1st Corinthians 12 & 13 - What’s Love Got To Do With It?
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.” —1 Corinthians 12:27-31
If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” —1 Corinthians 13
It is possible to do good spiritual things that are successful practically, but with bad motives.
Greek Words For Love:
• Eros: sexual, sensual, and romantic emotion.
• Storge: natural, emotion that family members have for one another.
• Philia: describes deep, meaningful emotion between friends.
• Agape: sacrificial, self-giving, and unconditional action that is primarily concerned with the good of others.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.
Love is the very essence and expression of God presence; therefore, it will never end!
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. 13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.
LOVE (Agape): sacrificial, self-giving, and unconditional action that is primarily concerned with the good of others.
The evidence of spiritual maturity is your motivation through LOVE, not a specific gift.
How do I give to 1MSO?
The people of One Missoula Church give tangible resources back to God in order to suffocate greed in our own lives and amplify the impact of the Gospel in the lives of others. We’ve removed every barrier and inconvenience to make this sacrificial act as accessible and simple as possible. At present, here are the avenues for this act of devotion:
- Sunday Morning – offering boxes on the communion tables at the back
- Snail Mail – postage-paid envelopes available
- Text “1MSO” to 406-631-3323
- Online at https://onemissoulachurch.com/give
- Via the One Missoula App under the “Giving” tab
