John, in the passage he scribed about the final days of Christ on earth, recalls three events of the time. In Chapter 13:18-38 John begins with a recall of how Christ treated Judas just before he betrayed Christ in the Garden of Gesthamene. At the end of the passage, John recalls that Christ said to Simon Peter he would deny Christ three times in the same garden.
Note the juxtaposition of these two events of history with verse 34 where John records, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
In our time together Sunday, Pastor Tom (he likes that we call him Pastor Tom) first outlined how love was demonstrated in the early church. In Acts 5:12 we're told that the early Christians showed generosity toward those in need. In Acts 6 we read of how the early church cared for widows. In Hebrew 10 we're told that they prayed and visited prisoners. In Ephesians 4 Paul outlines how the early church showed kindness toward those who offended them. Other passages illustrate how members of the early church removed cultural barriers that had separated them before, and they risked their life to share the Gospel.
