Note 3 at Jn. 13:35: Jesus didn't say that all men would know we are His disciples by our doctrine, our rituals, our hatred for sin, or even by the way we express our love for God. He said very clearly that the one characteristic that would cause the world to identify us as His followers was our love one for another.

This same night, the Lord prayed to His Father using this same thought saying, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (Jn. 17:21). The only way that Christ's body will be one as the Father and Jesus are One is through God's kind of love.

Unity of the believers, that can only come through a genuine God-kind of love, is the greatest tool for evangelism that the church has or will ever have, according to Jesus. No wonder Satan has had the believers at each others' throats. We spend billions of dollars yearly on evangelism through television and radio, conventions and crusades, and yet, the world is not evangelized because the body of Christ is not united in love.

The early church didn't have the massive organizational structures that we see today or the ability to travel anywhere in the world in just a matter of hours. They certainly came nowhere close to spending as much money, in proportion to us, on spreading the gospel. And yet, the pagans of Thessalonica said of Paul and his companions, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts 17:6). They had evangelized the known world in less than thirty years.

Before we can ever fulfill the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, there is going to have to be a revival of love in the church where doctrine and ritual take a "back seat" to love one for another.

Note 4 at Jn. 13:35: "Agape" and "agapao" (noun and verb respectively) are Greek words used in the New Testament for God's kind of love. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words speaks of the word "agape" as "the characteristic word of Christianity, and since the spirit of revelation has used it to express ideas previously unknown, enquiry into its use, whether in Greek literature or in the Septuagint, throws but little light upon its distinctive meaning in the New Testament" (W.E. Vine, p. 20).

The following is a description of agape love, also called "charity" in the New Testament scriptures (1 Cor. 13). This paraphrase is based upon research of the Greek and English words and their meanings in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

CHARITY SUFFERETH LONG. God's love has a tolerance for and endures trying situations and persons beyond an average standard. God's love is patient.

CHARITY IS KIND. God's love is of a friendly nature, generous, hospitable, warm-hearted, and good. God's love is charitable and helpful, showing sympathy and understanding for others. It is considerate, forbearing, tolerant, courteous, and thoughtful, desiring only to promote others' welfare. It is generous, liberal, and beneficial, demonstrating itself in kindly acts.

CHARITY ENVIETH NOT. God's love does not resent another's good fortune or desire to have what is his. God's love is not jealous and does not deprive another of what he has.

CHARITY VAUNTETH NOT ITSELF. God's love does not boast and brag or abound with self-praise. It is not vain nor proud.

CHARITY IS NOT PUFFED UP. God's love is not high-minded or puffed up with pride.

CHARITY DOTH NOT BEHAVE ITSELF UNSEEMLY. God's love does not act, react, function, or perform in a manner which is in bad taste, improper, or in violation of what is right.

CHARITY SEEKETH NOT HER OWN. God's love does not demand its own way.

CHARITY IS NOT EASILY PROVOKED. God's love is not easily annoyed or incited to anger or resentment.

CHARITY THINKETH NO EVIL. God's love does not reason about or reflect upon that which causes or constitutes misfortune, suffering, difficulty, or the like. God's love does not ponder upon wickedness.

CHARITY REJOICETH NOT IN INIQUITY. God's love does feel joyful when right, sincerity, integrity, honesty, and truth prevail.

CHARITY BEARETH ALL THINGS. God's love makes it possible to withstand all stress and difficulty. Because God is love, He supports and carries on His own Person whatever is placed upon Him. God's love protects, covers, and keeps off anything which threatens the benefit and welfare of another. God's love holds back, refrains, and is tolerant and patient in all circumstances.

CHARITY BELIEVETH ALL THINGS. God's love puts faith in others, believing the best of everyone (without criticizing or looking for fault).

CHARITY HOPETH ALL THINGS. God's love persists in hoping, against all odds, in confidence and expectation of fulfillment of that which is promised.

CHARITY ENDURETH ALL THINGS. God's love causes one to carry on through, despite hardships.

CHARITY NEVER FAILETH. God's love never proves insufficient in duration or unsuccessful in effectiveness. Charity will never disappoint or prove undependable. God's love goes on forever and will never come to an end. Let God's love be your greatest aim and pursuit (1 Cor. 14:1).