The Love Chapter-1 Corinthians 13

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Green Lantern

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Mar 25, 2007
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The Lord is leading me to start a chapter study of 1 Corinthians 13 in the next day or 2, & I would like to give you an outline of what will happen here.1. I will be using the New International Version of the Bible for this study. I have drawn some fire from some people for using this version, but as I have used this for most of my other studies, it is the one that I prefer to use. I claim 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.as my reason for this.2. I do not claim to be any kind of Bible scholar. I am just an ordinary Believer, who loves my Lord, & wants to share that love with my Brothers & Sisters in the Lord!3. I know that there have been a ton of studies done on this chapter, & many might say, "Not another one on love!" Can we ever REALLY fail to glean something new about love, especially when our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus, is the very example of Love?I only pray that all of you will be blessed by what our Lord will reveal through this study!God Bless!Bill
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Green Lantern

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We start this study, by looking at verses 1-3:1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (New International Version)1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.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 I feel tounges of men could be referring to 2 things.1. This could mean being a very knowledgeable person, expousing on God's word.2. It could also be referring to the supernatural ability to share the Gospel with another person in their own language, without knowing the language. This is commonly referred to as the gift of "tounges". It was given to man on the Day of Pentecost, as we see in:Acts 2:1-12 (New International Version)1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"It is important to note, verse 11:Quote:both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" This was very much a supernatural gift, & in a sense, was the begnning of the fufillment of Christ's words, that we see talked about in the "Great Comission", in:Acts 1:8 (New International Version)8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."Then we see mentioned "tounges of angels". This is a very specific reference to the "Gift of Tounges", as it was used in the early church, sometimes referred to as "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit".Without getting into a big theological discussion about what the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is, (which shall be referred to as "TBOTHS"), we see in the NT church that it occured virtually every time as person was saved & Baptised. From what we know about it's purposes, it had many functions, which Paul outlines in the previous chapter-Chapter 12, of 1 Corinthians.But that is not what we are looking at here. The point that we are concerned with, is the result of taking those gifts that God has given us, & how they are used. Without the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, especially when it comes to witnessing, if LOVE for the other person that we are talking to, which is THE ONE & ONLY REASON, is NOT there, all that we will be sounding to that person is, as Paul writes, "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal A noise. They will hear no conviction in our words. Without conviction, we might as well, not even be talking to them at all. It is nothing more that a waste of time.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.Look at what Paul says about the gift of Prophecy, in the first verse of1 Corinthians 14:1 (New International Version)Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.Paul had a very good reason, for emphasizing the importance of prophecy. It is the very foundation of the entire Bible-the working of the Father to bring sinful man back into fellowship with HIM! It was the fufillment of prophecy that ocurred with Jesus. Living in the current age that we do now, we can see how so many of the prophecies of the OT have already BEEN fufilled! Certainly, the Jews could see, how the prophecies of Jerimiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, & the other prophets, had been fufilled! But, Paul brings us back down to earth, with a crash, when says-"but have not love, I am nothing". All the prophesies of the OT were given, not out of malice or hatred by the Father, but rather, by the Love that He had for His people to turn back to Him! In the same way, those Believers, who had the gift of prophecy, if they didn't have GOD'S LOVE inside them, if they hadn't been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, if they weren't being directed BY the Holy Spirit-than anything that they could say to the unsaved, would have NO impact on their listeners.If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Giving all I possess to the poor. Sadly, this is what we see so often in so many chruches today. While there is certainly nothing wrong with giving to charitable orginizations-what is the SPIRIT behind that giving? It it just to look good in front of the congregation, or to score up "brownie-points" with God-to EARN your way into heaven? We, who have been saved & cleansed by the power of the Blood of Jesus, know that that doing something like this is no good! Look atEphesians 2:8-9 (New International Version)8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.Or how aboutIsaiah 64:6 (New International Version)All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.Then Paul talks about giving your body to the flames. If love wasn't the reason for sacrificing yourself for another person, I don't think that many people would be doing that! And Paul echoes this, when he says-"I gain nothing".When we were BORN AGAIN, changed by the power of our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus, we were GIVEN God's love! We were GIVEN the ability to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of other men's souls! We were GIVEN the ability of the Creator of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE, to share with the world!But if we don't do it with the LOVE of Christ-what good does it do? Bill:study:
 

