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I was driving through town the other day, stuck in traffic behind this car with more Christian bumper stickers than I could count. There was the fish symbol, the “I Love Jesus” decal, a “Honk If You Love Jesus” sticker, and even one of those “God’s Got This” magnets. Now, don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing inherently bad about any of these things. But sitting there in traffic, God started speaking to my heart about a question that cuts right to the core of what it means to follow Him.
The question isn’t whether people know you’re religious. The question is whether they know you’re His.
The Scene That Changes Everything
Let me set a scene for you that happened over two thousand years ago, but feels as fresh and relevant as yesterday’s headlines. Jesus is having His last meal with His closest friends and followers. The clock is ticking. In just hours, He’ll begin His march toward Calvary and an agonizing death on a Roman cross. These twelve men—these ordinary, flawed, sometimes clueless disciples—are the ones He’s leaving the movement with. The future of the gospel rests in their hands.
So what does Jesus choose to emphasize in these final, precious moments? What does He consider most important for them to understand about following Him?
He says they’ll know by your love for one another.
Notice what He doesn’t say. He doesn’t say people will know you’re His disciples by your theological knowledge, though doctrine matters. He doesn’t mention your church attendance record, your bumper stickers, your Christian t-shirts, or even your ability to quote Scripture.
He says they’ll know by your love for one another.
The Revolutionary Mark of Discipleship
This was radical then, and it’s still radical now. Jesus was creating something the world had never seen before—a group identified not by their ethnicity, their politics, their social status, or their religious symbols, but by one thing: love.
Think about it. Throughout history, groups have distinguished themselves by external markers. They wear certain uniforms, display particular symbols, speak in coded language, or follow specific rituals. But Jesus flipped that script entirely. He said, “The way people will recognize My followers is by how they treat each other.”
This wasn’t just a nice suggestion or a feel-good platitude. This was Jesus’ final instruction to His disciples about their identity. In those last moments before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, this is what He wanted them to remember: authentic discipleship is marked by authentic love.
What Makes Christian Love Different?
Now, you might be thinking, “But Donny, love is talked about everywhere these days. What makes Christian love so special?” Great question, and I’m glad you asked.
Christian love isn’t just a warm feeling or sentimental emotion. It’s not the kind of love that Hollywood sells us or the shallow “love” that gets thrown around on social media. Christian love is sacrificial. It’s costly. It’s the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated when He washed His disciples’ feet, when He forgave those who betrayed Him, and ultimately when He gave His life on the cross.
Here’s what makes it different:
First, it has a different source. Our love is rooted in Christ’s sacrifice for us. We don’t love to earn God’s approval—we love because we’ve already received His approval through Jesus.
Second, it has different sustaining power. Christian love is sustained by the Holy Spirit, not by our own willpower or emotions. It’s the “fruit of the Spirit” that flows from a transformed heart.
Third, it has a different goal. We love others not just to make them feel good, but to point them toward the ultimate source of joy and satisfaction—God Himself.
Love in Action: What This Actually Looks Like
So what does this love look like in real life? I’m talking practical, rubber-meets-the-road Christianity here.
It means loving other believers by spending time with them in church. Not just showing up on Sunday morning, but actively participating in the life of the body. It means caring enough to be present, to encourage, to pray with and for each other.
It means ministering to each other’s needs. When a brother or sister is struggling financially, emotionally, or spiritually, we don’t just say, “I’ll pray for you” and walk away. We roll up our sleeves and get involved. We bring meals, offer practical help, and provide genuine support.
It means sharing life with believers. This isn’t about being exclusive or cliquish—it’s about having deep, meaningful relationships with fellow followers of Christ. It’s about doing life together, celebrating together, grieving together, and growing together.
The Global Impact of Love
You know what’s incredible? This principle of love as the mark of discipleship is playing out on a global scale right now through the work of missionaries and media ministries around the world.
Take our partners at Lifeword, for example. They’re broadcasting the gospel in over 170 languages to more than 2 billion people. But it’s not just about broadcasting—it’s about love in action. Through Baptist Medical Missions International, they’re partnering with local churches to provide healthcare to those who need it most. People come for medical care, but they encounter the love of Christ through the Christians serving them.
In places like the Philippines, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, and Rwanda, BMA Global missionaries are planting churches and making disciples. But what’s really transforming communities isn’t just the preaching—it’s the love these missionaries demonstrate. They learn the local languages, understand the cultures, and serve sacrificially.
