Summer of Love: Part 1

Call for Understanding

In 1984, a song lyric was popular from a band called Foreigner

The lyric went like this

“I want to know what love is; I want you to show me”

the lyrics are very poetic to me

I've gotta take a little time A little time to think things over

I better read between the lines

In case I need it when I'm older

And this mountain, I must climb Feels like the world upon my shoulders

And through the clouds, I see love shine It keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life, there's been heartache and pain I don't know if I can face it again

Can't stop now, I've travelled so far To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is I want you to show me I wanna feel what love is I know you can show me

Reading this stopped to make me think this week

I listen to the words of songs

the words in book, in blogs, in posts on social media

But DO I SEEK THE WORD...… HIS WORD

FIRST AND FULLY

LOVE

it has been mentioned in commentaries

that AFTER THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION

the Greeks needed to invent a NEW WORD for LOVE

the WORD is AGAPE

it is a Word that implies a LOVE THAT GOES BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING

it is "overflowing with pure love, so that it spills onto those around him"

it is LOVE LAVISHED ON OTHERS—-WITHOUT THOUGHT OF WHETHER THEY ARE WORTHY

it is the Love in the Great Command of GOD

Mark 12:28–31 ESV

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

So we are splitting this chapter in to========== two weeks

I want to focus on education this week

and the Practical next week

Though it is near impossible to NOT MIX

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 ESV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

The tongues of men is Languages of the world today.

You can make a lot of boast, you can give a lot of promises,

and you can GIVE YOUR WORD

but with over 50% of marriages ending in divorce

Friendship that fall apart

Children — cancelling their parents

and depending on factors in the Christian faith, such as dominations

the DIVORCE rate is said to be higher higher than non believers

much of that is not being a PRACTICING CHRISTIAN

I am a member of the NUMASTIC SOCIETY —- because i paid a fee.… but i only mess with Coins a few times a year

when i go to events the knowledge of others amazes me ======= I just don’t put the time or energy into it

LET ME GIVE

YOU SOME BIBLE

GOD HATES DIVORCE AND

CHRIST FOLLOWERS DON’T DO IT> Say that directly to the next people that are whispering desires to you

there is NO THREE allowances

there is not out

what GOD has joined together let no man separate.

Let me give you a pondering

the rate in evangelical Christians is higher

most evangelical Christians are part of mega church

the surveys THEY USE TO DETERMINE start with

are you Christian?

NOT DO YOU OBEY AND FOLLOW CHRIST

DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE?

If you are saying and not practicing

you are simply a clanging gong.

you are simply making noise

you are making a noise and NOT a Difference

If you have the GIFTS ——- remember the PUZZLE IN THE CHURCH FROM LAST WEEK

if you are full of all knowledge, if you KNOW all the mysteries, if you Prophesize

even if you have faith ——- THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS

BUT DON’T

LEAD WITH LOVE

IF you do NOT —- LAVISH LOVE

you are NOTHING

OUCH ——— DID THE WORD JUST HIT YOU TODAY

If you do not practice love you are nothing

if you don’t love GOD, then OTHERS

you are NOT a PRACTITONER of CHRIST

I do just SAY I LOVE JESUS

BECAUSE IF I DO THAT THEN I LOVE OTHERS

I DO NOT CALL MYSELF CHRISTIAN

and live how i please

THIS IS THE CONNECTION —— THIS IS THE ANSWER TO OUR LAST MONTHS OF LESSONS

you can USE your gifts — your puzzle piece

you can take communion

you can believe in eternal life

you can be responsible and exercise your FREEDOM

you can be married, and wear the RING

BUT WITH OUT LOVE YOU ARE NOTHING

LOOK at the next verse

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

You can sacrifice, You can give

but if you do so with out LOVE

LAVISHING LOVE WITH OUT AND CONSIDERATION OF WORTHINESS of the RECEIVER

You GAIN NOTHING

i am going to slip in to the PRACTICAL

IF YOU give GENEROUSLY TO HORIZON

YOU GIVE BECAUSE YOU LOVE JESUS and HIS CHURCH

Years ago

there was an issue in another church

there was a fund raising going on and people were excited

they Gave GENEROUSLY

But then the project stalled

and people started demanding their money back

I got a call three month ago ——- some one GRIPING about their Giving to that CHURCH

HERE WAS MY LOVING Answer

“may i offer you some Biblical Advice”

YES

IT IS NOT YOUR MONEY, IT IS ALL GOD’S

and HE gave it to you to GIVE TO OTHERS

WITH OUT REGARD FOR THERE USING IT

IT NEVER WAS YOURS —— YOU DIDN’T EARN IT

IT WAS A BLESSING FROM GOD

IF YOU WERE MOVED BY THE SPIRIT TO GIVE IT

and YOU GAVE MORE ON......

CONCLUSION:

LOVE MUST BE YOUR CHARACTER

LOVE MUST BE YOUR CHOICE

In ALL THINGS

if you see the DEEPER LOVE of GOD

instead of the emotional, feeling love of the WORLD

Your LIFE WILL CHANGE

I want to end today with HOW we are going to START NEXT WEEK

1 Corinthians 13:4–13 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 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 gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

LETS PRAY