Jesus said his followers would be known by their love for each other, not by doctrine or obedience. The speaker argues that reconciliation and genuine connection matter more than personal or communal perfection, and that spiritual abuse contradicts this core teaching.
Chapters
But what's interesting is if you look to the Bible and say, so where is the core of who we're supposed to be once we know God, once we know I am a child of God? Jesus says, everyone will know that you are my disciples by your doctrine. Now, everyone will know you are my disciples by your style of music. No. 'Everyone will know you are my disciples by your obedience.' No, what's the right word? Love. 'Everyone will know you're my disciples by your love.' But it's interesting, Jesus— we often stop there and say, 'So there it is, love is, love is what we're supposed to be doing.' Jesus actually didn't stop there. He keeps going. He says, 'Everyone will know you are my disciples by your love for the lost.' That's not what he That's not what he says, although that's important. "Everyone will know you're my disciples by your love for God." That's not what he says, even though that's important. "Everyone will know you're my disciples by your love for the poor, the lost?" What's the word? What does he actually say? One another. Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he's saying, "Everyone out there will know that you are following me By the way you treat each other in here. If you love one another, the world will look on you and say, "Those people, that culture is beautiful. I want to know what they have." We must love each other here in this room. Our goal is not to agree to disagree, but to love each other while we work things out. The Christian goal is reconciliation, loving relationships. The opposite of spiritual abuse is reconciliation. This requires us to put our commitment in connection rather than our commitment to perfection. If we're truly trying to bring people together, we're trying to connect. The purpose of life, in a nutshell, is not perfection, but connection.