Green Lantern

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Mar 25, 2007
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Continuing on with our study of the LOVE Chapter! 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New King James Version)4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; & bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.Love suffers long How many of us have ever lost patiance with a family member, or especially God? I know that I have! I find it interesting here, that the word SUFFERS is used here, especially, when used in conjunction with the word LOVE. Have we ever considered, that no matter how much trouble or pain our loved ones may give us, (especially if we have children), & yet, through all that pain, we never DO stop loving them? Well, THAT IS what love, true love, the love of God that God has given each one of us who know Him, is really all about. That no matter how much they may hurt us, we still love them. And especially true is, when we are talking about our relationship with our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus. How long had He suffered with our rebellion, before we came to know Him as Savior? How long has He suffered with us living in rebellion against Him, when we have sinned, & refuse to come back to Him, to ask forgivness for our sin, & to restore that fellowship that we so desperatly need with Him?.....and is kind While we can learn about what kindness is, the kindness that God wants us to feel towards others, is not something that can be learned, but rather, but rather something that God has already instilled in us, from the moment that we were born again.Look at:2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!When we come to know the Lord as our Lord & Savior, we become new!And so does that spirit of kindness, which was just mortal, is transformed into into something that can be truley expressed to others, without simply "acting" kind-but rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit, actually BEING kind to those around us-& not letting anything anything that they may do affect how you feel towards them, but rather, being kind to them REGARDLESS of circumstances! That is what TRUE LOVINGKINDNESS REALLY is!love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity,..........Note all the diffferent bad qualities of humanity here-they can all be summed up in one word-PRIDE!The Bible has much to say about the subject of pride-here are a few:psalm 10:4 (New International Version)" In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."Psalm 31:18 (New International Version)"Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous."Psalm 73:6 (New International Version)"Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence."Look at all these qualities-ALL OF THEM are the direct opposite of what love is, & furthurmore-they are the direct opposite of what GOD IS!But when we are waklking in harmony with God, we are NOT arrogant, lying, comtempteous, or violent. WE ARE NEW CREATURES, showing others the TRUE characteristics of our Lord!........ but rejoices in the truth; & bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.Rejoices in the truth. Who IS the Truth? Our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus!John 14:6 (New International Version)Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.What is the Truth? God's Word!Isaiah 40:8 (New International Version)The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."Isaiah 55:11 (New International Version)so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.Bears all things. ALL THINGS Not some, but ALL!Matthew 11:28 (New International Version)"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Believes ALL Things! Not some, but ALL! Hebrews 11:1 (New International Version)Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.Hopes ALL Things. Not some, but ALL!Romans 8:25 (New International Version)But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.Endures ALL things. Not some but ALL!Romans 5:8 (New International Version)But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.The greatest endurance test of them all! Kind of makes what we go through, rather insignificant, doesn't it?Bill:study:
 

