WHAT DOES LOVE HAVE TO DO WITH IT
Tina Turner sung a song some years ago, and the title was “What does love have to do with it. “ Jonathan Swift the author of Gulliver’s Travels says “We have just enough religion to make us hate, and not enough religion to make us love one another”. This passage today goes deeper than telling us that love shows action, and that between faith and hope that Love is the greatest. This text deals with the divisions that existed in this church in Corinth. For example, the membership was abusing their gifts in the tongues, there was division that existed in the church, there was envy of one anothers gifts, there existed impatience with the membership in public meetings, there was behavior that disgraced our Lord, and they were suing each other. I want to suggest to us today, that Love has a whole lot to do with it. Without Love, in membership there can be no ministry, without love in teaching, there can be no training, Without love for God, there can be no growth. All that I am suggesting is that without Love the church is a ghost town, where the cobwebs build up from no activity, and the buildings wear down, because of lack of presence.
There are four kinds of Love.
1. phileo love of emotion
2. eros love of boyfriend and girlfriend/ husband and wife
3. storge family love children/parents
4. agape love of devotion , never ending
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:34-35 (KJV)
When Jesus says I give you a new commandment, In John 13:34-35 he’s not talking about eros one another, phileo one another, storge one another, but agape one another.
Paul writes in this passage because there is an absence of Love that does exist in this church.
The first thing Paul suggests is Love enriches.
LOVE ENRICHES
There were many gifts within the body of Christ, and Paul stresses the need that we can have all the gifts in the world, but all we were doing was making a noise, if we did not have Love. In order for our ministries to be effective, without love for each other, then we just make a whole lot of noise. We must have harmony, where different ministries are being played but sounding the same message. In other words, Soprano’s, alto’s, tenor’s, bass, baritone’s holding their notes, while singing the same message producing harmony. Our ministries such as Church School, Youth, Brotherhood, Senior Ministry, Music Ministry, Prayer Partners, Ushers, Deacon’s, Mothers, etc. must play their roles while preaching and teaching a dead buried and a risen Saviour. Any ministry of the church is dead on arrival, if Jesus is not the master of its origin. Love takes the things that I am gifted in, and does it for the glory of God, while my brothers and sisters do their parts also. (1-3)
LOVE EDIFIES
Knowledge can puff us up. Paul stresses that Love ought to build up the church. We should not be so selfish about getting ahead, or being the first to do something. The Corinthian church was suing each other, had no patience with one another, and keeping a record book of all the wrongs that had been done to them. Love will not put another brother and sister in court because if both are Christians, then both should be able to work things out. Love even though you don’t have the skills that I have, Love will be patient enough and show others how to rather than dismissing and starting division, Love will not keep a record book of all the wrongs done to them because Ephesian 4:26 says be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, 32 says be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, Even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you. (4-7)
LOVE ENDURES
We will receive many different gifts for Valentines Day. Some will go out to eat, some will get a card and flowers, Some will take a special vacation to Cupid’s corner(G) Some will receive all ,some or other things not listed or stated. The truth of the matter is for the moment it will have us smiling from ear to ear, it will help us forget those negative things, it will move us to the next level, it will help us get through our arduous days. As with toys, the newness, the niceness, will wear off, so then what is next. Paul stresses that all of these great gifts will not last, but Love will endure until the end. When we get to Heaven Faith will become seeing, Hope will be fulfilled, but Love will be continuous. This is the only thing that will assist the church in growing up. Love is an essential ingredient for the church to survive.
Paul says I know some of you are arguing over leadership, but how can one love the leader so much, and forget about the man that called the leader. I heard that you feel like you are all that, and a bag of chips because of what everybody is saying about your church, how you can speak in tongues, how you can prophesy, etc, but Paul says you are missing a key ingredient, and that ingredient Is Love.
For love has a whole lot to do with it. If I can’t speak to my neighbor, and Jesus says love my neighbor, then I am just making noise. But I will go even farther as Jesus did, Jesus said not only if you can’t speak, but can’t share, all we are doing is making a bunch of noise. For Paul says
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
1 Cor 13:4-13 (KJV)
Love does one more thing, Love ENROLLS
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
