LESSON 01

Title: Members One of Another

Read: Romans 12:3-5

INTRODUCTION
Today we begin a new series in which we will discover what the Bible says about our
relationships with one another. Throughout the next several weeks, we'll be looking at
passages in the New Testament that speak about believers' relationships. We'll learn how
we can have godly relationships with the Lord, our families, and others in our church
family.

As Christians, we are connected. As we'll see in today's passage, we are "members one of
another." Throughout the New Testament, we discover that, as members one of another,
we have specific responsibilities and opportunities to exhort, admonish, and encourage one
another.
Sadly, when we look across the spectrum of Christian relationships, we often see those that
are more detrimental than helpful. Sometimes, in Christian homes and among churches, we
see people who are not functioning one with another according to the teaching and
spiritual unity that we read about in the Bible. Sometimes it seems we are better at
dysfunctional, destroying relationships than at edifying, growing relationships.

We want to learn from God's Word how to bring honor and glory to the Lord through our
relationships in the body of Christ and in our families.

A couple was out shopping when the wife realized that her husband was missing.
She called him on her mobile phone and said,
"Where are you? You know we have lots to do."
Her husband replied, "Sweetheart, do you remember the jewelers we went into
about
ten years ago, and you fell in love with that diamond necklace? I could not afford it
at the time, and I said that one day I would get it for you?"

Little tears started to flow down her cheeks and she got all choked up. "Yes, I do
remember that shop," she said. "Well, I am in the gun shop next door to that," came
his reply.

God has called us to a higher relationship with one another and with Himself than those
who do not know Him. It is God's will that the church would be a model for all that is
related to functioning and working together.

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If there is any organization that should show how to function well and work as a team, it is
the local New Testament church.
God's plan for us as believers is unity in message and commitment but diversity in service.
And Romans 12 tells us how this is possible.

1. The Warning to Believers

Paul began his instructions on unity in relationships by emphasizing that he is speaking the
very instructions of God. He emphasizes this in verse 3 as
he says,"For I say, through the grace given unto me…”

In other epistles as well, Paul emphasized that he was writing under the direct instruction
of the Lord.1 Corinthians 14:37

Indeed, the Bible is the very revelation of God. All sixty-six books have been given to us by
"holy men of God" (2 Peter 1:21).

So as we study this passage (as well as any other passage), it's important to remember that
this is God's instruction to us- not just a forum of equal opinions.
As we begin this passage, we see that the Holy Spirit, through Paul, gives us a warning
about our relationships. Of course, when God wants to give us a warning, we don't go,
"Says who?" Rather, we open our heart to it.

The warning in this passage is actually two-fold.

Faulty Thinking
Paul begins by warning us in verse 3 of pride as he says, “to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”

Pride begins in the mind, doesn't it? Pride ruins relationships. It stirs up strife by creating
within us an elevated perception of our greatness. And all of us are capable of having the
spirit of pride.

A young man had been hired to work for a large supermarket chain. On his first day
of work, he reported to the manager at one of the stores. The manager greeted him
with a warm handshake and a smile, handed him a broom and said, "Your first job
will be to sweep out the store."

Indignant at being assigned what he considered to be menial service, the young man
replied, "But, I'm a college graduate."

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 "I'm sorry," the manager said. "I didn't know that. Here, give me the broom, and I'll
show you how."

Pride causes us to have an inaccurately high estimation of ourselves. Galatians 6:3 warns
against this deception Galatians 6:3.

A psychologist wrote some insightful remarks on what happens to our minds when we
deceive ourselves of our own importance:

"Extreme forms of mental illness are often extreme cases of self-absorption.... The
distinctive quality, the thing that literally sets paranoid people apart is hyper-self-
consciousness. And the thing they prize most about themselves is autonomy. Their
constant fear is that someone else is interfering with their will or trying to direct
their lives."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be
lowly. Be humble. The best man in the church is the man who is willing to be a doormat for
all to wipe their boots on, the brother who does not mind what happens to him at all, so
long as God is glorified."

Do not be an "egoholic," or filled with yourself.

Possibly the most famous sports parent is LaVar Ball, father of Lakers point guard
Lonzo Ball, who is mostly known for his outlandish quotes. In March 2017, LaVar
Ball went on record saying, "Back in my heyday, I would kill
Michael Jordan one-on-one."

In reality, LaVar Ball had only played college basketball for one year, averaging two
points and two rebounds a game.

The Bible is clear that we need to humble ourselves and remain teachable. God wants us to
have a spirit that allows us to take in His Word.

