On Wednesday, January 28th The Well started back at MBC Loudoun. For those of you that don’t know, The Well is a midweek community that spends time together in musical worship as well as in-depth teaching of the Bible.

We are currently studying 1 John. This past Wednesday we covered 1 John 3:11-15. I would encourage you to read it.

John communicates the seriousness of loving our brothers and sisters. In fact, John says that if you do not do this then you are still spiritually dead, you are not a true believer. Those are bold and challenging words for all of us.

As followers of Christ we are called to love our brothers and sisters in a way that is more radical and profound than anything the world has ever seen or anything the world has to offer. People should look at the way Christians care for and love each other and see something different. They should see something appealing.

But, is this always the case in the church? It is always the case in your life?

Jesus commands us to do this in John 13:34-35:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Our love for another should communicate to a lost world that the gospel is real: that Jesus really did die on the cross for our sins and that he really did rise from the dead, that Jesus does change our nature and our lives making us new creations.

This past Wednesday I challenged the community to consider the words that they use when it comes to loving or hating their brothers and sisters. Specifically, we looked at James 3:6-10 and talked about how the tongue (our words) can be used to speak death into the lives of others or to speak life into the lives of others.

As followers of Jesus Christ we must be about loving our brothers and sisters proactively by speaking life into their lives. We cannot love from neutral, but must love by going out of our way, above and beyond, and through sacrifice. That is the only way that our love will be different than what the world has to offer.

I encourage you and challenge you to think about how you are doing when it comes to loving your brothers and sisters with your words.

We would love for you to check out The Well. We meet every other Wednesday night at 7:30PM. You can find more information, our schedule, and audio of past messages at www.mcleanbibleloudoun.org/thewell.

Justin Pearson is the Director of Adult Ministries @ MBC Loudoun