Key Scriptures: But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. — Luke 10:33-34 

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” —Matthew 18:21-22 

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant. — Philippians 2:5-7 

The Big Idea:
As we come to know God more, our vertical relationship with Him begins to affect our horizontal relationships with people. In other words, we learn to relate to people in the way we learn to relate to Him. We learn to love like Jesus. 

Knowing the real Jesus means seeing the world through His eyes. Jesus presented a new model as a leader. He led with love– showed compassion, modeled forgiveness, and served His people in a way that had never been seen before. 

Main Points: 

1. Relating to Jesus with compassion 
   1. Jesus loved people and as Christ-followers, our lives should be marked by the same loving compassion for others that He had. 
   2. Jesus calls us to have eyes of compassion (seeing the need), a heart of compassion (feeling the need), the touch of compassion (fulfilling the need), and the walk of compassion (making it a lifestyle).
      
      Discussion Question: 
      Can you think of a time you experienced true compassion from someone? How did that impact you? How can you share that same compassion with someone around you? 
2. Relating to Jesus through forgiveness 
   1. Jesus shows us the ultimate heart of forgiveness by even forgiving those who crucified Him. 
   2. Forgiveness is a pillar of Christianity. 
   3. Forgiveness is our decision combined with the power of the Holy Spirit. 
      
      Discussion Question: 
      Have you accepted God’s forgiveness? Are there people in your life you are struggling to forgive? What do you think often hinders people from forgiving others?
3. Relating to Jesus by serving 
   1. Jesus, unlike other kings, did not demand that others serve Him. Instead, He came to us as the greatest servant of all time. 
   2. Serving like Jesus requires a perspective shift. We must go from being a consumer to being a server. 
      
      Discussion Question: 
      Is there something you are passionate about that could be used as a way to serve others? Share with the group. Our passions are a great place to start with finding our place to serve. 

Challenge: The loving nature of Jesus is how He relates to us and how we should relate to others. Pray about how God can use you to show compassion, extend forgiveness, or serve someone around you this week.