A pastor went with his wife to a conference to preach. As the host introduced him
before the sermon, he said, "We are so thankful to have such a great preacher here
tonight." Surprised and pleased, those words stayed in the preacher's mind.

While driving back home, the preacher asked his wife, "How many great preachers
do you think there are?" His wife gently replied, "One less than you think."

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The second warning in this passage is:

Faulty Thinking
Forgetful Thinking
One of the sad outcomes of this faulty thinking of pride is how it causes us to forget God's
grace in our lives. We see that in verse 3 as Paul continues, “...but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

God is the source of the gifts and abilities we possess.

Verse 3 tells us that God has dealt these to us. This word means "to distribute, bestow, or
impart." The measure of faith means a "determined extent."

It is God who has given us the ability to do the things we do. He is the distributor of the
faith and ability to exercise our gifts in service James 1:17,Ephesians 4:7.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. The only source of goodness in our lives is
Jesus Christ in us.

The warning to believers is that whenever we get filled with ourselves, the "one another"
aspect of our relationships begins to strain and tear.

1. The Warning to Believers

2. The Wonder of Believers
God has a wonderful plan called "the body of Christ" or the "local church," which is
designed to function in a particular way. Verses 4-5 of our text describe the unity of this
body.

Just as our physical bodies are uniquely and wonderfully made, God has a plan for the local
church body to function well, and He lays that out in these verses.

The Uniqueness of Each Member

Notice in verse 4 that there are many members in one body. The word members is
translated from the Greek word melos, which means "a limb or a part of the body." Just like
a physical body, the local church body has many parts.

Some people think they have a less important role in their church due to their undesirable
past or less prominent role in serving. This is certainly not true.

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In actuality, the Bible tells us that it is the Lord who adds to the church (Acts 2:47). And we
can be sure that He is not adding unimportant parts to the body.

God designed every part of our physical body to function as a whole. Even the smallest and
weakest of our five toes, the little toe may seem almost redundant. However, it is crucial to
maintain our balance. Without our little toe, our ability to walk, run, and skip would be
significantly affected.

Of course, just as in our physical body, not every member of the church has the same
function. In fact, verse 4 specifically says, "and all members have not the same office." The
word office means "function or business."

Jesus is the head of the body, and He is to be preeminent in all things in the body
(Colossians 1:18).
For the body of Christ to function well, members of the church have to understand who put
them together and the reason for their inclusion 1 Corinthians 12:14-20.

The Uniqueness of Each Member

The Unity of the Whole Body

Not only is every member of the body important, but every member is to work together.

Four decades after his monumental moonwalk, Neil Armstrong reflected on it in an

interview. He said, "I was certainly aware that this was the culmination of the work
of 300,000 to 400,000 people over a decade. "2 He and fellow astronaut Jim Lovell
said their favorite part of walking on the moon was knowing that they were part of a
great team effort.

Teamwork in the local church enables the church to fulfill the mission of Christ. In a single
service, the pastor preaches, nursery workers look after the babies, ushers help out, and
the choir sings. Every one is working together to advance the gospel. The devil wants
disunity in the church so that it does not function well. God wants us to follow the design
He has for the church so that in unity we accomplish more for His glory.

We see in this passage two aspects of the unity of the body: our relationships in the body
and our responsibility in the body.

• Our Relationships in the Body

We are each individual members, but together we are all in one body of Christ. As a body,
our relationships should be defined by love John 13:35.
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When the world looks at the church, they should be able to see the love of Christ within it.
They should see a difference in the way the church functions and recognize by the
members' love for one another that the church is distinct from a secular organization. It is
the church of the living God. The unity and love of the church should be a testimony to the
presence of God.

• Our Responsibility in the Body

God wants us to make unity in our homes and churches our mission. Each member should
not only contribute to this unity but also preserve it Ephesians 4:3.

Internationally renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand wrote of the picture of the body and the
church:
The Body of Christ, like our own bodies, is composed of individual, unlike cells that
are knit together to form one body. The joy of the body increases as individual cells
realize they can be diverse without becoming isolated outposts.

However, what happens when strife develops among church members? When each
member seeks to pursue his or her own selfish desires, the church is unable to function
cohesively as God intended.
Each member has the potential to hurt or help, to be a burden or a blessing.

After World War II, a group of German students volunteered to help rebuild an
English cathedral that had been severely damaged by German bombs. As work
progressed, they became concerned about a large statue of Jesus, whose arms were
outstretched and beneath which was the inscription: "Come unto Me."

