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Episode 4 Summary
- Much of the rapid growth of the early church after the life of Jesus is due to how Christians were friends with people who were often forgotten.
- This love was borne out of Jesus’s charge to love others well and to, in the greatest act of love, lay down their lives for one another.
- But we won’t be the first ones to do it. A major theme in the Bible is a reconciling of God to his people, where God loves us so much that he did lay down his life for us.
Discussion Questions
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In the first couple of centuries, it was radical to love the orphan and the widow. Do Christians still do this? Is there a group of people we should be loving radically?
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Does knowing that God first loved us help you love others? What are some things that might not help us to love others?
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There’s always a tension between loving people unconditionally and knowing when to set boundaries with someone who’s unhealthy for us. What do you think it looks like to love someone and protect yourself?
Diving Deeper
Isaiah 53
Read Isaiah 53. The prophet Isaiah is pointing forward to Jesus in this section of scripture. Specifically the pain and mockery Jesus would endure in order to restore our relationship with God. Spend some time thanking God for sending Jesus so we could draw close to him, that we could be called “friends of God.”