“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV84)
When someone learns that you are part of McLean Bible Church, what reaction usually follows? The most typical comment I hear notices our size — “Oh, you go to that huge church.” More to the point, what do we want people to notice, or better yet, what would Jesus want them to say? According to John, the distinguishing mark He wants men to notice is our love for one another. If we hope to impact the secular community around us with the Gospel, then our work begins “at home.”
Few phrases are found as frequently in the New Testament as “one another,” and in most cases, they are connected with some aspect of how we love one another. In a world where many people feel that they are alone, that they don’t matter to anyone, that no one cares, what better plan than to demonstrate how deeply we love “one another” to gain the right to tell them about the One who loved them so much that He gave His only Son for them.
Pray today…
That our church would be characterized by love.
