CFC HOME STUDY QUESTIONS & MESSAGE SUPPLEMENT

SUNDAY 7/14/24 “THE LIFELINE: The Lifeline Has Been Lowered” – I John 1:1-4

Think about it:

Let’s ponder the notes that Pastor Chuck Swindoll wrote about the Book of 1^st John:

“John wrote to churches full of people who had struggled with discouragement—whether due to their own sinful failures or the presence of false teachers in their midst. The aging apostle hoped to ignite the zeal of these believers so that they might follow the Lord more closely and stand firm against those who meant to sow discord among the churches. In doing so, they would solidify their relationship with God and gain confidence in His work in their lives.”

“We all go through ups and downs in our Christian faith. Whatever the struggle—whether outside of us or inside—we often feel ourselves blown about by the winds of emotion or circumstances. Yet God calls us to lives of increasing consistency, with the evidence of our inner transformation becoming more and more apparent as the months and years pass by. How would you characterize your relationship with God—consistent and fruitful or sporadic and parched?

John knew that we would never find in ourselves the faithfulness God requires. Instead, we have to place complete trust in the work and grace of God, believing that He will certainly conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus. That sense of being grounded in God only comes when we set aside our sin in the pursuit of the one true God. Or, in the words of John, “if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us”

• Have you ever felt, or do you currently feel, this struggle of faith Pastor Swindoll writes about?

OVERVIEW OF JOHN’S OBJECTIVES FOUND IN THIS LETTER:

1. That we may have fellowship with each other AND with God!
2. So that we may not sin!
3. So that we may KNOW that we have eternal life!

The “How”: Set aside our own selfish desires in favor of pursuits God has for us.

• How do you think these three objectives help us in our faith “ups & downs?”

READ THIS WEEK’S PASAGE: I John 1:1-4

• How does this passage help accomplish the first objective mentioned above?
• How would you explain the fullness of what John is telling us about Jesus?
  • Just for fun, cross-reference John’s Gospel: John 1:1-14
  • What makes “our joy complete?”

THE LIFELINE HAS BEEN LOWERED!

PRAY: Thank God that He desires fellowship WITH YOU so badly that He sent His Son Jesus… The Son of God in the flesh… The “LIFELINE”… to engage with you in your flesh! Commit to live in Holy Spirit enabled fellowship with The Father and The Son and with other believers! Share this great news with others!

     Welcome to “Crossroads Family Church… where life meets faith”

• BEING a welcoming, loving FAMILY of God
• GROWING as followers of Jesus, enabled by the Holy Spirit through worship, prayer, and the study of God’s Word.
• SHARING God’s message of salvation with our community and world.