They had particular difficulty trying to restore the hands, which had been
completely destroyed. After much discussion, they decided to let the hands remain
missing and changed the inscription to: "Christ has no hands but ours."

Do you realize that your church is to be the hands of Jesus? And, you, as part of the church
body are to work with other believers in fulfilling the mission of Christ.

The wonder of believers is that we are part of a body and when we function in unity, we are
able to effectively present the gospel to a lost and dying world.

Our responsibility then is to endeavor to keep the unity of the church.

1. The Warning to Believers

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2. The Wonder of Believers
3. The Work of Believers

God's plan for the unity of the church can be realized when the believers properly carry out
their work, Romans 12:6-8.

The unique talents we possess are useful in helping us determine the kind of job to pursue.
In the context of the church, God has also equipped each of us with spiritual gifts -not for
ourselves, but to minister to and build up the body of Christ.

As you read through the New Testament, you see two categories of spiritual gifts
temporary sign gifts and permanent edifying gifts.
• Temporary Sign Gifts
The miraculous gifts, such as healing and speaking in tongues, were given to validate the
gospel message as it was first preached during the apostolic age, 2 Corinthians 12:12,1
Corinthians 14:22.
Unbelieving Jews who questioned the gospel were able to hear the message in their own
language or see someone bitten by a snake healed. These validated the message of the
gospel, Hebrews 2:3-4, 1 Corinthians 1:22.

• Permanent Edifying Gifts.

Although the sign gifts were temporary, spiritual gifts themselves are not. God has given
each believer a gift solely because of His grace.
Since they are divine gifts, we should not boast in what we can do. If God enables us to do
certain things, it is for His glory, not our own 1 Corinthians 4:7.

In this passage, Paul asks the Corinthians, "If everything good in your life is a gift of grace,
how could you possibly brag about how great you are?"

So how should we use these gifts God has given us?

Work of Gracious Service

God wants us to use our gifts to provide gracious service to Him and to one another.

We can break the spiritual gifts down into two categories-gifts of education and gifts of
edification.
As you look at this list, consider what gifts God may have given you and how you can use
them to help and serve others.

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• Gifts for Educating the People
Prophecy
The gift of prophecy focuses on discernment and insight, knowing right from wrong.
Teaching
Those with the gift of teaching have a God-given ability to clearly explain God's Word to
others.
Little Tommy loved attending first grade
Sunday school. His teacher, Mrs. Smith told great Bible stories, and she would
always end the story by saying, "And, boys and girls, the moral of the story is...."
Little Tommy enjoyed learning about the morals of each Bible story.

But when Tommy entered second grade, he moved up to another Sunday school
class, taught by Mrs. Jones. She told Bible stories too, but her stories ended
differently. They did not conclude with a moral. After some time, Tommy's mom
asked him how he liked his new Sunday school teacher. Tommy said, "Mrs.
Jones is okay. The only problem is that she doesn't have any morals.

Although various teachers and preachers may have different styles, the most
important thing is that they rightly divide God's Word.

Exhorting
The person with the gift of exhorting is a natural encourager who knows how to say the
right thing at the right time.

• Gifts for Edifying the People

Ministering
This focuses on acts of service. It involves simply helping with whatever needs do be done
and serving with a willing heart.

Giving
God blesses some with the ability to give abundantly.
He encourages giving in them, and they find great joy in doing so.
Have you ever met someone with the gift of giving?
He or she is very generous and loves going above and beyond investing in the cause of
Christ.

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Giving, like all the spiritual gifts, is not to be practiced only by someone with the gift for it.
For instance, all of us are to encourage one another. All of us, at various times, are to serve
one another. And God commands all of us that we ought to give to the Lord's work through
the local church, 1 Corinthians 16:2.

Ruling
Ruling or administration is the ability to dig deep and see the details, make a mid-course
judgment, and strategically plan.

Mercy
Those with this gift are quick to forgive others and show mercy to the undeserving. The
diversity of gifts serves a purpose. If everyone had the gift of mercy or ruling, there would
be an imbalance in the church.
Thus, God gives us different gifts so that we can all work together in the body according to
His plan.

Work of Gracious Service

Work with a Gracious Spirit
Not only are we to use our gifts for gracious service, but we are to work with a gracious
spirit. Although every Christian will have different strengths and weaknesses when it
comes to gifts, we can all choose to follow the commands that God has given to every
Christian.

Sometimes people become cynical or selfish in their service, but God calls us to serve with a
loving spirit, 1 Corinthians 13:1;1 John 3:18; Romans 12:9-10.

