On your own or with your life group work through this reading plan to apply this weekend’s message to your life. If you haven’t done so yet, listen or watch the Sunday message below.

Big Idea: Your enemies are still God's mission.
Opening Prayer & Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Icebreaker Question: Share a lighthearted example of something that bothers you about how other people do things (like the toilet paper example from the sermon). How do you respond when people do things differently than you prefer?
Key Scripture
Matthew 5:43-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbors and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven... You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect."
Supporting Passages:

• Romans 5:10
• Luke 6:32

Discussion Questions
Understanding the Command (15 minutes)

1. Why do you think Jesus' command to "love your enemies" would have been shocking to his original audience? Why is it still shocking today?
2. The pastor said, "Love and manipulation don't belong together." What does it mean to truly love someone without manipulating them? Have you seen examples of this confusion in relationships or culture?
3. How does the statement "If you disagree with me, then you hate me" reflect a misunderstanding of what love really is?

Personal Reflection (15 minutes)

4. The sermon emphasized that "being FOR somebody does not mean you agree with them." How can we walk "arm in arm with people even when we don't see eye to eye"? Share an example from your life.
5. Jesus says that even sinners love those who love them (Luke 6:32). Why is it significant that our love should look different from the world's love? What makes Christian love distinctive?
6. The pastor shared that people often have preconceived ideas about Christians based on negative experiences. Have you ever been surprised by someone's kindness when you expected hostility? How did it affect you?

Going Deeper (15 minutes)

7. Romans 5:10 reminds us that "while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God." How does remembering our own story of being God's enemies change how we view our enemies?
8. Jesus calls us to "be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). The pastor explained this means to be "complete" or "mature." What does growing in maturity look like when it comes to loving difficult people?
9. The sermon stated: "You will not do this on accident and you will not be successful if you attempt to love based on your feelings." Why must loving our enemies be a choice rather than a feeling? What makes this so challenging?

Key Takeaways

• Your enemies are still God's mission - God desires to reach the very people we struggle to love
• Love is the main strategy of Jesus for reaching those who are lost and far from Him
• Being perfect means being complete - fully submitted to Christ and committed to maturity
• Love is a choice, not a feeling - We cannot love our enemies accidentally or based on emotions alone
• Christians should look different from the world - Our response to enemies should stop people in their tracks

Practical Application (15 minutes)
This Week's Next Step
Take time individually to answer this question (provide paper or notecards):
"Who are those that are hardest for me to love?"
Once you've identified them, bring that before the Lord and ask:

• What step can I take to shift how I engage with this person?
• What do I need to STOP doing in how I relate to them?
• How can I actively pray for them this week?

Group Challenge
Choose one of the following action steps to commit to this week:

1. Pray daily for someone you consider an enemy or someone very difficult to love
2. Stop a negative behavior - Identify one way you're engaging negatively with an "enemy" (gossiping, complaining, social media posts, etc.) and commit to stopping
3. Take a loving action - Do something kind for someone you disagree with or find difficult
4. Seek understanding - Have a conversation with someone you disagree with, with the goal of understanding rather than convincing

Share with the group which action step you're committing to and ask for accountability.

Closing Discussion (5 minutes)
Final Question: What would change in our community, our church, and our world if Christians became known for loving their enemies rather than fighting them?

Closing Prayer
Pray together for:

• Courage to love those who are hardest to love
• God's heart and eyes to see our enemies as He sees them
• Transformation in our hearts to choose love over feelings
• Opportunities to demonstrate Christ's love in unexpected ways
• Specific people each person named as difficult to love

For Further Study

• Matthew 5:1-48 (The entire Sermon on the Mount)
• Luke 6:27-36 (Parallel passage on loving enemies)
• 1 John 4:7-21 (God's love and our love for others)
• Proverbs 25:21-22 (Kindness to enemies)

Leader Notes

• Be prepared for this discussion to get personal and potentially emotional
• Create a safe space where people can be honest about who they struggle to love
• Remind the group of confidentiality
• Be ready to share your own struggles with loving difficult people
• Emphasize that this is a journey and we won't get it perfect
• Follow up with group members during the week about their commitments