From the gospel of Matthew, 5th chapter

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

**If you have trusted in Jesus for salvation, you have joined a long history of people who bear witness to the risen messiah, the anointed one! The disciples of Jesus in the bible were students of the Torah (God's way) as taught by their Rabbi-Yeshua (Jesus). He opened their hearts to see new & fresh, the revelation of Yaweh their God. 

  They left everything and followed him in his ministry and they loved him dearly. He was taken from them and put on Roman cross and crucified unto death. Their grief was bitter and they were disillusioned and lost.

                           In God's loving mercy towards us and by the glory of His power,                                                                              He raised Jesus from death!

Those disciples were eye-witnesses to His resurrection. They walked with him again. Their joy was restored and their hearts were mended. Jesus gave them a commission, a cause to embrace and purpose for their new lives. "Be my witnesses"

He was leaving them to go be with the Father, but not leaving them alone. The Holy Spirit was coming to empower them to be His witnesses! To share with the world the things He taught, the miracles He performed and His resurrection from death. And this Spirit would be with them as they call upon all men to repent from sin and put their faith in this Messiah! 

Jesus once told them, my kingdom is not of this world...

                                                                                                                                From the gospel of John, 18th chapter

 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 

**On the day Jesus ascended before their very eyes, rising into the clouds to be again with his Father, He left them (and us), with these words...

                                                                                                                                      From the book of Acts, 1st chapter

 On one occasion, while he was eating a meal with them, he emphasized that they were not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise.

5 “You have already heard me speak about this,” he said, “for John used to baptize with water, but before many days are passed you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 This naturally brought them all together, and they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7-8 To this he replied, “You cannot know times and dates which have been fixed by the Father’s sole authority. But you are to be given power when the Holy Spirit has come to you. You will be witnesses to me, not only in Jerusalem, not only throughout Judea, not only in Samaria, but to the very ends of the earth!”

With courage, compassion and love lets call those who are lost to a new life in Jesus!

                                                                                                                   From the letter to the Colossians, 3rd chapter

12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So always do these things: Show mercy to others; be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Do not be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, then forgive him. Forgive each other because the Lord forgave you. 14 Do all these things; but most important, love each other. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.  

**For God so loved the world, … He loved you and me so much,... that he put His beloved Son on the cross of crucifixtion to suffer holy justice in our place. This love required the greatest act of giving the world has ever known. But it set us free. From this act of love comes forgiveness. Our guilt has been taken away, placed upon Jesus once for all. We are now received into the fellowship and family of our Heavenly Father and we are now called the sons and daughters of God. He tells us to love one another.

                                                                                                       From the first letter to the Corinthians, 13th chapter

4-8 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not brag. It is not arrogant.  It does not behave indecently. It is not selfish. It is not irritable. It does not keep a record of wrongs.  It does not rejoice over unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never comes to an end.

**Love must be expressed to others.

 We love people through our words and actions. We are called to treat people with love, by patiently and kindly preferring others before ourselves. Among friends or strangers, and in the home with our family, our conversation and behavior should be seasoned with the love of Christ. Extending grace and forgiveness when we have been mistreated is always a demonstration of love. Having genuine joy and happiness when others receive good things is another. Be intentional. A lifestyle of humility instructs our behavior in love. Earnestly pray for these things and God will build them into your life.

• Because we have been forgiven, we must forgive.

• Because we have been shown so much grace and patience, we must show the same.

• Because we have been loved and not condemned, let us love.

"so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven"

**Our love toward others demonstrates God's love.

                                                                                                                                   From the gospel of John, chapter 13

1-5 Before the festival of the Passover began, Jesus realised that the time had come for him to leave this world and return to the Father. He had loved those who were his own in this world and he loved them to the end. By supper-time, the devil had already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the mind of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. Jesus, with the full knowledge that the Father had put everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from the supper-table, took off his outer clothes, picked up a towel and fastened it round his waist. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel around his waist. 

**Jesus had come from heaven where he shared in the glory of his Father from eternity. He knew he had come to do His Father's will and lay down his life for hopeless people. Those who would murder him were drawing near. Spending some of his final hours with his followers, he humbled himself and washed their dirty feet. Even the feet of his betrayer. These were common men, called out from their daily lives, with their own personalities and faults- just like all of us.

31-35 When he had gone, Jesus spoke, “Now comes the glory of the Son of Man, and the glory of God in him! If God is glorified through him then God will glorify the Son of Man—and that without delay. Oh, my children, I am with you such a short time! You will look for me and I have to tell you as I told the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow.’ Now I am giving you a new command—love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another. This is how all men will know that you are my disciples, because you have such love for one another.” 

**What is at stake in our loving one another?

The very name of God Himself and the reputation of Jesus His Son and our Savior!