What have we learned about bold love so far?

1. What it is – It is seeing the cancer (sin) in us and dealing with it. It is mirroring the cancer in another person in a way that reflects God’s character, goodness and mercy. This is done to draw out the potential goodness in the other person.
2. Why is it important? God commands us to love one another. Boldly loving others, through the power of His spirit will change us and others.

Lesson 1 – What blocks us from loving well? Sin in our life.

Lesson 2 – What is the sacrificial quality of Bold love? It remains engaged.

It does not withdraw or attack, which is the natural thing to do.

We pay the cost of being involved with someone for his good without

Why is it surprising? It reflects God’s character. It gives the other person

Lesson 3 – What does it mean to be "silenced?" To be silenced means to see the sin

Lesson 4 – Bold love hates what God hates (sin) and loving what God loves (goodness).

1 Thess 4:9 - Bold love is to love with God’s holiness and mercy.

Heb 1:9 – What does it mean to love with God’s holiness and mercy?

It is hating sin and loving goodness.

2 Thess 2:16-17 – It means to long for sin to be dealt with in my life as well as in yours.

1 Thess 5:15 – It means to long to see good things happen for you, as I help you deal with

1. We must acknowledge the sin in our hearts, as seen in the way we relate to others.
2. We must be humble and contrite, willing to first deal with sin in our lives trusting God for the power to change.
3. We need to see the potential beauty (goodness) in others by helping them deal with the cancer (sin) in them.
4. We need to preface all these with prayer, asking for God’s wisdom, grace and perseverance.

Jesus gives an interesting thought in Matthew. What principle can we draw from this passage?

Matt 10:16 – Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as

Heb 10:24 - How was she "shrewd as a snake" yet "innocent as a dove?"

1. She used analogy. She was creative. She must have thought long and hard in order to come up with the story of Chuckie in a coma. She had to figure out exactly what she saw in Buck (the coma like withdrawal) and then come up with a story to show it to him. How is he likely to respond when I say this or that? How will I respond to what he does or says?
2. She backed it up with data. She shared her observations on how Buck behaved when he was with his parents.
3. She showed strength. She didn’t let Buck’s anger intimidate her. She went ahead and told him the hard truth. She didn’t back off when he pointed out her sin, she just acknowledged that she had been wrong and kept going.
4. She showed tenderness. She made it clear that she loved Buck and that she was on his side, that she hurt for him and believed in him. She did not hit him with a truckload of truth without caring how it would hurt him.

1. Do we really hate sin in our life? Are we willing to deal with it?
2. Do we love goodness? Are we willing to move out and help others change through the love of Christ? Through the help of God’s Holy Spirit?
3. Think about someone you are dealing with that is somewhat open like Buck, not cruel like his father. Assuming you were willing to invest in thought and prayer necessary to come up with a plan, what would you be risking if you confronted that person with a story and turned the table around?