How Love Works? Series

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How love works is a sermon motivating believers to share the gospel with the unreached. The response of God loving us will result in us taking the gospel out and fulfilling the Great Commission.

Introduction: God loved the world so much that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ to redeem the world. Therefore, how are we believers to reciprocate his love? What is my attitude now that Jesus has loved me so much?

Open you Bibles to 1 Corinthians 16.

1 Corinthians 16:14-18 14Do everything in love. 15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Notice 1 Corinthians 16:14 Do everything in love.

Now look at 1 Corinthians 16:24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. Now did you notice that at the beginning and the end love is the issue. Paul is really talking about love in the fellowship.

Now love was for all practical purposes absent from the Corinthian church. In fact, all their problems were basically a reflection of a lack of love. That’s why the high point in the book is the 13thChapter where Paul describes for them the kind of love that should be manifest in their assembly.

So love is the issue. And so we’re not that surprised when at the end of the Epistle, Paul reminds them to do everything in love and closes up with an example by saying, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” Love is the real story of the book. Paul is endeavoring to correct the absence of love in the Corinthian church. And so he closes with that same theme in mind, the theme of love.

Remember, God has already given the believer his love.

Romans 5:5 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

Love is a basic element of the church. And there should be no such thing as a church without love. It should be a central part of our life. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he said: 1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God … your labour prompted by love. It should be for every church.

In 1 Corinthians 13 when Paul wrote about love, he spoke about action. Love acts, there can be no love without action. Love is a doing thing. And so here in 1 Corinthians 16:14-18 we see what love does.

How love works in believers?

Evangelism.

One evidence of love in a believer is evangelism. Where there is love in the fellowship, there will be people reaching out to those that are lost.

1 Corinthians 16:15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia.

Now we’re introduced to a household. Now Paul introduces us to a man named Stephanas. This is a man that Paul knows. He baptized Stephanas, it says in 1 Corinthians 1:16 and then in v17 Stephanas has come to visit him. So Stephanas was somebody he knew. And Stephanas was a Christian, but not only Stephanas, but his whole household were saved. And Paul even says they were the first converts of Achaia.

Apostle Paul on his third journey he came to Macedonia where he preached the gospel. Macedonia is Greece. The southern part of Greece is called Achaia. So when Paul came into that area, he preached Christ. So one of the families that got saved in Achaia was the family of Stephanas. They were the first converts. KJV calls it first fruits.

Now if you remember the concept of first fruits, the first fruits were the first part of a crop that came in and if the first fruits were good it was a guarantee the rest of the crop would be good. Stephanas and his household were most likely the first fruits of the City of Corinth. God was in effect saying there’s going to be a full harvest in the City of Corinth. And there was, there was a great church built there to which Paul ministered for one and a half years teaching the word of God. Stephanas was the beginning of that church.

Paul here introduces us to the concept of evangelism. And I really think that part of letting all your things be done in love is going somewhere and planning a church. Going somewhere and getting some first fruits. Going somewhere and winning some people to Jesus Christ.