Revelation 2:1-4 and Matthew 22:34-40

Spiritual Decline

1. What two things does Jesus teach in the passage about the Great Commandment? If those two things are “the greatest commandments”, what does that tell us about the seriousness of the sin of failing to keep them?

2. What are some of the ways that a decline in love for God might manifest itself today? What does spiritual negligence in believers look like in an everyday context: in our spiritual life, our home life, our work life, our church life? How should love for God manifest itself?

Luke 10:38-42

Outward Faithfulness

 3. Activity can mask that our motives are wrong. We are all keen to produce fruit, hence our zealous outward activity, but fruit only comes from abiding in Christ. What is the danger of letting any other activity, (even Christian activity) adversely affect our devotional habits?

4. Even when there is great zeal in the external worship of God, there can still be deficiency in love, sympathy and affection towards Christ and towards one another. How might that manifest itself in churches that see themselves as (a) progressive and (b) conservative?

Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:7 and Hosea 6:1-7

Inward Decay

5.  The fact that Christ emphasises His desire for mercy rather than sacrifice means that God really wants us to grow in steadfast love for Him and others, not merely engage in outward service. As James Durham expressed it, “Love within may be cold when people’s outward practice looks very hot and might seem as though it should be acceptable to Christ.” What are the pitfalls of assessing ourselves by our outward works, without taking a deeper look at the state of our love for Christ?

6.  God wants us all to grow in steadfast love for Him and knowledge about Him. How does true love depend on true knowledge? What are the dangers of not growing in the true knowledge of the true God?

7.  Just as it is impossible for someone to fall from a great height and not be physically wounded, so also it is impossible for us to fall from our early love for Christ and not be spiritually damaged. What damage do we inflict on ourselves when we become lax in love towards God or others?