The Compelling Witness of Love
Do you brake for garage sales? Who doesn’t love a bargain? Let’s say you stop for garage sale, and you find a beautiful gold ring. How do you know it’s real and not a piece of junk? Look for the hallmark. The hallmark is the mark stamped on a piece of gold or silver jewelry to authenticate its purity and value. Look for tiny letters and symbols stamped in a discreet place.
Modern hallmarking can be traced back to the 13th century England when King Edward I decreed that no piece of gold would be offered for sale without first being tested and marked with the symbol of a leopards head with a crown. Hallmarking is now used all over the world to set the standard for quality control in jewelry-making and to protect consumers from fraud.
If hallmarks are used to identify genuine gold or silver jewelry, how do we identify a genuine follower of Jesus vs. someone who is posing as one? Look for the hallmark. At a critical moment in the Gospel of John, Jesus, knowing that His hour has come, gathers with His disciples in the upper room to reveal one of the hallmarks of genuine believers.
After washing their feet, Jesus gives them a "new command." Not a new suggestion, not a gentle reminder, but a command: "..love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples..."
The love that Jesus is commanding, is not primarily a feeling or positive thought. It is a love patterned after His love for people – a sacrificial, self-giving love. And it is this love, Jesus declares, that will be the unmistakable hallmark of His followers. It's not our religious words, or our perfect theology, or our impressive services or buildings, but our Christ-empowered love for others that reveals that we genuine and authentic followers of Jesus Christ.
Join us this Sunday from 10-11:15 for a message titled "The Compelling Witness of Love" based on John 13:34-35.
Modern hallmarking can be traced back to the 13th century England when King Edward I decreed that no piece of gold would be offered for sale without first being tested and marked with the symbol of a leopards head with a crown. Hallmarking is now used all over the world to set the standard for quality control in jewelry-making and to protect consumers from fraud.
If hallmarks are used to identify genuine gold or silver jewelry, how do we identify a genuine follower of Jesus vs. someone who is posing as one? Look for the hallmark. At a critical moment in the Gospel of John, Jesus, knowing that His hour has come, gathers with His disciples in the upper room to reveal one of the hallmarks of genuine believers.
After washing their feet, Jesus gives them a "new command." Not a new suggestion, not a gentle reminder, but a command: "..love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples..."
The love that Jesus is commanding, is not primarily a feeling or positive thought. It is a love patterned after His love for people – a sacrificial, self-giving love. And it is this love, Jesus declares, that will be the unmistakable hallmark of His followers. It's not our religious words, or our perfect theology, or our impressive services or buildings, but our Christ-empowered love for others that reveals that we genuine and authentic followers of Jesus Christ.
Join us this Sunday from 10-11:15 for a message titled "The Compelling Witness of Love" based on John 13:34-35.
