This final week casts vision for us: what would it look like if the church truly loved like Jesus? Jesus prayed that His followers live in unity, grounded in humility, gentleness, and patience. This unity is not uniformity—it is diversity held together by love. The church is meant to be a living picture of God’s reconciling power in a divided world. A unified, diverse community becomes a powerful testimony to the world. As we continue in the process of being formed to be like Jesus, we commit to walking together in love, reflecting God’s heart in every relationship. 

 

Put It into Practice: Encourage the body: Speak life into at least three people in your church—through encouragement, affirmation, or gratitude.

 

Day 1 Ephesians 4:1–6

Reflect: What does it mean to “make every effort” to maintain unity rather than create it? How do the shared realities (one body, Spirit, hope, etc.) reshape how we view differences within the church?  

Apply: Where might pride or impatience be weakening unity in your relationships? How can you actively contribute to unity instead of waiting for others to change? How unified is our church today?

Pray: Heavenly Father, I pray that I may walk in a manner worthy of the glorious calling I have received from You. Fill me with complete humility and gentleness. Give me the patience to bear with others, showing grace and making allowances in love.

 

Day 2 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Reflect: Which description of love challenges you most, and what does that reveal about your heart? What temporal things does everlasting love trump? How then should we view those things?   

Apply: In what ways might you be doing the right things without the right heart? How does the hope of seeing God’s love clearly one day change the way you handle the diverse opinions you face today?

Pray: Lord, teach me to love as You do. Help me to be slow to anger, to drop my critical tone, and let go of any record of wrongdoings. Remind me to put others before myself.

 

Day 3 John 17:20-25

Reflect: What does Jesus’ prayer reveal about the depth and importance of unity among believers? Why is the unity of the church connected to the world’s ability to recognize Jesus?   

Apply:  What would it take for Jesus’ prayer to be answered? How seriously do you view unity among believers as part of your spiritual responsibility? Are there divisions you have accepted, not tackled?

Pray: Father God, I pray for perfect unity among all who claim Your name. Just as You, Father, are in Jesus and He is in You, knit our hearts together in love and truth. Break down walls of division, pride, and misunderstanding so that the world may see our oneness and know that You sent Your Son.

 

Day 4 Colossians 3:12-17

Reflect: How does Paul describe the identity of believers, and how does that identity shape their relationships? How does love, practically speaking, bind everything together in perfect unity? 

Apply: How could the clothing in v. 12, if worn, impact unity in the church? What about walking in a forgiveness mindset? How are you expressing these qualities in your life? What is lacking and why?

Pray: Abba Father, I ask that the peace of Christ reigns in my heart. I pray that whatever I say or whatever I do, be done wholeheartedly in the name above all names, Jesus Christ. 

 

Day 5 Romans 12:9-18

Reflect: How does this text challenge both passive and reactive approaches to conflict? What does it reveal about the cost and effort involved in living at peace with others? What speaks loudest to you?  

Apply: What is one specific way your perspective has changed regarding how you love people since going through this series? What is one thing you’ve got right? What is one thing you need to change?

Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word as a guide for living a life that honors You. I pray that You would root out any hypocrisy and judgment in my heart and to keep my heart open to see the needs of others and love them as You have loved me.

 

Additional Questions:

• Paul wrote Ephesians while a “prisoner for serving the Lord,” yet he “begged” believers to lead a worthy life. How does the weight of his sacrifice change how you hear his plea for “humility, gentleness, and patience”?
• Love “keeps no record of wrongs”. If you were to look at your mental “ledger” today, who has the longest list, and how is that record hindering your “spiritual formation”?
• What does it look like to “make allowance for each other’s faults” in this group? 
• Read Ephesians 2:21 (NLT): 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. How is our identity and purpose to be found in community with those whose lives are intertwined in relationship to Christ and not primarily through us individually?
• What threatens unity most in relationships and churches? 
• We are told to “clothe ourselves” with compassion and kindness. If love is the “defining characteristic” of the church, what “old, selfish impulses” do you need to “take off” today?