1Cor. 12:27-31 (NIV) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.
Stop: We spent 4 weeks in August looking at all the spiritual gifts and discussing how they can be utilized to help grow our church. Here in the end of 1 Cor 12 Paul urges the Corinthian church to “eagerly desire the greater gifts”. He wants them to seek gifts that will build up the church and assist the work of the Kingdom. But as we reach the 13th chapter, he changes direction a bit. He says, “I’ve spent all this time talking with you about spiritual gifts – but there is something that is more important. There is a way of life that beats all the spiritual gifts in the world. Let’s hear what he has to say…
1Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
So, what is Paul saying?
Love is more important than any spiritual gift you may have or desire to have.
1. Speaking in tongues without love for others is just a bunch of racket. (v. 1)
I cannot count the amount of times I have prayed for God to bless me with the gift of speaking in tongues. I have longed for it. I have “eagerly desired it” as Paul instructs in chapter 12. I have had people lay hands on me for it. I have been anointed with oil for this gift.
I long for it because I have many friends who have received this gift from the Lord and they describe the incredible closeness they feel to God when they use this gift.
But here’s what Paul says – desiring this gift or having this gift is not as important as having genuine love for others. He says in fact that having this gift without love for others is just a bunch of racket – as useful as someone banging a gong incessantly.
TRANS: Paul goes on to say that…
2. Receiving words of prophecy and having great knowledge without love for others makes me a zero. (v. 2)
Paul has taught us in chapter 12 that prophecy is the greatest spiritual gift. Who wouldn’t want to be able to speak for God directly into people’s life situations? It is a powerful gift that God gives to certain people.
Other people are just plain smart – they understand things about the Bible, they have degrees on their wall, they have huge libraries, people come to them for answers.
But again – Paul says all these great gifts amount to a big ZERO if they are not accompanied by an authentic love for people.
TRANS: The same goes for faith…
3. Having faith enough to do miracles without love for others makes me nothing. (v.2)
Maybe you think you would be more useful to God if you could muster up more faith somehow. You think if you could do miraculous things because of your faith then you’d really be something in the Kingdom!
But again – Paul says “Faith and miraculous powers without love equals ZERO.
4. Giving of myself sacrificially without love for others gains me nothing. (v. 3)
Now that Paul has put all the supernatural gifts in their proper place he moves to some of the other gifts.
He says – “You could become really religious and give all your money to the poor. You could give all your time and energy to religious activities – even good ones at that – even to the point where you get burned out. But if you do those things without the right motivation – LOVE – then you gain absolutely nothing.”
THE BIG QUESTION: What is your motivation for the religious activities in your life?
If your motivation is not authentic love for others then you need to go back to the drawing board.
This is a penetrating question. It’s one I’ve been wrestling with as a pastor. When I’m honest with myself I realize that a lot of what I do as a pastor comes from motivations other than love for others.
I want to meet people’s expectations. I want to look good to others. I want to be a good example. I want to do what I think I should, out of a feeling of obligation. But how many things do I actually do simply because of love for others? When I’ve looked deep inside myself on this issue I have to be honest and say I have not liked what I’ve found.
Maybe you wrestle with this as well. Maybe, like me, you find it difficult to really love people outside of your inner circle. Maybe love really isn’t the motivation for much of what you do. If so, the question becomes “What then?”
I’m not sure.
I know that the more I wrestle with this question of whether love is my motivation the more I realize how far my own heart is from the type of love that God expressed for me – the type of love that is described in the following verses and which we’ll spend time talking about over the next couple of weeks.
It brings me to a place of saying “I need you Lord. I’ve followed you for over 20 years and I still need you so much. Please help me to love people the way you love them.”
I’m working on repenting of my dead service for the Lord. I’m asking Him to break through this heart that can at times feel so cold, and infuse it with his love – so much that it will become more and more natural for me to love others with that same love.
I hope this week you might wrestle with this issue in your own life, and you too might be reminded of the greatness of God’s love for you and your continuing need to have him infuse you with HIS love so that you can authentically love others as your first response. Not naturally, but supernaturally.
CONCLUSION: What will this church be known for? Probably not for our incredible building. I don’t think it will ever gain a reputation as the place of the most powerful supernatural phenomenon. I doubt very much it will be known as the place where the people give more money away and serve God more hours than anywhere else.
Wouldn’t it be great if our church became known simply as the church that loves. That we love each other. That we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That we love God first and foremost.
My prayer for my life, for each of you, and for our church as a whole, is that God might constantly remind us that nothing beats love. It is the most excellent way.