Green Lantern

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Mar 25, 2007
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1 Corinthians 13:8-10Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.LOVE NEVER FAILS...... Just 3 little words that hold a wealth of truth in them. If God's love ever failed us-He wouldn't be God! But love is the one factor that has remained consistant throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden on. God still loved Adam & Eve enough, that He made them clothes, (I believe), not just to cover their nakedness, but also to protect them from the elements outside the Garden. He didn't have to do it, but He did it out of love. God loved Isaac enough to prevent Abraham from slaying him. God loved Lot enough to save him from the destruction of Soddom & Gomorrah. God loved the Israelites enough to provide them a leader in Moses, & on & on & on it goes, right up to the ultimate show of love for us, in the sacrifice of our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus! Love continued on with Stephen loving those who were stoning him, to Paul loving his jailer in Acts 16:25-28, & onto the present day, with the Amish community forgiving the man who killed those little Amish girls. This kind of love is impossible to show by human standards, but NOT impossible by God's standards, because God IS love.But where there are prophecies, they will cease... Now we switch gears here, because we see that some of God's gifts DO have limited lifespans.In regard to prophecy, we have seen dozens of prophecies fufilled throughout the OT. How many of today's "supposed" prophets have the kind of track record that the OT prophets had? They can't even come close!where there are tongues, they will be stilled....... Whether or not you believe in the gift of tongues, they DO serve 2 major purposes:1. To edify the individual (I Cor. 14:4)2. To edify the Church, through interpretations of those messages that were delivered. (I Cor. 14:5B)But in Christ's kingdom, not only will there be one single belief, but (I believe), 1 unified language as well. Look at the world today, with all the communication problems there are due to all the different languages there are! Since all these languages cause so much confusion, I see no reason, that our God of Unity wouldn't also unify our languages into one common one!(Just a thought! )where there is knowledge, it will pass away............. I believe that this could be referring to spiritual knowledge, rather than human knowledge. As Believers, we already pocess all the spiritual knowledge that we need to know about God. Certainly Matt. 13:11 & Luke 1:77, when Zecheriah states-".....to give His people the knowledge of salvation, through the forgivness of ther sins....." Both by God's Word, the Bible, & by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have all the knowledge about God that we need! It was this knowledge that first lead us to Christ, & is now a part of all those who know Him as Lord & Savior. But for non-believers, this knowledge is very limited, because when they die, not knowing Christ, this kind of knowledge will eventually be useless to them.For we know in part and we prophesy in part........The "know" in this verse, (I believe), is referring to human knowledge, rather than spiritual knowkedge, because of the words-"in part". As I pointed out above, we already have all we need to know about God in regard to spiritual knowledge. But when we see the words, "in part", it certainly seems to be referring to human knowledge, because we only DO know a part of the total knowledge that is available to us as humans-we are always learning! The thing about human knowledge, is that it is as fleeting as out own lives, as Job seemed to realize in Job 7:7, & the psalmist knew in Psalm 39:4-5, among others. In the long run, there is going to be only ONE simple thing that we will NEED to know-the reality of the prescence or our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus, in all His glory! ALL of our vast knowledge will be totally useless! Can we even IMAGINE what that will be like?but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.......Everything in God's kingdom will be perfect, because GOD is perfect. This will be the true fufillment of what we read in I Cor. 15:50-56.Let us pray."Lord Jesus, we thank & praise you for the greatest truth of your Word-that love never DOES fail! That the love that You showed us, when You died on the cross for our sins, the love that is all throughout Your Word, the love that remains with us throughout our entire lives, no matter HOW bad we may "screw" them up, time & time again. The love that says to each of us-' I'm here, & I love you. ' Hold us close, Lord Jesus! Wrap your arms around us, & let us know the everlasting love that You & You alone have for each one of us! Hold us, Lord Jesus! Hold us! In Your name & your name alone, do we pray! Amen"Bill:study:
 

