1. Love. Perhaps one of the best known passages on love is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. How does love relate to service? Is love a feeling, or an attitude, or a decision, or all of these, or something else? Connect this with Philippians 2:1-4; how does humility fit into the picture (Romans 12:3-21 and 1 Peter 5:6)?
2. Acts 20:32-35, Matthew 25:34-46. Here are some passages about service. How do they relate to love? See an example of Pharisee-ism (Matthew 23:4; especially, “will not lift a finger”). How is service at odds with Pharisee-ism; how are the hearts and attitudes different?
3. Let’s look at faith and works in James 2:14-26. What is the difference between faith and works? How are they complementary? How does this passage relate to our discussion of the previous questions? What is the attitude behind service? Does that attitude come naturally? Can that attitude be built up? How?
4. Here is a poem/prayer about service, from the YMCA Rag Program:
O, Lord, I pray, that from this day
No love of ease
Nor pride prevent my good intent
Not to be pleased, but to please.
This, too, I pray, that from this day
I may not swerve
By foot or hand from Thy command
Not to be served, but to serve.
Is it easy to serve? How does this poem/prayer make you feel? Mark 10:43-45 might be encouraging. Whose example do we follow; why do we serve? Recall what Jesus has done for us (stop and think about it!). As always, where does our strength come from (see Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 119:28)? How are ways we can be strengthened to serve (see prayer & scripture: Psalm 1, speech: Proverbs 10:11 & Ephesians 4:29, works: Hebrews 10:24-25). Will being in a community of people living out their faith strengthen us and encourage us (see 1 Thessalonians 3:6)?
5. Discussion about how we (as CCF) want to put this discussion into action.
2. Acts 20:32-35, Matthew 25:34-46. Here are some passages about service. How do they relate to love? See an example of Pharisee-ism (Matthew 23:4; especially, “will not lift a finger”). How is service at odds with Pharisee-ism; how are the hearts and attitudes different?
3. Let’s look at faith and works in James 2:14-26. What is the difference between faith and works? How are they complementary? How does this passage relate to our discussion of the previous questions? What is the attitude behind service? Does that attitude come naturally? Can that attitude be built up? How?
4. Here is a poem/prayer about service, from the YMCA Rag Program:
O, Lord, I pray, that from this day
No love of ease
Nor pride prevent my good intent
Not to be pleased, but to please.
This, too, I pray, that from this day
I may not swerve
By foot or hand from Thy command
Not to be served, but to serve.
Is it easy to serve? How does this poem/prayer make you feel? Mark 10:43-45 might be encouraging. Whose example do we follow; why do we serve? Recall what Jesus has done for us (stop and think about it!). As always, where does our strength come from (see Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 119:28)? How are ways we can be strengthened to serve (see prayer & scripture: Psalm 1, speech: Proverbs 10:11 & Ephesians 4:29, works: Hebrews 10:24-25). Will being in a community of people living out their faith strengthen us and encourage us (see 1 Thessalonians 3:6)?
5. Discussion about how we (as CCF) want to put this discussion into action.
