03.22.2015 1 Cor. 13 - Without Love, our Spirituality is Unspiritual

03.22.2015 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Thank You, Lord, that You are HOPE and our hope is not in vain. You are LIFE and our life is in You. Help us to be responsive to what You would say to us.

As Jeff mentioned, I am going to be speaking on The Love Chapter – The famous 1 Cor. 13 – and I’m confident that these verses are wrapped into about 50% of all weddings out there – and that is appropriate – it expresses what Love is and what Love looks like – HOWEVER, sometimes when that happens, we lose the context of 1 Cor. 13 – and when we miss the context, – that can happen when we make some verses stand on their own in and of themselves.

There is a problem in Corinth – as I have spoken about, there are factions and divisions, party politics, attitudes of superiority and status, attitudes of racism in the church, and cultural and economic stratification and resentment taking place in the church. It is not unlike our world today – there is some reflection of that in many of our churches – and Paul is saying – THIS IS THE SOLUTION – the ultimate solution to their problem is love. All that he has been saying has been building up to this – learn to love as God would have us love.

1 Cor. 12:28 is where we will start to place this in its context.

28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, and different kinds of tongues. 29 Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they? 30 Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they? 31 But you should be eager for the greater gifts.

And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison – the most excellent way.

Some believed they were more superior because of the gifts they possessed – especially speaking in tongues – and they believed it made them of higher status. These gifts are expressions of divine grace and they are to produce equality, mutuality and unity in the church. The purpose was to create unity, but the gifts were being used to create division and separation. God is calling all of us to be part of His work – and you are just as important as anyone else in the church. So what is going on in verse 28 up there? He is saying before that – if you are a hand or eye or ear or arm or leg – they are all equal – then he says – first, second, third – and it seems like he is saying some are more superior than others – but he is ranking them on priority, not on superiority – He is not saying that the apostles and prophets are superior – but he tells us in Ephesians that those are the foundation of the church – given the role of setting doctrine and practice of the faith forever. So they needed to come first, so that we could understand what it means to be Christians. And whenever the word teacher comes up in the New Testament – it is always about those who are passing on the practices of the faith – OR – it speaks of false teachers who are corrupting the same.

They are not superior to others, but their role and responsibilities are of utmost importance.

The other gifts are more specific – the gift of healing – who is that for – the sick. Now when someone was sick, did they call a teacher to instruct them in the ways of the faith? No, they needed someone who had this specific gift of healing.

The gift of helps – if the plumbing goes bad, do we get a prophet to go down and prophesy over the plumbing? THY PLUMBING, WORKETH!

When the heating broke that 1 time, er, 2 times, er, all those times – I laid my hands on that boiler and it was of no value. Afterward, John Ference said, that is like my heater – and went down and took it apart and put it back together and it worked! So in that case, the gift of helps is more important than the gift of teaching!

At the end of the chapter – desire the greater gifts – yet I will show you the most excellent way.

I think this is a bit tongue in cheek. You want to be superior? You want to be the most excellent Christian in the church? Here is how to do it – the superior way – and the superior way is the way of love – that will determine your spirituality. Love determines your spiritual maturity.

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

This is almost funny…

2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

You can imagine them getting all excited – yes, mysteries and knowledge – that is what I want!

3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.

He is saying – without love, your spirituality is unspiritual.

“We can put on a show of love without having real love. But if we have real love, it will show. How does someone give their body to be burned and feed the poor and not have love? It is possible to do things that look like self-sacrificial love, but are totally void of it. When we do something spiritual to be seen by people and gain applause, there is no love there in that great act.”

When someone gives massive amounts to charity – and it is about everyone knowing – there is nothing there of compassion – at all.

When we do something to improve our own position or status – there is no love.

When we do sacrificial acts to manipulate people into accomplishing our agenda – there is no love.

That happens a lot in the church. There are people in churches who have big agendas – just like on your job, or in the community or school – and those who are good can really put on a show of caring – but really it is about accomplishing this agenda – and there is no love.

4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. 5 It is not rude,

It is good to line up this passage with several other translations.

it is not self-serving (insist on its own way), it is not easily angered or resentful. 6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

And what is love? It is not a feeling. It is an attitude that leads to practical action. It desires the other person’s good and well-being, and leads to practical actions that bring that about. Very very simple.

Love thinks about what is best for the other person and how do I live for that?

If you have that attitude – it will solve a lot of problems in relationships. Think about what it would do for your marriage if you and your spouse were always thinking that way. To the extent you can do that, your relationships will flourish!

It is the same in a church – the more you consider the well-being of others in church – the more you will flourish.

Say you are leading a ministry – and you ask yourself - how did it go? It is important to evaluate things to make changes – but often when we ask this – we are thinking about performance, accomplishment, and agenda.

Maybe we should ask, long before this – how did I go? So instead of how did it go, maybe first ask, did I demonstrate patience when there was a need to? So I am leading this thing – and not being patient and kind, there is a problem there, no matter how well it went!

If you insisted on your own way the whole time – it is important to evaluate the event, but more important to evaluate the ‘us’.

Your spirituality and service were unspiritual if there was no love.

It can be at your job! How much do I insist on my way or become irritable? Do I demonstrate kindness?

Let’s say you are doing something in the Christian community and it is very successful and it is very fruitful – and it gathers people into the presence of God – and there are great worship times – or you are a great speaker or a great Sunday school teacher – all good things, right? But we have to ask – is there boasting in my heart? Or even worse, am I boasting publicly about it? If there is, all the fruit is for nothing.

Do you have the ability to let it go, like a helium balloon into the air? Let’s move on to the next thing. When you walk into a gathering and you see the person who has hurt you – do you take into account a wrong suffered? DO you allow that injury to affect your attitude and actions – how you relate in that gathering? Love does not take into account a wrong suffered – it forgives and does not hold resentment.

Bears all things – stops leaks – like a roof – the most important thing about a roof is to not let the water in. Some translations say, love covers all things. When the storms come – love works properly. The storms will come! IN all relationships – the storms will come – but love does not allow the storms to ruin the relationship.

Believes all things – does not mean gullible, but trusts – does not listen to rumors.

8 Love never ends – never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside (done away with). 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror indirectly (dimly), but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.

I think it is clear – when the eternal kingdom comes – these expressions of divine grace have a purpose now – giving us an ability to do things we cannot do apart from the divine grace being given – but when we enter the eternal kingdom – there will be no need for knowledge – Jesus will be our knowledge.

All of these things will go away.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

And the love we develop here, we take into heaven! Love will go on forever! And it will not come to an end – so love is the superior way.

I will close with three simple things to think about

1) Evaluate your motives when you engage in God’s ministry, work, and service. I think it is a simple process – Why am I doing this? And then determine, I am doing this for others’ benefit. If there is any other motive, STOP!

2) Evaluate your attitude as you serve in light of the characteristics of 4-7 – am I being patient? Kind? Go through the list – and determine – this is what I need to be.

3) Love requires spiritual transformation – it does not just happen. You can’t just try harder! It requires a transformed life – which we have talked about – you learn patience through discipline – not by determining to have patience – like when the kinds are little! But when you practice disciplines of patience – like getting in your car and not being in an hurry – practice patience – like when you go to work – practice patience with each person – and it will become a part of who you are. Impatient people can become patient by practicing it!

Wherever you are – that is what you do!

Finally – Jesus said – by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another - that is most important– not only is it a more excellent way for relationships, it is a more excellent way for the church to accomplish its mission. Let’s pray…