PROCLAMATION
“A new
command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,
if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)
EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The
Christ, according to the Apostle John and written under the influence of The Holy
Spirit of God. In this chapter John records the events surrounding the last
meal that Jesus had with His disciples before His crucifixion. He describes Jesus washing their feet, (John
13:4-12) His explanation for doing it, (John 13:12-20) He identifies His
betrayer, (John 13:21-27) and He gives them a new commandment, telling them to
love one another as He has loved them. (John 13:34-35)
APPLICATION
As
Christians we believe in the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus, The Christ. We also know that we
are to share the gospel with others. However, in order for us to
effectively spread The Word of God, we must also live it. Our behavior must be consistent with our
words. Worldly people will know that we belong to Christ if we
demonstrate our love for one another. To them our actions will speak much
louder than our words. If we do not act Christ-like, we may, in fact,
turn people away from becoming a Christian. Not only are we to love those
who love us, we are to love all believers. We should be very careful
regarding how we treat our Christian brothers and sisters. Our bad
behavior towards one another weakens the church and ruins our effectiveness in
promoting the gospel and saving the lost. The unsaved people of the world
will judge us, and all Christians, by what they see in us and by how we treat
each other.
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