God wants the work in His church to be done with sincere love. The word dissimulation
means "hypocrisy" or "two-facedness." God does not want us acting a part but serving with
a selfless kind of love that humbly puts others first.

Notice that Romans 12:10 says, "in honour preferring one another." In our marriages, we
ought to prefer one another. In our churches, we can look for ways to be an encouragement
one to another. Godly Christians put others first. Instead of thinking about our own needs
and wants first, we should look for ways to serve others, Philippians 2:3-4.

Genuine concern and responses of love are a godly type of love. Loving others is more
important than any gift. God warns us that we cannot edify the church when we are only
concerned about ourselves.

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When we heed His warning and exercise our gifts according to His plan for the church, we
can make a worldwide impact for Christ.
Conclusion
Imagine a church in which members possess diverse gifts and use them to serve one
another in love. What a beautiful portrait of peace and unity that sets God's people apart
from the world!

How can we, as a body of believers, live up to God's wonderful plan for His church?
First, we need to humbly recognize that our gifts are from God.
Second, we ought to realize that our gifts are unique and meant to be used to serve one
another. Every member is responsible to maintain the unity of the church.
Finally, we should put others before ourselves and serve our fellow members with a
gracious spirit.

Let us pray that we will seek to cultivate an edifying relationship with one another in our
church for the glory of God.

Choose to be someone who serves, not sits!

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 LESSON 02

Title: Members One of Another

Read: John 13:31-35

OVERVIEW
Before Jesus Christ demonstrated the highest example of love on the cross, He commanded
His disciples to love one another. God intended that the world would see Christ in us
through our love one for another. In this lesson we learn of Christ’s love and how we are to
demonstrate it toward others.

GOALS

At the conclusion of this lesson, group members should:

1. Realize the love of Christ for us.

2. Realize that loving one another is a command.
3. Determine to love one another so that the world can see Christ in them.

Introduction

Man’s concept of love is often shallow and fleeting.

Just think of the flippant expression of “I Love You” we commonly hear. There exists,
however, a profound and enduring kind of love. Jesus Christ demonstrated the highest
example of love the world has ever known through His life and sacrifice. As Christians, we
are called to emulate the love of Christ.

The Greeks have different words for expressing various kinds of love. Eros describes sexual
love, and phileo refers to brotherly love. The love that Jesus calls us to, however, is a higher
love, known as agape--a selfless and unconditional love.

Perhaps you have experienced a relationship that was short-lived. You realized later that
the relationship was based on a superficial kind of love. The truth is emotional love wears
off.

A husband was coming out of anesthesia after undergoing a surgery in the hospital. His
eyes fluttered open and noticing his wife sitting beside him, he muttered, "You are
beautiful." Flattered, the wife continued the vigil. Later, the husband woke up again and

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said, "You are cute!" "What happened to beautiful?" asked the wife. "The drugs are wearing
off," came the husband's reply.

Emotional love may be fleeting, but a Christ-like love lasts forever.

In the first twelve chapters of John's Gospel, the author covers Jesus' earthly ministry. The
next seven chapters focus on Jesus' final twenty-four hours on the earth. Jesus knew that
His death was imminent.
He would soon have to undergo terrible torture and bear the wrath of God for men's sins.

Despite the agony that lay before him, Jesus was still interested in investing in His disciples.
He gathered them to an upper room, and in His final instructions, gave them a new
commandment to love one another.

Luke 22:10-12

Three events were about to take place in this upper room:

The Passover Feast

The disciples gathered to celebrate the passover, an annual memorial of God's deliverance
of Israel from their slavery in Egypt. When God judged Egypt with the death of the
firstborn, He commanded the Israelites to kill a perfect lamb and smear its blood on their
doors so that their firstborn would be spared.

The passover signified the power of Jesus' blood to save us from the death of sin.

The Washing of the Disciples' Feet

Following the passover feast, Jesus washed His disciples' feet (John 13:4-10). His
demonstration of humility and love established Him as the model of servant leadership.

The Institution of the Last Supper

Finally, Jesus institutes the last supper with the bread and cup (Luke 22:19-20), which
represented His body and blood. This ordinance was meant to remind believers of Christ
and His work on Calvary.

1. The Proclamation of Christ

Notice in verses 31-33 of our text that as the time of His death draws near, Jesus proclaims
that He, the Messianic Son of man, is now glorified.

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His Death
Jesus' glorification would begin with His death on the cross. In verse 33 of our text, Jesus
tells his disciples, "Yet a little while I am with you."

