Having the Heart of Jesus: Discussion Questions from 1 John 2

How would you define "LOVE"?

Not all "loves" are the same (eg. I love hot-dogs is not parallel to I love Marianne). How would you explain the word "love" in John's command to not love the world?

Read the three ways John defines "love of the world". Give specific examples of what those things might look like for someone in your age living in West Michigan. Is it possible to "do" or "have" the things of the world without "loving" them? Why or why not?

Why do people get married? How does a relationship change when you move from dating to marriage? (MOVE TOWARD "TEMPORAL" vs. "PERMANENT" v.16-17) Once you are married, do you date other people? Why or why not? How might the analogy of marriage be similar to verse 15?

Use the following verses to discuss what should be the Christian's relationship with the world? Have different group members look at each verse and then tell the group what they think it says about relating to the world.
o Matthew 5:13-16
o 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
o 1 Peter 2:11-12
o Titus 2:11-14

How does the marriage analogy inform our opinion on this issue? Does a man never interact with other women once he is married? Does the way he interacts change? Are there "lines" of appropriate behavior?

The analogy breaks down when we talk about evangelism. How do we interact with the world in such a way that we can be "relevant" but not "unfaithful"? How do we know when to "ask for the question?" (We usually wait too long.)

What do we need to do about this?