Going PlacesSample

Have you seen the "Christian fish" symbol? It is made up of two curved lines that look like a fish. You've probably seen it on bumper stickers and billboards, but it's actually an ancient symbol that the early Christians used as a secret code. In ancient Rome, it was illegal to be a Christian, so people who believed in Jesus would use the fish symbol to send a secret message to other people who believed in Jesus. Back then, nobody except Jesus' followers knew what the fish symbol meant. So if you saw the "Christian fish" in someone's home, you knew they followed Jesus too and it was safe to tell them.

These days, most of us aren't living in a place where it's illegal to follow Jesus. But Jesus has still given us a sign that we can use so that everyone can tell that we follow him. He told the disciples that people would know they followed him by one simple sign: if they loved each other.

This is why it's so important for us to care for one another. Jesus said that loving one another was the real sign that someone follows him. Not how often we go to church. Not how many Bible verses we memorize. Not how well we sing songs on Sunday mornings. It's not a secret code. Jesus said caring for our friends is the real sign that we are following him.