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“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.” – Acts 4:32–35 (NLT)

One of the central themes of the Bible is love. In fact, God is introduced to us as Love in 1 John 4:8 and again in verse 16 of the same chapter. It was love for the world that moved God to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and save us from our sins. Love is so essential that Jesus, speaking in John 13:35, said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Then 1 John 4:20 powerfully sums it up: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”

The Power of Love
Love is such a powerful virtue that the Bible declares in 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will
last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” Jesus even commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This command has never been more relevant than it is today. The world is increasingly filled with hate and division. It is becoming a loveless world—which should not surprise us, as 2 Timothy 3:2–3 warns us about the nature of people in the last days: “People will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.”

We do ourselves a great deal of good when we allow ourselves to be rooted in love and to walk in it daily.

The world may be galloping toward lovelessness, but this must not be the case for the Church. God’s plan is for the Church to grow into a state of perfection—marked by unity in the faith, Christlikeness, and spiritual maturity—bearing fruit. The fruit of the Spirit, listed in Galatians 5:22, includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Everything we do must be motivated by love—love for God and love for others. Without love, we run the risk of becoming what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:1–3: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

The world may be galloping toward lovelessness, but this must not be the case for the Church. God’s plan is for the Church to grow into a state of perfection—marked by unity in the faith, Christlikeness, and spiritual maturity—bearing fruit.

The Litmus Test of Genuine Love
Our love for one another must be sincere and driven by pure motives. We must examine
ourselves regularly to ensure that love—not selfish desire or lust—is at the core of our actions.
The litmus test for this is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does
not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
This is the kind of love God expects us to show toward one another—love that reflects His own
heart.

We must examine ourselves regularly to ensure that love—not selfish desire or lust—is at the core of our actions.

Unity and God’s Power
Love among believers fosters unity, and unity creates the atmosphere for the manifestation of
God’s power. As our main text shows, the early Church was united in heart and mind. No one
considered their possessions solely their own; instead, they shared everything. As a result, God’s
great blessing rested upon them. The apostles were able to testify powerfully to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ through miracles, signs, and wonders.
Let us not forget Jesus’ words: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” When we love one another genuinely, our identity as disciples of
Jesus becomes unmistakable. There will be signs that follow, confirming who we are to the
world. But if the world is unsure of who we are—if we constantly have to explain that we are
children of God—then something may be wrong. Jesus said, “By this all people will know.”
So, the question is: Does the world know that you are a disciple of Christ?

When we love one another genuinely, our identity as disciples of Jesus becomes unmistakable. There will be signs that follow, confirming who we are to the world.

May God help us to truly walk in love—one for another.

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