TEACHER'S GUIDE Love without a mask Let love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another; in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. Romans 12: 9-11 Determine the learning objectives in response to the following questions. What do I want them to understand and believe? 1. Love is not something that a christian just ought to do but what he/she must become. a. True love must be real, without any pretention. This is what distinguishes the love of Christ from Pharisees. b. All our duty towards one another must be characterized by one word- Love. c. Our motivation for doing service to our fellow men and God is a result of God's love for us. What do I want them to experience? - God's unconditional love in their life which produces genuine love towards God and others. How do I want them to respond? - By being true to what they really are in Christ. Launch: Connect the study to culture and society. In todays society, Love has become a clich to refer to a lot of things. For example I can say I love my dog, I love spaghetti, I love my subject, and I love Starbucks, but in reality i'm just saying I like them not necessarily an intimate relationship with these things. In the Bible, Love, whether its filial, romantic or love of God, is used, most of the time, to indicate a relationship whether with a person, God or even a thing ( the love of money). As Christians, God has called us to have genuine love that is beyond what we see in television, novels or around us. Romans 12: 9-11 calls us to a love devoid (see 1 Corinthians 13) of any pretentions and hypocrisy. In this study we will try to investigate what Paul means when he says love be without hypocrisy. Explore: Facilitate to investigate the word Scripture to ponder: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12: 30, 31 (See 1 Cor. 13 for additional insight) This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15: 12, 13. History: The pharisees were know during Christ time were the religious superstars of their time. They were know to be people who try to keep all the commandments to the very last dot but have missed the essence of the law. Tha is why Christ compared them to tombstones who were nice on the outside but inside is full of dead bones. They were basically mechanical in there walk with God. What differentiate a true believer from a pharisee is that love is his/her motivation for her obedience. Contextualizing: Paul is again giving a plea in Romans 12: 9-11 Let love be without hypocrisy

In original greek word used is in this text is anupocritos which literally means withou hypocrisy. The word hypocrite in the new testament was use to refer to an actor in the stage who usually wears a mask. In this contect Paul was telling the Romans to let not your love wear a mask. As Christians our love must be sincere. We must not be like many politicians who do good in order to remain in power or because it is their duty. Often people are doing the good things in order to gain something in return or because it is an obligation to do. We love because it is suppose to be what we are. As Jesus said A good tree bears good fruit. The main reason for our obedience is our relationship with God. Jesus said If you love me keep my commandments. John 14: 15 Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Basically Paul is telling us to hate or abhor what God hates which is Evil or Sin. As we grow in our love towards God we learn to love the things/ people that God loves, but at the same time we grow in hatred towards the things that God hates. In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another; in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. Paul mentions several characteristic of our love to our bretheren: 1. Devotion for our brethren 2. Respect and Sacrifice 3. diligence 4. zeal and passion for serving God All these are just the product of God's love in us. Apply: Facilitate to a heart level response to Christ. Divide into groups of two's or three's and discuss how you are going live genuine lives before God then end with a prayer of commitment Group Session: 1. 2. 3. 4. How do we truly and genuinely love God and others? How do we distinguish genuine love with mere pretentions? In what ways do we love with masks? What can you say about this statementLove is not something that a christian just ought to do but what he/she must become?