Accept One Another

ICEBREAKER
Have you ever met or been near someone who is famous? Tell us about it.

ABOUT THE SERIES (IF ANYONE IS NEW)
Explain the title (Irresistible! The Magnetic Power of the One Anothers) and the premise of this series. That is, in John 13:34, Jesus says that people will recognize his disciples by their love for “one another.” There are many more “one-anothers” in the bible that flesh out what it looks like to love another. God wants us to live the “one anothers” in our relationships with others like our marriages, our families, our friends, at work, at school, on social media, in politics, and in society in general. God wants us to be magnetically attractive to others, even “irresistible,” so that we can flourish in our relationships and best represent Jesus, leading people to trust us, to trust Christians, and ultimately to trust Jesus.

NOTE: Recognizing that these “one anothers” are biblically speaking, intended to describe the relationships between Christ’s disciples or Christians does not license us to ignore the “one anothers” in our relationships with people who aren’t Christians. Quite the opposite. By extending the “one anothers” to those who don’t know Jesus, we can attract them to Jesus.
Today we’re talking about “A One Another Presence”

FROM THE TENSION

1. When have you felt unwelcomed or unaccepted by others?
2. When have you experienced a time when simply someone’s presence was very helpful to you.

FROM THE TRUTH
Read or review John 14:15-21 - Jesus said to his disciples “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” He did this by sending his Holy Spirit to “live with you” and “be in you.” 
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How does having the Spirit of Christ present within us empower us to be accepting of others?

FROM THE TAKEAWAY
Read Romans 15:7. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Remember, Christ accepted us while we were in sin and notice that accepting others even when they are in sin brings “praise to God.” Many people are afraid to “accept” people in sin because they don’t want to condone their sin. 

1. How can we get over this fear? 
2. How will this bring praise to God? 
3. Now, let’s try to describe what an accepting presence looks like with real examples in a) our marriages and families, b) at work or school, and c) in the social-political world. Refer to your devotional readings if you’d like.

FINAL QUESTION
How does living these “one anothers” make us irresistible people?

PRAYER
First, take some time to ask people to identify prayer needs related to the discussion about their own presence in other people’s lives. Second, take some time to ask for additional prayer requests. Then close your time together in prayer.