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.
12 What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete — as complete as God’s knowledge of me.
• It only becomes complete when possess Love…God can not be seen until Love is added to the formula. Everything is incomplete until we put Love into play, because without Love no man can see God…
• All that we do…It’s incomplete without Love. All that we obey…It’s incomplete without Love. All that we sacrifice…It’s incomeplete without LOVE…
13 Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.
TEV
1 John 4:8-21
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
• Paul talked about a glass – We never seen God face to face, but if we Love one another, we are looking at the attributes of God. God is seen by others through the Love that we show.
• How do they see Jesus? Through our Love! Please don’t get this wrong, but for the ladies your appearance tells them nothing except that your Pentecostal….
• What is your countenance telling them?
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
• This is not Charasmatic Talk….This is bible! Love is the ultimate Goal. Can we grow this church…Not without Love! Can we have great ministries…not without Love!
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
KJV
• Paul, John, and Jesus all say…Love is needed in the church or you are nothing but bang bang – clang clang.
