A better way

1
Dont be a clangerIf I speak in the tongues of
men and of angels, but have not love, I am a
noisy gong or a clanging cymbal

• A better way
• YCC July 15

2
Care for one another

• But God has so composed the body, giving greater
  honor to the part that lacked it, that there may
  be no division in the body, but that the members
  may have the same care for one another. If one
  member suffers, all suffer together if one
  member is honored, all rejoice together
• We are multicellular organs
• We are made from
• sub-cellular bits (i.e. mitochondria)
• Many different cells
• Tissues
• Organs
• System
• For you to be here today you need 10 trillion
  cells and 1000 trillion micro-organisms in your
  gut
• There are 22 internal organs functioning together
• There are 11 teams or systems working together to
  keep you alive i.e. Respiratory system or
  Digestive system

3
Suffer together, rejoice together

• Paul is not primarily interested in body parts
  but in how we care for each other
• He is pointing out that we care for the less
  honourable parts
• The body parts work together to care for each
  other and we need to do the same
• We should give greater honour to the parts that
  are weaker
• We have the same care for each other regardless
  of rank in this world

4
What do we honour?

• We do not honour cleverness, wealth, reputation
  or status
• We should honour service, grace, compassion,
  loyalty, kindness, forgiveness and justice
• We should give greater honour to the weak
• A sense of sharing pain and joy for all
• Checklist 1 what/who do we honour?

5
A terrible sound

• If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
  but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a
  clanging cymbal. 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. If I
  give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body
  to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing
• Paul is not saying gifts are not important,
  especially the supernatural gifts that support
  the church tongues, prophecy, understanding
  mysteries, words of knowledge, faith
• Earnestly desire the higher gifts
• If we are to take on the kingdom of darkness then
  we need to see the supernatural as did our Lord

6
A better way

• BUT
• If I do not have love
• I am a horrible discordant noise
• One dimensional sound that is more of an alarm
  than a tune
• Paul had experienced gifts without love and boy
  it was awful!
• Checklist 2do we desire gifts demonstrated in a
  community of love?

7
A crazy little thing called love

• Love is patient and kind love does not envy or
  boast it is not arrogant or rude. It does not
  insist on its own way it is not irritable or
  resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but
  rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things,
  believes all things, hopes all things, endures
  all things
• Paul is clear about what love looks like
• Patient and kind
• Not arrogant or rude
• Not getting its own way (manipulative)
• Not irritable or resentful
• Does not rejoice with the wrong rather rejoices
  with the truth
• Checklist 3 Can we substitute our names or YCC
  into the list?

8
A crazy little thing called love

• Paul is clear about the resilience of of love
• Bears (we have our Fathers strength)
• Believes (we have confidence in our Fathers
  ways)
• Hopes (we have a belief that one day our Father
  will put things right)
• Endures (with our Fathers help we will get
  through - stickability)
• and love never ends
• Checklist 4 Does our love get us through
  difficult times?

9
As we head towards communion

• What/who do we honour?
• Do we desire gifts demonstrated in a community of
  love?
• Can we substitute our names or YCC into the list
  in 1 Corinthians 13?
• Does our love get us through difficult times?