This document contains rules and points about growing in love and maturity within the body of Christ. It discusses 17 rules for practicing love, including being devoted to others like family, deferring to others, and viewing others as you want to be viewed. It also contains points about responding to others as you would God, rejoicing to avoid jealousy, and using prayer to support your perspective. The document provides definitions and discusses submitting to authority in the church, government, and home according to Scripture.

1. SUBMISSION, 1-7 COMPLETION, 8-10 CONVERSATION, 11-14 Session 12 2 credithours

2. Thesis: In view of God’s mercy you have a motivation to grow to maturity.

4. DEFINITION: Dissimulationis pretending to have care for other members of the body when that is not your real intent.

5. Rule #1. Love in the body of Christ has to be genuine and not hypocritical.

6. Point 10. The love is already in you; your job is to simply let it flow without diverting its course, Rom 5:5.

7. Point 11. The determination of love is acting in someone else's best interest to get them into the will of God.

8. Rule #2 If I don't love you the right way I let you drag me into your sin drama.

9. Point 12. God may be longsuffering with us, but do not misread that as tolerance of evil.

10. Rule #3. Be devoted to each other as you would be to a natural family member.

11. Rule #4. Defer to the other person and lead the way for others.

12. How do you increase your love quotient? When you respond and react to your brother or sister in Christ the same way you would respond or react to God.

13. Rule #5. Don't be tardy, be diligent.

15. Rule #7. Use prayer to buttress your perspective and bestow endurance.

16. DEFINITION: The word instantmeans pressing, urgent, in earnest.

17. Rule #8. Generosity is part of practicing righteousness.

19. Rule #11. Make your emotions match what God is doing in your brother's life when you are with your brother.

22. Rule #15. Don't get even.

24. Point 15. This is one of those commandments where your obedience is sometimes determined by your circumstances, because sometimes the things necessary to obey this command are out of your control.

25. Point 16. You are not held hostage by somebody else's disobedience.

26. RULE #18. Move out of the way so wrath can pass you by and so you won't take-out your own revenge.

28. RULE #19. Conquer wickedness with the tool of right actions.

29. Chapter 13 Government Gen 9:1-7 The Home Gen 2:18-25 The Church Matt 18

30. Point 1. The “powers that be” all work God's will in this world, whether they ever know it or not.

31. Why the Saint Must Submit to the State For the sake of punishment, 1-4 For the sake of conscience, 5-7 For the sake of love, 8-10 For the sake of Christ, 11-14

32. Point 2. God establishes human government because sinners have to have structure, and that structure comes from a controlling legal authority, and we must submit to that authority to have accountability.

33. Point 3. Do not use submission to authority as an excuse for covering up sin if God has put it in your power to expose the sin.

34. Point 4. Satan has permissive power from God; rulers have directive power, whether from the Devil or from God.

35. Point 5. God never ordained structure in order to create abuse, but to provide accountability.

36. Point 6. Separation of church and state means neither should make laws for the other.

37. Point 7. Rom 13:8 is not a prohibition against borrowing; it is an exhortation to make your payments on time.

38. Point 8. When we practice love, there’s no other need for laws.

39. In Light of the Lord’s Return Wake up! 11, 1 Thes 5:1-11; Matt 25:1-13 Clean up! 12, 1 John 2:28-3:3 Grow up! 14, Eph 4:24; Col 3:10-14

40. Shining the Light through the Night 1. Separation, Eph 5:11 2. Information, 2 Cor 6:7 3. Position, Eph 6:13 4. Illumination, Matt 13:43

41. Defn.: Wantonness and jealousy are desires and attitudes; chambering and strife are the resulting actions from those desires.

42. Point 9. The armor of light is provided in order to empower you against what is prohibited.

43. How to Match Standing and State 1. Be created in righteousness (saved), Eph 4:24 2. Renew your mind with knowledge (grow), Col 3:10

44. Point 10. We have a positional righteousness called justification, but we live to produce a practical righteousness called sanctification, on the way to a perfected righteousness in glorification.

45. Next Class