Bible Think Tank

This site is designed to help you interact with others about God's Word. I further some thoughts we developed during morning and evening gatherings at church. I have my NT translations from the original Greek to English. Also, I have book reviews and other current events.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

All You Need is Love

Introduction

This is the place to comment on "How to Use the Gifts of the Spirit", my sermon from Sunday, September 23, 2007.

Listen to The Sermon
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Read My Translation
Read the Text (NASB)

Weeding Motives

So, Love. Love ought to be the sole motive for our ministries. In the small church, many serve out of necessity or a sense of obligation. In a large church, many may serve our of a desire for fame or the admiration of others. Regardless, weeding the garden of our soul from all motives but sacrifical love is a difficult thing. But like those green nasties, spiritual weeds get worse too if gone unchecked. Get out into the fields and weigh your motivations for ministry.


Measuring Up

Of the list of descriptors for love, which are you good at, which do you fall short in? You can but don't have to reply to that, but certainly ask yourself and the LORD that question.




What Will Cease When?

We had a good conversation Sunday night after Evening Worship about another point raised in the text. Gifts will cease, but the trio of faith hope and love will remain. But interestingly, Paul cites three examples of the gifts and chooses 3 revelatory or sign gifts out of the 25 gifts. Is he indicating that only revelatory and sign gifts will cease, but other genres will remain? The alarm sign that raises in my mind if some but not all have ceased, why hasn't the Bible clearly given us both doctrinal and applicational teaching to this end? God has prepared us in the Scripture for every good work, yet He has not instructed us on this point. That being said, the observation of "prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will cease" is a very important and interesting one.


Wrap-Up

What are your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 13?

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Big Bro,

Finally got on here to check it out...pretty sweet!

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 13...I have grammar questions. Here, love is noun. Are we to extrapolate that demonstrating this "love" is the same as "loving"? It's abstract and unattached to any human example. It doesn't say, "you love someone when you are patient with him." It just says, "love is patient." Does this noun serve as the same base for each love verb (eros, agape, philo)?

9/28/2007 7:45 PM  
Blogger Timothy Schmoyer said...

Rebecca,

great observation. Love here is a noun and not a verb. So the "list" doesn't necesarily mean that we should do these things. But attached to the the first paragraph of the chapter it seems that Paul does want this list to be exhibited in our lifestyle. If I do all these spectacular things for Jesus but have not love, i am a gong, i am nothing, i profit nothing. It is clear fro mthe first paragraph that Paul wants us to do these things in the list in paragraph 2. So his logic in sequence would go like this: "do your ministry with an attitude of sacrificial love" PLUS "sacrificial love is patient, kind, etc" THEREFORE "do your ministry with patience, kindness, etc". Condensed the logic is A+B, B=C, therefore A+C.

The noun is agape so I think it would be attached to the verb agapao. In classical Greek it is a verb and noun that are used of the pantheon of gods' love toward mankind. In the NT, it is the demonstration of Yaweh's sacrificial love for us. After bringing us into His love through His sacrifice, He invites us to sacrifically love one another.

10/01/2007 10:32 AM  

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