When The Church
Is Like The World

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "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. [2]  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. [3]  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. {more later}"

Though I have heard many ministers preach many sermons on Love, using 1 Corinthians 13 as their basis, I have not heard any answer this question: Why did Paul put this great discourse on Love where he did in Scripture? Think about it - in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 Paul discusses the spiritual gifts with the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 13 seems to be out of place, almost as if Paul "lost his train of thought" while he was writing. Did he?

No, he didn't. Paul introduced the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, then deliberately introduced this great discourse, seemingly out of place, in order to underscore its importance. This is a technique that the Father uses throughout the Scripture to highlight a point, to make it stand out from all else around it. Love is discussed where it is, because God considers it to be preeminent above all else.

What is the "mark", the one distinguishing characteristic that separates the Church from a clubhouse? Why it is Divine Love, of course. This love was not evident at Corinth, as is illustrated by the Biblical context that leads up to this point of Scripture.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. [2]  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. [3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? [4]  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?"

The Corinthians were sectarian, a divided Church, each member following after a certain clique or teacher. We are called by God to Love one another equally, each one of us to be on "the same page", to follow after the same goal - promoting Christ to a sin sick world. Paul's judgment of the Corinthians was that they were immature, fleshly, carnal - and he even defines this attitude: are ye not carnal, and walk as men?. "Carnal" is the Greek SARKIKOS, meaning "soulish, without spirituality, like an unbeliever".

The attitude that follows after certain cliques, after men rather than God, is the attitude that exemplifies worldliness. Paul said the Corinthian attitude was "I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos". Sectarianism destroys the Church, for it teaches Love only for those within your own group. Sectarianism destroys the spirituality of the believer, and drives him down into a state where he "walks as a man" not as a child of God.

Now, I'm going to tell you, I am a Southern Baptist because I believe the Baptist Faith and Message to be closest to what the Scripture teaches. I am sure that there are many Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, and the like who will disagree with this statement, and many disagree with Baptist doctrine. Yet we as believers must always be careful to separate denomination and local Church from saving grace and the Body of Christ. There are many Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians that have accepted Jesus Christ to be their Saviour, and are just as saved as you and I are. For salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone! This is our denomination and our local Church, but not the entire Body of Christ by faith. Brethren, Love never says "you're a Methodist, so I will withhold active love from you", or "you're not a member of my Church, so I am under no constraint to love you". Any who have accepted Jesus as Saviour deserve Love in equal portion to that which you give your Baptist family. For that matter, all people, even your enemies, deserve the best love you can give them. As Jesus said:

Luke 6:35-36 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. [36]  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."

Sectarianism is anti-Love, but Christ calls us to actively Love those who are even unlovable - for were we not all unlovable at one time? We are called to be better than the world - the world only loves its own, but we must love all with the same quality of Love that God gives us.

When Love breaks down in the Body, when its members treat Love as something that I can "take or leave", it effects the Body in more grievous ways. As the Corinthians moved farther in their thinking from God's Love, they allowed sexual sin to come into their midst:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. [12]  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? [13]  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

When the right kind of Love, Divine Love, is missing from the Church, other things creep into this vacuum. The Church loses its focus on discipline, the sheep scatter into sin, the shepherd falters. We are seeing a rise of sexual sins in our Churches today, in all the denominations. Pastors and deacons are being caught in adulterous affairs with members of their flocks.  Members fall into sin, and none within the assembly warn them. The Body becomes disjointed, estranged. As this happens, the Light of the Church dims.

The Church of this present Age is blurred, indistinct, hard to distinguish from the world because of a lack of Divine Love. Churches, Baptist Churches, are being disciplined out of the Association for allowing homosexuality within their midst, and for allowing women to hold positions as Senior Pastors. Somehow Love has come to mean, among many of us, anything that smoothes the transition from world to Church. The war cry of the world is "You Christians should love - allow homosexuals full membership and equal rights in your Churches". Yet Divine Love never condones sin: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, yet if you die without Christ you will spend an eternity in Hell.  We are "not to keep company" with the unrepentant sinner, whether he be Christian or no {Leviticus 18:22  "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."}. Divine Love does not lower itself into the mud in order to justify the mud, but extends a hand into the mud to pull others out of its grasp. The war cry of the world is "You Christians, for love's sake, must allow women to Pastor your Churches". Yet Divine Love follows God's order, whether that order is in line with the world's views of right and wrong or not {1 Timothy 3:2  "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife.. "}. God full well could have made provision for male or female in the office of the Pastor, but chose, in His infinite wisdom, to ascribe to man this duty. Divine Love does not question God, but loves God, and knows that His will is His will, and we must obey it for our own good.

