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Good Saturday morning to you all.

You have heard us speak often about discipleship. We here at Hope believe that every believer must be a disciple of Jesus. In simple terms, the word disciple means a student of his teacher. So, we must not only follow Jesus on Sundays but also become more like Him in our daily life.

So, here is my thought for all of us today. In John 13:35, we read a familiar verse that says:

"If you have love for one another, then you will know that you are my disciples."

So, since we are disciples of Jesus, you can't just love Jesus, you must also love others.

The hallmark of being disciple / follower of Jesus isn't a bumper sticker, or a T-shirt. The real proof is that you love every other disciple--that is, you love God's church.

We can't just love Jesus and say, "There you go, I am a lover of my Savior"; NO, you must love His people. You see they belong to Jesus as well as you do. 

We may not always see eye to eye, so what? We are individuals with different likes and tastes. But that must never take priority over loving the family of God.

Ever hear someone say, "I love Jesus, but not the church?" That is like saying, I love my right arm, but hate my left leg. It is all a part of the same body.

Loving people in God's family is called "fellowship". And it is through fellowship that spiritual grow occurs..Don't kid yourself, you do not grow without touching the life of someone else. You may think you can, but you are just kidding yourself.

Over and over you will read in the Bible, "LOVE ONE ANOTHER."

God measures our love by how much we are willing to sacrifice for other believers in His family.

Read 1 John 3:16 a few times. It's POWERFUL.

Here is a little test to get this 'love thing' moving in the right direction. 

Make a phone call or visit another believer/disciple of Jesus, and before you leave their presence say the words: "Hey, I want you to know, I love you." Now that love may be tested, so when the test comes, pass it.

I will even make it easier---if you struggle to say the words, I love you---try them out on me. 

I accept the love I can get.

Much love to disciple of Jesus,

Pastor G

For tomorrow: Read Revelation 1