This is our last meeting night. Once a group ends it can't be relived, even in a new group. Those moments experienced in time and space will become history. Yet, they will live on in our spirits when we follow Jesus.

"This is the last meeting for this group. I've been impressed by how you've come every week, and how friendships have grown and bonds have been formed that will enrich your church family," I said, emotion cracking my voice.

"This has been a groundbreaking group experience for me," Tom said. "Thank you for your leadership."

"You're welcome," I replied. "Let's move into our exploration for tonight."

"Tonight we are looking at 1Corinthians chapter thirteen and verse six. I'll read it for you."Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (NIV)

"What is truth?" Tom asked.

"Let's turn to 1John chapter two and read verses three through six," I directed.

"I'll read," Chris offered.We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (NIV)

"I want you to observe that even though him is used here it means anyone, in But if anyone obeys," I commented.

"What Jesus asks us to do, in our thinking and behavior, is the truth. When we act with Jesus we know him and we are freed from fraud and deception so often present in earthy neighborhoods," Nicole said.

"The Father's agape-love is made complete in us when we live as Jesus shows us," Erick added.

"Walking is moving, doing something. That's when His love is made complete in us. There's no truth in just sitting around and repeating words found in the Bible, or engaging in talk that takes no action," Jacklyn added.

"Let's turn to Matthew chapter sixteen and read verse twenty four," I directed.

"Got it!" Rich exclaimed.Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."(NIV)

"The cross is where Jesus gave up his human life. He was resurrected with a body working with new Spirit attributes and, he entered the Father's neighborhood to sit at the Father's right hand," I said. (Romans 8:34)

"That means that when we follow Jesus we give up our old self that is anchored in the culture of earthy neighborhoods," Jasmine said.

"Right!" I exclaimed."Let's turn to John chapter fourteen and read verses twelve through fourteen."

"I'm ready," Jim offered. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)

"When we read the New Testament we will find all the things we can be doing while loving the Father and our neighbor as our self," Tom said, a little bounce evident in his voice.

Feeling the drama rising I said, "Let's turn to 1Corinthians chapter three and read verses sixteen and seventeen."

"I'm there," Jacklyn said. Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.(NIV)

Before anyone could catch their breath I said, "Now let's turn to Galatians chapter five and read verses twenty two through twenty six."

"I've got it!" Jill exclaimed. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (see Matthew 16:24)

"We have all of this great potential thinking and behavior residing in us, ready to do some serious walking and carrying great results into our lives and the lives of our family and neighbors!" Rich exclaimed.

"Yeah! That's where the cross works in us, putting to death the old self that only lives within the confines of its own self-seeking thoughts and behaviors," Chris interjected.

"What's our contact point with the Father's Spirit?" I asked.

"That's easy! Our spirit, Tom answered. (see 1Thessalonians 5:23)

"We need to take a look at the first part of verse six, Love does not delight in evil...(NIV)(1Corinthians 13)

"The word, delight, is the key word here. Mirriam-Webster says that 'it is the power affording pleasure', delight makes pleasure available to a person," I explained.

"Evil is the old self's desires, corrupted in vain imagination, conceived in one's psyche and ordered into action through the body-brain in earthy neighborhoods."(see James 1:13-15) "Since God can't be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt people to do evil, people are tempted by their own self-seeking desires," I added. (see James 1:13-14)

"That's what separates them from the Father! That's sin! And separation from God ends in death of one's old self," Jasmine added, looking at her Bible. (see James1:15)

"Running after the old self-seeking desires is the delight in evil, a power that takes pleasure in evil behavior," Chris repeated.

"Right! Evil desires are consumed with delight in putting others down who get in the way of the old self's ego advancement," John added.

"It's envying the accomplishments of another that overshadow the old self's ambitions," Chris interjected.

"Yeah, and it breaks out of one's psyche into brain-body behavior that instigates gossip and backstabbing," Rich added, with a tick in his voice.

"Jealous desire goes after a one-up position that distorts another person's accomplishments and watches that person twisting in the torment of his/her insecurities," Jasmine chimed, a pensive shadow sweeping across her face.

"It's planning revenge for perceived injuries from another. It's reputations destroyed and pride buried that sucks the happiness out of a person, leaving their ego dry and shriveled, " Tom said, the harshness of grinding metal punctuating his words.

"It's celebrating when one's enemies are crushed, their resources plundered and their life experience beaten down and destroyed," Erick added, goaded by a tour in Iraq.

"Desires gone rogue are able to turn one's psyche on itself, blaming, cutting, pressing for the promise of suicide," Jim said, light living where a dark shadow once prowled.

"You guys are giving me goosebumps!" I exclaimed. "Let's turn to James chapter one and read verses sixteen through eighteen," I directed, shaking off a cold chill.

"I'm ready!" Nicole exclaimed. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created. (NIV)

"Every good gift. That's what we're moving into here, agape-love!" Jacklyn interjected, eyes beaming.

"Let's turn to Romans chapter eight and read verse twenty eight, and then we'll drop down to verses thirty seven to thirty nine," I directed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'd be pleased to read!"Jill said. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."Then," she continued. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

"It's the Father's agape-love that creates our new self, anchored in His Spirit. Our new self that is immersed in His love that we are reading about in 1Corinthians chapter thirteen!" Tom said, light filling his face.

"It says here, in verse seven, that it—meaning His agape-love—always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (NIV) Only the power of His love makes that happen. His labor in us (see 1Corinthians 3:16-17) grows love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, (Galatians 5:22-23) in the soil of the old self that is made into compost by the cross that crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires," Rich said, tapping his Bible and power appearing to emanate from his spirit. (Galatians 5:24)

"Wow!" I said. "Let's stop for a moment right here and thank the Father for His presence with us."

A hush fell over the group and the Holy Spirit touched each one of us. This was a topic that would command our discussion over cookies and coffee later.

"Let's turn to 1Corinthians chapter thirteen and read verses eight through thirteen," I asked, humbled by the presence in the room.

"I'd love to," Jill spoke up, Bible opened and waiting for her voice.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part ; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.(NIV)

I'll never forget the deep, personal intimacy with the Father's joy and His presence in me, His temple. And, the other members of each and every group I've been given the privilege to join.

Even though these are not the real names of a real group I've facilitated, they are a compilation of the experiences of people who've participated in groups with whom I've shared experiences. The interactions, the impressions keep a familiar role call of people's faces and names that populate my memories as if they were all sitting in a circle with me.

Every group brings its members into the glorious journey exploring the Father's never-ending Way. Only Jesus knows the Way into the Father's neighborhood. He is willing to take our hands and lead us  there. The Spirit is our home forever.

Dear reader, our conversation doesn't have to stop here. You can keep our group alive by recording your questions and comments in your space below. I promise I'll engage with you as long as those spaces keep responding to this work.