After being with His disciples all the while and performing many miracles with them, it was
time for Jesus to go to the cross of Calvary.

Warren Wiersbe said, "From the human perspective, the death of Christ was a dastardly
deed involving unspeakable suffering and humiliation, but from the divine perspective, it
was the revelation of the glory of God."
During this moment of Christ on the cross, the whole world would see that there was a
Messiah who came to shed His blood for the sins of men so that they all might be saved.
Jesus has offered Himself as the covering for the sins of the world.

1 John 2:2

Is it not amazing that even today, two thousand years after the death of Christ, the cross for
us still serves as a symbol of glorious victory, not defeat? When we see an empty cross, we
are reminded that we are on the winning side because Christ has risen and is in Heaven.

His Death
His Deity
When Christ speaks of His glorification, He is referring to His deity or identity. He is
declaring that the world will see Him as He is -the true Son of God.

The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is eternal in nature, but He took on the form of man.
John 1:12, 14

Jesus is the eternal Word. But in Bethlehem's manger, deity became wrapped in humanity.
God took on human flesh that He might die on the cross. Bear in mind that from the manger
to the cross, Jesus never ceased being God.

In Romans 1:4, we read that Jesus declares His glory in being God.

Romans 1:4

The American statesman, Daniel Webster, was invited to dinner with some distinguished
literary men in Boston. During the dinner the conversation turned to Christianity, and

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Webster clearly stated his belief in the deity of Christ and his dependence upon the
atonement. One man said to him,
"Mr. Webster, can you comprehend how Christ could be both God and man?" Mr.
Webster promptly replied, "No, sir, I cannot comprehend it. If I could comprehend Him, He
would be no greater than myself. I feel that I need a super-human Saviour."

We may not understand the deity of Christ, but we are surely grateful that God became
man, dwelt among us, and went to Calvary. It is only because Christ was both God and man
that His blood covers the sins of the world.

Only God could be so loving as to die on a cross and so powerful as to rise again from the
grave.

Not only was Christ God who became man, but He also glorified the Father.

Verse 32 tells us that God was glorified in and through Christ. Christ's work on the cross,
obedience to God's will, and display of God's nature brought great glory to the Father.

John 17:1, 4

Every step Jesus took was with the desire to glorify God. What about you? Are you living
your life to the glory of God or to the glory of self?

We will not obey Christ's command to love one another if we are living for our own glory.
We must be living for the glory of God.

1. The Proclamation of Christ

2. The Exhortation to the Church

As the time for His death on the cross drew near, Jesus had some final words for His
disciples.

The Command to Love

Before parting with His disciples, Jesus tells them in verse 34, "A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another."

The word commandment is an authoritative prescription. It is an injunction that Jesus was

giving the church. We need to realize that loving one another is not an option--it is

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imperative. If we are not loving each other in a Christ-like way, we are disobeying a direct
order.

Jesus wants us to follow His example of how to love. John 15:13

Not only does Jesus want us to love others the way He did, but He also wants us to have the
right motivation for loving. 2 Corinthians 5:14

What is our love toward others? Is it just a performance? Or is it something we do simply to

check off our list? We ought to love others because the love of Christ flows through us
(Galatians 2:20).
That is the only right motivation for loving.
Galatians 5:13-14
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the
flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

The liberty mentioned in this passage is distinct from the world's concept of freedom,
which often promotes selfish interests. Instead, our God-given liberty is the freedom to
serve one another and demonstrate the love of Christ.

When God commands us to love one another, He also shows us how to do it.

The Command to Love

The Demonstration of Love
In verse 34, Jesus told His disciples to love one another
"as I have loved you." The disciples were commanded to love others with the same
standard and kind of love that Jesus had for them.

Remember that Jesus commanded the disciples to love one another after He had washed
their feet. He was about to die on the cross for the world. Here was Jesus Christ, hours
before giving His life as a sacrifice for our sins, washing the feet of His disciples. This is love.

A. Carson said, "The disciple of Jesus will stand out in the world because of the divine
quality of His love."

How are we to love others the way Jesus loved us?

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• Sacrificially
Jesus demonstrated His love for us by giving His own life. In turn, we are to love sacrificially
by giving ourselves to others.

