1 CORINTHIANS 13
"If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth [fn1] but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; [fn2] but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.
6 It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages
[fn3] and special knowledge will all disappear.
9 Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little!
10 But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.
11 It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.
[fn4] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.
13 There are three things that will endure-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love."
What's love got to do with it?
THE POWER OF LOVE * 1 CORINTHIANS 13
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Does love characterize me?
When people think of me, do they think of love?
Do I think about love when I am making decisions?
Five Love Jolts
1.) Love is more important then speaking in tongues.
Just because you don't speak in tongues doesn't mean you don't have 'your thing' that you might put in front of love.
2.) God is more interested in small acts of kindness then great knowledge.
How do you treat your barista at Starbucks? Your neighbors? Your co-workers?
3.) Growing in love is better then power.
Do you leverage power for good...or do you use it to damage? When have you experienced the power of love?
4.) Love surpasses vows of poverty.
Every day we must gropw in our capacity to love.
5.) Love is more important than being a martyr.
1. Cor. 15:31 - "I die every day."
Let's Do It!
The Spoken Blessing
*Words of affirmation and blessing to EVERYONE!
The Written Blessing
*Blessing List and Encouragement Cards
This segment was written by Rev Bob Johnson, Lead Pastor at EPCC.
