Truth and love are the two wings that make the church fly. When separated from one another, either virtue is nothing more than a mere word. Love deprived of truth deteriorates into self-love and truth divorced from love breeds self-righteousness. As the church, we must live in both the knowledge of truth and the mission of love. -Pastor Dave
Open: Have you ever had a season of life where you felt unbalanced? Describe the details:
Read: 2 John 1-6; Acts 19-20; Ephesians 5; 1 Timothy 1:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:14-16; 1 John 3:11, 16-18; Revelation 2:2-4 1.
Discuss:
1. In 2 John, why does John begin this letter by calling himself the “elder” instead of the “apostle?” What does this tell us about the approach of his letter? Which city was John pastoring?
2. Describe John’s “eureka” moment in 2 John 4: What did he find them doing? What does he warn them of? What is the “commandment” he is referring to? What does it mean to love one another?
3. How are both truth and love essential traits of Christians? How about the church? How did Christ demonstrate both of these qualities throughout His ministry? How does our culture force-feed us a false notion of love? How does our culture view truth?
4. Explain the history of truth and love in the context of the church in Ephesus: What was the end result of their journey? In what ways do you see an imbalance of truth and love in the church of our culture today? Are you personally balanced with both truth and love? Why or Why not?
5. How should our love for Christ nurture a deeper desire for the Truth of Scripture? What are some ways this happens? How does living out love grow the Truth more deeply in us?
Pray: Pray that you would live balanced with both truth and love and that Crossroads would be a church that exceeds in both truth and love in our region.
Memorize/Meditate: I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 2 John 1:4-5 O
