What Is Your Love Quotient

Membership Matters 5: Compassionate Service
1 Corinthians 13

I came across a really useful article on health for men recently. It was called “Clear and Present Danger: Relational Advice for Guys: Giving these gifts can be hazardous.” By Jim Killam[1] With St Valentines Day on… Tuesday I thought I’d share some of the article with you in the hope that it will help improve some life expectancy. You may not know exactly what the lady really wants for Valentine’s this year. In fact, we're pretty sure you have no clue. We don't, either. But we know 5 things she doesn't want. The article warns before you buy anything on this list, use the rating system to assess your risk of sleeping a corresponding number of nights on the sofa.

1. Cheap cologne. Trust us. She will not melt into your arms when she opens that gallon-sized decanter of "Minerva" you bought for £8.95 including the miniature stuffed basset hound. Moral: Even if it could multiply its value by doubling as either insect repellent or charcoal starter, this one stinks.

2. A floor-length, down-filled, magenta winter coat. It was on clearance, and it sure looked warm. My wife never had the heart to tell me she hated it. I started to get a clue on below-zero nights when she'd leave it in the closet in favor of a windbreaker. Moral: Think twice before giving her something she will be seen wearing in public, day after day. Who'd have guessed that some women don't yearn to look like a pink sleeping bag?

3. Remote-control house lights she can control from the car. Not a horrible present in itself, but the guy wrapped each component in separate tiny boxes. Imagine the wife's gasps of joy by box number 10. Moral: Never, ever, make her think she's getting jewelry unless she really is.

4. Exercise equipment. Whether it's the expensive treadmill with built-in video screen or the electric stomach shocker you bought off a late-night infomercial, this gift says, "I love you, Honey. Now hit the gym and lose some weight." Moral: Ill-advised companion gift: A set of scales.

5. The Madonna corset handbag. Nothing says dignity like packing her wallet and car keys into a miniature human torso that's wearing pretty underwear. Confident career woman? Axe murderer? Only she'll know for sure. Moral: Stick to red roses and expensive chocolate. Trust me.
These Sundays we are thinking about what it means to be a member of Christ’s Church. About being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. We have already considered

1. The need for a daily walk with Jesus
2. The importance of participating in Sunday services
3. The value of being part of a small group Bible study
4. The privilege of serving in and through Christ’s Body

Over the next two weeks we will consider

5. The opportunities to share Jesus with others

6. The responsibility of stewarding God’s resources

Easter is traditionally the time when people were baptised and confirmed remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus in our place. Easter is also when we encourage new members to express their commitment by joining our electoral roll so that they can participate in our annual Church Meeting and elect our elders. This year we intend going one step further.

At Easter, we will be inviting everyone who considers themselves a member of Christ Church to put their name to a simple declaration that, with God’s help, we will covenant for the year ahead to have a daily walk with Jesus, participate regularly in Sunday services, be part of one of our small groups, find a place of service for an hour a week minimum, and confidentially but diligently steward the resources God has given us. We believe this is how we can best grow as Christ followers together. How we can best express our desire to become more like Christ, and help one another to do the same. Today we want to consider our motivation for doing what we do - in our relationships, in our marriages, in our work, but above all, in our church. What is driving us? Really driving us? Is it duty? Is it obligation? Is it necessity? Or is it love? The most extensive New Testament passage we have about how the Church is to relate is found in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Sandwiched between chapters 12 and 14, where Paul’s teaches about gifts and ministries, comes 1 Corinthians 13, the famous "love" chapter. This is probably the most widely read passage at weddings. True, it’s the most beautiful description there is in Scripture about love - yet the context of the passage is not about marriage. It is about service.

As chapter 12 concludes its teaching on spiritual gifts, chapter 13 begins with the way spiritual gifts are to be used. I’d like us to examine this passage under three headings:

The motive for service is love (12:31-13:3)

The quality of service is Divine (13:4-8)

The purpose of service is maturity (13:9-13).

1. The Motive for Service is Love
“And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3)

Do you see how important love is? The gifts of prophecy, knowledge, faith, giving, mentioned here are valuable or worthless depending on one thing: Motive. Listen to how these verses are translated in the Message translation.

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

The question I must ask myself therefore is this: Why am I serving? Why am I not serving? What is my motive? The motive for Christian service must be love.

2. The Quality of Service is Divine

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Love is probably the most devalued and debased word in the English language. That is why this definition is so important for it defines authentic love. Like Max Lucado[2], several years ago, someone challenged me to replace the word love in this passage with my name. As Max admits, “I did and became a liar” Stephen is patient. Stephen is kind. Stephen does not envy. Stephen does not boast. Stephen is not proud. Stephen is not rude. It sounds lovely. The only problem is it’s not true - ask Joanna and my children. And for years that was my problem with this paragraph. It set a standard I could not meet. No one can meet it. No one. No one, that is, except Jesus.

For in reality, this quality of love is divine.

