The Proof
February 21, 2019
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
Much of life is proving who we are. We have to have ID cards to fly, to get into some restricted hospital areas, to check out a book at the library, to drive a car. Our children need birth certificates to play organized ball. Repeated circumstances throughout life demand that we furnish proof that we have been born, are who we say we are, are married, and so forth. After we die, someone has to prove that we have died and we actually are who we said we were. A registered piece of paper is what gives the proof.
Jesus doesn’t rely on anything as fragile or insignificant as a piece of paper to prove to the world that we are His disciples. A membership certificate, baptism certificate, or perfect attendance record will mean nothing. The proof that we are His is that we love like Him. The unworthy, the inconvenient, the unlikeable, the unknown.
If this is our only credential to an unbelieving world, making sure we get it right must be our highest priority. Andy Stanley says, “Most bad church experiences are the result of somebody prioritizing a view over you.”
Lead Pastor Dwight Mason says, “Many people do not believe a God they cannot see is FOR them because people who claim to know God have not been FOR them.” Both of those statements are challenging and convicting. Has there been anyone who cannot see the proof because of me?
- In your circles, what are the typical “credentials” people point to as proof that they are disciples of Jesus?
- What are the ones that have given you the most confidence in your life?
- How do you think the Jesus proof is showing in your life?
- Pray that you would be a clear testimony of Jesus’ kind of love.