What's Love Look Like?
Bible Study
Pastors and Leaders
The Pastor’s and Leader’s Guide is the foundational resource for the What’s Love Look Like? theme. It explores the four key ideas of the series and has been written as a launching pad for sermons and small group discussions.
We pray that the ideas explored will enrich your faith community as you engage with God’s mission and explore what love looks like across the street and around the world.
Leader’s guide
Use ‘booklet’ settings to print onto A4 paper and fold in half to make an A5 booklet.
This resource has been written by four members of our National Team – Lisa Cornish, Elliot Keane, Nathan Reid and Andrew Duncan. Thank you to Lisa, Elliot, Nathan and Andrew for sharing their insight, passion for God’s mission and love for people into this guide.
How to use this resource
The Pastor’s and Leader’s Guide has been developed as a launching pad for leaders to explore the key ideas of the What’s Love Look Like? series with churches and small groups.
Each session has an introduction of the key idea and scripture, key takeaways, mission stories to use as illustrations, questions for small groups and a prayer. This guide can be used as a four week series or as standalone sessions.
Session overviews
Our world yearns for love that is genuine, authentic, kind and just. This kind of love is perfectly embodied by Jesus. And so where should this kind of love be clearly seen today? In the lives of those who follow Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are called to imitate God’s loving heart. We are called to imitate the loving ways of Jesus.
In Jesus, we see someone who loved everyone who stood before Him, someone who sought out the uncomfortable places and the misjudged people to show them – and all who were watching – how broad, deep and relentless God’s love is. In Jesus we see someone who gets alongside people, meets them where they are at and points to the Father.
What’s love look like? Love looks like living as imitators of Jesus.
Scriptures
1 John 4:11-12, 16 & Philippians 2:1-11
Key points
- Love with Christ-like love
- Love aligns our hearts with God
- Love in community
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Listen
God’s beautiful design is evident in creation and all of humanity. God created His human masterpieces in His own image. With all its colour and diversity, we see across humanity the careful curation of a master artist.
We also see that the world is not as it should be. Good things are distorted and that which should be flourishing is decaying. But God overflows in love and continues to move towards humanity as He always has, seeking restoration and flourishing for people and planet. He imagines a new way of life for all people. Where all things that have been pulled apart are reconciled, and all things that have been broken are restored.
What’s love look like? Love looks like living as courageous beautifiers.
Scriptures
Psalm 19:1-6, Acts 2:42-47 & John 5:1-20
Key points
- Creation inspires us to join God’s creative work
- King Jesus lived as beautifier
- The first followers lived together as beautifiers
- We can now live as beautifiers too
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Listen
As followers of Jesus, we live as Kingdom citizens – we live in the Kingdom ‘now’, while awaiting the Kingdom ‘not yet’.
We live as in-betweeners. And what do in-betweeners do? They see brokenness and injustice and say, “it shouldn’t be this way”. In-betweeners recognise that God’s love is robust and active. They engage in the messiness of the world, joining in God’s loving, restorative vision. Like Jesus, in-betweeners challenge the system, they speak up for others. They hear the cries of the poor and marginalised. They pursue loving justice.
What’s love look like? Love looks like living as Spirit-filled in-betweeners.
Scriptures
Luke 4:14-21 & Revelation 21:5
Key points
- In-betweeners see the world as it really is
- Jesus is the in-between King
- The calling of in-betweeners
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Listen
As followers of Jesus, we are called to live as loving collaborators – partnering with God and others to bring His love to life in our communities and across the world. This is not a solo mission, it’s a shared journey. From the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus invited others to join Him in a loving, missional community (Matthew 4:18–22).
In our changing world, and within the global and Australian church, the Holy Spirit continues to forge new Kingdom partnerships. We are beckoned to partner with others daily, ensuring that people everywhere experience God’s transforming love through word and deed.
What’s love look like? Love looks like living as Kingdom collaborators.
Scriptures
Matthew 4:18-22, Acts 2:42-47 &
1 Corinthians 12-13
Key points
- Collaboration is God’s design
- The early church thrived through togetherness
- Love is the foundation of collaboration
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Listen
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