I think you will all know what I mean when I say, “I’ve heard so much about love.” Because that’s what so many people go on about, both Christian and non-Christian. Love is a prominent theme in stories, poems, songs, etc. Love is one of those terms that is used so much, sometimes loosely, sometimes seriously.
I’ll admit, sometimes I get tired of hearing about love. I get frustrated when I hear ‘Christians’ proclaim, “We should love everyone. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. So that’s ok. After all, Jesus loved everyone. So should we.” Yes, I know that’s correct. Jesus loved everyone, and so should we. But we shouldn’t be compromising because of it. That’s not the ‘love’ Scripture talks about, but that’s another topic.
Anyway, I had the most pleasant surprise, not really, of getting a phone call from my good brother Jean Paul.
“Have you got your Sunday School lesson ready?” he asked.
“My what?!” Alarm bells started ringing in my head, “How far away is that?”
“Next week.”
“What! My phone was suppose to remind me!” Poor phone. It wasn’t really at fault. I had set the alarm, but put it a week late. All I could do was thank God that my brother was good enough to ring me up.
That evening, I looked through a pile of papers, till I found my roster. I felt like ripping my hair out. Joy, oh joy. I was on the “Fruit of the Spirit”. THE FIRST LESSON!
Here’s the topic verses:
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
I was on the first lesson, so guess what my lesson was going to be on . . . that’s right-love. I didn’t even need to research it to know that I should really have been researching and studying about it weeks before.
Finally, on the very night before the lesson, I buckled down my wandering mind and started probing into the topic. My original conclusion, that love is one of the more ambiguous topics I could possibly teach on was confirmed: because of all the different notions of love, and the sheer size of the idea, I was at a loss to try and explain it.
I decided to start with two questions: what are the different definitions of love and what is the definition of love that the Scripture was referring to?
I got through it, finishing a rough draft of my lesson. Yeah. A really rough draft. Literally.
I got up to the Sunday School room that morning, and began teaching. At first it seemed to go pretty fast. Until I came to one of the key verses for the lesson: Corinthians 13.
Then the lesson just blew out. Now I’ll be 100% honest: I didn’t look up the meaning of the words previously, so I was reading out each point on what love/charity (both come from the same root word and mean the same thing) and then looking it up on Strong’s and trying to think of a good down-to-earth example. The big problem was, I was probably learning more than all the kids were. Some of the things I learned about love doing that lesson impacted me so much, that well, I wanted to write about it. I want to write about Love, the POWER OF LOVE. Because once you look at the love that the Scripture talks about, the love that Jesus showed, and the love that we are suppose to show, you have to just stand back in awe and say, “Wow!”
My key Scripture for this series is Corinthians 13. I’ll put it below to kick start it all.
1Co 13:1-13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
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.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
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.
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.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
First things first. Charity in this chapter, comes from the Greek work “agapē”. Agape means brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence, or love feasts. It’s the same word as is used in Gal. 5:22, John 13:35, John 15:13 and many others.
The love that Jesus showed us by dying on the cross, was Agape love. (Rom. 5:8) And the love that Paul is describing in Corinthians 13, is the exact same love.This chapter is one of the most powerful verses on Agape love because it literally lists what it is and isn’t. Once you think about what it covers, it’s absolutely mind blowing.
The first thing I want to focus on in this series, is the immense importance of charity. (1 Cor. 13:1-3) Charity is so important. This theme is what Paul stresses several times, comparing it to several things: tongues of angels and men, gift of prophecy, understanding all mysteries, understanding all knowledge, the possession of all faith, bestowment of all goods on the poor, or the ultimate sacrifice, your own body.
Think about it! If you can speak with the tongues of angels! How awesome is that? Well guess what? Without charity, it’s nothing!
Paul was talking about spiritual gifts in the previous verse. Now he mentions them again. This time in relation to charity. Guess what? Doesn’t matter what spiritual gifts you have, they’re nothing without charity.
Here’s one that really blows me away. Faith, without love, is nothing. Can any of you move a mountain with your faith? Because I can’t. All you need to move a mountain is faith the size of a mustard seed. You can have that much faith. You could have even more faith than that. You could be throwing mountains into a sea. If you didn’t have love, it’s all for nothing! What really blows me away is that without faith one cannot please God. (Heb. 11:6) Love is even more important! You could have all the faith in the world and with no charity, it’s for nothing!
How many of us have given EVERYTHING to the poor? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Well here’s the breaking news, “Millionaire gives all he has to the poor and still has nothing.” How did that happen? No charity.
Let’s take it another step further, you could give your body, and without charity, it’s nothing! You could give away everything you own. Yeah. That’s a lot. But guess what? You could give your body! Your life essentially! That is nothing! Nothing! Nothing! You could give everything, even your life, and it’s nothing!
Can you see how amazing love’s power is? You can do all these amazing and incredible things, and without love, they’re all for nothing! Love, without a doubt, is one of the most important things that a Christian can possibly have.
