REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“Love Versus Fear”

 

ICEBREAKER:  Tell us 3 things you love about the Holidays.

(Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years)

 

OUTLINE:  The Fruit of Fear

Fear Grips and immobilizes

Fear causes palms to sweat and eyes to waver 

Fear makes panic and causes heart palpitations

Fear blocks logic, reason and rational thought

Fear causes thoughts to run in patterns that are harmful, like a mouse in a maze. 

Fear blocks creativity  

Fear removes peace 

Fear destroys hope  

Fear moves one into hate 

Fear is the wrong motivation for anything

 

Types of Love - There are four categories of love in the Greek language. 

1.    Storge is family affection. 

2.    Eros is physical love.

3.    Phileo is friendship love. 

4.    Agape love is generous and unselfish love.    Agape love is the Love God is and gives. 

 

Storge is family affection. Storge means the love of a parent to a child and a child to the parent. Storge talks about family affection between family members. Even when there are quarrels, the emotional bond and affection of storge is as “blood is thicker than water”.  Storge is a “survival” type of love. 

Eros is physical love. Eros is the physical love and affection between a man and a woman.  When people “fall in love”, emotions cause eros love. The Eros of a married couple is good (Genesis 1:28; Gen 2:18-25).  Without Eros man would not be fruitful and multiply.  Unfortunately, the selfishness and perversion of people turn Eros to evil.  That is how we got the word Erotic. 

Phileo is friendship love.  Phileo is good friendship between various people, ranging from deep and close friendships to those that are more shallow.  Phileo has to do with the relationship of one person to another person with a friendly affection and endearment. Good emotional bonds create Phileo love.  Phileo love can grow between family members as relationships mature.  “I phileo you”, good friends can say one to another. 

Agape love is distinctly different from all the others. Storge love, eros love and phileo love are based on a person’s emotional bonding and affection.  These kinds of love are limited by a person’s feelings, emotions, relationship, and circumstances.  

Agape love is based on the will of a person over feelings, moods, emotions, type of relationship, and circumstances.  Agape love is shown with deliberate actions and decisions to love for the overall betterment.  Agape love is not only extended to people you know, but it also extends to people you do not know well and your enemies.  This is how God is (John 15:23-25; Romans 1:28-32; Romans 5:6-11). 

Agape love seeks out the best and highest good for every person whether the person is evil or good. When relating with a person, no matter their strengths, weaknesses, bad or good points are, one who has Agape love thinks, “What is the best good I can do for this person?”  The highest good does not mean that there will be no pain in life, but that the outcome will produce the best character within that person.  (Romans 8:28-30; Proverbs 3:11,12; Proverbs 19:18; Hebrews 12:5,6,7,8; the life of Joseph in Genesis 30-46) 

Agape love is the kind of love that God demonstrates.  “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt. 5:45

Agape love is universal or for every person that exists in this world. Agape love is a free gift to every person without prejudice and without consideration of their worthiness to be loved.  (John 3:16)  

Agape love is eternal and unending.  (1 Kings 10:9, Psalm 37:28, Rom. 8:37-39)

Agape love never changes.  Agape love can never grow more or become less since it is always magnificently, gloriously, generously, grand and large. The other types of love depend on circumstances, but Agape love is the type God is, so it remains unchangeable.  (Malachi 3:6) 

Agape love never fails.  Agape love is unstoppable and always prevails for the right and the most good.  (1Corinthians 13:8)  The flow of Agape love from the heart of God is through His Son Jesus and is a benevolent love for all and everyone. (Romans 8:1,2) 

Agape love is an underserved love, that means that it is given to those who do not deserve it by their words, actions, attitudes, thoughts, what they have or do not have.  (Romans 5:6-8) Agape love is without favoritism and God invites everyone to receive His Agape love.  Agape love is given without condition or dependence on the recipient of this immense love.  Agape love is given without a need for having love returned. 

Agape love is demonstrated by a person when he or she obeys God and is committed to God.  (John 14:15, 21; 2 John 6; Phil 1:9; Gal 5:22,23; Lk 11:42-43; 1 Jn 2:5) 

 

TEXT: 1 Tim 1:7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13

 

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. What does perfect love feel like to you?

 

2. What has been one of the greatest fears in your life?

 

3. Who has been the easiest and who has been the hardest person for you to love in your life? Explain.

 

4. How would your life have been or be different if you had never experienced fear?

 

5. What does the Bible mean when it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom?

 

6. Our guest speaker on Sunday used the illustration of his fear of Pit bull dogs to explain how perfect love casts out all fear. He said if a Pit bull dog was attacking a kitten he probably wouldn’t do anything but if that same dog was attacking his daughter he would have no problem fighting the dog. The reason is that his fear is greater than his love for the kitten but his love for his daughter is greater than his fear of the dog.  Our love for God and the people in His world must become greater than our fear of the enemy. How does one fall deeper in love with God and others? (Clue: Mat 6:21) Name a treasure.

 

7. Why are men so afraid of putting up the Christmas decorations? LOL