Green Lantern

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1 Corinthians 13:11-13When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I TALKED LIKE A CHILD, I THOUGHT LIKE A CHILD, I REASONED LIKE A CHILD........You really have to love this verse, because, (hopefully for most of us), it brings back fond memories of a much simpler time, when we didn't have to worry about anything-mom & dad would take care of everything. Certainly, Jesus had a great love for children, as He talks about in Matt. 18:2-5. We learn from this a very powerful lesson about what it means to be humble. Little children don't know the meaning of the word "pride", when they need something, they go to mom & dad, & tell them what they need. There was no need to be embarresd about anything.WHEN I BECAME A MAN, I PUT CHILDISH THINGS BEHIND ME......Now this may seem to contradict what we just read about what Jesus said. But in reality, this is NOT to say that we shouldn't approach God in a childlike way, when we need His help; but rather this is an admonition to us, telling us that as we get older, we must take responsibility for our own actions. We can't afford the habit of having someone else take care of our needs. Theis DOESN'T mean, however, that we still shouldn't take a childlike attitude when we DO need to approach God for something that only He can provide! Romans 8:15, finds us running to God crying, "Abba, Father". The times that we SHOULD come before God with in innocence of little children is especially important when we encounter a seemingly impossible situation, or when we need to return to the Father, after having fallen away from Him. These are the times, that we SHOULD approach God as a little child, when God is all that we have left! (This is a lesson that I have learned many times over the past months!)NOW WE SEE BUT A POOR REFLECTION, AS IN A MIRROR, THAN WE SHALL SEE FACE TO FACE...........It certainly seems to me that this is talking about out current standing, as lowly, imperfect beings, who have only the minimum idea of what truley awaits us in Heaven. Certainly, the glory that Heaven is, would compleatly overwhelm us, if we were to see it in our imperfect bodies. But it also offers us a great hope-that we have the knowledge that we indeed WILL see it one day; & more important-that we will see our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus, face to face! I'm sure that most of us are familiar with the song by the group MERCY ME, (I Can Only Imagine). Well: I think that that song very accuratly describes the meaning of this particular verse.NOW I KNOW IN PART; THAN I SHALL KNOW FULLY, EVEN AS I AM FULLY KNOWN..............What do we know in part? What we need to do in order to be saverd, & what God's qualities are. We DON'T know everything that He has in store for us, or about how much He really DOES love us. But we see that there WILL come a time that we WILL fully know EVERYTHING that there is to know about God, when we DO see Him face to face, when we ARE in our glorified bodies, after we die. And we see the great truth about God Himself, in the words-"fully Known", because God DOES fully know everything about us. There is NOTHING that is hidden from Him that He doesn't know!AND NOW THESE THREE THINGS REMAIN: FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE, BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE............Interesting how only ONE of these 3 qualities is eternal. Faith: Well, it was faith that first brought us to Christ, & faith that has kept us following Him all this time. But we won't NEED faith, when we die, because our faith is what has brought us INTO His presence!Hope: Well, as Believers, we HAVE that blessed hope in us: Check out Romans 5:2, Romans 8:25, among others. The hope that one day we WILL live in Heaven, & be in the presence of our Savior! It is this hope that keeps us going here on earth! But we will no longer NEED hope, because we have REACHED our hope, when we die, & meet our Savior!But love: God loved us since before the world began. God loved us enough to have His Son, Jesus, die on the cross for our sins. God loved us enough, to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we may love others. AND: when we die, & come into His presence, He will STILL love us, throughout all eternity!We see here that only love, is eternal! The one single quality of our Lord & Savior, Christ Jesus, that will never end! Let us pray."Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, & Holy Spirit: We praise & worship You for love. We stand in awe of the love that You had for us before the world even began, the love that brought us to You through our Savior's death & ressurection, the love that we continue to know throuigh Your Holy Spirit, & the love that You & You alone will CONTINUE to have for us, when we finally enter Your Presence after death. We humble ourselves before You, that You DO love us like You do. We can't totally begin to understand it, as we DO see but a poor reflection of Your love, but it is this hope that keeps us driving to that very same goal, that Your servant Paul mentioned-the hope of being in the very presence of Your love one day. We praise You three-in-one! We glorify Your name through all the world for Your unfailing love! Lead us each & every day, to walk in that unfailing love that first lead us to You, that we may show others that same love, while we still have time! Shower us with Your love, Lord Jesus, that we may NEVER stray from Your presence, that we would ALWAYS walk in Your Way, & Your Way alone, & that Your name would be glorified in EVERYTHING that we say & do! We ask this in Your Name & Your Name alone, Lord Jesus! Amen"Bill :study: