Every week you’ll find different types of posts here on the ABS blog. Today’s post is for teachers, to encourage conversation and reflection in your Bible study group. Each “Let’s Talk About” activity can be used at any time during your meeting and lasts approximately 10-15 minutes.

Today, let's talk about...

LOVE PAVES THE WAY FOR CHANGE

1 John 3:18-24

Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. ¹⁹ This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence. ²⁰ Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence in relationship to God. ²² We receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³ This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love each other as he commanded us. ²⁴ Those who keep his commandments dwell in God and God dwells in them. This is how we know that he dwells in us, because of the Spirit he has given us.

Key Verse:

Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. —1 John 3:18

Commentary:

The Book of 1 John is about love. Remember that loving action looks different from emotionless action. Loving with action and truth means leading with God’s agenda, not our own. Grieving with those who mourn is loving action. Speaking against violence for those who cannot speak is loving action. Marching to show solidarity for change is loving action. Advocating for change and positively engaging others in a cause is loving action. Negotiating with civility, truth, and respect is loving action.

Questions to discuss:

When working to create real change, how can we act with truth and love?

How can showing our love through loving actions create an atmosphere where change is more likely to occur?

TAKE AWAY

Trying to outwit one another on social media (or face to face) will never move us closer to safer communities. As Christians, we are called to engage in the political framework of our time to work for justice and peace. We can do that by staying faithful to the teachings of Jesus and by leading with loving actions and words.