1 John 3:16
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren.

Under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England during the seventeenth
century, a soldier was sentenced to death for his crimes. The soldier was to be executed at
the ringing of the evening curfew bell.
When the time came, however, the bell did not sound. The soldier's fiancé had climbed the
bell tower and wrapped her body on the great clapper of the bell to prevent it from striking
when the ropes were pulled. When she was brought before Cromwell to explain her
actions, the weeping fiancé showed him her bloodied hands, arms, and skull. Moved by her
actions, Cromwell pardoned the soldier and said, "Your lover shall live because of your
sacrifice. Curfew shall not ring tonight!"

Similarly, we were doomed to die at the sound of the judgment bell because of our sins, but
Christ took our place and died on the cross. He delivered us from death that we might have
a home in Heaven. That is how much Christ loves us!
When we examine our lives, do we see sacrificial love?
In our families, do we only love our children when they are obedient? What about our love
toward our spouses? Christ commands husbands to love their wives "even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25).

Love is more than just feelings. A young man said to his father at breakfast one morning,
"Dad, I'm going to get married."
"How do you know you're ready to get married?" asked the father.
"Because I'm in love, Dad."
"How do you know you're in love?" asked the father. "Last night as I dropped my girlfriend
off at her house after our date and told her goodnight, her dog bit me, and I didn't feel the
pain until I got home."

• Righteously
We need to bear in mind that while God's love is sacrificial, it is also righteous. It does not
permit us to sin.

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When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, He forgave her but told her
to stop sinning. John 8:10-11

• Constantly
In addition to being sacrificial and righteous, God's love is also constant. Isn't it wonderful
that God's love is not a part-time or on-and-off feeling, but a full-time commitment?

Romans 8:38-39

We may have different backgrounds or pasts, but God loves us all the same and will never
stop loving us.

His constant love for us should motivate us to love others continuously.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
In our flesh, loving others may seem like a difficult task. We might even balk at it. But God
has commanded us to love one another.

The good thing is that God's commands come with His enablement. He has given us the
Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love. When we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, we find
that we are able to love one another as commanded.

1. The Proclamation of Christ

2. The Exhortation to the Church
3. The Identification of Love

Something amazing happens when we live out God's command to love one another. Verse
35 of our text tells us that the people around us begin to identify us as Christ's disciples
when they see the love we show one to another. We know we are following God's
commandment when love for others is evident in our lives.

An Outward Testimony
We develop our testimony based on the way we act.
What kind of testimony do you have? Would those around you identify you as a Christian?
God wants people to know that we are different from the world because we know Him.

If you know Christ as your personal Saviour and are following His example of love, you will
develop an outward testimony that reflects Christ. As the following passages show, a
believer in Christ will take the lead in helping others when he sees a need.

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1 John 3:17-18; James 2:15-16

After billionaire hotel owner Leona Helmsley died in August 2007, she left her dog a $12
million trust fund for it to continue living a life of luxury. She ordered that when her dog
died, it was to be buried next to her in the Helmsley mausoleum. The mausoleum was to be
washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year, and she had set aside $3 million for the
upkeep. Leona also left two of her grandchildren out of her will, saying that they knew the
reasons why.?

We can tell that this woman truly loved her dog. Her treasure was where her heart was.
When we love God, we can love anyone regardless of the kind of person they are. This is
simply because God loves everyone. None of us are deserving of God's love, yet He
extended it to us.

One author said, "When you love people who are like you, that's ordinary. When you love
people who are unlike you, that's extraordinary. When you love people who dislike you,
that's revolutionary"

The love we have for one another is an outward testimony to others that we are followers
of Christ.

An Outward Testimony
An Ownership Testimony

Christ tells us in verse 35 that when we love one another, the world will know that we are
His disciples--that we belong to Him.

We can tell if someone is a fan of a certain music group or sports team by the way they
express their love for it. They talk about their favorite team often or don the team jersey to
show their affiliation.

Similarly, the world will see that we belong to Christ through our love for one another. If
we truly love the Lord, we would want to love others too and show that we are followers of
Christ.
Mark 12:29-31

Conclusion
What sets Christians apart from the world? Love.
And specifically our love for each other.

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God's command for us to love one another is to show the world the love of Christ in us.
When we love God, our natural desire is to obey His commandments.

Jesus Christ first showed us the perfect example of love by dying for our sins. He then
instructs us to follow in His footsteps by loving one another sacrificially, righteously, and
constantly. Our demonstration of love identifies us as His disciples and points the world
toward God.

Perhaps you do not yet know Christ as your Saviour.

God wants you to know that He loves you and sent His Son to die for you. You too can be
part of the family of God if you receive Christ as your Saviour today.
1 John 4:9-10
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

If you are saved, the people around you should see Christ in you through your love.

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