What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 Johnናሙና

A Disciple’s Guide to 1 John

If you’ve ever wanted to better understand what the Bible is about and how to read it in a way that leads to genuine transformation, not just gaining information, then this Plan is for you.

Over the course of the next three weeks, we are going to walk through the entire book of 1 John with the specific goal of growing as disciples of Jesus. Before we jump in though, we want to make sure you know what you’re getting into. To start with, what is discipleship?

Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus for the sake of others.

Discipleship is a process. It’s not something that happens all at once or overnight. It’s a daily decision to die to our selfish desires so we can live for Jesus.

Discipleship is about becoming like Jesus. We are all becoming something. Every belief we hold, thought we have, word we say, action we take, and habit we create shapes us into a certain kind of person. As a student (that’s what the word disciple means) of Jesus, our goal is to become a person who looks, lives, and loves like Jesus does.

Discipleship is for the sake of others. If you’re just reading this Plan, going to church, and telling people you follow Jesus so you can feel better about yourself, then you’re completely missing the point. Discipleship is never just about us. It’s about loving God with all that we are and loving others the same way He has loved us. Even Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

That’s what this Plan is for. To help you become like Jesus for the sake of others. If that’s not what you’re looking for right now, then this probably isn’t the right Bible Plan for you. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some other Plans that we’d love for you to start reading that you can find here: Switch Bible Plans.

If you’re still reading this, then here are a few suggestions that can help you get the most out of this Plan:

1. Invite other people to join you. Trying to grow as a disciple of Jesus without other people to enjoy it with is like trying to drive a car with an empty gas tank. Joy-filled relationships are like fuel for our discipleship journey. So, invite some friends to go on this journey with you.
2. Share what you’re learning. Talking about what God is showing you is one of the best ways to commit those lessons to memory. Everyday, take a few minutes to share what you’re learning with your group here in YouVersion. Every week, find some time to meet in person or online with the people you’re doing this Plan with to discuss more in depth what you’re learning. Every chance you get, look for opportunities to weave what you’ve been reading into your conversations. This will help you learn it better and it can bring encouragement to the people you’re talking with.
3. Put it into practice. We don’t grow in our faith by just doing more devotionals and trying harder. We grow in our faith the same way we grow in just about everything else: through dedicated training. If you want to be a better musician, athlete, artist, or leader, you don’t rely on wishful thinking. You commit to a training program to develop the skills that are lacking. Disciples train themselves by putting the truth of God’s word into practice. Each day of this Plan is going to come with an application that you can put into practice that day. Why? Because information without application doesn’t produce transformation. So, put what you’re learning into practice so you can be transformed into the image of Christ.
4. Finish what you start. Lastly, commit to complete all 21 days of this Plan. Just the act of finishing this entire Plan is a great way to grow your consistency. So, if you miss a day, don’t miss two. If something happens so you can’t do it at your usual time, find another time later that day to get it done. If the only time you can make is right before you go to sleep at night, do it then. Not everyday is going to give you goosebumps or a nugget of wisdom that changes your life. Most days will be like most days. True character growth doesn’t come from mountaintop moments. It comes from the thousands of steps it took to make it to the top of the mountain.

If you commit yourself to this journey, we are confident that God will use these next 21 days to reveal more of His love to you and make you into the kind of person who is shaped and fueled by that love. We believe God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will make you more like Jesus for the sake of others.

To kick off this journey, we are going to read the entire book of 1 John from beginning to end. Don’t worry though, reading all five chapters will probably only take 10-20 minutes. Reading it this way will help us get a feel for the big picture ideas and themes of 1 John. Tomorrow, we’ll come back with a deeper dive into the opening passage of John’s letter.

Application: Invite a few friends to start reading this Plan with you!