Real Christian discipleship will include practical brotherly love.

真正的基督徒门徒之道包括实际的弟兄相爱。

A genuine love for God will invariably lead to a love for others. That’s what Jesus said of the two great commandments (Matt. 22:36-40) that summarize the Ten Commandments. The apostle John also related love for God and love for others: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

对神真正的爱必将导致对他人的爱。那正是耶稣所说诫命的总纲归结为两条最大的诫命（太22：36-44）。使徒约翰也将对神的爱与对人的爱联在一起：“人若说‘我爱神’，却恨他的弟兄，就是说谎话的；不爱他所看见的弟兄，就不能爱没有看见的神”（约一4：20）。

The kind of love that’s called “brotherly kindness” in today’s verse is very practical. It’s a translation of the Greek philadelphia, which might best be rendered “friendship.” We are to be affectionate toward one another. But that does not always happen, especially for those attending big churches. There I fear many people sit on the periphery without developing any relationships. They come to the morning service and then go their way. But that’s not Christian discipleship; we’re to add friendships to our faith and be involved in others’ lives.

今天经文中所说“爱弟兄”的这种爱是非常实际的。它由希腊词 philadelphi翻译而来，可能它最好应解释为“友谊”。我们要彼此相爱。可这并不总是发生，特别是那些去大教会的人。我恐怕那些坐在外围的人根本没有和任何人发展关系。他们来参加早堂，然后各自离开。可那并非基督徒的门徒之道；我们要在信心上加上友情，并参与到他人生命中。

People in many different churches want to know more about discipleship, as if it were some complex program surrounded in mystery. But discipleship is simply friendship with a spiritual perspective. Disciples will talk about God, the Scripture, ministry opportunities, and prayer requests—not merely sports, the weather, gardening, or home remodeling. Each is concerned how the other handles the daily affairs and important matters of life. I would encourage you to build friendships and be a part of a Bible study and fellowship group—but make sure your small group does not become exclusive and keep out newcomers.

许多不同教会的人都想更多了解门徒之道，仿佛它被一些复杂程式包围在神秘之中。然而门徒之道只是用属灵眼光看待的朋友之道。门徒们会谈论神、圣经、事工机会、以及祷告需求—而不仅仅是运动、天气、园艺、或房屋装修。每一项都关乎别人如何处理日常琐事和生活中重大的事情。我鼓励你去建立友谊，并成为查经班和团契小组的一员—然而要确保你的小组不会变得排外，将新来者拒之门外。

I once talked to a pastor who had attended one of the annual pastors’ conferences at my church. I asked him what impressed him most about the conference, and he said, “The love of the people for each other. I was drawn to tears when I sensed them worshiping God in the midst of genuine love.” He had seen an application of Jesus’ words, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). You can’t get more practical about Christian love than that!

有一次我和一位牧者交谈，他参加了一次我们教会举办的年度牧者研讨会。我问他会议中什么给他留下了最深印象，他说：“人们对彼此的爱。当我感受到他们在真实的爱中敬拜神，我眼流泪了。”他亲眼看见了耶稣话语的应用：“你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了”（约13：35）。你对基督徒之爱的了解不会比这更实际了。

Pray for other members of your small group. If you’re not in one, ask God to lead you to a group.

为小组其他组员祷告。如果你还没有一个小组，求神带领你加入一个。

Read 1 John 4:7-19.

阅读约一4：7-19.

• With      whom does love originate?

• What      are the results of that love?

• 爱源于谁？

• 这爱有什么结果？