July 12, 2026
OPENING
John 13:34-35 (NLT) — “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
INFORMATION: What Is Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) — “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
Four lies this passage exposes:
Lie 1: Love is a feeling — if it’s real, it comes naturally.
Patient and kind are not feelings — they are decisions you make even when you don’t feel like it, and every time Paul defines love in this passage, he uses a verb.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT) — “Love is patient and kind… It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”
Lie 2: I have to protect myself in relationships.
You can’t love with endurance and keep your walls up at the same time — and the people around you need you to love them with the Father’s heart.
1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT) — “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
Lie 3: If you love me, you should just know what I need.
Demanding your own way isn’t always loud — sometimes it’s silence, withdrawal, or the slow buildup of unspoken expectations and a record of wrongs the other person doesn’t even know exists.
1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) — “It does not demand its own way… it keeps no record of being wronged.”
Lie 4: Real relationships don’t require this much effort.
Walking away always costs you more than you know — Kingdom relationships require a loyalty you decide on in advance, before you know what it’s going to cost you.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) — “Patient. Kind. Not jealous. Not proud. Not rude. Not irritable. Never gives up. Always hopeful. Endures everything.”
INSPIRATION: You Were Made for More
The love you’ve been looking for is the same love God has already been offering you.
1. Loneliness is real — and it’s about depth, not distance.
Studies show 63% of your neighbors experience loneliness right now.
1 John 4:19 (NLT) — “We love each other because he loved us first.”
2. What you believe about love determines how you live it.
If you believe love is a feeling, you’ll chase it or run from it.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) — “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”
MOTIVATION: Why Love Feels Risky
Obstacle 1: “I’ve been hurt by people I trusted.”
That’s real — and Jesus doesn’t ask you to pretend it isn’t. But bitterness costs you more than it costs them, and the Father’s love is the only foundation strong enough to love from after being wounded.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT) — “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Obstacle 2: “I don’t know how to love that way.”
Most of us learned love from imperfect people in imperfect homes — that’s not a life sentence, it’s a starting point. The Kingdom offers a new family, a new Father, and a new pattern.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) — “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”
TRANSFORMATION: Where Kingdom Relationships Start
John 8:32 (NLT) — “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
THREE CALLS TO ACTION:
- Today — Identify one relationship where you’ve been self-protecting instead of truly connecting. Name it. Bring it to Jesus.
- This week — Take one step toward change. Love the people right in front of you — not when it’s convenient, but because you decided to.
- This month — Invite someone to connect at TC. Fall sessions launch August 19. Start praying now about who in your life needs to be in the room.
Following Jesus, Sent On A Mission
The Community