Bang Bang Clang Clang # 1 Series

Rev. James White

Crossroads New Life Tabernacle

Bang Bang – Clang Clang

Part 1

A minister was speaking about all the things money can’t buy. “Money can’t buy happiness, it can’t buy laughter and money can’t buy love” he told the congregation.

Driving his point home he said, “What would you do if I offered you $1,000 not to love your mother and father?” A hush fell over the congregation. Finally a small voice near the front, raised an important question, “How much would you give me not to love my big sister?”

• This topic is powerful. If you were here last Friday night for the Outreach Seminar, you heard the overwhelming responses that dealt with fellowship of the body.

• We heard people say, “people say they love me, but when it gets down to the heart of the matter they don’t really show it”.

• How do we deal with that? How do we deal with the fact that we just have bad people in the church? KICK THEM OUT!!!!!!!! No!

• We deal with the root of the problem and we fix what is broken.

• Paul did this in 1 Corinthians 13. This church was a rocking church, but they had their problems. They were a healing church, but they had their problems. They were a holiness believing church but they had their problems, and one of those problems was their lack of Love.

• We have Sis. Gail talking about Sis. Jamie. We have our saints who have the standards down pat telling people they can’t be saved until they look like them. We have Bro. Frankie delivered from Cigarettes, but he is running off all the visitors because he’s always grouchy and don’t like them sitting on his pew.

• This was a real issue for the Corinthian church. I know this because Paul took an entire chapter to deal with it.

1 Cor 13

I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. 2 I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains — but if I have no love, I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned — but if I have no love, this does me no good.

• Paul does not cut any corners, he does not sugar coat it. He is telling the Corithian church who has the Holy Ghost that they need to get it together.

• Love is needed, or you don’t have a church. Love is needed or you just don’t have the glue. Love is connected or you just don’t have the power to connect.

• Paul was dealing with specifics concerning the church. You must understand that the epistles were written similar to a message we preach. Paul dealt with issues that were particular to their situation.

• Today, I think Paul would say, “You speak in tongues and have a position in the church and people like to hear you teach, preach, etc…, but no love you just noisy.

• Good preacher, sing in the choir, have a theology degree, obey the standards, have a Sunday school class, sit on the right side of the church….but no love you are nothing…dust!

• I give my tithes, give great offerings, always at plate lunches, involved in bar-b-ques, and I am willing to do whatever I can for my church….but no love it basicly hurts the church more than it helps.

4 Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;

5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;

6 love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

7 Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

• Not many of us have read this passage. This is powerful...

8 Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.

9 For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;

10 but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.

• All of this we do in the church is not complete until we have love. Love completes it because through Love, God becomes known. Through Love, God can be seen. Through Love, God can be touched and God can touch.

11 When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am a man, I have no more use for childish ways.