                                                 February 6, 2022 

                                                     You Know Him 

                                                   Pastor Kaye Kolde      

 

 

1. Read 3 John. What does "the elder," presumably John, praise in this letter and what seems 

to draw rebuke?  What can you relate to the themes you've heard so far in 1 John?

 

2. Read 1 John 2:12-14.  What are the assurances that John is giving the church, and what lies do these assurances counteract?  

 

3. Read 1 John 2:15-15-17.  Why can this be potentially in tension with what we read in John 3:16-17 or Matt. 25:34-40, or Mark 12:29-31.  Jesus sends us into the world and tells us to go and make disciples; what's the danger in seeing holiness as only separation, or even disdain for the world?

 

What kind of temptations come from the "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" for people today?  Do you see any connection between these verses and what John has written so far in this letter?

 

4.  Read 1 John 2:18-22.  What do people usually think of when they hear the term "anti-christ"?  When you know that Christ means anointed one, or Messiah, how does that change your understanding of both anti-christs and being people with an anointing?  How do you understand "last hour" in v. 18 when it is 2000 years later and Christ hasn't returned - what has stayed the same ever since the church was born?

 

5.  Read 1 John 2:22-27.  How are we "anointed" as followers of Jesus, and what confidence does this gift give us (go back to v. 20, and to John 14:16-17, 26-27)? Remain is another key repeated word in this passage - how can the idea of remaining or dwelling with Father, Son, and Spirit in fellowship bring us assurance?

 

6.  Pray for one another to know Jesus more and more through the Holy Spirit, and pray for each person to have rest in Christ even when turmoil arises.  You know Him!

 

 

 

 

                                                               February 13, 2022 

                                                     Being Beloved  

                                                   Pastor Kaye Kolde  

 

1. How does your own experience with family, especially your parents, make it more challenging or help you to better understand God's love for you as a Father and to know what it means to be his beloved?  

 

2.  Read 1 John 3:1-3.  What is the source or cause of our belovedness, and how can that give you confidence?  Read also Luke 3:21-22 or Romans 8:1-7.

 

3. Read v. 4-6.  List all the benefits of being a child of God that you can think of, and celebrate!  Read also 1 Peter 1:3-5 and discuss what you learn about God and what you learn about people.  

Why does our identity guarantee a different future according to John?

 

4.  Read 1 John 3:7-10.  What seems to be confusing about what John is saying here?  How can you understand it within the bigger picture of what we've learned about our assurance in this letter?  How should our identity correspond with our heart change?

 

5.  Read 1 John 3:11-15.  How does life in Christ actually up the expectation compared to the Law?  Read also Matthew 5:21-22 and consider the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5.

 

6.  Read 1 John 3:16-23 out loud as a group then silently as individuals, and note what the Spirit draws your attention to, then discuss those insights or questions.

 

7.  As a group pray a blessing over each person that agrees with who God says they are.  If you are not sure how to do this, look up scriptures about God's love and pray for them personalizing  with their name or "you."  (ie. 1 Jn. 3:1, Rom. 8:15, Jn. 15:9-11)

“To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer. It is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a blessing is to affirm, to say ‘yes’ to a person’s Belovedness.” 

― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

 

 

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