GOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR ENHANCING YOUR LOVE LIFE

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Copyright © 2015 by Living on the Edge and Chip Ingram. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. For more

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in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked “NASB” are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962,

1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright ©

1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishing House. All

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and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of the

International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked “TLB” or “The Living Bible” are taken from The Living Bible/Kenneth N. Taylor. —

electronic ed. — Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1997, © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked “NRSV” are taken from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version/Division of

Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. — Nashville:

Thomas Nelson Publishers, © 1989. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked “KJV” are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

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Table of Contents

How to Start Your Own Small Group ............................................................................. 4

How to Get the Most Out of This Experience ................................................................ 5

Session 1: The Secret to a Lasting Relationship, Pt. 1 ................................................ 7

Session 2: The Secret to a Lasting Relationship, Pt. 2 ............................................. 13

Session 3: How to Know If You’re In Love, Pt. 1 ......................................................... 21

Session 4: How to Know If You’re In Love, Pt. 2 .........................................................29

Session 5: Love and Sex: Why Knowing the Difference Makes All the Difference, Pt. 1 ... 37

Session 6: Love and Sex: Why Knowing the Difference Makes All the Difference, Pt. 2 ...45

Session 7: How to Be Sexually Pure In a Sex-saturated World, Pt. 1 .....................53

Session 8: How to Be Sexually Pure In a Sex-saturated World, Pt. 2..................... 61

Session 9: Wake Up World! There’s a Better Way to Do Relationships, Pt. 1 ........ 69

Session 10: Wake Up World! There’s a Better Way to Do Relationships, Pt. 2 ......77

Small Group Leader Resources ..................................................................................83

Session Notes ................................................................................................................88

Prayer and Praise .......................................................................................................... 96

What’s Next? ................................................................................................................ 101

Table of Contents of Contents of

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Session 1

THE SECRET TOA LASTING RELATIONSHIPPart 1

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THE SECRET TO A LASTING RELATIONSHIP Ephesians 5:1-2

Take It In (Watch the Video)

HOLLYWOOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR LASTING RELATIONSHIPS

A. Four Steps to Follow

1. _______________ the right person.

2. _______________ in love.

3. _______________ your hopes and dreams on this person for your

future fulfillment.

4. If _____________________occurs, repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.

B. The Success Rate

C. The Pain, the Fallout and the Damage

GOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR LASTING RELATIONSHIPS

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB)

Talk It Over

1. “What are the most dominant messages from Hollywood about love, sex, and relationships?”

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Judith S. Wallerstein, The Unexpected

Legacy of Divorce

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2. How have you seen the cultural messages about love and sex change during your lifetime?

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3. Chip said that believing these messages from Hollywood about love and sex destine us to fail in our relationships. Why would that be true?

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4. How does having your identity securely rooted in Christ impact your view of love and sex?

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Live It Out – B.I.O.

BIO is a word that is synonymous with “life.” Found in those three simple letters B.I.O. is the key to helping you become the person God wants you to be.

B = Come BEFORE GOD daily – To meet with Him personally through His word and prayer to enjoy His presence, receive His direction, and follow His will.

I = Do Life IN COMMUNITY weekly – Structuring your week to personally connect in safe relationships that provide love, support, transparency, challenge, and accountability.

The Secret to a Lasting Relationship, Pt. 1

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O = Be ON MISSION 24/7 – Cultivating a mindset to “live out” Jesus’ love for others through acts of sacrifice and service at home, work, play, and church.

COME BEFORE GOD

5. Ephesians 5:1 (NASB) says “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love…” What does being an “imitator” of God have to do with our relationships?

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DO LIFE IN COMMUNITY

6. Paul says in Ephesians 5 that we are God’s “beloved” children. Chip said that we are “deeply loved.” What are the biggest barriers to creating a group where people feel deeply loved?

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BE ON MISSION

7. Chip defined love as choosing to give another person what they need the most when they deserve it the least at great personal cost. If we really began to live out that definition of love, how would it change our relationships?

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Accelerate (20 Minutes That Turn Concepts Into Convictions)

INSPIRATION comes from hearing God’ Word; MOTIVATION grows by discussing God’s Word; TRANSFORMATION occurs when you study it for yourself.

If you want to “accelerate” your growth, here is an assignment you can do this week. To help you get the most out of this exercise, consider partnering up with somebody in your group who will also commit to do the assignment this week. Then, after you have each done the assignment, agree to spend 10 minutes by phone to share what you learned and what you are applying.

COME BEFORE GOD

1. Carefully and slowly read the following passage from Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV). On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

The Secret to a Lasting Relationship, Pt. 1

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2. Go through this passage and make a list of all the spiritual blessings that are yours in Christ Jesus.

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3. Paul says in this passage that we have been “adopted into sonship.” When a child is adopted into a family, what changes?

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4. Spend some time this week meditating on these spiritual blessings. Let them soak into you spirit and lead you to more deeply embrace how much you are loved.

DO LIFE IN COMMUNITY

6. Send a note or an e-mail to a friend this week and let them know how deeply loved they are by God and by you.

BE ON MISSION

7. How does understanding who you are in Christ impact the way you live the Christian life and the way you treat other people?

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