Insert Christ’s name in place of the word love and see if it rings true. Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. Jesus is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, Jesus keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails. Max Lucado says “Rather than let this scripture remind us of a love we cannot produce, let it remind us of a love we cannot resist - God’s love.

Some of you are so thirsty for this type of love. Those who should have loved you didn’t. Maybe you were left at the hospital. Left at the altar. Left with an empty bed. Left with a broken heart. Left with your question “Does anybody love me?” Please listen to heaven’s answer. God loves you. Personally. Powerfully. Passionately. Others have promised and failed. But God has promised and succeeded. He loves you with an unfailing love. And his love - if you will let it - can fill you and leave you with a love worth giving. What is done in love lasts. In other words, what is done in Christ will last. When we are serving in the name of Christ, in the power of Christ, we are serving in love. The tasks we do are not as important to God as the heart in which we do them. The motive for service is love. The quality of service is divine.

3. The Purpose of Service is Maturity

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:9-13)

Notice the emphasis of these verses is on growing up - from childhood to maturity. In verse 11 Paul describes in the past tense how he has grown then in verse 12 he looks forward to further growth toward maturity. The reason? God has not finished with us. This life is the practice session. This is the reason why membership matters - why we need one another’s gifts and abilities to help us grow to maturity. That is God’s aim - that we become like Jesus Christ. So, like Paul, remember how far you have come, not just how far you have to go.

Rick Warren says, “You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.”[3]Remember, while the gifts are functional and temporary, our motive - love that is a response to his love - will remain for eternity.

Let me close with an illustration. There was a young man who appeared to be a budding artist. Of all his works, he was most proud of his latest masterpiece he had just completed a painting of the Last Supper. With childlike enthusiasm, he was anxious to show the piece to his friend and get his opinion. That friend was the writer Leo Tolstoy. The day finally came when the young artist was able to present his work to the famous writer. He unveiled his rendition of the Last Supper. Breathlessly, he asked his friend, "What do you think?" Tolstoy quietly studied the picture. He pondered every detail as the artist watched impatiently. The silence was finally broken as Tolstoy slowly pointed to the central figure. "You don't really love him do you," he said quietly. The confused young man responded, "Why, that is the Lord Jesus Christ!" "I know," said Tolstoy, "but if you loved him more, you would have painted him better." Most of us are not budding artists, but we are budding servants. We need to grow in our ability to glorify God and edify others. A healthy discontent with our current progress and desire to grow to maturity will help. If someone else was looking at the central figure in your life - Jesus Christ- what might they say? "If you loved him more, you would serve him better." I hope so. Because as we know him better, we will love him more, and we will serve him better.

The motive for service is love. The quality of service is Divine.

The purpose of service is maturity. Now let’s rewrite 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 one more time. Not with your name, or Jesus’ name but with both. Read it aloud with yor name in the blank, and see what you think.

Jesus in ______ is patient, Jesus in ______ is kind. Jesus in _______ does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. Jesus in ______ is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, Jesus in ______ keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus in ______ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Jesus in ______ always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus in ______ never fails.

Max Lucado asks, “Will we ever love like that? Will we ever love perfectly? No. This side of heaven only God will. But we will love better than we have. When kindness comes grudgingly, we’ll remember his kindness to us and ask him to make us more kind. When patience is scarce, we’ll thank him for his and ask him to make us more patient. When it’s hard to forgive, we won’t list all the times we’ve been given grief. Rather, we’ll list all the times we’ve been given grace and pray to become more forgiving. Lets see next Tuesday as a test run. Lets drink deeply from heaven’s endless love. For when we do, we will discover a love worth giving,” worth sharing. Lets pray.

Spiritual Exercise

There is no greater fulfilment than to pour out our lives in acts of servanthood to the God of the universe. This is not limited to certain church activities or involvements. Every moment is an opportunity to be used by him. Make this week an adventure by praying a “use me” prayer. Seek to engage in acts of deliberate compassionate servanthood. Here are a few ideas:[4]

Begin each morning by inviting God to use you through the day. Walk through the main events of your upcoming day with him in prayer.
Make yourself available to be used at home. Look for ways you could be of service to those with whom you live.
Throughout the day as you begin a conversation, pray a secret “use me” prayer. Listen to God’s promptings to encourage others, speak the truth, etc.
Ask God to use you in the life of a seeker this week.
Make your work an exercise in being used by God. Work with diligence - as if you were working directly for him. Serve a co-worker.
When you are interrupted, pause to see if this is an opportunity to be used by God through a moment of unplanned servanthood.
Each time you pull out your wallet or write a cheque, pray a “use me” prayer with respect to your financial resources. Look for opportunities to give, even in small ways.
Be available to serve someone who is different than you. Practice seeing them through Jesus’ eyes.

Keep track of how the week goes. What difference did it make to live your week this way? Were you surprised by any moments when you really felt used by God? Could you identify anything that held you back or interfered with your ability to be used by him?