1 Corinthians 6:1-4 "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? [2]  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? [3]  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? [4]  If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church."

When Divine Love is absent in the Church, believers take one another to court, allowing a world order dominated by Satan to make decisions of right and wrong for its members. Every action of the Church of the World is characterized by selfishness, even to the partaking of the Lord's Table. It is a "me only" attitude that destroys our mission, the harvesting of souls for the glory of God.

Little wonder so few heathen have anything to do with the Church outside of getting married or getting buried. A Church that fails to demonstrate Love has a Justice of the Peace as its pastor, a Funeral Home Director as its leader. This must not be so at Okapilco!

Love is the flavoring that makes everything that we do worth doing.
 

There is a legend that a wealthy merchant was traveling through the ancient world looking for Paul the Apostle. At the time Paul was a prisoner in Rome. The merchant stepped into his cell, and was surprised to find a rather old man, physically frail. As he sat and talked with the old man, the merchant was mesmerized - his serenity and magnetism was amazing, considering the ordeal he was going through. When he left, he met a disciple outside the prison and asked, "What is the secret of this man's power? I have never seen anything like it before!" The disciple answered, "Paul is in Love". The merchant was puzzled, and said "In Love?" The disciple answered, "Yes, in Love with Jesus Christ". The merchant looked even more bewildered, and said "Is that all?", and the disciple replied, "Sir, that is everything!" {G. Curtis Jones, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, Broadman, 1986, p 225}

You may discover that you have a Gift for teaching, or for Preaching, and if you do, then I commend you. But if your teaching and preaching, prophesying or healing, is without love, then, as Paul said in our introductory verses, "I am nothing". We each have the Gifts that God has given us because He loves us, and wants us to freely and lovingly devote these Gifts to one another and to the world. Okapilco, and every Church that I can call to name, will be great lighthouses of the Gospel of Christ, drawing unbelievers like moths to the flame, if we only stretch ourselves and Love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, [5]  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; [6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; [7]  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

Many do not recognize Divine Love because they have never seen it. Human love and selfishness can't wait to be heard - it often interrupts the conversation to make itself heard. I have seen this among Pastors, and it shocks me when it happens.

Lord, help us to listen attentively when someone speaks, not to divide or ration our attention to each member, for "Charity suffereth long". The member who speaks to me needs to be the center of the universe while he speaks, for often I may be the only one who can love him. Lord, let me not be abrupt when I am interrupted, trod on, ignored, for Love "is kind". Lord, please let me feel only admiration for the brother or sister who has more than I have, for what you have given me is enough. There are many believers in this world that have less than I have - it is enough. For,

... when is Jesus never enough?

Keep pride from my life, and keep me ever mindful that I am, of myself, I am nothing, for "charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up". Father, let us all walk an orderly path, relying on your Word alone, not the "Reader's Digest" nor the latest pamphlet from the Women's Rights groups. I know your Word says that Love "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own", so please give me the strength to put others first, myself last - for you did the same, and I want to be your disciple.

Father, when those who are determined to be my enemies fall, let me remember the truths of Love, that God's Love "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth". And when I, and all your children reach this realization, when we fully live this truth, we will draw the world around us to accept Christ as Saviour. Our way just isn't working, but your way will, dear Father, if you drive this point home in our lives.
 

A man once observed a young boy out in the field flying a kite. He noticed that there was something odd about the way the boy was standing, and as he got closer he noticed the child was blind. He asked, "Do you like flying kites?", and the boy said, "I sure do".  The man said, "How can you like flying kites when you cannot see it?" The boy answered, "I may not be able to see it, but I sure can feel it tugging!" {Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, 1999}

For the world knows when we're playing Church, and when we're living the Christian life. Our brothers and sisters around us can sense when we have Divine Love, or are just mouthing the words. They may not be able to see it, but they sure can feel the tugging!

How's your Love?

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