Of these three words—faith, hope and love—that became the early Christian shorthand for a well-lived life with Jesus, love is easily the most popular. We use the word love, in our world, to describe our affections for a puppy or a taco or something we "Like" on Facebook. We use it to talk about our sexual encounters and our encounters of genuine friendship. But we rarely use it to mean what the Bible means when it uses the word, "love": the willingness to give up everything we have to give everyone else everything they need, whether someone within the Church, a total stranger or a mortal enemy. But that, and only that, is the mark of someone who has truly given their whole lives to Jesus Christ in faith and hope.

1. Prior to this week's conversation, how would you have defined the word "love"? By this definition would you have considered yourself a "loving person"? Why or why not?

• Why do you think our culture is so "love-obsessed" right now?
• What do you think people generally mean when they use the word "love": affection (storge), passion (eros), friendship (philia), or self-sacrificing devotion to serving each other (agape)?
• Considering how much we use the word, how well do you think our culture does at love?
• In which forms of love do you think our culture excels? Fails? Why?

2. Would you say that you have generally felt loved by God? Why or why not?

• Which of those three categories (affection, attraction/passion, friendship) would have most affected your understanding of God's love for you? Why?
• Would this understanding of God's love impacted your sense of God's love for you positively or negatively? Why?
• Read 1 John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8. Summary how you now understand God's love, as distinguished from affection, attraction/passion, and friendship?
• How does the definition of love talked about this weekend changed your sense of God's love for you?

3. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. Defined in these terms, in what ways do you need Jesus to make you a more loving person?

• How are you at being interminally patient with difficult people and kind to them? (Read 1 John 3:17-18 for a deeper description of "kindness".)
• How are you at not being competitive (not making comparisons or treating someone as a rival), boastful and attention-seeking, and full of yourself?
• How are you at not callously disregarding the feelings of, and prioritizing yourself ahead of, other people? At not doing things primarily (or exclusively) for yourself?
• How are you at being not easily provoked, offended or angered and endlessly willing to forgive and forget people's offenses, regarless of how eggregious or how often they have offended you?
• How are you at not delighting in evil/injustice, when someone gets what's coming to them, but celebrating every time something good happens to anyone (even if it's not you) and living to see that happen?
• How is persistent and persevering is your love in the face of difficult circumstances?
• How much does your desire to love demand greater faith in Jesus? How much does it hope in the saving power of God, never losing heart?

4. Read Galatians 6:9-10. How widespread is your love? How well do you do at loving everybody that God calls us to love?

• Are there people in the Church whom you have a difficult time loving sacrifically and generously, that you struggle to love in the ways we've just discussed? Why?
• Are there people from outside of your immediate circle of family and friends that you have a hard time caring about? That you struggle to get motivated to love in a deeply generous and sacrificial way? Why?
• Are there people that you feel genuine distaste for (an individual, race, social group, or class), someone you have no use for or maybe even hate? Are there people who hate you? How are you doing at loving them, sacrifically and generously?
• What is one thing you can do to address your "love deficit" with those people, even this week?

5. If you have time, review the entire 13Thirteen series as a group. What stood out as a highlight, as the most significant learning or experience during this series? What was that so significant for you?

• Was there any part of the series that you seriously struggled with? Why was that such a struggle for you?
• How do you think people who do not love or follow Jesus would respond to us differently if we were to become people of deeper faith, hope and love? What do you think would have the biggest impact on "outsiders" to faith?
• What is one thing that you will commit to being different in the way that you live as a follower of Jesus because of this series? How can our group support you in that change?
• Pray for each other, for your experience and expression of faith, hope and love. Pray for those who don't yet love Jesus, that they would be deeply impacted by our renewed devotion to Jesus in these ways.