By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:35 

 

Chuck Swindoll writes: 'One day, a Marine Corps buddy who came to Christ told me, ‘Chuck, the thing I still miss most is the fellowship I had with the guys at the pub. I can’t find it amongst the Christians I’ve met. I no longer have a place to admit my faults and talk about my struggles where somebody won’t preach, frown, quote a verse, or blab it all over the place.’ The local pub’s an attractive counterfeit for the church. Ever watch Cheers? It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace and escape instead of reality. But it’s an accepting and inclusive fellowship, unshockable and democratic. You can tell them your secrets and they usually won’t tell others. It flourishes not because its patrons are all alcoholics, but because each of us has a God-given desire to know and be known and love and be loved; we seek these things for the price of a few beers. Christ wants His church to be unshockable; a fellowship where people can come and say, ‘I’m beat... I’ve had it,’ and find real answers!' Now, before you shoot me for comparing your church to a pub, ask yourself (a) if you discovered your spouse had been unfaithful, who could you confide in? (b) if your biopsy confirmed cancer, who would you turn to? (c) if you were lonely, where would you go? Jesus said, '... men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.' And love isn’t what you say, it’s what you do!