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This Week
@ The Bridge

Announcements

Woman’s Bible Study
April 15th at 5:00pm
Our “First Place for Health” woman’s bible study group will be starting a new book study on April 15th. They will be going through the book “Praying Personalities” written by our own Janet McHenry. This wonderful book helps you discover your natural prayer style.  The group meets Monday evenings at 5pm virtually online via Zoom.  Please contact Maggie Folkers at mafolkers@gmail.com if you are interested in joining.
 
Retirement Party for Bill and Kim
Saturday, April 20th @ 1:00-4:00p
The Bridge Church
We will be having a retirement party for Pastor Bill and Kim.  We would love to make this a special event by having all of us participate.  Please join us on Saturday April 20th at 1pm so that we can celebrate 16 amazing years of a great leadership from Pastor Bill West.  If you would like to participate in giving a financial gift you can go to https://thebridgereno.com/give and under “giving type” choose “Bill West Retirement Gift.”

Kids Kingdom News
What an exciting weekend we had.  Good Friday, we had a great time learning, making a craft, and fellowshipping with each other.  Then on Easter Sunday to see everyone with their families for a glorious service.  We are now getting ready for our Mad Hatter's Tea Party, which will be on April 28th, from 10-2.  We will have brunch cooked for us by Cowboy Tom, crafts and games.  We want everyone to be able to come, so be sure to mark your calendar for it.  We are still in need of volunteers for this event.  If you are interested see me in Kids Kingdom or email me at kidskingdom@thebridgereno.com .  Parents can eat with us, I just need to know who is coming to be sure enough food is prepared.  This is an annual event, and every year I try to make it a special occasion, so let's make this the best one yet. Hope to see all of our smiling faces on Sunday.

Message Notes

Love One Another

When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
John 13:31–35
 
Love: The True Mark of the Christ Follower.
A New Command
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:18
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:10
  • A New Standard:  A Christ Loved us… (How did Jesus Love Us?)
  • A New Motive:  Because He First Loved us!
    • This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
      1 John 4:10
    • We love because he first loved us.
      1 John 4:19
    • A New Responsibility: So, you MUST love one another.
  • My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:10–12

An Astonishing Reality.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
John 13:35 

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
1 John 2:9–10
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 
1 John 3:16–18

Previous Messages Can Be Found Here

Small Groups Talk About It

Watch the latest Message Summary:

Discussion Questions
  1. If you were to go out on the street and ask people what comes to mind when they think of Christians, what do you think they would say?

  2. What do most Christians think identifies them to the world? What are some ways that other Christians have shown you love that helped you?  What are some ways that you were failed in being loved by other Christians?

  3. Read and discuss Leviticus 19:18 and John 13:34-35.

  4. Jesus said he is giving a “new command”.  What makes this a new since it was taught in the Old Testament?

  5. Read and discuss  Galatians 6:10, 1 John 4:10-12, 1 John 3:16-18, 1 John 2:9-10, & 1 John 4:20. How do these verse apply to loving one another?

  6. How did Jesus demonstrate love for us? What are some of your challenges in loving other Christians, in loving those who are not?

  7. If our responsibility is to love other believers and other people as Christ did, what are some practical ways you can do that for each other and for those who may not know Christ?

  8. Read John 10:35 again.  Bill said this means that those who do not know Christ have the right to say we are not Christ followers if we do not love, what do you think? How are we seeing this today?

  9. Are there people in your life that you believe you need to reach out to specifically this week and love in some practical way?

  10. Spend some time brainstorming how we can love each other during this time as the church searches for a new pastor.  How do we balance the need to love each other and to love those who are not yet a part of the Body of Christ? 
Previous Messages Can Be Found Here