The way I see it, without the love that Jesus showed, agape love, it doesn’t matter what you do or what you have, it’s all for nothing.
To be continued . . .
I’ll admit, sometimes I get tired of hearing about love. I get frustrated when I hear ‘Christians’ proclaim, “We should love everyone. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. So that’s ok. After all, Jesus loved everyone. So should we.” Yes, I know that’s correct. Jesus loved everyone, and so should we. But we shouldn’t be compromising because of it. That’s not the ‘love’ Scripture talks about, but that’s another topic.
Anyway, I had the most pleasant surprise, not really, of getting a phone call from my good brother Jean Paul.
“Have you got your Sunday School lesson ready?” he asked.
“My what?!” Alarm bells started ringing in my head, “How far away is that?”
“Next week.”
“What! My phone was suppose to remind me!” Poor phone. It wasn’t really at fault. I had set the alarm, but put it a week late. All I could do was thank God that my brother was good enough to ring me up.
That evening, I looked through a pile of papers, till I found my roster. I felt like ripping my hair out. Joy, oh joy. I was on the “Fruit of the Spirit”. THE FIRST LESSON!
Here’s the topic verses:
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
I was on the first lesson, so guess what my lesson was going to be on . . . that’s right-love. I didn’t even need to research it to know that I should really have been researching and studying about it weeks before.
Finally, on the very night before the lesson, I buckled down my wandering mind and started probing into the topic. My original conclusion, that love is one of the more ambiguous topics I could possibly teach on was confirmed: because of all the different notions of love, and the sheer size of the idea, I was at a loss to try and explain it.
I decided to start with two questions: what are the different definitions of love and what is the definition of love that the Scripture was referring to?
I got through it, finishing a rough draft of my lesson. Yeah. A really rough draft. Literally.
I got up to the Sunday School room that morning, and began teaching. At first it seemed to go pretty fast. Until I came to one of the key verses for the lesson: Corinthians 13.
Then the lesson just blew out. Now I’ll be 100% honest: I didn’t look up the meaning of the words previously, so I was reading out each point on what love/charity (both come from the same root word and mean the same thing) and then looking it up on Strong’s and trying to think of a good down-to-earth example. The big problem was, I was probably learning more than all the kids were. Some of the things I learned about love doing that lesson impacted me so much, that well, I wanted to write about it. I want to write about Love, the POWER OF LOVE. Because once you look at the love that the Scripture talks about, the love that Jesus showed, and the love that we are suppose to show, you have to just stand back in awe and say, “Wow!”
My key Scripture for this series is Corinthians 13. I’ll put it below to kick start it all.
1Co 13:1-13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
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.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
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.
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.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
First things first. Charity in this chapter, comes from the Greek work “agapē”. Agape means brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence, or love feasts. It’s the same word as is used in Gal. 5:22, John 13:35, John 15:13 and many others.
The love that Jesus showed us by dying on the cross, was Agape love. (Rom. 5:8) And the love that Paul is describing in Corinthians 13, is the exact same love.This chapter is one of the most powerful verses on Agape love because it literally lists what it is and isn’t. Once you think about what it covers, it’s absolutely mind blowing.
The first thing I want to focus on in this series, is the immense importance of charity. (1 Cor. 13:1-3) Charity is so important. This theme is what Paul stresses several times, comparing it to several things: tongues of angels and men, gift of prophecy, understanding all mysteries, understanding all knowledge, the possession of all faith, bestowment of all goods on the poor, or the ultimate sacrifice, your own body.
Think about it! If you can speak with the tongues of angels! How awesome is that? Well guess what? Without charity, it’s nothing!
Paul was talking about spiritual gifts in the previous verse. Now he mentions them again. This time in relation to charity. Guess what? Doesn’t matter what spiritual gifts you have, they’re nothing without charity.
Here’s one that really blows me away. Faith, without love, is nothing. Can any of you move a mountain with your faith? Because I can’t. All you need to move a mountain is faith the size of a mustard seed. You can have that much faith. You could have even more faith than that. You could be throwing mountains into a sea. If you didn’t have love, it’s all for nothing! What really blows me away is that without faith one cannot please God. (Heb. 11:6) Love is even more important! You could have all the faith in the world and with no charity, it’s for nothing!
How many of us have given EVERYTHING to the poor? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Well here’s the breaking news, “Millionaire gives all he has to the poor and still has nothing.” How did that happen? No charity.
Let’s take it another step further, you could give your body, and without charity, it’s nothing! You could give away everything you own. Yeah. That’s a lot. But guess what? You could give your body! Your life essentially! That is nothing! Nothing! Nothing! You could give everything, even your life, and it’s nothing!
Can you see how amazing love’s power is? You can do all these amazing and incredible things, and without love, they’re all for nothing! Love, without a doubt, is one of the most important things that a Christian can possibly have.
The way I see it, without the love that Jesus showed, agape love, it doesn’t matter what you do or what you have, it’s all for nothing.
To be continued . . .
