"The Greatest Creation"
TEXTS: 1 Corinthians 13
TRUTHS:
1. Spiritual giftedness without love will repel people from Christ rather than draw them to Him. Someone (or a local church) can assume that simply operating in the dynamic gifts of the Spirit will cause unbelievers to be drawn to Christ. But without the love of Christ motivating us, we will struggle to handle the power of the gifts and turn them into a selfish display of arrogance.
2. Our sacrifice for the Kingdom of God must be motivated by God’s love. If we are only sacrificing to be recognized then our own spiritual growth will be greatly hindered.
3. The love of Christ covers our shame, guilt, and wrongdoings. Believers, being motivated by Christ’s love, should seek to do the same for their brothers and sisters in the Lord. If we are not motivated by the love of Christ then we will be tempted to find and expose the flaws of others instead of covering them.
4. God calls us to mature in love. We can’t make this happen or set a specific plan of action in order for this to take place, but we can (and need to) make ourselves available to the presence of God. The love of God will grow and mature in us as we desire and experience His presence.
5. Faith and hope are temporary; love is eternal. Love is God’s greatest creation.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. How can we know if our use of the spiritual gifts is being motivated by love? How can we know that our sacrifice for the Kingdom of God is being motivated by love?
2. What does it mean to make yourself available to experience the presence of God? What does this practically look like?
3. How can you tell if you are maturing in love? What should/will you notice?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
- Growing and maturing in God's love
- For those who were baptized this past Sunday morning
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