Just recently, I heard about a man in the Philippines who was an alcoholic, regularly mistreating his wife and children. His family attended a BMA church and put his name on the prayer list. When he found out, he was furious. But the church got a Lifeword radio station, and they distributed transistor radios throughout the community. This man’s children brought one home, and he started listening. The gospel programming, filled with love and truth, began transforming his heart. When the radio’s battery died, he actually went to the church to get it replaced. That’s the power of love combined with the gospel.
When Love Becomes Our Apologetic
Your love for other Christians is actually one of the most powerful evangelistic tools you have. Some have called it “the final apologetic”—the ultimate proof of the gospel’s truth.
In a world filled with hatred, division, and selfishness, when people see Christians genuinely loving each other—forgiving each other, serving each other, sacrificing for each other—it makes them stop and take notice. They start asking, “What’s different about these people? What do they have that I don’t?”
The early Christians were known for this. Even the pagans would say, “Look how they love one another!” Their love was so radical, so counter-cultural, that it became their signature. People didn’t identify them by their bumper stickers or t-shirts—they identified them by their love.
The Challenge of Authentic Love
This kind of love isn’t easy. It’s not natural. It goes against our selfish human nature in every way.
It means overlooking offenses instead of keeping score. In our social media age where everyone’s ready to call out everyone else, this is revolutionary.
It means controlling our temper instead of letting it fly. Many people have lost their right to speak into others’ lives because they can’t control their anger. But love is patient and kind.
It means loving in deed and truth, not just in word. If you see a brother in need and have the means to help but choose not to, how can the love of God be in you? Love isn’t just what we say—it’s what we do.
Beyond the Symbols
I’m not saying Christian symbols, t-shirts, or bumper stickers are wrong. Fish symbols have been used by Christians since the early church, and there’s a rich history of believers identifying themselves through various means. If wearing a Christian t-shirt or putting a fish symbol on your car opens up conversations about faith, that’s wonderful.
But here’s my concern: we’ve become so focused on the external symbols that we’ve neglected the internal reality. We’ve made it easy to look Christian without actually being Christian. We’ve reduced discipleship to consumerism—buying the right products to display the right image.
Jesus cut through all of that. He said, “Forget the external stuff. If you really want people to know you belong to Me, show them by how you love My people.”
The Ripple Effect of Love
When Christians truly love each other the way Jesus commanded, something beautiful happens. It creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond the church walls.
Families are transformed. When parents model Christ-like love for each other and for their fellow believers, children grow up with a secure understanding of what real love looks like.
Communities are changed. When churches are known for their love rather than their politics or preferences, they become magnets for hurting people seeking hope.
The gospel spreads. Love creates curiosity. People want to know the source of authentic love, and that opens doors for sharing Christ.
Love in the Digital Age
In our connected world, this principle has taken on new dimensions. Through digital platforms, Lifeword is reaching 236 million Facebook accounts with gospel-centered programming. But even in the digital space, it’s love that makes the difference. When people encounter Christians online who demonstrate patience, kindness, and genuine care, it points them toward Christ.
Social media can be a battlefield, but it can also be a place where Christian love shines brightly. When believers respond to criticism with grace, when they lift each other up instead of tearing each other down, when they show genuine concern for others’ well-being—that’s the love of Christ on display in the digital age.
The Global Church’s Example
Some of the most powerful examples of Christian love come from our global partners. In places where being a Christian can cost you your life, believers still choose to love each other sacrificially.
In countries where resources are scarce, Christians share what little they have with each other. In cultures where tribal divisions run deep, the gospel creates new families bound together by love rather than blood.
These believers don’t have the luxury of cultural Christianity or nominal faith. Their love for each other is real, costly, and transformative—and it’s changing entire communities.
A Personal Inventory
Let me ask you some hard questions that I’ve been asking myself:
When your neighbors think about your faith, what comes to mind first? Is it your bumper stickers, or is it how you treat your fellow believers?
When conflicts arise in your church, are you known as a peacemaker or a troublemaker?
When someone in your congregation is struggling, do they feel comfortable coming to you for help?
If someone wanted to understand what Christianity is all about, would they learn more from your symbols or from your relationships?
The Cost of Love
Jesus wasn’t naive about the cost of this kind of love. He knew it would be expensive. Real love always is.
It costs us our pride when we have to forgive someone who’s wronged us.
It costs us our time when we choose to invest in relationships rather than pursuing our own interests.
It costs us our comfort when we have to confront sin in love or submit to others’ leadership.
It costs us our preferences when we choose unity over being right.
