A New Commandment I Give Unto You    
Teacher’s Guide Page

Handout
Lesson Plan

February 10, 2013

A. Talk about the hatred that is going on in the world and the way it is effecting our youth.
B. Review the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)
C. Discuss that we are indeed under grace but God never changes and Jesus commands us to obey the Ten Commandments in Matthew 22:35-40.  These words of Jesus cover all Ten original Commandments.  It is repeated in John 13:34  God did not put specifications on that love, He just commanded us to love.  That means regardless of gender, age, size, shape, race, or creed.  We are to love one another simply as that!
D. We are to love our neighbor and our brothers and sisters but we are also to love our enemies.  We can do this through the indwelling Holy Spirit inside us that helps us to do all things through Christ who is our Strength.  (Matthew 5:43-48)  Yes, we are called to love our enemies and those difficult people in our lives that we are so challenged by to even like.  (Philippians 4:13)  We must love them with the love of Christ and try to understand why they are the way they are.  Remember that 9 times out of 10, people who are cruel to others, who are difficult to love, they are hurting inside for some reason that we may not know or understand.  We are to lead them to Christ who can heal them.
E. Loving From A Distance.  Now, if you are someone who is being bullied or abused by someone, I’m not saying that you have to stay in that situation.  No!  You need to get to safety immediately and find someone who can help you get out of danger.  You and I do not have to stay and allow someone to beat us down mentally, physically, verbally, or emotionally.  Sometimes we have to love our enemies from a distance.  If you are being abused, or bullied, get out of that situation to a safe place.  Get Godly counseling and fall on your knees before God and pray for that person and this situation so that He can lead you and show you what to do next.  It may be painful when we love someone but we have to remove ourselves because they are harming us but sometimes we must do just that so that we are safe but we can love them and should love them and pray for them from a distance. 
F. We must not place God in a box.  We must stop fighting and tearing each other down in our churches, in the body of Christ.  God created us all differently so we will express our love for Him and for others differently.  We must not tear down certain types of music, art, or books that are used for God’s glory even if we do not like the style, sound, or look of these.  God is big and He uses many different things and people to praise Him.  We must be accepting and teach our young people the same, to love.  Anyone, or anything be it music, art, books, etc., that is used to lift up JESUS and is truth that does not go against God’s Word, we should not speak evil against it.  Even if you do not like the style of music, even if you don’t like the art or how the person wrote the book, even if you don’t like how something looks or sounds, so what!  You and I are not God.   Our minds may be in a box but God is not!  He will use whatever He will use and just because we may like it does not mean that God doesn’t.  God is a big God who allows expressions of love and praise in many different ways, and we should love and accept others as God made them. 
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”