The Act of Love by Katie Kilgore

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² 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 do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. I Corinthians 13:1-3

  

I had the chance to sit down with a seasoned Minister of Music, Rev. Mark Barnes, this week and “interview” him on his ministry, etc.  It was a joyful time of encouragement, excitement, and enthusiasm as he gave me practical suggestions for ministry as well as sharing some of his vision with me.  One interesting point he made was a nugget of information that he received from a previous Pastor / Mentor with whom he had the chance to serve with several years ago.  He asked the Pastor for one piece of advice for ministry as the Pastor was entering his retirement years.  The Pastor responded with, “I would have loved people more.”  Wow!  This sounds so simple and a direct commandment for each of us a believer’s, so why would a Pastor feel the need to make such a statement?  As Rev. Barnes and I continued our conversation regarding life and ministry, it became clear to me the reason for such a statement.  The Pastor was so focused on “doing” ministry, preparing for next week’s sermon, and administration of the church, that he neglected what the scripture in I Corinthians 13 tells us…”but do not have love, I gain nothing.”  What did this Pastor gain by spending so much of his time in preparation rather than spending his time loving the people of his church and loving his neighbors? 

As I think about my ministry as a worship leader, I must honestly evaluate my actions.  I wonder if sometimes I focus so much on the choir hitting the correct note, or pausing for the rest, that I neglect to simply love the folks in the choir.  Am I so concerned with the necessary administrative tasks at hand that I forget to give someone in our congregation a much needed hug?  Am I acting as a “resounding gong or clanging cymbal?”  Love is imperative to each of our ministry efforts, for without it, what have we truly gained?

Lord,

I pray for YOUR love to resonate through me as I plan, lead, and serve in your church.  I pray that others will see and know that You guide my every step in ministry and, above all, they will know Your love and I love them.

Amen

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 by Micah Kilgore

[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; [5] and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; [6] and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. [7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Reflection

As I was preparing to preach this text (actually 12:1-11) my mind was captivated by the idea of speaking in tongues.  Is it still a gift available to us today?  Is it a “gift” that some people abuse for their fame?  Naturally I decided to start a Facebook thread for opinions.  I expected that I would get an argument, although I asked for the comments to be nice and discussion based.  However, across the board the responses were either to the point (still a gift, etc.) or reminded me that we should not attempt to decide for God what gifts He provides, and pointed me to v. 7.  Instead of “arguing” or debating our opinions on what gifts God wants His people to have, shouldn’t we focus instead on what we understand from the text?  He gave us ALL gifts as He saw fit, to be used for His glory and His honor, and the common good of His church.  Before you decide to ignore this question and get ready to argue your position, ask yourself these questions.  Do I use the gifts that God so graciously gave to me for His glory?  If you can answer yes, ask Him how you can continue to do so.  If you answered no, will you start using your gifts to God?

Prayer

Lord help me today to use the gifts you provided me with for the common good of your church locally or across the world.