But here’s what Jesus knew that we often forget: the cost of love is always less than the cost of its absence. A church without love is just a social club with religious programming. A Christian without love is just a moral person with religious opinions.
Love as Mission Strategy
In the global missions context, love isn’t just the mark of discipleship—it’s also the most effective mission strategy.
Medical missions teams don’t just provide healthcare; they demonstrate the love of Christ through their service. Church planters don’t just preach sermons; they love people into the kingdom. Media ministries don’t just broadcast programs; they create content that reflects the heart of God’s love for every nation, tribe, and tongue.
When missionaries truly love the people they serve, when they learn their languages and understand their cultures, when they demonstrate Christ’s love through their actions—that’s when hearts are changed and churches are planted.
The Promise and the Challenge
Jesus made this statement about love being the mark of discipleship both a promise and a challenge.
The promise: When we love each other the way He loved us, the world will take notice. They’ll be drawn to the source of that love. The gospel will spread naturally as people encounter authentic Christian community.
The challenge: This kind of love doesn’t happen automatically. It requires intentionality, humility, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. It means choosing love even when it’s costly, even when it’s difficult, even when others don’t deserve it.
Moving Forward
So where do we go from here? How do we move beyond bumper sticker Christianity to the real thing?
Start with your local church. Look for opportunities to demonstrate love practically. Is there an elderly member who needs help with yard work? A single mom who could use some support? A family going through a difficult time who needs encouragement?
Extend to the broader body of Christ. How do you interact with believers from different denominations or backgrounds? Do you demonstrate the love of Christ even when you disagree on secondary issues?
Think globally. Support missionaries and ministries that are demonstrating Christ’s love around the world. Pray for them. Give to them. Consider how God might use you in His global mission.
The Ultimate Example
Never forget that our model for this love is Jesus Himself. He loved His disciples “to the uttermost”. He loved them when they were slow to understand, when they argued about who was greatest, when they fell asleep in His hour of need, and even when they denied and abandoned Him.
That’s the love He calls us to demonstrate toward each other. Not perfect love—we’re not capable of that. But authentic love. Sacrificial love. Love that points people to Him.
The Revolution Continues
Nearly two thousand years later, Jesus’ revolution of love continues. Every time a Christian chooses to love another believer sacrificially, every time we demonstrate grace instead of judgment, every time we serve each other instead of serving ourselves—we’re continuing what He started in that upper room.
The world is still watching. They’re still asking the same question the early observers asked: “What makes these people different?”
The answer isn’t our bumper stickers or our t-shirts or our social media posts. The answer is our love for each other—love that can only be explained by the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
That’s how they’ll know we’re His disciples. That’s how the gospel spreads. That’s how the kingdom advances.
One act of sacrificial love at a time.
Life Application Questions
1. When others observe your relationships with fellow Christians, what evidence do they see that you are a follower of Jesus? How can you intentionally demonstrate Christ’s love to a specific believer in your life this week?
2. In what areas of your life have you relied more on external Christian symbols or activities rather than authentic love to identify yourself as a disciple? What practical steps can you take to prioritize loving relationships with other believers over religious appearances?
1. Q: What does it really mean to be a disciple of Jesus today?
A: Being a disciple of Jesus means more than just attending church or displaying Christian symbols. It’s about loving others sacrificially, following Christ’s example in everyday life, and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your heart and actions. True discipleship is marked by love—especially for other believers.
2. Q: How can Christians show love in a practical way?
A: Christians can show love by meeting others’ needs, offering encouragement, forgiving offenses, and serving sacrificially. This can include helping a struggling family, being present in someone’s grief, or simply listening and praying with someone in need. Real love shows up through consistent action, not just kind words.
3. Q: Why is Christian love different from worldly love?
A: Christian love is rooted in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It’s not based on feelings or convenience but is sustained by the Holy Spirit and aims to point people to God. It is patient, kind, forgiving, and selfless—designed to reflect God’s heart and bring transformation.
4. Q: Are outward Christian symbols like bumper stickers or t-shirts still meaningful?
A: While Christian symbols can be conversation starters and expressions of faith, they should never replace the deeper call to love others. Jesus said people would know His followers by their love, not their logos. External signs are meaningful only when they align with an authentic inner life of love and service.
5. Q: How does love help spread the gospel globally?
A: Love opens hearts to the message of Jesus. Around the world, missionaries and ministries like Lifeword and BMA Global are sharing the gospel not just with words, but by showing Christ’s love through medical care, cultural engagement, and sacrificial service. Love makes the gospel visible and credible.
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